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The state of the art follicular unit transplantation is the ultra-refined follicular unit transplantation, using follicular units (fu s)that have been trimmed of the excess tissue under the binocular microscope. These follicular units have all the essential anatomic parts that ensure its rapid growth, while avoiding any excess tissue. These ultra-refined fu s allow the creation of the smallest sites. These minimal sites are important for two reasons: 1. They allow the creation of very... [More Info]

There is an inverse relationship between the severity of hair loss and the amount of donor available. That is the more severe the hair loss the less donor available for the hair restoration procedure. The average Caucasian individual is born with 50,000 fu (follicular units) on their heads. The average density is 100 fu./cm squared. An individual with advanced stage hair loss, Norwood 6 or 7, usually has on average between 230- 300 cm square of bald scalp. To restore this individual to his... [More Info]

Dr Arocha was recently interviewed by the Houston Chronicle. For men valiantly engaged in the battle of the bald, a two-pronged attack is usually what the doctor will order. First, a product that will stop further hair loss, such as the oral drug Propecia or the topical solution Rogaine. Second, either relocating hair from the back of your head onto the top, or investing in a modern-day hairpiece. Click here to read Dr. Arocha's Hair Transplant full interview.

Modern hair transplantation specialists can offer comprehensive hair restoration services. That is, the qualified hair restoration specialist is not limited to treating the typical pattern hair loss patient, but can offer alternative hair transplantation that includes Facial Aesthetic Hair Transplantation. Facial Aesthetic Hair Transplantation includes the reconstruction or restoration of eyebrows, eyelashes, temporal peaks, sideburns, moustache and beard. One of the advances that make this... [More Info]

Anytime surgery is performed or skin is wounded a scar results. Scars are the body’s attempt at healing. Scars result from any surgical procedure, whether it is an FUE or Strip Harvest. Certain individual characteristics, such as increased scalp laxity, predispose to wider scar formation. However, scars can be minimized by the practice of maintaining the tension on the skin surface to a minimum. Minimal linear scar resulting from traditional strip harvest. Note that it is less than... [More Info]

The Human Body is a marvelous fine tuned machine; a pivotal factor in its continual smooth functioning is the provision of adequate and balanced nutrition. This is also essential for a healthy head of hair. Nutritional aberrations can lead to hair loss. Iron deficiency can cause a kind of diffuse hair loss known as telogen effluvium. Iron deficiency can result from inadequate intake of foods rich in iron and in post pubescent women from excessive menstruation. Dieting, especially crash... [More Info]

The average Caucasian individual is born with 50,000 fu (follicular units) on their scalp. The average density is 100 fu./cm squared. An individual with advance hair loss, Norwood 6 or 7, usually has on average about 300 cm square of bald scalp. To restore this individual to his original density would require about 30,000 fu (300x100). That is more follicular units than the total remaining on the heads of these follicular unit challenged individuals. Fortunately, it is not necessary to achieve... [More Info]

Lateral or coronal slits allow the precise control of the exit angle between the hair and the scalp skin. Sagital or parallel slits permit the hair to move up and down in the groove created by the blade, hence the exit angle between the hair and the skin can vary between 10 and 15 degrees. The use of lateral slits are of great advantage in hair transplantation involving areas that demand more precise and acute angles. These areas include the eyebrows, temporal peaks, pubic and facial hair . The... [More Info]

State of the art donor closure, employing tricophytic closure delivers nearly invisible donor scars. Strip harvesting employing two layer closure, using vicryl or other absorbable suture for the first layer takes the tension out of the superficial layer, hence yielding a faint scar usually only 1mm wide or less. The addition of a third step employs the beveling of the wound’s lower edge to abut the superficial epidermis and hair, so as to cause the hair to grow through the scar. This... [More Info]

*As printed in the Fall 2006 issue of The National Hair Journal. Dr Bernardino Arocha is Founder and President of Arocha Hair Restoration in Houston, Texas. He is an avid art collector and painter and attributes much of his success as a cosmetic surgeon to his artistic flair. In this in-depth interview, he explains how a natural hairline is designed using facial geometry and explores the new field of eyebrow transplants; who needs them and how to get them? He is talking with... [More Info]

An interview with Dr. Arocha recently appeared in The National Hair Journal, in which he discussed his artistic approach to hair restoration, as well as eyebrow restoration and one of the newest procedures available, eyelash restoration. You can listen to some of Dr. Arocha's interviews with Penny Moss of Hair Loss Newsmakers at the Hair Loss Newsmakers site.

The eyebrow has a pivotal role in the appearance of our faces, framing of the eyes, and bestowing balance to the face. There are distinct differences in the shape of the male and female eyebrows. The male eyebrow tends to be wider, thicker and the female narrower, finer and more delicate looking. The lost of the eyebrows has a profound effect on the look of the individual. Most affected by this condition elect to either pencil in the eyebrow or have them tattooed. The tattoo eyebrows acquire a... [More Info]

BHT tools: Harris skin scribe and dental syringe. Body Hair Transplant (BHT) is the harvesting of hair from a location where it is not wanted and subsequently transplanted to the scalp. The donor area in BHT is often the chest or back. The harvest of the donor is through the use of the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedure. The characteristics of hair in these locations are different than scalp hair. The hair in the back and chest tends to be curlier and thicker than scalp hair.... [More Info]

Area to be harvested is demarcated in green. Even in a patient with very short hair strip harvest is not very noticeable. Minimal donor scars in hair restoration surgery are desirable for many reasons. Minimal scars maximize the donor resource for the future, should additional hair restoration surgery work be necessary. In fact, every attempt should be made to always remove the old scar whenever possible. Optimal results from hair restoration surgery employ tricophytic closure, closing... [More Info]

Hair implantation is the procedure wherein synthetic hair fibers are attached to the galea by a knot through the use of an implanting device. This is different than hair transplantation, a procedure that restores hair to an area by using permanent donor hair from the patient's occipital-parietal scalp (autologous grafting). The scenarios where implantation could be employed might be alopecia areata universalis or totalis, and when immediate results are desired. The FDA banned the... [More Info]

The success of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Latin American department was celebrated on Valentine's Day with an intimate dinner in the Blaffer Gallery of African Gold. Dr. Bernie Arocha was photographed with Caroline Weitzman at the gala celebrating a newly acquired work by avant-garde artist Jefa (Partroness). Key to the evening was Mari Carmen Ramirez, MFAH Latin American curator who was recently named to Time magazine's list of the 25 most influential Hispanics. March... [More Info]

Dr. Arocha was recently interviewed by The Hair Loss Headline, a consumer hair loss guide. Dr. Arocha discusses his new location here in Houston, Arocha Hair Restoration, the new facilities, and his cutting edge techniques in hair restoration. The Hair Loss Headline also interviewed one of Dr. Arocha's patients, Angel Deluna, who discusses his experience with Dr. Arocha and with Arocha Houston Hair Restoration. Dr. Arocha's interview will be continued in the next issue of The Hair Loss... [More Info]

The advantages and disadvantages to nonsurgical hair replacement and those who best qualify, compared to more natural results from surgical follicular unit transplantation.

A weeklong seminar is not adequate training for a Hair Restoration Surgeon. Be sure that your prospective Hair Restoration Surgeon has completed either a residency in Dermatology or Plastic Surgery. Possibly better, would be a fellowship in Hair Restoration Surgery. The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) certification is the gold standard for indicating that your surgeon has completed extensive training and has much experience treating patients with hair loss. There are two... [More Info]

Men and women with hair loss usually fallow a chronic and progressive course . The vast majority of the men and women who are affected by hair loss have pattern hair loss. In men, the condition is known as Androgenetic Alopecia . The man inherits, from either side of the family, the pattern of distribution of hair which is sensitive to the miniaturizing effects of DHT . DHT is the breakdown product of testosterone, the male hormone , which surges at puberty. Under the effects of DHT... [More Info]