My 17 year old daughter was in a car accident about 4 months ago. Thankfully she is recovering well with no permanent injuries, however during the accident her head hit the dashboard of the car causing tremendous bruising. About 2 weeks after the accident all of the hair in that area just began falling out. the hair has not returned. Could there have been some permanent damage to the hair follicles so that the hair will not grow back and if it does not grow back will a hair transplant work to replace the lost hair?
The cause of the hair loss is what we call ‘anagen effluvium’ assuming that there is no severe scar tissue in the area of hair loss. This means that the trauma caused an acute lack of blood supply (oxygen) to the hair follicles, causing them to shed hair. Normally, we would expect all the hair to regrow. If it does not all regrow, this would suggest that there have been some scarring under the skin that resulted in permanent follicles damage. It would be best to wait at least 6 months to see if there is good hair regrowth, in which case a transplant would be unnecessary. If there is no growth at that time, a transplant should be considered.
Jerry Cooley, MD
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
Jerry Cooley, MD Jerry Cooley, M.D. was born in Springfield, Missouri and graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. After graduation, he worked in a research unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his medical degree in 1992 after graduating with honors. After a medical internship at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, he completed his dermatology residency at the University of Maryland where he served as chief resident. While in Baltimore, Dr. Cooley underwent intensive training in dermatologic surgery and hair transplantation. He trained in the office of Dr. James Vogel, a noted plastic surgeon from Johns Hopkins. During this time, he performed laboratory research on "cloning" hair follicle cells using cell culture. After residency, he established his practice in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although general and cosmetic dermatology are part of his practice, hair transplantation is his main focus. Dr. Cooley is board certified in dermatology and dermatologic surgery. Dr. Cooley is a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons and recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Visit Dr. Cooley's Website: www.haircenter.com
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My boyfriend had a car accident 14 years ago ,the trauma was on his head because of the scars his hair didn’t grow anymore.Because of this he has been using a baseball hat since then.What options do we have for him now a days?It could be hair transplant?