Correct Diagnosis of Skin Disorders
The most astute hair transplant doctors have a great deal of understanding in diagnosing skin disorders. Without such knowledge the hair transplant doctor is merely a technician without understanding the many causes of hair loss.
One such case exemplifies this point.
A women in her early 30's with a 6 month old baby came into my office after having seen three hair transplant doctors and four other dermatologists with hair loss along her hair line.
One of the doctors misdiagnosed her with alopecia areata, which is normally treated with cortisone because of the inflammatory nature of the condition. As would be expected her hair did not grow back because alopecia areata was not the underlying problem.
We took a very thorough history and physical of the patient. After thorough examination the most important item to note was the bilateral nature of the hair loss. Alopecia areata is random. The patient also noted that her condition worsened after her pregnancy. she had had three prior biopsies without any notable diagnosis. After considering her history and the present condition of her hairline, we concluded that she had an unusual case of traction alopecia. She'd spent many years as a surgical scrub nurse, and constantly wore a tight surgical cap which rubbed her hairline. The change in her hormone balance during and after pregnancy exacerbated the problem.
Since we were able to determine the underlying hair loss problem we could then determine the proper course of treatment was a hair transplant which was successful.
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More General Questions
- Is the FUE a better method?
- A hair transplant doctors role
- Criticizing hair transplant doctors
- Do salesmen have a place in a doctor's office?
- Skin Disorders & Correct Diagnosis
- Considerations for Hair Transplants for African Americans
- Can I Get a Hair Transplant if I have Psoriasis?
- Hair Replacement Surgery Not Scary As You Might Think
- Four Myths about Hair Replacement Surgery
- Five Questions & Answers About Permanent Hair Replacement Surgery
- Permanent Hair Loss - Permanent Solution
- Finding a Qualified Doctor
- Strip Harvesting vs FUE
- Also see related FAQ
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