Hair Circuit - HAIR REPLACEMENT / HAIR RESTORATION CENTER Massachusetts

Why should you choose non-surgical hair restoration over
other solutions?

Drugs such as Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Finasteride (Propecia) don't work for many individuals, can result
in loss of more hair if you stop treatment, take months to see results, can result in decreased sexual
performance, and in certain cases are not suggested for use by women. Not a good choice.

Surgery, which takes hair from the back of your scalp and spreads it to the front/top of your head -
essentially redistributes the reduced amount of hair you currently have across a larger area - making
your hair appear thinner over your entire head. This approach also results in permanent alteration of
your scalp - which means your new bald spot in the back of your head and the thin hair across your
entire scalp is a life long decision. This solution is also very painful, expensive and results in an obvious
and permanent scalp change during the process. Sounds appealing, doesn't it?
For example, do you want to look like this....?

Don't let this happen to you...
If you select a surgical solution, how are you going to
explain this at the office?

So what is the best alternative? Non-surgical hair restoration.

Just some of the benefits of non-surgical hair restoration:
- Have a full head of hair in the same treatment session
- Each solution is customized to the specific needs of the customer
- No one you meet will know
- Do all the same activities you did before your new hair
- Does NOT alter your scalp. Afterall - there will be a real treatment for baldness someday, so why
would you permanently modify your scalp?
- Less expensive than surgery
- No pain as with surgery
- No side effects of drugs, such as reduced sex drive or performance
- Our solutions and services have been recommended by local doctors of dermatology
- Call us for more information.... 781-828-1704

Male hairloss
The following was written by Alan Rockoff, MD and medical author

Some men never go "bald" but everyone's hair thins out over the years. The term androgenetic refers
to the fact that common balding requires both male hormones (androgens) and a genetic tendency to
lose hair. Because there are many genes involved, however, you can't look at your parents and know
how much hair you will lose or how fast you will lose it. In particular, the idea that hair loss is passed
down from the mother's side of the family is folklore, not fact.

The problem of hair loss has resulted in many other myths and misconceptions. For instance, wearing
hats does not "choke off" hair roots and promote baldness. Likewise, longer hair does not put a strain
on roots.

Once you think your hair is thinning, it's worth a check to be sure. Even men who never lose much hair
develop some receding at both temples during adolescence. Boys' hairlines are straight across; adult
men have more of an M shape.
Many conditioners, shampoos, vitamins, and other products, as well as procedures involving lasers and
heat, claim to help hair grow in unspecified ways. These are harmless but useless and not worth the
investment.

What are causes of hair loss?
There are many causes of hair loss on the scalp. In general, most hair loss is not associated with
systemic or internal disease, nor is poor diet a frequent factor. Thyroid disease can cause hair loss, but
thyroid tests on people who have ordinary hair loss are usually normal. Although many medications list
"hair loss" among their potential side effects, drugs are also not overall common causes of thinning or
lost hair. On the other hand, with cancer treatments and immune suppression medications, hair loss is
not uncommon.

One useful way to classify hair loss is by whether the loss is localized and patchy, or whether it affects
large areas or the whole scalp.

Patchy hair loss
Some conditions produce small areas of hair loss, while others affect large areas of the scalp. Common
causes of patchy hair loss are:
" alopecia areata (patches of baldness that usually grow back)
" traction alopecia (thinning from tight braids or ponytails)
" trichotillomania (the habit of twisting or pulling hair out)
" tinea capitis (fungal infection)

Alopecia areata
A common condition, alopecia areata usually starts as a single, quarter-sized circle of perfectly smooth
baldness. Alopecia patches usually regrow in three to six months without treatment. Sometimes, hair
grows back in white. In another variant, alopecia can produce two or three bald patches. When these
grow back, they may be replaced by others. The most extensive form is called alopecia totalis, in
which the entire scalp goes bald. It's important to emphasize that patients who have localized hair loss
generally don't go on to lose hair all over the scalp. Alopecia can affect hair on other parts of the body
too-- for example, the beard.

Alopecia areata is considered an autoimmune condition, in which the body attacks itself (in this case
its own hair follicles). Most alopecia patients, however, do not have systemic problems and need no
medical tests. Alopecia is also often blamed on "stress," but in fact it's usually the other way around:
having alopecia causes the stress, at least until people find out what it is.
Treatments for alopecia areata include injecting steroids into affected patches to stimulate hair
growth. This is not practical for large areas. Other treatments, such as oral steroids or ultraviolet light
therapy, are either toxic or impractical. In most mild cases, patients can comb over the affected areas.
In more severe and chronic cases, some patients wear hairpieces; nowadays some men shave their
whole scalp, now that this look has become fashionable.

Traction alopecia
Tight braids and ponytails can pull hard enough on hairs to make them fall out. If this happens, it's best to choose hairstyles
that put less pressure on hair roots. The sooner this is done the better, to avoid permanent damage.

Trichotillomania
This melodramatic name refers to the habit of pulling at hairs or twisting them, sometimes without realizing it. The scalp and
eyelashes are often affected. Unlike alopecia areata patches, which are perfectly smooth, hair patches in trichotillomania
show broken-off hairs. Treatment is entirely behavioral: You have to notice that you're doing it and then stop!

Tinea capitis (fungal infection)
Fungal infection of the scalp for the most part affects school-age children. Bald spots usually show broken-off hairs. Oral
antibiotics are needed to penetrate the hair roots and cure the infection, after which hair grows back.

Generalized (diffuse) hair loss
Common conditions in this category are:
" telogen effluvium (rapid shedding after childbirth, fever, or sudden weight loss)
" androgenetic hair loss ("male-pattern baldness," "female-pattern baldness")

Telogen effluvium
Under normal conditions, scalp hairs live for about three years (the anagen, or growing, phase); they then enter the telogen,
or resting, phase. During this three-month period, the hair root shrivels up into a small white "club," then the hair falls out. It is
therefore normal to lose about 100 hairs every day, more of them on days when shampooing loosens the hairs that are ready
to fall out. The hairs are then replaced by the body.

Sometimes people worried about losing their hair start noticing hairs on their pillow or in the sink, not realizing that they've
always been there. A close look at these will usually reveal the white "club" at the end, showing that these hairs were already
dead. Normally, about 10% of scalp hairs are in the telogen phase.

There are several circumstances that produce a "shock to the system" that alters the hair growth rhythm. As a result, as
much as 30-40% of the hairs can cycle into telogen. Three months later hairs come out in a massive shedding (effluvium),
especially near the front of the scalp. These include:
" childbirth
" high fever
" sudden weight loss (crash dieting)
" surgery

None of these has to be life-threatening, nor does hair loss always follow them. (It can happen after one pregnancy but not
the next.) But when the hair falls out, it's all over the place--covering the pillow, clogging the drain, and so forth.
Paradoxically, the more dramatic the hair loss, the better the prognosis, because when the body gets back into normal
rhythm, most if not all of that hair comes back. No special treatment is needed. Normal shampooing can continue, because
this only loosens hairs that were going to come out anyway.

Androgenetic alopecia ("male-pattern baldness," "female-pattern baldness")
Everyone loses hair, but men do it better--faster, earlier, and more extensively.
Doctors refer to common baldness as "androegentic alopecia," which implies that a combination of hormones and heredity
(genetics) is needed to develop the condition. (The male hormones involved are present in both men and women.)

Male-pattern baldness
Even men who never "go bald" thin out over the years. Unlike those with reversible telogen shedding, those with common
male-pattern hair loss don't notice much hair coming out; they just see that it's not there anymore. Adolescent boys notice
some receding near the temples as their hairlines change from the straight-across boys' pattern to the more "M-shaped"
pattern of adult men. This normal development does not mean they are losing hair.

Some "myths" about male-pattern baldness

" You inherit baldness through your mother's male relatives. Actually, baldness can come from either side of the family, or
both. Looking at your family can give you at best an educated guess about how you'll turn out.

" Longer hair puts a strain on roots. They don't. And hats don't choke off the circulation to the scalp to cause hair loss either.

" Shampooing does not accelerate balding.

" "Poor circulation" does not cause hair loss, and massaging doesn't stop it.

Female hairloss

Is hair loss in women different than men?

Female-pattern baldness
Women lose hair on an inherited (genetic) basis too, but the female pattern is more diffuse, with less likelihood of the frontal
hairline being lost. Although some women may notice hair thinning as early as their 20s, the pace of hair loss tends to be
gradual, often taking years to become obvious to others. (It's common to hear women with what appear to have a full head of
hair exclaim, "This is nothing--you should have seen how thick it used to be!")

Notions about baldness being inherited through the mother's family, just like stories about hats choking off follicles or long hair
pulling on the roots, are just folklore.

Hair loss "myths" of special concern to women:

" Longer hair does not put a strain on roots.

" Shampooing does not accelerate hair loss; it just removes those that were ready to fall out anyway.

" Coloring, perming, and conditioning the hair do not usually cause hair loss. Styles that pull tight may cause some loss, but
hair coloring and "chemicals" don't.

If your hair is thinning or falling out, you are probably anxious to find out why. Is hair loss due to heredity, childbirth, stress or
some other factor? Approximately 90% of your hair is growing at any one time, while the other 10% enter a resting phase.
Every two to three months the resting hair falls out and allows new hair to grow in its place.

We constantly hear about the challenge of men's hair loss, all of the products they offer, and what they can do about it.
However, women struggle through the same problems every day, which I don't believe society is as well aware of. In many
situations, the causes are recognizable and treatable, and there are many things that contribute to each. This is a continuing
problem, affecting some thirty something million women just in the United States.

Women as early of an age as fifteen and sixteen are finding themselves developing a hair loss challenge, which isn't totally
common, but it's not unheard of. Remember- It is so very important to get the right diagnosis from a physician before
attempting any form of treatment on your own.

ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA or FEMALE PATTERN BALDNESS
Women automatically are born to have a low amount of testosterone, and when that comes in contact with the enzymes in
the hair cell, it changes it's make up to an androgen DHT, (dihydrotestosterone) which attaches to receptors low into the hair
follicle. This same process repeated overtime causes excessive build-up of DHT in the hair follicle, causing it to shrink, which
conflicts with the natural process of growth in the hair itself. Depending on each specific case of androgenic alopecia, some or
many of the follicles eventually die and some become unable to produce or maintain normal hair growth. Alopecia can be
stress-induced or genetic.

Other Hair Loss Factors:

TEMPORARY HAIR LOSS
Even when it's not obtained naturally or genetically, hair loss can occur in any women at any age, majorly depending on what
is occurring at that time of the individual's life. Changes in the hair growth can begin following:
-Major changes in diet
-Disorders
-Malnutrition
-A severe infection
-Low or too high of vitamin intake
-Medications (used to treat:
gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems, high blood pressure, or blood thinner.)
After an event such as above, almost ninety percent of growing hair can quickly go all at once into the "shedding" phase
anywhere from six weeks to several months after the event occurs.

Other Factors that can contribute to women's hair loss:

Low iron content: Hair requires high levels of regular nutrients for proper development and growth. When women go through
the changing process of their menstruation cycles, iron levels are frequently less then desired, and the fundamental mineral is
often a contributing cause for hair loss.
Hyperthyroid Disorders: When the body is in crisis, the cells of the hair are able to shut themselves down to put their energy
to use somewhere else in the body.

Drinking Alcohol: Excessive drinking affects your diet and vitamin count which has the ability to cause hair loss. There are
stress reactions that can promote hair loss after heavy alcohol consumption; the more alcohol intake, the increased amount of
stress put on your body. This heavily affects the liver, which is a critical organ within the hormones in your body.

Smoking: Cigarette smoke has a large impact on the hair follicle. Smoke can have up to 4,000 damaging chemicals that can
cause hair loss, breakage, dullness, and not to mention a not so great smell. Smoke cancels the flow of an important amount
of oxygen and nutrients through your bloodstream, and when hair is denied its proper amount of important nutrition, it
promotes unhealthy tresses and breakage. If you're looking for shimmering shine and healthy hair, talk to your physician about
quitting smoking immediately for the sake of your hair, and importantly overall health.

Stress: Yes, Stress. They say it isn't stress that kills but it is how you deal with stress that kills. Well, stress can also
contribute to hair loss. Our bodies react differently and at times, surprisingly. The dictionary defines stress as a "demand upon
physical or mental energy". Stress puts demands on people to perform well above their capacity. Stress happens to all of us,
typically each day. Stress can also be related to change.

Hair loss influenced by stress usually occurs after severe stress, such as surgery or illness. This is referred to telogen
effluvium. It takes about 6 months to a year to reverse the signs.

Pregnancy: Hair loss that is connected to pregnancy usually occurs after delivery. During pregnancy, an increased number of
hairs go into the resting phase, which is part of the normal hair loss cycle. This condition is not serious enough to cause bald
spots or permanent hair loss, and should begin to diminish within 3-4 months after delivery. If you feel that you are
experiencing unusual hair loss while you are pregnant, this may be due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency.