When I started out in dermatology more than 30 years ago, no one was exclusively addressing hair loss, also known as alopecia, and good treatments were scarce. I saw the need for better approaches to care and decided to take on the challenge of improving the diagnosis and management of hair and scalp disorders.
Today, I manage all types of hair loss. I see people who have autoimmune-related disorders that can cause hair loss, including discoid lupus erythematosus, lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia, and alopecia areata. I also manage cicatricial alopecia, in which inflammation causes scars within the scalp and destroys hair follicles. In addition, I treat both male pattern and female pattern hair loss.
Patients from all over the world come to see me for nonsurgical hair restoration. Treatments I offer may include oral or topical prescription medications, cortisone injections, and platelet-rich plasma injections, in which the patient’s own blood cells are used to stimulate hair growth.
I typically spend about an hour with people during their first visit to talk about alopecia, treatment goals, and the care I offer. I take my time with each patient, because hair is such an important part of an individual’s persona.
In addition to seeing patients, I have developed internationally renowned algorithms on how to diagnose and manage hair loss disorders. I regularly speak at national and international scientific meetings about hair restoration.
I also conduct clinical research and have been on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. I have written more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, 30 book chapters, and 4 textbooks on hair loss in 3 languages. Because of my expertise, I have been regularly quoted in media outlets, including ABC News; O, the Oprah Magazine; and Scientific American.
My many professional memberships include the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Dermatological Association, the American Hair Research Society, the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, and the European Hair Research Society. I am also on the scientific committees of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and the Scarring Alopecia Foundation.
As a note, I have no relation to Shapiro MD products.
