Weird and Wacky Historical Hair Loss Solutions

The techniques available to combat hair loss have evolved over the years to where many people take the current methods for granted. It might be hard to believe but there were ways to combat hair loss before the 20th century. Have you ever heard of any of these weird ways people attempted to combat hair loss in the past?

Ancient Egyptians used a variety of cures to help those suffering from hair loss. One of the oddest remedies was a mixture of fats that included tomcat, crocodile, hippo, snake and an ibex AKA a wild goat. Porcupine hair was also boiled and then applied to the scalp for at least four days. Egyptians who were not fans of those ideas more than likely chose the option of wearing a wig.

While Hippocrates is known as the father of Western medicine, he also suffered from male pattern baldness. What was his answer to his baldness? A topical solution made of pigeon droppings, spices, opium, beetroot and horseradish.  His other cure for baldness was a little more radical as he realized that eunuchs were not lacking hair on top of their heads. There are no records of how many people choose the castration solution.

Julius Caesar might be the father of the comb over. Once he started losing his hair, he turned to growing his hair long in the back and then brushing it up and over his scalp. When this didn’t work, he turned to a remedy consisting of bear grease, mice and horse teeth. When that rather unappealing solution didn’t work, Caesar finally decided on wearing a laurel wreath on his head to cover his bald area.

The phrase “snake oil salesman” is used to describe someone who is not particularly trustworthy. The 19th century saw many salesmen pretending to be doctors while trying to sell potions and products to cure baldness. Most of these tonics were simply drinks made by the salesmen that had no medical value in treating baldness or any other ailments.

These crazy ideas to combat baldness are just a few of the methods used throughout history to battle hair loss. We’ve come a long way since the days of potions made from a combination of animals found in the great outdoors. We should all be glad that we live in a day and age where modern medicine is able to provide effective hair restoration solutions.

More than The Length of a Hair’s Difference

More than a lengthWhile hairline reduction and hair transplants can both lower the hairline, there are quite a few differences in the procedures. How does a patient decide which procedure is best for them? The decision eventually comes down to a variety of factors:

  • A consultation with a good hair transplant doctor
  • The expectations the patient has before undergoing a procedure
  • Which of the two procedures best fits their expectations and their individual needs

When a patient is considering having a procedure to lower his or her hairline, it’s important to know the different advantages of the two procedures:

Hairline Reduction Advantages:

The first advantage of a hairline reduction is the fact that it is a quick procedure.
A hairline reduction procedure can also create a high density hairline which might be desirable by many patients.

Advantages of a Hair Transplant to Lower a Hairline:

One advantage of doing a hair transplant to lower the hairline is that the final result is more natural looking. A good hair transplant surgeon can create a very natural looking hairline that reflects the normal transition of hair density.

A hair transplant procedure avoids the linear scar that a hairline lowering procedure creates. Instead of a scar, the patient can expect a natural looking transitional zone in their hairline with a hair transplant. A hair transplant to lower the hairline also allows for more flexibility with the placement of the hair/overall hair direction and the curvature in which the surgeon can mimic a perfectly natural hairline.

What Is The Next Step?

The next step for a patient is to study the advantages of the options listed above to determine which of the options best fits their needs. Once the patient has determined which technique is best for them, they should find and consult with a good doctor to determine if they are a viable candidate for either a hairline reduction or a hair transplant to lower the hairline.

Shaved Hair for Scalp Scar Camouflage

I met a patient who had a hair transplant several years ago.  He was in my office to check out his options for revising his scalp scar, but I had a hard time finding the scar when I parted his hair on the back of his head. He explained that he had come up with a method to hide the scar on a day to day basis.

I thought his way of camouflaging the scar was genius. I thought I should share his novel method and the photos with our blog followers.  I am sure there are many people who can take advantage of this smart solution before they opt to do a scar revision procedure.

Two segments of scar with and without Honey-Beard Camouflage
Two segments of scar with and without Honey-Beard Camouflage

As you can see in the image, he has used hair clippings from his shaver to cover the scar.  He applies a thin layer of honey to make the scar surface sticky so that when he applies the beard clippings, they stick to the scar surface. This produces the appearance of hair on the scar, making the scar almost invisible.

This is similar to using microfibers such as Toppik and other similar brands but with use of your own hair.

Brazilian Congress of Hair Restoration – May 2014

May 21st to 25th 2014 – Maresias, Sao Sebastiao, Brazil

Hair Restoration Meeting in Brazil

I had the pleasure and honor of being a part of the invited faculties for the 5th Brazilian Congress of Hair restoration in Maresias, Brazil. Prior to the meeting, I spent a few days in Sao Paulo and visited the offices of two of my good friends, fine Brazilian hair transplant surgeons Dr. Ricardo Lemos and Dr. Antonio Ruston.  I have learned several great things from these doctors that I will use in my day to day practice back in LA.

Parsa MohebiBrazilians are considered the inventors of hair transplantation with long hair. They have surgical techniques which differ from other countries that are favored for a variety of reasons. One of these techniques is the stick and place, the process in which the hair transplant surgeon and hair technician work closely to make sites and place grafts at practically the same time. I enjoyed observing how these two doctors were able to achieve their results using these specialized techniques. It is always insightful to see how other experienced hair transplant surgeon perform their procedures.

The meeting in Maresias has been a great experience. Maresias with its tropical climate is having some of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil and South America. My presentation was on my novel method to approach donor closure in FUT procedures through partial trichophytic closure. The technicalities and advantages of this method were reviewed during the meeting. The meeting had other interesting presentations on a variety of hair transplant techniques that were invented and are heavily practiced in Brazil by most Brazilian hair transplant surgeons. Some of these special techniques are not usually performed in America, even though they have
proven to be quite effective treatments. They are:

  1. Long hair transplantation
  2. Stick and place hair transplantation
  3. Performing hair restoration surgery in hospital setting unlike U.S.
  4. Strip popularity vs. FUE transplantation. FUE hair transplant is done very minimally in Brazil for a variety of socio-environmental reasons.

In addition to the general seminar, we had one of our regional meetings of the FUE Research Committee (FRC) of ISHRS where we discussed the progress of our initial FUE research comparing the long term growth rates of FUE and Strip.

George Clooney’s Hair Transplant

Q:

Hair Transplant for George ClooneyHi Dr. Mohebi,

As you can see in this picture, the front of George Clooney’s hairline looks “see through”. Could his famous strong hairline actually be the result of a hair transplant?

A:

Thank you for the interesting question!

After viewing the photo, there are two possibilities about why George Clooney’s hairline may have some sort of “see through” effect:

  1. A hair transplant was performed with less than an adequate number of hair grafts
  2. George Clooney is suffering from the early stages of male pattern hair loss

Looking at younger pictures of George Clooney, you can see that he has always had a widow’s peak (George Clooney’s Hair Evolution). The more recent pictures of his hair show the gradual loss of that widow’s peak and the thinning of his more juvenile, solid hairline.

George’s salt and pepper hair color has definitely worked to his advantage and helped him maintain the look of a full head of hair until now. If his hair color was actually a darker color, his thinning on the scalp would be much more obvious to the public.

In my professional opinion, I think Mr. Clooney is going to need a hair transplant sooner (rather than later) if he wants to keep a solid hairline like the one he had before. He would be a great candidate for our Celebrity FUE Hair Transplant™ by Dr. Parsa Mohebi procedure for hairline reinforcement.

– MA

 

How to Properly use the Laxometer

 

Laxometer

The Laxometer, a device used to measure the laxity of the scalp in a more objective way, was invented by Dr. Parsa Mohebi back in 2007.  In 2011, it was made to be more precise and was called “Laxometer II.” Surgeons around the world are now using this device for all Strip hair transplant procedures to measure scalp laxity. With this device the safety of a hair transplant procedure is increased, since it allows the surgeon to record the needed distance in order to efficiently close the wound in the donor area.

 

How to Purchase an Electronic Copy of the Book: Modern Hair Restoration

Modern Hair RestorationModern Hair Restoration: A Complete Hair Loss Guide for Men and Women is now available to purchase through Amazon on your kindle device. Purchasing this unique book is quite simple, requiring only a few steps before having the book downloaded directly to your kindle device.

Logging into your amazon account is the first thing that should be done.  Once you are logged in, search for the book titled Modern Hair Restoration and click on it.  That should take you to the page that will give options for receiving the book. The book can be directly purchased for yourself and will ask which device you would like it sent to.  However, if you would like to purchase the book as a gift for your loved one, click on “give as a gift”.  Once you are there, you will have two options: email the gift receipt to yourself so you can send/print it and hand deliver it or you can put in the recipients email address and send it to them by email.  If you choose to directly email it to whomever is receiving the book, you can write a personalized message and choose the date of when you would like the gift to be sent.

Hard copies of the book will soon be available at our offices.  For more information about the book please call (888) 302-8747 and our staff will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Modern Hair Restoration Book by Dr. Parsa Mohebi

Modern Hair Restoration CoverModern Hair Restoraton: A Complete Hair Loss Guide for Men and Women is a new book that gives a 360 degree overview on hair loss and hair restoration, exploring causes, psychological effects of hair loss on men and women, and diagnosis and treatment options. I decided to write this book, because I felt there was a need to provide a comprehensive guideline on hair restoration that can be referenced freely.  It will feature an emphasis on hair restoration techniques for both men and women, including the newest methods of hair restoration such as FUE, Partial Tricophytic Closure, Scalp Micropigmentation, and future advances in hair restoration technology.

Self-image is something that every individual deals with on a day to day basis, and is so important that it can sometimes dictate our lives. This book addresses how baldness not only affects our self-image from a personal standpoint, but how it can also limit or negatively impact our  self-esteem, future outlook, overall happiness, career opportunities, and even our sex lives. This book is unique, because it encompasses every aspect of hair restoration by covering every type of treatment, including non-surgical options and other medical alternatives. I feel that because the field of hair restoration is rapidly progressing, even recently published books are sometimes outdated. I wanted to write a book that provides the most up-to-date modern techniques and treatments for hair transplantation, broadening the awareness of hair restoration.

Modern Hair Restoration: A Complete Hair Loss Guide for Men and Women will soon be ready to purchase electronically (buy it now for kindles through Amazon) or by hard copy. It will also be available to all of my past and future patients. We will soon announce the release date for this book.