Haircheck for Hair Bulk Analysis

One of the things I enjoy about the annual ISHRS meeting is that I am introduced to new products. Sometimes the products can be half-baked or without merit, but every now and then something catches my eye and piques my interest. So at the recent ISHRS meeting in Boston, I was shown a refined instrument called Haircheck that was presented to measure hair bulk… and I was quite impressed.

Over the past 18 years, I have assessed the thinning process with video magnification using a patented device where I could see the hair shafts, visually compare them and measure the density of the donor hair. Now with this Haircheck device, I can actually measure the bulk of the hair in the impacted areas and compare it not only to the permanent hair, but also to previous measurements made during past visits.

When you undergo balding, one thing always occurs — the impacted hair loses its bulk (the hair shaft diameter becomes thinner and thinner over time). Eventually this thinning leads to balding. The use of drugs like finasteride seems to reduce the miniaturization (thinning) process, and if there is a positive impact on hair bulk by blocking DHT, it will clearly show up in these studies. For those patients who continuously ask about saw palmetto or other supposed hair loss treatments, the value could clearly be defined with this technology.

I fully recommend to every person that believes they’re losing hair to get a Haircheck examination in an office near them. I’m not sure which other clinics offer it, but we will be offering this service to our patients who believe that their hair is thinning. If you’d like to setup an appointment for a consultation, please call 800-NEW-HAIR or 310-553-9113.