Putting it together at

T HE PG

The Retirement Community That Has ./110

Down The Drain?

New transplants keep hair on your head and not in the sink.

D. J. BRADLEY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

B

ald is beautiful. To some
that's true. But for most of
the 35 million men in the
United States who are ex-
periencing hair loss, the word
"beautiful" isn't the first term that
comes to mind. In fact, women
dread the word "balding" even
more.
The reality of seeing an in-
creasing number of hairs in the
brush and a decreasing amount
on the head has sounded a warn-
ing bell for hundreds of thou-
sands of Americans, many of
whom are rushing to dermatolo-
gists to seek treatment.
In fact, a 1992 study by the
American Hair Loss Council stat-
ed that while men in their 40s
were more financially able to seek
treatment, the largest growing
segment of people making ap-
pointments for treatment were
between the ages of 18 and 29.
The report also stated that the
main motivating factor for all peo-
ple seeking treatment for hair
loss between the ages of 18 and
49 was self-confidence and a more
youthful appearance, i.e. a full
head of hair.
Add to the agony of hair loss
the fact that it is considered a
taboo subject to lament about.
Psychologist Thomas Cash of Old
Dominion University stated in
1989, "In today's society, men are
not allowed to mourn the loss of
their hair. It's exhibiting a sign
of weakness to openly state that
their hair loss bothers them."
So what are people to do when
they notice the beginning of male-
pattern baldness or perhaps the
widening of that once smallish
bald spot? Accept it or fight back.
Drs. Eric Sieger and Sandy
Goldman, owners of the Skin &
Vein Centers, are helping people
reclaim their lost hair through
a new procedure that implants
hair follicles in the precise three-

For more information about
The Trowbridge
and our Daily Activities

Call Meg or Maria at
(810) 352-0208

tion and location of an individ-
ual's natural hair.
`Traditionally, people have had
to either deal with their hair loss
or purchase hairpieces, use Ro-
gaine or have implants. Most peo-
ple will first try Rogaine, then try
the implants," explains
Dr. Sieger, whose Skin
& Vein Center has lo-
cations in Fenton, Troy,
Westland and St. Clair.
Upjohn Company,
the Kalamazoo-based
manufacturers of Ro-
gaine, tallied $774 mil-
lion in sales of the
product worldwide
from 1989-1995. This
year the product was
given over-the-counter
approval by the Food
and Drug Administra-
tion. No sales projec-
tions have been made.
Because the success
of Rogaine depends on
the chemical make-up
of the individual, only
one-fourth of men who
use it will see some hair
growth after using it;
one-third will maintain
the current hairline;
and the remaining
users will see no im-
provement, Rogaine research
states.
For those who have not had
success with the less intrusive po-
tions or lotions or aren't happy
with hairpieces, transplants are
the last hope.
Before new developments,
transplants would mean having
pencil eraser-sized plugs with
about 15 follicles of hair im-
planted in thinning or balding ar-
eas of the scalp. This, Dr. Sieger
said, "created a Barbie doll-effect"
because the hair grew in clumps
rather than resembling a regular
hairline.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SKIN AND VEIN CLINIC

24111 Civic Center Drive
Southfield, Michigan 48034

.111M ■ 11•1 MIK •

TH E DE TRO

• Clinical Teaching
• Testing/Evaluation
• Therapeutic Tutoring

72

545-6677 • 433-3323

Oak Park

LYNNE MASTER, M.Ed

Owner, Director

Bloomfield Hills

http://www.metroguide.com/lynne

A harvested piece of scalp is cut to smaller sections prior to transplant.

To accomplish the goal of a nor-
mal hairline, Drs. Sieger and
Goldman use the Hairtome 500,
a French device that harvests up
to 1,000 graphs of a person's scalp
per session.
"Strips of hair are taken from
the posterior of the
scalp. These strips are
g cut into mini-graphs
(three to five hairs) or
E3. micro-graphs (one to
,c 7, two hairs) and re-
si2, placed in the front of
the scalp. The smaller
8 graphs are spread out

Left:
A Rogaine pamphlet shows
diffuse hair loss in women.

evenly, which offers a
more natural-looking
hairline.
The scalp is taken
from the back of the
head because the en-
zymes in the hair from
that area are more per-
manent," says Dr.
Sieger. Once the cut-
ting is complete, the
posterior of the scalp is
stitched together leav-
ing little more than a
paper cut-size scar be-c-=\

hind.
Sedatives are used during the
procedure and mild pain reliev-
ers are prescribed and usually
taken by a patient for five or sev-
en days after the surgery. The
process costs anywhere from
$1,500 to $5,000 depending on
the number of graphs taken. Usu-
ally, between two to four sessions
are required to complete the
process.
All told, patients in the Unit-
ed States spend approximately
$250 million a year on trans-
plantation procedures, according
to the American Hair Loss Coun-
cil.
cf'
Greg Long, a 43-year-old
Clarkston resident, recommends
the surgery to anyone who is
thinking about fighting age and
thinning hair.
"At first, you're just going to
have fuzzlings, and you won't
have actual hair growth until
three to eight months after the c-\
surgery. The surgery itself is lit-
erally a no-brainer," says Mr.
Long.
According to Mr. Long, the ex-
pense is well worth it. He had
tried other hair-growth tech-
niques and found they weren't
working for him. So he opted for
the surgery and feels better for it.
"Why put up with something
cosmetic when you don't have to?

