Dr. Robert Leonard Questions Latest Survey in Consumer Reports Regarding Hair Loss Treatments
CRANSTON, Rhode Island – Dr. Robert Leonard, chief surgeon and founder of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, disagrees with the latest findings in Consumer Reports Health regarding hair loss treatments.
“In my 24 years of experience as a hair restoration surgeon, one thing has been clear, patients are very impatient in wanting their hair to grow back,” said Dr. Leonard. “This study is misleading and fails to offer objective educated professionals with statistics on the effectiveness, drawbacks, timetable, and usage of hair loss treatments.”
The May issue of Consumer Reports Health features a report about products that treat hair loss such as Rogaine® and Propecia®. It offers results of surveys by readers of the magazine about their experiences with remedies for balding. To read the complete article, please visit: www.consumerreports.org/health
“It is incredulous that only 4% of respondents found Rogaine to be effective,” said Dr. Leonard. “In my practice, Rogaine, when used twice daily, has stabilized hair shedding in approximately 70% of patients and re-grew hair in about 50% of people.”
Dr. Leonard also noted that “neither Propecia nor Rogaine are products that are over-hyped. These are FDA-approved medications with excellent track records.”
Dr. Leonard also added that self monitoring of hair loss treatments is extremely difficult due to the fact that one typically cannot notice differences with oneself on a daily basis. Proper monitoring should be undertaken by an objective hair restoration expert twice-yearly.
In addition, Dr. Leonard mentioned that remedies take several months to begin to work on the hair follicle, and many patients abandon treatment before they begin to work. Both Rogaine (minoxidil) and laser therapy take approximately four months to start to slow down hair loss (shedding), and it takes Propecia (finasteride) about three months to do the same. Also, it requires approximately six months for Propecia and laser therapy to show signs of hair re-growth and between eight to 12 months for Rogaine to do the same.
Dr. Leonard is medically educated, trained and licensed to perform hair transplant procedures for men and women. He is the Hair Loss Expert for Johnson & Johnson, makers of Rogaine®, and board certified and licensed to practice medicine in several states including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida.
Dr. Leonard received his Bachelor of Arts at the University of New Hampshire and earned his medical degree at the University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine. He maintains offices in Cranston, Rhode Island; Boston, Worcester, Hyannis, Braintree, Newton Centre, Massachusetts; and Nashua, New Hampshire.