Author Archive for Robert J. Reese, DO

Dr. Robert Reese is the founder and Medical Director of Reese Hair Restoration. He has been practicing surgery since 1992. Dr. Reese has treated thousands of patients and is recognized as one of the finest hair transplant doctors in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest . Dr. Reese has treated thousands of patients, and his concern for his patients is well known. After working for one of the national hair restoration firms, Dr. Reese founded Reese Hair Restoration in the spring of 2004 to offer a higher level of personalized care for hair loss and medical hair restoration for Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa patients. Dr. Reese is a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons and recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Visit Dr. Reese's Website: www.reesehair.com

My Transplanted Hair Is Falling Out, Is This Typical After a Few Years?

I had a hair transplant about five years ago with a doctor who I thought was a reputable hair transplant surgeon. It now seems that some of my transplanted hair is falling out. Is this typical after a few years? I was told that the transplanted hair would last a lifetime.
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In my opinion the biggest challenge facing hair restoration surgeons today is that there is a “mismatch” between the larger recipient scalp, and the smaller, limited donor scalp. We can always use more follicles in our transplant procedures to cover larger zones in the recipient scalp. However, the nature of the donor scalp only allows us to remove a certain amount in a single transplant session and still obtain a cosmetically acceptable closure. Individual factors such as scalp laxity, (i.e. looseness), density of follicles per unit area in the permanent zone, hair caliber and hair curl all contribute to the perceived “density” that a patient obtains with their procedure. Some of the patients will require greater than one transplant procedure to obtain there expected goals for “density and coverage”.

Generally speaking the “permanent zone” where follicles are harvested to transplant are expected to grow hair for the life of the patient. Read more

Is It a Waste To Have a Hair Transplant Without Using Propecia?

I just turned 30 years old and really would like to do something about my hair loss this year. I feel that my receding hairline is making me look older beyond my years. This is my problem, I am not a big fan of taking medication, and I am also very concerned about the long term side effects of Propecia. I think I would be a Norwood Class 3 with thinning sides, but the hair on the back of my head is extremely thick. Would it be a waste for me to have a hair transplant, but not take Propecia? Thanks in advance, Carl
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Carl:

Thank you for your e-mail.

I will attempt to answer your question, “Would it be a waste for me to have a hair transplant, but not take Propecia?” in the following manner.

In my opinion, modern hair restoration surgery deals with an imbalance in “supply vs demand”. What I mean by this is to say that most patients that I perform consultations on have a larger “demand” area, (i.e. the area of the scalp that we transplant into), and smaller “supply” areas, (i.e. the available donor follicles). Stated another way, most patients have a “mismatch” in the larger recipient zone compared to the smaller donor zone. Therefore, it is important for me to council my patients about the importance of “getting serious about stopping hair loss” such that the recipient zone does not continue to expand over time. Read more