Androgenetic Alopecia From A to Z

Anastassakis Konstantinos MD, Ph.D. is a Head & Neck Surgeon and Hair Transplant Surgeon, practicing in Athens, Greece, since 2004.

He graduated from the Medical School of Semmelweis University of Budapest and finished his Head & Neck Surgery residency in the Athens General Hospital "G. Genimatas". This was followed by a fellowship in Facial & Rhinoplastic Surgery in the Universitätsklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Ulm, Germany. He earned his Ph.D. from the Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, in 2010.

Dr. Anastassakis is among a handful of hair restoration surgeons in the world who are awarded the "Experience Route" accreditation of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS). He sits as a member of the ABHRS oral examination board since 2016, was elected to the ABHRS Board of Directors, the highest hierarchical body of ABHRS, in 2018, and currently is the Vice-President Of ABHRS (2022).

He is a full member of the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) since 2009, the largest non-profit medical association with over 1200 physician members from more than 80 countries. He has been a keynote speaker, instructor, and chair in multiple ISHRS meetings and an elected member in various ISHRS Committees. Since 2019 he has been one of the 120 distinguished Fellow Members of the ISHRS. He is also the Founder and President of the HAHRS, the Hellenic Academy of Hair Restoration Surgery, which is a Global Council Member of the ISHRS.

Dr. Anastassakis is the author of the 891 pages medical textbook "Androgenetic Alopecia, from A to Z" published in the Greek language in 2014. The textbook covers pathophysiology, drugs, supplements, herbs, lasers, surgical hair restoration, wigs, and hair care, citing more than 7000 literature references on everything that has ever been written on Androgenetic Alopecia.

Dr. Anastassakis has won several marketing awards for his informative campaigns on hair loss and hair restoration surgery that have reached over 20 million views on Youtube alone. He has also been awarded twice (2020, 2022) the "Medical Influencer of the Year Award" for his educational social media and traditional media campaigns that have influenced the decisions of countless patients towards the proper direction. 

This second of three related volumes, designed as a reference tool for the understanding and treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia and Female Pattern Hair Loss (AGA/FPHL), is structured in 4 sections: 63 dedicated chapters covering every aspect of medical (non-surgical, non-invasive) and nutritional treatment options and clinical effects.

FDA-approved hair growth drugs, every frequently prescribed "off-label" or experimental drug, hormones, cosmeceuticals, and popular fraudulent controversial products are all presented in 26 chapters, with figures, tables, algorithms, and thousands of fully updated and balanced literature citations.

Filling a gap in the latest literature, Androgenetic Alopecia From A to Z: Drugs, Herbs, Nutrition, and Supplements includes a thorough review of lifestyle and nutritional factors specifically affecting AGA/FPHL, including excessive caloric intake, high-fat diets, caloric deprivation, alcohol abuse, and smoking. The intricate effects of nutrition on hair loss, one of the most neglected and misunderstood fields in Dermatology, are presented as well, with a plethora of clinically valuable information: why food supplements are so popular, the regulatory minefield of supplements, and the life-threatening perils of nutritional supplementation, are all reviewed extensively. Each vitamin, major mineral, and trace element implicated in follicular physiology is reviewed in altogether 24 dedicated chapters according to their specific effects on the hair follicle, food sources, dietary recommendations, and the impact of deficiency or excess.

This volume includes a comprehensive chapter on the understanding of Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM). CAM is an umbrella term for methods that lie outside evidence-based medicine and a part of a societal trend towards the rejection of science as a method of determining facts. The pitfalls and challenges in understanding botanicals with reported hair growth properties, from publication bias to lack of standardization, as well as their unpredictable pharmacological and physiological effects, are all explained in detail. Finally, all popular botanical products reported to possess hair growth properties are appraised in 14 dedicated chapters, each including a detailed review of the general effects, the suggested biochemical mechanisms, claimed actions on the hair follicle, all available studies, and hundreds of literature citations. This carefully crafted book will be an invaluable reference tool for dermatologists and all clinical practitioners dealing with Androgenetic Alopecia and Female Pattern Hair Loss and will help them answer challenging patient questions, debunk myths on hair growth drugs, and supplements and navigate patients towards effective and safe treatment schemes.