Is Having Chest Hair a Style Faux Pas?

 

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Are hairless bodies the new aesthetic for today's men? 

The Daily Mail recently wrote about the growing shaving/waxing/primping trend among men in search of the perfect hairless chest. The new 'hairless chic' has been underway for some time, and is inspired by a growing number of bare-chested male celebrities - from Matthew McConaughey to David Beckham. Long gone are the days when a full chest of hair - a la Sean Connery, Tom Selleck or Burt Reynolds - was the ideal to live up to.

Not everyone feels this way, of course. A number of hair restoration surgeons, including myself, occasionally perform body hair transplants - in most cases, this procedure takes hair from the chest, arms or wherever and transplants it into the scalp because the patient doesn't have enough donor hair at the back of the head. However, sometimes the procedure is reversed - and the transplant is for the chest, or beard or pubic region, to create hair. 

Slate previously wrote about the history of body hair removal and there's also a discussion on HowStuffWorks about why we have body hair to begin with. Meanwhile, the global dairy company Arla apparently didn't get the memo about body hair - it's British subsidiary recently created an actual coat made from the chest hair of 300 male donors, as a publicity stunt to promote a new protein beverage.

Broncos' Wes Welker Discusses Hair Transplant

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Denver Broncos' wide receiver Wes Welker is proud of his new head of hair - and he wants to tell you about it! The athlete has given a number of media interviews lately to discuss his recent hair transplant procedure and how happy he is with the results. 

Welker joins athletes like Wayne Rooney who have decided to publicly address their decision to undergo a hair transplant, he was quoted in a recent interview saying, “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. If you want to have hair, have hair. I don’t like to sit there and say ‘What are you talking about? I never got my hair done. People can notice it without wondering.”

Welker's transplant procedure was performed last year, and from the before-and-after photos, you can see how successful the procedure was. 

His openness to discuss his own procedure has prompted some reporters from asking him about the rumored transplant undergone by his former teammate Tom Brady - Welker politely declined to comment. To read more about how Tom Brady could have had a "secret" hair transplant, click here. 

Game 6 Photos Show LeBron James Had a Hair Transplant

Photo by Bauman Medical's Felipe Reynoso

Photo by Bauman Medical's Felipe Reynoso

It's been rumored for some time that the Miami Heat's LeBron James underwent a hair transplant - but these photos, taken at Game 6 of the NBA Finals in the American Airlines Arena by Bauman Medical Group surgical technician Felipe Reynoso, show strong evidence that LeBron has undergone hair transplantation. 

This is one of the rare times LeBron has appeared on court without his customary headband.

If you look at the two photos above, you'll see a large linear horizontal scar around the back of the scalp. From this vantage point, the long scar was easily visible from behind and from the right - approximately 4 mm in width. This is a tell-tale sign of a linear or "strip" harvest from a hair transplant surgery. Strip harvesting is an older method (some would say "outdated" too) of performing a hair transplant, in which a long linear strip is removed from the back of the scalp and then the follicles are dissected from this tissue sample and implanted into the bald areas of the scalp. 

It's not entirely clear how long ago the procedure was performed, although I'd venture to say it's probably over a year old. It's also unclear why LeBron would have opted for this older hair transplant method - when a more advanced procedure known as NeoGraft FUE (no scalpel/no stitch) is now widely available and doesn't leave a linear scar, since the follicular units are harvested individually. UK footballer Wayne Rooney made his FUE-style hair transplant famous by tweeting out his post-op pictures and announced his recent "top-up" procedure, which LeBron might also be in need of, judging from the still-receded hairline.

LeBron's case is similar to Jeremy Piven, who was spotted with a long linear 'strip harvest' scar at the back of the head in 2010.

Is Megan Fox Losing Her Hair?

 

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The tabloids are buzzing about rumors that Megan Fox, who stars in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, suffered hair loss after a salon mishap. 

According to a source who spoke to Star Magazine: "She went [back] to a different stylist, and they ended up using a metallic hair dye that reacted to the initial product. Next thing you know, her hair started falling out in clumps!" More details available on Celebitchy.

Is it true? It hasn't been substantiated, so take this latest Hollywood gossip with a grain of salt. However, frequent harsh chemical treatments have been known to cause damage to the hair strands and the underlying follicles - resulting in hair loss in some circumstances. Remember January Jones' admission that frequent hair dyeing had caused hers to fall out? If Ms. Fox really did have a salon mishap though, it's likely to be a temporary problem unless her scalp was actually burned.

Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession with Hair Extensions

 

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The June 21st issue of The Hollywood Reporter has a feature on the growing demand in Hollywood for hair extensions. A wide range of celebrities are reportedly using them - Rihanna, Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Jessica Simpson, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez, just to name a few. And, of course, who can forget Naomi Campbell's side-effects from extensions?

Photo by PR Photos, edited/notated by Dr. Bauman

And that's just the point: hair extensions are actually extremely harmful to the hair follicles. Because of the excess weight and pulling, hair extensions, when worn too much, can lead to a type of hair loss called "traction alopecia." Traction alopecia is a form of "scarring alopecia" and characterized by an obliteration of the hair follicles. Hair transplantation is the most effective way to reverse this condition.

If you are a regular user of hair extensions, weaves, braids or wigs that attach to the hair, your hair follicles are in danger of permanent damage. 

Hollywood often leads the world when it comes to style, but the new extension trend is definitely one to avoid.

Wayne Rooney's Hair Transplant - Is Getting Two Normal?

 

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English footballer Wayne Rooney, 27, underwent a second hair transplant procedure recently, according to The Daily Mail. Many are wondering why he had to get another transplant, after the first procedure in 2011. Did something go wrong?

It's actually not uncommon to need more than one hair transplan in order to achieve the patient's coverage goals. In fact, you have a higher likelihood for needing additional transplants if you're ...

• Under the age of 40
• Wear a short haircut
• Have dark hair and light skin
• Have straight hair
• Recipient scalp is completely bare 
• Not compliant with preventative treatments (resulting in progressive loss of non-transplanted hair)

Celebrities and politicians are also more likely to undergo multiple transplants due to higher expectations and more youthful-looking goals.

It can take a full year to see the final results from a hair transplant. Patients often wait until the full results are in before deciding whether or not to undergo a secondary procedure - as in the case of Rooney. However, some patients get started earlier - such as at six months out when 50 percent of the results are visible. Technically, you could harvest the donor follicles as early as six weeks post-op, but that's rare unless the doctor is transplanting to a new recipient area of the scalp.

 

Can a Vaginal Cream Really Make Your Hair Grow?

An interesting Internet meme has recently emerged: women using vaginal yeast infection products to grow their hair longer or to reverse hair loss.

A quick search of YouTube will net you hundreds of testimonial videos from women who've used this to treat their hair. Some of them have even begun organizing "Monistat Hair Growth Challenges" online. A local TV station in San Antonio also reported on the trend recently.

Using a feminine product to grow your hair sounds crazy -- but does it really work?

The short answer: possibly.

To learn more, read my current article, Can a Vaginal Cream Really Make Your Hair Grow?, on Huffington Post, where I discuss its effectiveness, side effects, causes of female hair loss and various treatment options. 

Read the article here. 

Awkward Celebrity Hair - Huffington Post

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Today, not only are more celebrities taking advantage of the advances in hair restoration, but many of them are talking about their struggles with hair loss publicly. These celebrity endorsements are important in helping to remove the stigma that many unfortunately associate with hair loss.

But for every celebrity that talks about their experience, there are dozens more who hide it or deny it.  Huffington Post has a fun slideshow of Awkward Celebrity Hair, including Donald Trump, Kevin Costner, Nicolas Cage and more, check it out here.

Will Arnett's Widow's Peak

2012 (Photo by PR Photos)

2004 (Photo by PR Photos)

With the resurrection of 'Arrested Development' (at least for one season), it's worth taking a closer look at one of the show's leading men - Will Arnett. 

The 43-year old actor has long had a deep widow's peak in his hairline, which hasn't seemed to worsen over the last decade. In fact, it may actually look a little better today. 

Is Arnett getting treated? It's possible he's turned to Propecia or Minoxidil to maintain his existing hairline and prevent further recession. Both of these FDA-approved treatments also regrow hair, but that isn't always the case. For some men, there is zero regrowth effect. Before starting these treatments, it's worth getting a genetic test to see if the treatment is likely to produce significant benefits.