QUESTION: Hello. I was wondering what causes a hair follicle to fall off? I was told that it had to do with DHT being produced by male hormones, and accumulating at the bottom of the hair follicle. But If this is the case won’t DHT continue to accumulate after hair transplantation and continue to have the same effect? If so then how is hair transplantation a permanent solution?
ANSWER: Great question! It is important to know that men who experience male pattern baldness have genetically defected hair follicles that in early stages of cell development never grow into the complex hair organ necessary for hair growth. However in male pattern baldness these defected hair cells appear only on the top of the head and leave the side and back of the head unaffected. This is why it is effective to take hair for the transplant from the back and sides of the head. This hormone that you mention, DHT, can only cause hair loss if the defect is present but will never cause a healthy hair follicle to be lost. So when we transplant the healthy hair follicles from the back and sides of the head to the top they are able to grow in the exact same way at the new location.
