I recently performed beard and sideburn transplants on this African American man who did not have complete facial hair due to a genetic issue. I have been asked many times about this problem, so I thought I would show photos from the day after surgery. He received a total of 769 grafts (each side got about 380 grafts) to create what you see in these pictures. His natural curly hair made the results look better than if his hair was straight. Black hair on dark skin also helped.
I am a 40 year old african american woman and I process my own hair. I also typically wear my hair in a ponytail. Couple of months ago I notice that I had experienced some hair loss at temple and back of head. It has slightly grown back. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again and can I continue to chemically process my hair…
What you are describing may be traction alopecia caused by pulling from a tight ponytail or possibly triangular alopecia, which can be genetic. The loss could even be from the chemicals if the process you used caused damage. I won’t know what type of hair loss you have without a physical exam.
If you feel your hair loss is from chemical damage (which may be the case, but again, I don’t know) then stop the chemical treatments. If you are wearing your ponytail too tight, then stop wearing a ponytail. If the loss is due to genetics, hormonal imbalance, or a vitamin deficiency, your doctor should be able to give you a better idea of what you can do.
I apologize for such a basic answer, but there isn’t much I can say without an exam and further history.
(male)
i have african amercan hair. My former stylist’s last chemical relaxer burned me serverly at the hair line that the next day my scalp had swollen in the hair line area. The hair hadnt fallen out but after a month i noticed it had thinned drastically. Its been 5 months since the burn and i noticed that some of the hair is growing back…Is hair restoration an option for me?
You should wait at least a year following the hair loss from chemical damage before considering hair transplantation. A year will give you enough recovery time to see what was not killed off in the chemical burn. Hopefully the thinning isn’t permanent and you won’t need a surgical solution to your hair loss problem.
Just be patient and keep your fingers crossed.
Hello, I am an African American teen and I was wondering if there is anything I could do to change my hair texture. Right now I have really coily hair. Type 4: Kinky. When you comb out the curls my hair is pretty rough and dry. I was wondering if a hair transplant of some kind would be able to change the texture to something more like Type 3A or 3B?
Thank you for your time.
No, a hair transplant should not change the texture of your hair. Sometimes as you get older, the character of your hair may change; it could become thinner, but it is not something I would count on.
You could also use chemical treatment to straighten your hair, but you should be very careful not to damage your hair or scalp this way. If you decide to go this route, find an experienced professional that can straighten the hair.
Hello,
I am experiencing hair loss in the crown of my head the size of a quarter. I am an african american woman. When I keep my hair braided with no chemicals, the hair grows back, so I know that it has the ability to grow. When I put a relaxer on my hair, I experience itching from within in only one area, then a month or so later the hair will fall out, but it only comes out in the same area. Could I be just allergic and sensitive in only one section of my hair. What do you recommend?
Yes, an allergy would be highly probable. It might also be a chemical burn. I have no suggestions other than speak with your stylist or your dermatologist.
can an african american female who relaxes her hair use rogaine? are there any known cases where using minoxidil on relaxed hair has caused breakage.
These are two complex issues which should be overseen by a competent doctor who knows about minoxidil and relaxers.
Generally speaking, minoxidil (Rogaine) will work on African Americans who use relaxers with no difficulty, but it is recommended that you don’t use the minoxidil on the same day that your hair is chemically relaxed, as it could cause scalp irritation.
Hi, I am a 21 year old black female. When I was maybe 2weeks old I had surgery on my eyes and the doctor cut my hair on the sides to put an IV in. My hair never fully grew back. Their is a very little amount of hair on each side. I haven’t tried any meds or talk to any doctors yet. Will this ever grow completely?
With my inability to examine you, there is little I could say about the diagnosis. Generally, you can wait up to one year to see if hairs from trauma or surgery scar will ever grow back. In your case, it has been 21 years… so it would be highly unlikely for it to regrow now.
Snippet from the article:
Men who lose their hair may have more to worry about than just vanity, especially if their balding starts early.
Researchers have long known about the potential link between baldness and the risk of prostate cancer, but studies have been conflicting. Now a study of African-American men shows a higher risk of prostate cancer among men losing their hair, supporting the results of a previous study that found similar results in a group of primarily Caucasian men. In the current study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers focused specifically on African-American men, since they have the highest rate of prostate cancer among men in the U.S. and are twice as likely to die of the disease than these men.
Read the rest at Time.com — The Link Between Early Baldness and Prostate Cancer
I am 53 yr old, African American female with lupus, it is not internally only scalp. I have seen many dermatologists and finally after 2yrs of testing, they stated it was Lupus. I have been told that my scalp is scarred. From the top of my head to near my ears, I am bald. Is there any physician in my area that can grow the hair back or is this just permanent. My scalp literally looks like Bozo the clown. Is there any help for me? I have tried cortisone injections and no help…Please Help me what can I do? Thanks for taking time to read my story, may God continue to Bless you for the help you have given many.
Usually, people with lupus who lose their hair as a result of this autoimmune disease will not be candidates for a hair transplant. The Lupus Foundation of America has an article about hair loss that can result from the disease or the treatment, which you may find helpful (see here).
There is possibly a solution with Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) if you have some patchy hair, but I would need to view many good photos of your scalp and hair loss to see if you would be a candidate for this approach.
I’m a black 41 years old African American female with receding hair lines which resulted from many years of hair braiding. What can I do to reverse this condition.
What you’re experiencing is called traction alopecia. This occurs with continuous pulling on the hair over time. Unfortunately, hair transplantation is the only solution for this problem that I know of.
I am a 30 year old African American male. I had hair transplant surgery a year ago. Mainly to fix my hair line fixed. It’s been a year and barely any improvement, there’s barely any new hair. I don’t if the doctor knew how to do an african american hair. Should i have it done again by another doctor? what should i do? thank you!
African hair requires considerable experience and few doctors have mastered the process. We have had no problem with this type of transplant of African-American hairs that are kinky.
After a year, the results from your transplant should be noticeable by now. I hope you didn’t have a transplant failure, but an exam would be able to tell that. As you are in Los Angeles, please consider making a free appointment with me in my LA office.
I have lost my hair at the crown due to tight braiding. Before I try a transplant if it’s even necessary, what products would be best for me as a 43yr old African American Woman? Thanks
In general, traction alopecia is considered permanent hair loss, particularly if it has been present more than a year. Some women try Rogaine with mixed success, and some women go through hair transplant procedures, which work very well. Every case is different.
Hi Dr. Rassman,
I want to thank you for developing the new FUE technique that does not require shaving the donor area. I am wondering if this technique has been tried and tested on African Americans given the curly nature of their hair. When I came for my FUE, I actually had to keep indoors and avoid contact with the general public.
I would certainly consider this technique for future transplants if it works for African Americans.
Thanks
I have not tested or tried the long hair FUE procedure (mini FUE, mFUE) on the kinky hair character of African-Americans. I do not see any barriers for the technique itself as we have been doing this type of surgery (FUE) on African-Americans for many years.
The difficulties of performing FUE on kinky hair should be the same with the hair long or short. In general, FUE on kinky hair is difficult for the obvious reason that the hair turns into a ‘screw’ shape below the scalp skin.
my 6 yr old son cries excessively during a haircut and when i wash his hair. Being african american I also brush his hair while washing it to make sure it’s clean. It seems when he’s getting his haircut it’s not painful to me, but he says it hurts when he’s getting his haircut. Is there anything that can be done or should I be worried about anything inside his head or anything. Please help?
If you have curly, kinky hair and someone is brushing it out, I would think that would be painful. Perhaps this is what your son is experiencing. There may be rare scalp conditions that cause pain, but that would need an examination. You should follow up with your child’s pediatrician.
Hello!I’m a 32 year old African American Woman. In early March of this year,i went to a salon and got my hair done. The stylist used a product called Morning Glory. When it came time for me to wash my hair, OMG!!! My hair was shedding so bad.
Fast forward to today, I have lost at lest 3-5 inches of my hair. Especially in the front and middle of my head. Some of the back but not as much. Oh and did i mention it sheds really bad everytime i try to do anything to it more of my hair comes out. The same stylist that did my hair told me to come to her for a protein deep conditioner. Will that help?? What can i do to stop the shedding?? I don’t want to go bald!! Please help me. I appreciate any and all advice.
Morning Glory makes a few different products, so I’m not sure what was used (or for how long it was used) on your hair at the salon. You could be experiencing a chemical burn or an allergic reaction. I don’t know that a protein conditioner will help any more or less than just giving it time to regrow (it will take months). If you’re still losing hair months after this happened, you should visit a dermatologist to make sure there isn’t some allergy to one of the ingredients in the product used at the salon.