Impresaria
I'm your huckleberry.
I just returned from New York for my appointment with Dr. Osei-Tutu of Osei-Tutu Dermatology in Great Neck. I was not really surprised at her diagnosis -- both my mother and grandmother are completely bald, so being told that I have androgenic female pattern baldness was pretty much what I expected. I have microlocks and I have noticed thinning, loss of volume and a slowly receding hairline over the past two years. Throw in some traction alopecia due to a few aggressive lock re-tightenings and regular old peri-menopausal hair loss (and did I mention that I'm stressed the hell out?) it's just a recipe for disaster. All of that aside, I found the trip to be worthwhile. Dr. Osei-Tutu was knowledgeable and personable. She normally doesn't do scalp biopsies during a consultative visit, but since I was from out of town she took a few plugs (right temple and left side in the back) and ordered labs in my home state (Virginia). Outside of normal iron levels, she's looking for estradiol, DHEAS, testosterone, progesterone, and cortisol levels.
Sigh...I am conflicted about the whole thing. On some level I was hoping that this would skip me completely. On the other hand, I'm glad that I have resources (namely, great medical insurance) that can help me hold on to what I have, something that my Mom and Grandma didn't have access to. I still have to wait for the biopsy and lab results and then Dr. Osei-Tutu will contact me to discuss treatment options with a quote for a hair transplant. She told me upfront that if the scalp biopsy from the back shows any sign of hair loss that a transplant would probably not be the best long term solution. Basically, I would be paying to transplant hair follicles that would eventually fail. That's just sad. I'm really trying to be optimistic here so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I am a viable transplant candidate. I'll keep you all updated with my eventual treatment plan and possible hair transplant situation as it unfolds.
Th first pic is today and the other three are how I generally hide my hairline.
Sigh...I am conflicted about the whole thing. On some level I was hoping that this would skip me completely. On the other hand, I'm glad that I have resources (namely, great medical insurance) that can help me hold on to what I have, something that my Mom and Grandma didn't have access to. I still have to wait for the biopsy and lab results and then Dr. Osei-Tutu will contact me to discuss treatment options with a quote for a hair transplant. She told me upfront that if the scalp biopsy from the back shows any sign of hair loss that a transplant would probably not be the best long term solution. Basically, I would be paying to transplant hair follicles that would eventually fail. That's just sad. I'm really trying to be optimistic here so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I am a viable transplant candidate. I'll keep you all updated with my eventual treatment plan and possible hair transplant situation as it unfolds.
Th first pic is today and the other three are how I generally hide my hairline.