Author Archive for Spencer Kobren

Spencer David Kobren is the Founder and President of the American Hair Loss Association, the nation's foremost 501 c3, non-profit membership organization dedicated to educating the public, health care professionals, and the mainstream media about the emotionally devastating disease of hair loss.

Mr. Kobren is considered the country's most prominent and effective hair loss consumer/patient advocate. He's the author of the ground breaking International Best Seller, The Bald Truth; The First Complete Guide to Preventing and Treating Hair Loss (Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster), which has become the most widely read consumer hair loss guide of all time. He is also the author of The Truth About Women's Hair Loss; What Really Works for Treating and Preventing Thinning Hair (Contemporary Books/McGraw-Hill). Kobren is the host of the critically acclaimed national weekly radio program "The Bald Truth” which airs live from CBS studios in Los Angeles, and is in its tenth year of national syndication.

Mr. Kobren is a contributing editor for Consumer's Digest Magazine and WebMD and is the Founder and Director of Consumer/Patient affairs for The International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons. Mr. Kobren also holds a position on the Scientific advisory Board for Biotech startup HairDx, providers of the first consumer genetic test to determine the likelihood of developing male or female pattern hair loss.

Kobren and his work have been featured in articles in many publications, including GQ, The Wall Street Journal,The Washington Post Magazine, Men's Health, Men's Journal, Newsday, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and The Washington Post . Kobren has been interviewed by local and national affiliates of ABC News, NBC News, The Fox News Organization, CBS News and the CBC. He has also been interviewed for ABC News "20/20" and "Good Morning America." Mr. Kobren has had a chapter dedicated to his work in New York Post columnist Gersh Kuntzman's Book, Hair! Mankind's Historic Quest to End Baldness, and was the focus of the Discovery Channel documentary The Bald Truth.

Is It Possible To Keep a Shaved Head Military Cut After a Hair Transplant?

This might seem like a silly question, but can I keep my head shaved to a military cut if I have a hair transplant?  I’d like to just lower my hairline to kind of make a shadow where there is currently no hair. I like to wear my hair very short and think that if I lower the hairline that I would look a lot better. Can this be accomplished with a hair transplant and will it be noticeable?
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First of all I’m glad you took the time to write before jumping into surgery. Before I continue, I would like to make it clear that I am NOT a physician, and the information provided in this response is my opinion based on over a decade of experience as a consumer advocate for men and women suffering with hair loss.

This is a great question and a more common one than you might think. The short answer would be yes. It is possible to have a hair transplant and to keep your head shaved to a military cut. However, the reality of the situation is that a favorable outcome depends on several factors. First and foremost, in my opinion, a traditional, strip method hair transplant is out of the question. Even in the most capable hands, you will be left with some degree of a linear scar across the back of your head, which will not be camouflaged by the surrounding hair if you plan on shaving down. Read more

Searching For a Reputable Hair Transplant Surgeon

I am 24 years old and looking into options to maintain my thinning hair.  Hair transplant surgery is something I’m pondering, but I would like to fully inform myself with information from a credible doctor/surgeon. I’ve seen some non-biased studies and I’m intrigued, so the next step would be a consultation.  Herein lies my concern.

I see you have an extensive list of experts listed on your site.  Do any of these hair transplant surgeons work for Bosley or Medical Hair Restoration?

If so, I could at least ask these questions in confidence.  If not, could you give me some contact info for a good surgeon that may not work for such a high profile practice?

Thank you,
Ryan

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Dear Ryan,

First and foremost, it is important to fully understand the hair transplant process and to assess whether or not you are even a candidate for the procedure. I’m glad you found the IAHRS since, in my opinion, the internet is an extremely dangerous place to attempt to find accurate and objective information on surgical hair restoration. Read more

Hair Loss Advertising Online

Why credible and trusted websites may be displaying ads for bad products and services.

By now, people are becoming increasingly aware that there are many untrustworthy websites on the Internet, like the ones that will try to sell you snake oil remedies for hair loss. Scams and spam are rampant online but there are sites out there that you can trust.

Or can you?

Often, a trustworthy website will show ads for products or websites that are not trustworthy at all. This means that when conducting research and buying products on the Internet, hair loss sufferers need to be vigilant about every link they click.

How it happens

Many websites use advertising programs to generate revenue. The advertising programs are provided to website publishers by advertising affiliate networks. These networks perform two significant duties. First, they sell ad campaigns to companies, websites, and independent professionals who want to market their businesses online. Second, they provide affiliate advertising to website publishers.

When website publishers sign up with affiliate networks, they enter topics or keywords that are relevant to the content on their own sites. The affiliate networks then provide a bit of code that is inserted into the publisher’s website. This code is automated to generate the ads that you see on many sites.

No control over ad displays

The problem with this model is that the publishers have little control over which ads appear on their sites other than to specify rather broad categories and topics. A credible website that focuses on hair loss will naturally enter “hair loss” as an advertising keyword. However, the ads that appear may very likely link to gimmicky websites that are pitching products or services that are either dangerous or simply do not work.

Be wary

The best way to protect yourself is to understand that whenever you click on a link, you may be exiting the site you’re visiting and heading into new territory. This should be obvious as the second site will probably look a lot different from the first. For each new site you visit, be wary of the site’s credibility. Always practice safe, smart web surfing and always look for the American Hair Loss Association certification seal before you even consider buying any product or service to treat your hair loss.

Spencer Kobren
Founder, American Hair Loss Association
Founder and Director of Consumer/Patient Affairs, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons (IAHRS.ORG)

I Have Had Several Bad Hair Transplant Procedures and Need Guidance About Repair Work

I just moved back to New York. I have had four or five hair transplant sessions between the ages of 20 and 30. I am now 40 years old. The original job was done by Gary Hitzig and it was horrible. All subsequent jobs didn’t address the the original bad transplants, scars and poor hairline choice. I had a great deal of my own hair and have managed to “live with it,” and decided to wait, now 10 years, for the technology and processes to improve. Now I’m 40 and I need to address it as my hairline recedes and hair further thins. I comb my hair forward in a “caesar cut” and hide the scars and doll hair plugs. I’d like to be able to comb it back and not worry about it. I’m looking for guidance. Thanks.
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First and foremost, I want you to know that you’re not alone. From my understanding, your experience with Dr. Gary Hitzig seems to be typical according to many of his former patients.

Living with a bad hair transplant can be very difficult, so I’m glad that you’ve been able to deal with it and function well for all of these years. The good news is that surgical hair restoration has come a long way. With today’s state of the art techniques, even the worst repair patients can be helped. Depending on your available donor area, much can be done to help you achieve a completely natural looking hairline that you will no longer have to hide. Read more