Hair Loss in Young Men Before The Age of 21

Hair Loss is commonly thought of as something that occurs only in older men. But it happens in younger men, too — those who are not yet 21 years old.

Because hair loss is generally unexpected before age 21 it can be a shock for a young man 15 to 20 years old to discover he is losing hair. The first hair sign likely to occur is thinning in the temporal area of the frontal hairline, above the eyebrows on either side of the “widow’s peak”. This can result in the appearance of a high forehead. The young man may also begin to notice excess shedding when he combs, brushes, showers or shampoos his hair.

If the young man’s father, mother, uncles or older brothers have pattern hair loss he may not be surprised to see that the family “baldness trait” has been passed along to him. Nevertheless, he most definitely will not be pleased to see the inherited trait appear so early.

Hair loss before age 21 can be very disturbing for a young man, even if he expects to eventually undergo hair loss similar to other male members of his family. Loss of hair at this psychologically and emotionally vulnerable time in his life can leave him feeling disfigured, less attractive socially, and hindered in the job market. He can be an easy target for expensive but ineffective “miracle cures” advertised in print media, on TV and on the Internet.

What should a young man do if he begins to lose hair before age 21?

A good first step is consultation with a hair restoration doctor. The first advice a doctor might give a young man with hair loss is: “Don’t panic. I understand. Male pattern hair loss is a common, inherited condition and it is normal to be bothered by it. We can almost certainly find a way to manage it by making decisions tailored to your individual needs.”

No recommendations for treatment will be made until the doctor has determined the cause of hair loss. While male pattern hair loss is the most common reason for hair loss in men there are many other causes that need to be considered and ruled out. Hasty treatment before a diagnosis is established may be ineffective and could be counter-productive.

What treatment is a hair restoration doctor likely to recommend?

The doctor's first goal is to educate the patient with regard to the cause, progression and long-term ramifications of hair loss as well as any treatment for hair loss. Because hair transplantation has high public acceptance as a successful method of hair restoration, the young man may consider it his first option for treatment. However, most leading hair restoration doctors do not consider hair transplantation a good option for most men under age 21. Hair transplantation may rarely be an option for individual young men under age 21 when indicated by individual patient characteristics.

Hair transplantation may not be a good hair restoration option for young men because, among other reasons:

• The pattern and progression of hair loss has usually not been fully revealed at this early age
• Hair transplantation performed this early may be less than desirable later in life when the pattern and progression of hair loss has been more fully revealed
• It is difficult to design a surgical procedure that will look natural and appropriate for the rest of the patient’s life
• Once hair transplantation is begun, future surgeries are required to maintain a natural appearance
• Unfortunate results of hair transplantation performed too early may have to be surgically corrected later
• Even with parental guidance, it is difficult for a minor to make informed adult decisions regarding elective surgery.

Hair transplantation may eventually be the best approach to treatment of the patient’s hair loss. An interim option often recommended by leading physician hair restoration specialists is non-surgical treatment with minoxidil (Rogaine®) and finasteride (Propecia®) — the only hair restoration medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and scientifically proven to successfully treat hair loss. Treatment with minoxidil and finasteride can slow hair loss and give the appearance of more hair by adding density to miniaturized hair follicles.. Slowing the progression of hair loss before and after age 21 improves the opportunity for successful hair transplantation later.

In selected cases a doctor may perform a small “forelock” transplant to provide immediate improvement in the patient’s temporal frontal hairline. In only very rare cases would a doctor suggest aggressive treatment with hair transplantation.

The cost of consulting a hair restoration octor may be less than the cost of multiple ineffective “miracle cures” purchased from vendors advertising on the Internet, TV, radio, or in print media. The professional advice and support of a doctor will be invaluable to a young man who feels devastated by the early loss of hair.

Great Nutrition: Required For Maintaining Hair Health After Hair Transplant

Why do people with hair loss undergo hair transplants? For one overwhelmingly critical reason: improvement of appearance. Why is improvement of appearance so important? Reasons are many, and may include any or all of:

• Having a better self-image and feeling better about oneself
• Appearing as youthful and energetic as one feels
• Enhancing appearance for personal and business relationships

Hair transplant may for some persons be part of a global program of personal improvement, including weight loss and physical conditioning. When this is the case, nutrition will almost certainly have an important role in any self-improvement program. And the manner in which nutrition is included in the program may have some potential for causing loss of newly transplanted hair.

A program of well-balanced dietary intake can help to weight loss and physical conditioning, especially when exercise is a part of the program. Well-balanced dietary intake meets the body’s needs for fuel (calories), and for vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and proteins to carry out biochemical functions, maintain the immune system to fight off infections and bolster tissue growth and repair. Every cell in the body needs these nutrients, including the cells in hair follicles that produce hair and cycle hair through its anagen-telogen-catagen phases.

A diet that is seriously lacking in essential nutrients, or has insufficient essential nutrients over a long timeframe, can cause malfunction in cells, including the cells in hair follicles. When hair follicle cells malfunction there is potential for (1) interruption of normal hair cycling, (2) inability of follicles to create new hair, and (3) temporary or permanent hair loss. Extreme diets that lack essential nutrients, or in which essential nutrients are below Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) levels (see U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Information Center for more information) can lead to nutrient deficiency.

The hair-loss condition most commonly caused by nutrient deficiency is telogen effluvium, an abnormality of hair cycling. The hair cycle is changed so that hair which would normally be in anagen (growth) phase is moved into telogen (resting) phase. The hair is then shed abnormally early. In addition to nutrient deficiency, other causes of telogen effluvium include hormone imbalance such as hypothyroidism, serious physical illness, physical and emotional stress and side effects of over-the-counter and prescribed drugs. Telogen effluvium may cause some postoperative loss of transplanted hair due to the effect of “surgical shock” on transplanted hair follicles. The effects of “surgical shock” can be reduced when the hair transplantation patient eats a balanced diet and stays well hydrated by drinking sufficient liquids in the immediate pre- and post-operative periods.

A similar cause of hair loss called anagen effluvium is due to toxic side effects of drugs, or to severe protein deficiency in the diet. In anagen effluvium, it is hair in anagen (growth) phase that is lost. The hair becomes brittle and easily plucked, often breaking off at scalp level. Anagen effluvium due to severe protein deficiency is uncommon in adults unless protein is extremely deficient in the diet.

The hair loss of telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium is usually temporary if the cause of the condition is removed (e.g., a drug) or halted (e.g., a nutrient deficient diet). Several months may be required for hair growth and hair cycling to return to normal. Failure to remove the cause of the condition can result in chronic and permanent hair loss.

Nutrient Deficient Diets Contributing to Hair Loss

Weight loss is typically a prime goal when a person is working towards improve physical appearance. A person may be determined to achieve a target weight, but is not sure how to reach the goal. What is a safe and effective weight-loss diet?

Tailoring of a diet to achieve a reasonable weight-loss goal must include appropriate levels of essential nutrients. Certain nutrient deficiencies are known to be specifically associated with hair loss:

• Iron deficiency is a cause of iron-deficiency anemia, and anemia is a known cause of hair loss. Iron deficiency anemia is a complex condition in which inadequate iron intake can be a sole or contributing cause. Fad diets and crash diets that are iron deficient will eventually result in low iron stores in the body and cause chronic anemia. Diseases that interfere with iron absorption or conditions that cause inappropriate blood loss can also be involved in iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency is diagnosed by laboratory tests. Treatment should be appropriate to the cause, and should be carried out under medical supervision. Iron deficiency due to inadequate iron in the diet may be treated by iron supplementation and by diet modification.
• Zinc deficiency is known to be associated with hair loss. A very low-calorie diet with little or no red meat protein can contribute to zinc deficiency. A low-calorie vegetarian diet can contribute to zinc deficiency because zinc is absorbed less readily from plant sources of zinc than from animal sources. Zinc deficiency can be difficult to diagnose; its symptoms are often non-specific, resembling those of many other conditions. Zinc deficiency should not be assumed; it must be diagnosed by laboratory tests. Zinc supplementation should be undertaken only under medical supervision; zinc overdose is associated with a number of adverse physical effects.
• Biotin deficiency is associated with hair loss as well as some skin disorders. Biotin is one of the B vitamins that have a broad range of functions in the body. Because biotin is found in many foods, biotin deficiency is likely to be caused by a very low-calorie diet that reduces the intake of many nutrients below recommended level.
• Protein deficiency is an outcome of inadequate protein in the diet over a period of time. Vegetarian diets avoid protein deficiency by including a variety of plant protein sources—beans, legumes and nuts. Extreme vegetarian diets and extreme low-calorie diets may provide inadequate protein intake.

A person who intends to pursue a weight-loss regimen before or after hair transplantation should discuss the intention with the physician hair restoration specialist. Diets that could cause or contribute to hair loss should be avoided or appropriately modified. Commercial weight-loss products promising quick weight loss and miraculous results are likely to be less effective over time than a normal diet modified to reduce calories while retaining a balanced intake of essential nutrients.

Weathering Hair: How Hair Damage Takes Away What You Have

The wrinkled, bone-dry, parchment-like skin of a person who spends much of their life in the wind and sun is said to be “weathered”. While “weathering” is a term very familiar in association with skin, hair is also subject to cosmetic and structural damage that some experts call “weathering”. An example of weathered hair we all recognize is “surfer’s hair”—frazzled hair damaged and bleached by hours of soaking in salt water and exposure to the sun.

Weathered hair, like weathered skin, detracts from your appearance and makes you look older than your actual age.

Weathering that affects the hair shaft but not the hair follicle (the “root”) is a minor cause of hair loss. It is, however, a common cause of frazzled, hard-to-manage hair, and it is something you want to avoid after a hair restoration procedure if you want to keep your newly restored hair looking as good as possible.

What is Hair Weathering and What Causes It?

Some structural breakdown occurs in scalp hair as a part of the normal growth-and-shed cycle. Over time in the normal hair growth cycle a hair tends to become shaggier in appearance as it ages; this is due to gradual breakdown of the structural proteins in the hair shaft.

The normal structural breakdown can be hastened and worsened by hair-damaging environmental factors and cosmetic procedures that contribute to “weathering”:

Excessive sunlight (ultraviolet) exposure can damage hair as well as it can damage skin. Wearing a head covering protects hair as well as skin from excessive ultraviolet exposure. In addition, there are sunscreen products made to be applied to the hair to prevent weathering. These products can be helpful if you spend a lot of time in the water.

Excessive wetting, especially in salt water, is damaging to hair. Sun and salt water are the combination that results in “surfer’s hair”. Vigorous combing or brushing of wet, tangled hair is tempting in order to put the tangled hair in order, but this should be avoided because vigorous combing or brushing is especially damaging to the hair shaft.

Chemical and physical damage caused by long-term permanent waving, hair curling and hair straightening can cause the type of hair-shaft damage that "“weathers” hair.

Chemical damage caused by bleaching, dyeing, and the use of degreasing shampoos can cause significant damage to the hair shaft.

Friction and physical hair-shaft injury caused by hard combing and brushing, braiding, and corn-rowing are significant causes of weathering, but this type of damage can also result in permanent hair loss due to traction alopecia.

In addition to avoiding those things that can damage hair, a physician hair restoration specialist may recommend ways to restore strength and shine to already damaged hair—for example, use of leave-in protein conditioners.

Severely traumatic or frequent injury to the hair shaft disrupts the outer layer of the hair and allows the inner layer to splay out, making the hair hard to manage. Weathering damage can occur to hair without one’s knowledge. Hair has no nerve connections and thus cannot give one a feeling of pain when it is damaged—unlike skin that can become painful when it is sunburned or chapped. Nevertheless, hair is a complex structure like skin, with multiple layers that can be disrupted by environmental or cosmetic damage.

Under the microscope, the outer layer of a mature hair has a fish-scale appearance due to the overlapping layers of cuticle that cover underlying layers. Cuticle is a dense proteinaceous material that provides structure and protects softer layers underneath. As a hair ages and naturally “weathers”, these cuticle scales become jagged and break off. Physical and chemical (cosmetic) damage can hasten the degradation of cuticle.

When the outer cuticle layer of a hair becomes excessively “weathered”, the softer underlying layers are open to chemical or physical damage. Loss of the cuticle layer also allows underlying layers to lose structure and form ridges, fissures and nodules. Hair that has lost its structure is a common cause of frizzy, hard-to-manage hair.

This “weathering” is usually seen in scalp hair, but body hair can be similarly damaged by environmental factors and by hard scratching with fingernails.

Because so many environmental and cosmetic factors may be at work in the life of any one person, it may be difficult to point to one factor as “THE cause” of hair weathering. A physician hair restoration specialist can assist a patient in identifying—and avoiding—factors that cause hair to appear “weathered”. In rare instances, a genetic condition may contribute to breakage and frazzling of the hair shaft. The doctor will rule out the presence of any of these genetic conditions during the full medical and scalp examination that is conducted before hair restoration is undertaken.

Excessive weathering of hair does not usually preclude a person from having medical or surgical hair restoration, if the hair follicles have remained undamaged. When follicles are undamaged, hair transplantation will usually be successful and medical treatment may restore activity in undamaged but inactive hair follicles.

Cosmetic and environmental factors that contribute to hair weathering should be avoided after hair restoration — not so much because they may make restoration fail but rather because weathering may negate much of the improvement in appearance that hair restoration is meant to achieve. The doctor can offer advice regarding hair care that maximizes appearance after hair restoration.

South Korea: The Best Destination for Medical Tourism in Asia

All Roads Lead to Seoul

The latest number one destination for medical tourism is Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.

In the past, fashion trends were set in New York and Paris. However recently, Korean popular culture such as K-Pop and K-drama have been setting another trend.  The huge international success of South Korean pop music and television shows has helped to make plastic surgery one of the most successful export areas for the country’s medical sector, as fans seek to achieve the stars’ glamorous looks. One of the most trendy places in Seoul is the Gangnam area, which appeared in one of the most watched video on YouTube, the singer Psy’s “Gangnam Style”. Around the Gangnam area in Seoul, there are as many hospitals as there are coffee shops, and many of these hospitals offer plastic surgery. Seoul provides a much safer and cleaner environment compared to other big cities in other countries. Many medical tourists from the US, Russia, Japan, China and other countries come to Korea to enjoy “Hospital Shopping” in Seoul.

Korea is the Best Place for Medical Tourism

Why do people visit Korea instead of going to Singapore, Thailand, India, or other well known places for Medical Tourism? The reason is because Korea offers the best doctors, state-of-the-art technology, and high-tech equipment. Korean global companies such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai have been leading the economic and industrial development of Korea. Now Korea’s medical industry have become the equal of other advanced nations, and is even leading in some fields due to the growth of the domestic IT, electronic and machinery industries. The Korean government has assigned its medical industry as the country’s new growth engine industry and supports foreigners enjoying Korean culture while receiving safe and convenient medical treatments.

With the government’s support, Korea’s Medical Tourism will grow as a global brand just like Samsung’s smart phones, LG’s air conditioners or Hyundai’s automobiles. Especially Korea’s plastic cosmetic surgery field has been ranked top already. South Korea’s government this year announced plans to further encourage medical tourism, including a help center providing legal support to foreign patients unhappy with their treatment, and relaxed visa requirements for medical tourists.

Shopping Paradise

Korea is a great place to travel because you can experience the coexistence of traditional and modern atmospheres. You can enjoy gifts of nature such as souring mountains, winding rivers and soothing oceans, whereas the cities offer modern buildings next to traditional architecture. You can go to your favorite Korean idol’s concerts or drama filming locations as well as their favorite clubs, restaurants and cafes. While you are steeped in the culture, don’t forget to do your fashion shopping as well. In Korea you can enjoy shopping 24-hours-a-day and find brands in all price ranges. The nights are splendid and vibrant yet safe. Are you or your family in need of a medical doctor? Then we recommend you to experience the convenience and excellent service that is Korean Medical Tourism.