About The Book
Hair loss in women has leaped to an astounding 30 million cases. Tolerated in the male population, until now this taboo subject of female hair loss has generally been avoided by medical literature and by most consumer venues.
The book, Women and Hair Loss: A Physician's Perspective, by Dr. Matt Leavitt, is a consumer's guide from a medical point of view. Dr. Leavitt strives to educate, inform and discuss the options available for women experiencing hair loss.
Physical, medical, psychological and sociological aspects of hair loss are probed as well as avenues available for treatment including hair transplantation. Topics such as hair loss in children, ethnic hair loss, and cancer-related hair loss are all covered.
Current research, facts and myths, and questions to ask a physician are addressed, as are drug remedies and drugs that can cause hair loss.
Foreword
Our society is filled with myths and misinformation about hair loss in general, but even more so when it relates to women. That's why I'm so proud of my friend, Dr. Matt Leavitt, for taking the time to write a book about such an important topic.
It's clear to me that Dr. Leavitt cares about women and wants to help them make informed medical decisions. I believe Women and Hair Loss is an important addition to the books currently available dealing with women's health and self awareness related topics. I praise Matt for listening and responding to thousands of women who have not had such an in-depth source vi Acknowledgements prior to this book. His attention to issues of the physical as well as the emotional aspects of female hair loss, as well as his commitment to improved doctor/patient communication is to be commended.
So read, become informed, and find your own solution on the pages of this wonderful book. You no longer have to suffer in silence. You can find answers!
Richard Simmons
International diet, fitness and nutrition expert
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: A Little Bit of Hair History
CHAPTER 2: Hair 101: The Basics
CHAPTER 3: Why Women Lose Their Hair
CHAPTER 4: Medical Treatments
CHAPTER 5: The Doctor's Role in Female Hair Loss
CHAPTER 6: Psychology of Hair Loss
CHAPTER 7: Cancer and Hair Loss
CHAPTER 8: Children and Hair Loss
CHAPTER 9: Ethnic Hair Loss
CHAPTER 10: Hair Transplantation
BIBLIOGRAPHY
RESOURCES
Intro
As a dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, researcher and hair transplant specialist, I have seen and felt the frustration of thousands of female patients with hair loss. With this book, I sought to provide sound scientific answers and current medical information, as well as offer support for females seeking to learn more about their own hair loss. Viable avenues for treatment and valid options are also revealed. Most of all, the purpose of this book is to educate and to offer hope for women experiencing hair loss.
Since 1997, my dermatology practice has examined more than 19,000 patients seeking answers regarding hair loss. My nationally recognized hair restoration group, Medical Hair Restoration (MHR), has received in excess of 126,000 female-specific inquiries over the past twelve years, with nearly 2,000 females opting for hair transplantation surgery. In fact, 7% of MHR’s practice is devoted specifically to performing transplantation surgery on women.
In the early ‘90s, information in women’s magazines, on talk shows and on the Internet was limited, if it existed at all. In addressing the taboo subject of female hair loss, I was as perplexed as my patients. This led me to become more determined than ever to provide women with hair loss the answers they so desperately sought. I began my compelling journey seven years ago with a mission to research, seek out and examine any and all literature available on the topic of female hair loss. Several female medical doctors, including Vera Price, Elise Olsen, Maria Hordinsky, Marty Sawaya, Wilma Bergfeld and Janet Roberts had already begun their own vital research on women with hair loss. This valuable quest continues even today.
Due to society’s views on baldness, women with hair loss often endure stares, humiliation, anguish and worst of all, depression. A man can comfortably walk into the boardroom, or the bedroom with a bald or balding head, but the same definitely does not hold true for his female counterpart. It is no wonder that women who suffer from hair loss can be devastated physically, psychologically and socially. “Why me?” is most often the prevailing thought. While it may be deemed okay and publicly acceptable for a man to lose his hair, that is certainly not the case for a woman.
A female patient generally presents herself differently from a male in that her approach to hair loss begins with a battery of carefully prepared, organized and well thought-out questions about her specific hair loss needs. Her approach to the dilemma is quite methodical, and she demands a logical explanation for what she perceives is an unreasonable phenomenon. Today’s woman will no longer sit back passively and merely accept what she feels are the standard, prescribed, patterned and rehearsed answers. Women want and deserve options!
Press Article
New Book Offers Answers for Female Hair Loss Sufferers
Includes a Special Foreword from Richard Simmons
Maitland, FL - Hair loss in women has leapt to an astounding 30 million cases in the U.S. While hair loss is readily accepted in the male population, the taboo subject of female hair loss has generally been avoided by medical literature and most consumer venues.
The book Women and Hair Loss: A Physician's Perspective is a consumer's guide from a medical point of view. Authored by Dr. Matt Leavitt, founder of nationally recognized Medical Hair Restoration (MHR), the book strives to educate women on the primary reasons they experience hair loss and the viable options available for treatment. The book also probes the psychological aspects of hair loss, citing many studies about the emotional impact this infliction can have.
Through his MHR practice, Dr. Leavitt has helped thousands of women with their hair loss concerns and frustrations with the medical process. To help women become better informed medical consumers, there is an entire chapter dedicated to the doctor's role in female hair loss. Dr. Leavitt offers valuable advice on what questions to ask, what questions the doctor should be asking, and suggests medical tests to properly determine the cause. Charts of common medications that may have the side effect of hair loss are also provided.
"Millions of women suffer not only from hair loss, but from a lack of information on the topic," said Dr. Leavitt. "It's unfortunate that many people, even doctors, can be dismissive of females losing their hair. That's why I wrote this book - to provide information and hope to women dealing with the confusing and sometimes devastating effects of hair loss."
Topics such as hair loss in children, ethnic hair loss, and cancer-related hair loss are all covered, as well as a brief history of hair and an explanation of the science behind a human hair follicle. The latest techniques in female hair transplantation are also reviewed, with before and after photos of MHR patients. Women and Hair Loss: A Physician's Perspective is a recommended read for medical practitioners as well, to increase their knowledge of female hair loss and to aid their communication with these patients.
A special foreword from renowned health and fitness guru Richard Simmons states: "I praise Dr. Leavitt for listening and responding to thousands of women who have not had such an in-depth source prior to this book."
Published by Beautiful Media, the book is available for $16.95 plus shipping and handling through the website www.womenandhairloss.com or by calling 1-877-664-HAIR.
About the Author
Matt Leavitt, DO is a board certified dermatologist and hair restoration surgeon. He is the founder and medical director of Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, one of the largest dermatology practices in the country, and of Medical Hair Restoration, a national practice associated with surgical hair transplantation. Dr. Leavitt is recognized internationally as an accomplished author, clinical researcher, surgeon and lecturer on the subject of hair loss. His speaking engagements regularly include specific lectures on female hair loss. For more information, visit: www.medicalhairrestoration.com and www.advancedderm.com.