National hair loss expert Dr. Sanusi Umar reveals his revolutionary procedure for men and women experiencing hair loss…
(Dr. Sanusi Umar)
August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month and it’s an important time for millions of men and women around the country to learn about a new procedure that can give new hope to the hairless.
According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, hair loss affects about 35 million men and 21 million women in the United States alone. 65% of men and 80% of women have noticeable hair loss by age 60.
A report recently published in the Archives of Dermatology discusses a new method for transplanting leg hair to restore receding hairlines. Yes, in what may be the first documented case study, it disclosed that hair follicles had been taken from the legs of male patients and grafted to the back of their heads to restore their hairlines, according to The New York Times.
The treatment is for androgenic alopecia (male-pattern hair loss) and it could help millions of men who struggle with self-confidence due to this ailment. This hair loss usually starts at the hairline and subsequently makes a horseshoe-shaped pattern around men’s ears.
It is seen largely as a genetic condition.
So how did the idea to use leg hair begin? According to Dr. Sanusi Umar, associate instructor of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical School and author of the new report, he saw a few problems with the usual methods to combat hair loss, including his own experience.
He explained, “If you look at a natural hairline, it’s very soft, like baby hair. The back of the head is where you find the thickest hair on the head. If you take that hair and use it in the hairline, it can end up looking harsh and pluggy because the hair is too thick.”
Dr. Umar speaks from experience — he has suffered from hair loss himself. In 1996, while working as an internist, he underwent a “traditional” hair transplant but wasn’t happy with how things turned out. Umar commented, “That inspired me to go into dermatology.”
He began seeking a solution and looked at “advanced follicular unit extraction” or the “U-graft method.” This included searching for hair on the body but not all patients have the same amount.
Umar also read a 2008 report that showed transplanted leg hair can survive and then naturally grow on the back of a man’s head, according to The New York Times. He also discovered the hair could make softer, more realistic hairlines. Umar said, “If you transplant leg hair on the head, it’s not going to start acting like head hair. It will still grow shorter and slower than scalp hair.”
Case Results
Dr. Umar tried the technique on two patients in his California-based practice, Derm Hair Clinic, who had been unhappy with traditional transplants. One patient, a 35-year-old man, “was self-conscious about the problem and resorted to styling his hair forward to obscure the hairline.”
The second patient, a 29-year-old man, thought his hairline after the transplant appeared “harsh and straight” which led him to cut his hair to hide the problem.
By placing patients under local anesthesia, Dr. Umar utilized an instrument that made microscopic wounds around the hair follicles in the back of the leg; they were removed and subsequently transplanted to one’s hairline. He took about 1,000 leg hair follicles and implanted them individually onto the patient’s head.
The removed hairs didn’t leave spots on the legs from the removal and there was minimal scarring.
According to Dr. Umar, approximately 75 to 80 percent of the transplanted leg hair successfully grew on the heads. He said both patients were happy with the results and in his report, he wrote about the 35-year-old patient, “The hairline was fully grown and soft-looking by nine months at which time the patient started combing his hair backward and sporting a ponytail, exposing his hairline comfortably.”
Since then, Dr. Umar has performed ten more of the procedures, including three women. On average, a procedure involves 1,500 to 1,800 follicles and takes about eight hours, with breaks.
A lot of these patients “have no other options or alternatives,” he added. “They’ve been told to forget about it by many other clinics. It’s life-altering for them when they realize that this is possible.”
About Sanusi Umar, M.D.
Dr. Sanusi Umar is certified by the American Board of Dermatology. A world renowned dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon, Dr. Umar completed fellowship training in cosmetic surgery under the direction of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. His research and findings are published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery. For more information on treatment options for hair loss, please visit Derm Hair Clinic .
