Gone today, Hair Tomorrow

Marlane has suffered from hair loss for years but it was only a year ago that the semi-retired health industry professional decided to do something about it.

“For years, it has been something that concerned me. My hair is fine and thin to begin with and I had a natural receding hairline from my younger years that progressed,” says Marlane.

As an active member of the community, the 61-year-old mother knew she needed to find an option that would provide the most natural-looking results. When Marlane stumbled upon hair transplantation, she began to do her research, finding clinics in Toronto, Vancouver and even internationally, exploring options in Singapore, India and Brazil. She eventually decided on the Gillespie Clinic in her hometown of Calgary.

“It was because of my family doctor. He highly recommended Dr. Gillespie so I went to talk to him and from there it took a few more months to decide if that’s what I really wanted to do. I didn’t know anyone else who had gone through the procedure so I felt a bit like a guinea pig,” she laughs. “I took the leap of faith because I was very impressed with Dr. Gillespie’s ability to explain things in both layman’s and medical terms. He was also very candid in ensuring that I had realistic expectations, which I certainly think is important.”

“For young patients, finasteride is often the treatment of choice. If they have early hair loss, the best treatment is to slow down the eventual loss of their hair and try to re-grow some hair with this medication.”

For more than 25 years, Dr. John Gillespie and his clinic have devoted their practice to the medical and surgical treatment of hair loss. This includes hair transplant surgery for baldness as well as thinning eyebrows, sideburns and scar repairs.

Minoxidil, a topical treatment for hair loss popularly sold under the name Rogaine, helps with hair loss in both women and men. For men, there is also finasteride (also sold under the names Proscar and Propecia), an oral medication that can help men suffering from male pattern baldness to re-grow some hair. It blocks the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that causes miniaturization of genetically sustainable hair follicles. Finasteride is the most effective non-surgical treatment for men with hair loss, says Gillespie. These medications are often used in conjunction with hair transplant surgery.

“Transplanted hair is permanent, but the balding process continues in the surrounding hair and that is why the medication is recommended. We can transplant permanent hair to bald areas but we want to prevent the adjacent areas from going bald,” he explains. “For young patients, finasteride is often the treatment of choice. If they have early hair loss, the best treatment is to slow down the eventual loss of their hair and try to re-grow some hair with this medication. It is a preventative measure and it will re-grow hair to some degree. Medical and surgical treatments can go hand in hand.”

Duane, a 43-year-old business owner, has struggled with hair loss since he was 25. Once he turned 40, he wanted to explore long-lasting options and found hair transplantation to be the best choice.

With clinics available throughout Canada and abroad, Duane decided to travel from his hometown of Saskatoon to Calgary to visit the Gillespie Clinic based on Gillespie’s credentials. Gillespie is a diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). “I did some research,” says Duane. “That’s what made me go to Calgary. Dr. Gillespie has been doing this surgery for many years… I wanted to go to someone who was experienced.”

The Gillespie Clinic uses follicular unit hair transplant surgery. Gillespie harvests a strip of hair bearing skin, about six to seven inches long, from the back of the patient’s head. The scar left from the excision of the tissue is similar to a thin line drawn by a pencil, easily covered by the existing hair and usually undetectable. This tissue is dissected under a microscope into naturally occurring follicular units of one to four hairs. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 follicular unit grafts are dissected in this manner.

The use of the microscope ensures the hair follicles are not damaged in the dissecting process. This helps to achieve maximum hair growth. Each tiny graft is placed into a hole the size of a pin in the bald recipient area and will grow for a lifetime. It assures the patient will achieve a natural appearance, unlike the archaic look of traditional hair plugs.

“Hair transplants done properly are undetectable.  If you met me for the first time, you wouldn’t look at me and say, ‘That’s a pretty good hair transplant’… Your eyes wouldn’t come to my hairline because there’s no way you could tell that I’ve had a hair transplant,” Gillespie says.
Caution is advised in transplanting young men.“We don’t know what their hair loss pattern is going to be,” he says. “We have to keep in mind that the balding process continues throughout one’s life. A hair transplant in a young man has to be planned for the long term. It’s important that a young person under the age of 25 or 30 has realistic expectations.”

Duane, who underwent the operation in February 2009, is so impressed with the results that he plans on going back for more.
“I’m going back again to make it even thicker,” he says. “It’s amazing what they can do. The hair you’re getting is from the back of your head. It’s permanent. You’re defying genetics.”

It is usually men who seek out hair transplants to combat male pattern baldness. However some women, including Marlane, have thinning hair that runs in their genes. For natural results, hair transplantation can be a good option for women.

Marlane has been so pleased with the results that she recommended hair transplantation to her sister.

“When it runs in the family, it’s something that is talked about and there’s a certain amount of embarrassment that goes along with it,” she explains. “The results are absolutely fantastic, it’s so noticeable — not to others but to me. I’ve been able to change the style of my hair… I can wear it long, I can pull it back into a ponytail and I have fuller bangs… Now I have a defined hairline instead of a hair loss line.”

Hair transplantation can range in cost from $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of the procedure. It is a painless procedure using local anesthesia. The patient is awake, watching television or listening to music throughout the operation.  The average downtime ranges from three days to one week.

Gillespie suggests researching the procedure prior to the surgery and for patients to book time for a consultation directly with the surgeon.
“It’s important that the consultation is done with the physician.  At some clinics, the consultations are not with the doctor,” he says. “It’s important that the patient establish a doctor/patient relationship and have confidence in the doctor with whom they are choosing to have their hair transplant.

The results patients can achieve with hair transplantation affect more than just their physical appearance.

“We’ve certainly noticed that many patients have tremendous changes in their outlook and their self-confidence.

I recently saw a patient who commented that since he had a hair transplant, not only has his confidence improved, but he feels the way he is treated by other people has improved also,” says Gillespie.

“Most of my hair transplant patients don’t lack self-confidence but just as they would like to have an Armani suit and a BMW, they would like to have nice hair.”

With a permanent solution to hair loss, hair transplants are providing patients with a new lease on life. •