Can Prince Harry save his hair?

The Male Pattern Baldness gene otherwise known as androgenic alopecia has impacted Prince Harry’s appearance significantly over the past few years. Prince Harry’s hair loss has rapidly increased and it seems for the time being primarily concentrated in the vertex (crown) area of the scalp. However, hair loss is a progressive condition that if left untreated will undoubtedly progress and affect other areas of the scalp.

So, what are Prince Harry’s options for saving/restoring his hair?

• Medication: There are currently two medications approved by the FDA to prevent the progression of androgenic alopecia or genetic hair loss.  These include Propecia (Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). Both of these medications work synergistically together and work best in the crown (vertex) area. Prince Harry would likely slow or even stop the further progression of his hair loss if he were to start medication therapy.
• Hair Restoration Surgery: Hair transplantation is a surgical technique which involves removing hair follicles from the sides and back of the scalp (called the donor site) and transplanting them into a bald or balding part of the scalp (called the recipient site). There are two methods of harvesting grafts from the donor site. Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS) is performed by removing a donor strip from the scalp then dissecting the tissue using stereo-microscopes and isolating the follicular units by their natural groupings of one hair follicular units (1’s), two hair follicular units (2’s), three hair follicular units (3’s) and four hair follicular units (4’s). Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) is performed by the surgeon extracting the follicular units from the donor area one at a time. Both methods are widely used in today’s modern hair restoration and carry their own pros and cons.

 Conclusion

Prince Harry would benefit from starting medication therapy however he will likely not be able to regain all of the hair he has already lost with medication therapy alone. For this reason, his best option is to combine both medication therapy with hair transplantation. The medication therapy will allow him to slow the further progression of his genetic hair loss whilst the surgery would replace the hair he has already lost. With that said, the most important factor to consider is choosing a competent hair transplant surgeon with a proven track record of producing ultra-refined hair transplantation. Not all hair transplant surgeons are created equal.  The skill, talent, and experience of each physician varies widely, as do their results. If you’re in a similar situation to Prince Harry and are interested in regaining your hair find a prescreened hair restoration surgeon in your area and schedule a consultation today.

Written by,

Melvin (HTSoon) – Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.  To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit our new Hair Loss Forum and Social Community.