Thinning Hair

Problem: I am in my early forties, and within the past five years, my hair has thinned so much that my scalp is visible at the crown of my head. I have been taking extra vitamins, and I quit taking birth control pills three years ago (I was told the Pill may be a contributing factor to thinning hair). To make matters worse, my fine hair is very oily! My 73-year-old mother's hair is also thin, but hers didn't look like mine when she was my age! Help!

Solution: I would love to say that there is a magic bullet for hair loss but there isn't. Androgenic hair loss (male-pattern baldness) affects 40% of all women. Rogaine (used at a 2% concentration) is the only over-the-counter hair-care product that has any research showing it to be effective for restoring hair growth. It may help hair to grow in 20% to 25% of the female population, and in the majority it may slow or stop hair loss. Once Rogaine use is stopped, your hair loss will resume—so using it is a long-term commitment. There isn't any research showing vitamin intake helps hair loss. Hair-care products advertising miraculous hair-growth results are not telling the truth, and they definitely don't have any published research proving otherwise (Source: Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, December 1998, pages 276–283). I would strongly encourage you to talk to your dermatologist to make sure there is no other possible cause for your hair loss (such as a hormonal imbalance) and to analyze whether or not you are a candidate for other oral medications (such as finasteride). In the distant future, you may also want to consider a hair transplant. Although pricey (costs range from $3,000 to $20,000 and up), the results are often successful, with no telltale traces of visible hair plugs or a "stitched" appearance.

Before you decide to consult a physician for a hair transplant procedure of any kind, keep in mind that any licensed physician in the United States and Canada can perform hair surgery. That means a doctor who was previously a gynecologist, without taking one course, could hang out a shingle tomorrow declaring him- or herself a hair transplant specialist. It is that easy, and it happens all the time. Because of this lack of licensing or course work requirements, it is easy to end up with disappointing and inferior results such as visible scarring, patching, fuzzy hair, or even more hair loss. Before you book an appointment, find out if the doctor you are considering is in good standing with the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS); contact them through their Web site at www.ishrs.org, or contact the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: (800) 332-3223 or www.plasticsurgery.org.

Let me just warn you, the enticement to try cosmetic hair-growth products will be seductive, and while their siren song will not hurt you, it can waste lots of money.

Just in case: Absolutely ignore those ads you've seen on infomercials that advertise cans of tinted hairsprays, the ones that color in bald spots and are supposed to look like hair, even close up. They don't look like hair, not even from a distance. They look like spray paint and wouldn't fool a child.

Paula Begoun