Male hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia follows a typical pattern and the first signs are a receding hairline and thinning on the top or vertex of the head, known as the crown. In more advanced stages of hair loss, the receding hairline may connect with balding at the crown, creating a horseshoe-shaped ring of hair on the side and back of the scalp.

While Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) has proven effective in addressing receding hairlines and balding at the front of the scalp, questions linger about its efficacy on the challenging terrain of the crown.

Understanding FUE

FUE, a minimally invasive hair restoration technique, involves harvesting individual hair follicles from the donor area (typically at the back of the scalp) and transplanting them to the recipient area. The process is meticulous, requiring precision to ensure natural-looking results. As the crown presents its own set of challenges, it’s essential to assess whether FUE is up to the task.

Challenges of crown restoration

The crown, or vertex, poses unique challenges for hair transplantation. Its circular pattern and the whorl of hair growth make it crucial to maintain a natural aesthetic. Additionally, the crown often experiences thinning and may have a limited donor hair supply. These factors raise the question: Can FUE effectively tackle these challenges and deliver satisfactory results on the crown?

Efficacy of FUE on the crown

Precise and natural results: FUE’s precision makes it suitable for addressing the intricacies of the crown. The ability to harvest individual follicles allows for careful consideration of the hair’s angle, direction, and density, resulting in a more natural appearance.

Limited donor supply: While the donor supply at the back of the scalp is more limited than other areas, advancements in FUE technology and surgical techniques have expanded the possibilities. Surgeons can strategically extract grafts, ensuring the preservation of the donor area’s aesthetic and preventing overharvesting.

Whorl patterns: The whorl patterns in the crown require a surgeon’s skill to mimic natural hair growth. FUE, with its precision in graft placement, allows for the recreation of these patterns, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the transplanted hair.

Choosing a skilled and experienced surgeon is paramount. A surgeon’s ability to design a natural hairline, navigate the whorl patterns, and optimise donor hair distribution greatly influences the success of the procedure.

Mr Michael Mouzakis is a highly experienced hair restoration surgeon, offers the most advanced techniques, has performed over 1,600 procedures, and was awarded finalist of the Hair Restoration Practitioner of the Year category in the Aesthetic Medicine Awards 2022.

Realistic expectations are also crucial. While FUE can significantly improve the appearance of the crown, achieving a perfect match with the original density may be challenging. Patients should understand that multiple sessions may be necessary for optimal results. Age is also a factor and younger patients may need to wait until the hair loss pattern is more established before transplanting the crown.

To find out if you’re suitable for crown restoration, call 02033 256 533 or email info@drmooz.com to arrange a consultation with Mr Michael Mouzakis.

The menopause may be a natural stage of ageing, but that doesn’t make this time of transition less challenging for women experiencing the whole host of physical and psychological changes caused by fluctuating hormone levels.

Around the time of menopause, many females experience physical symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and a reduced sex drive. It can also lead to anxiety, changes in mood, and a reduced sex drive.

There are an acknowledged 34 symptoms associated with the menopause, and are grouped as vasomotor, psychological, urogenital, and physical changes. The latter includes headaches, joint pain, insomnia, and weight gain.

Why do women gain weight during menopause?

Recent research suggests that the menopause doesn’t directly cause weight gain but instead causes a shift in fat distribution, and post-menopausal women are likely to accumulate abdominal fat.

Published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, it found that post-menopausal women experienced increased abdominal fat, and a corresponding decrease in leg circumference, suggesting fat cells move from other parts of the body to the waistline.

Often called the ‘fat reshuffle’, liposuction is particularly effective at eradicating stubborn fat deposits on the abdomen.

Rather than blaming your oestrogen levels, age and lifestyle are the main culprits of any general weight gain. Ageing is associated with a slowing down of your metabolism, explaining the phrase that you must ‘run to stay in place’. With our bodies burning fewer calories, it follows that we have to eat less and move more, but our activity levels typically decrease in our 50s onwards, so muscle mass declines and stubborn fat deposits accumulate.

A common menopausal symptom is insomnia, and our sleep patterns are directly linked to weight gain. Leptin is the hormone that tells you when you’re full, and when the body is sleep deprived, it produces less leptin. Furthermore, lack of energy the next day is typically combatted with excess consumption of caffeine, sugar and fatty foods and less desire to exercise.

Tummy liposuction for menopausal weight gain

Tummy liposuction is a highly effective solution to stubborn fat deposits on the stomach. During the procedure, Mr Michael Mouzakis will make tiny incisions in the treatment area before removing excess fat tissue with a cannula, a specially designed suction device. The stomach will immediately look flatter and more contoured.

To find out if you’re suitable for tummy liposuction, call 02033 256 533 or email info@drmooz.com to arrange a consultation with Mr Michael Mouzakis on Harley Street.

We all have areas of our body that we’re less than happy with, even if we’re committed to a healthy and fit lifestyle. Body contouring or body sculpting aims to reshape the body and remove stubborn fat deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise.

We’re all born with a finite number of fat cells that expand and contract depending on how carefully we watch what we eat or how hard we work out. However, genetics and the ageing process can also determine if we have a particular body concern, such as a double chin, muffin top, stomach pouch, bingo wings, or saddlebags.

Now, there are many options for tackling these problem areas, so if you’re considering body contouring, here are some of the questions you should ask.

Which body contouring procedure is right for me?

The best body contouring procedure depends on your current body shape and type and what you hope to achieve. During your consultation with body sculpting expert Mr Michael Mouzakis, you will have a physical assessment and a clear discussion of your concerns and goals so he can advise you on the appropriate body contouring procedure.

If you have small pockets of fat and good skin elasticity, then MicroLipo may be the answer. Larger volumes of fat may respond better to Vaser, which also induces a degree of skin tightening. For slim and toned patients wanting to reveal a more defined physique, Vaser Hi-Def can sculpt around the underlying musculature.

However, if you have very poor skin elasticity or stretched abdominal muscles, a surgical procedure such as a tummy tuck will be the best option, as excess skin can be removed and the abdominal muscles tightened.

Am I a good candidate for body contouring?

The ideal candidate has positive, realistic goals and is fit and well. It is essential to realise that body contouring is not a weight loss procedure, and they should ideally also be within 15 and 20% of their goal weight to get the best results.

Smoking can delay healing and contributes to poor skin elasticity, so the ideal body contouring patient is a non-smoker.

Am I ready to commit to looking after my results?

Although the fat cells removed during your body contouring procedure cannot grow back, it is possible to undermine your results by putting on weight. This means putting more weight on elsewhere or further expanding the remaining fat cells in the treatment area.

Committing to a healthy diet and exercise routine before your body contouring procedure means you are in the best possible shape for surgery. Still, it also means you are more likely to maintain your results post-procedure. Vaser Hi-Def requires strict adherence to weight maintenance.

When will I see the results of my body contouring procedure?

You can expect to see an immediate difference in your body shape, but some swelling can last up to six months before it fully subsides, and you can appreciate your final result.

Are there risks involved?

Vaser lipo and MicroLipo are typically safe and well-tolerated procedures, but there are also potential risks that you should be aware of before deciding to proceed.

These include bruising, pain, infection, skin discolouration, bleeding and asymmetry. Scars are typically minimal and are usually positioned where they will not be visible when healed.

More questions on body contouring? Call 02033 256 533 or email info@drmooz.com to book a consultation with Mr Michael Mouzakis.

Distressed that your lower body is out of proportion to your upper body? Frustrated that however carefully you eat or how much you exercise, it never seems to make a difference to the size of your thighs or calves? Experiencing heavy, aching or even painful legs that are sensitive to the touch or easily bruise?

You are likely to be suffering from lipoedema, or lipedema in the US, which is a very common condition afflicting mainly women, although most sufferers are misdiagnosed or told to just lose weight. Sadly, this disorder of the adipose or fatty tissue, is resistant to diet or exercise.

This leaves many women embarrassed by the aesthetic appearance of their legs and experiencing pain and a lack of mobility that affects quality of life and prevents them enjoying many normal activities.

What stage lipoedema do I have?

Lipoedema almost exclusively affects women and typically presents during periods of hormonal fluctuation such as puberty, pregnancy or the menopause. It is a progressive condition so it will typically worsen over time.

The European Lymphology Society (ELS) has categorised 5 types of lipoedema, based the distribution of abnormal fat and, as a progressive condition, patients often find it typically worsens over time.

• Type I: an abnormal increase in fatty tissue on the buttocks and hips, often described as saddle bags.
• Type II: the lipoedema extends as far down as the knees and there is usually a formation of folds of fat around the inner side of the knee.
• Type III: patients find abnormal fat deposits extend all the way from the hips to the ankles.
• Type IV: both the arms and legs are affected.
• Type V: patients suffers from Lipo-lymphedema which is when the excess fat tissue puts too much pressure on the lymphatic system and this means an excess of congested fluid in the afflicted limbs.

However, research indicates that early intervention can halt the progression of this condition.

Which lipoedema liposuction treatment is most effective?

Non-surgical therapies are not able to reduce the bulk of the affected limbs but can manage the associated symptoms. They are also not likely to slow down the progression of lipoedema. They include compression garments and manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) that gently stimulates lymphatic flow and thereby relieving any swelling or discomfort.

The only treatment that is able to reduce volume in the lower body or arms is liposuction. Dr Mooz uses Vaser and MicroLipo over traditional liposuction to treat lipoedema with highly effective results and less damage to the surrounding tissue.

First, a tumescent solution, composed of saline, local anaesthetic and adrenaline is injected into the target area which helps to dislodge the fat cells. During a MicroLipo procedure, Dr Mooz will use a specially designed microcannula to emulsify the fatty tissue before it is suctioned out. This means that although smaller amounts of fat can be addressed in one session, Dr Mooz will be able to remove the fat in a slower, more precise approach that results in a smoother finish and a quicker recover.

Vaser stands for Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance and uses ultrasound waves to break up and liquefy the fat cells, so they are even easier to remove. Larger amounts of fatty tissue can be removed than through MicroLipo. Both procedures can be repeated safely.

For more advice on which type of liposuction is best for treating lipoedema, call 02033 256 533 to arrange a consultation with Dr Mooz.

Bothered about a double chin or unhappy with lack of thigh gap? Most of us have at least one area of the body that we’re less that satisfied with, however careful we are about what we eat or how much we work out.

Liposuction is one of the UK’s most popular cosmetic surgery procedures for both men and women as it is a highly effective method of eliminating unwanted fat and enhancing the physique. MicroLipo is an advanced liposuction technique performed by London body sculpting expert Mr Michael Mouzakis.

Benefits of MicroLipo:

#1 Less damage, less downtime

 Micro-cannula liposuction or MicroLipo gets its name from the size of the cannulas that are used to emulsify and remove the fat. In traditional liposuction, the cannulas are usually larger than 6 millimetres whereas in MicroLipo the cannula ranges from the smallest of which is just 0.9mm wide and the largest of which is 3mm. As a result, there is less damage to the surrounding tissue, so less bruising and swelling. 

#2 Minimal or no blood loss

 Tumescent liposuction involves injecting a solution of saline mixed with local anaesthetic and adrenaline which shrinks the blood vessels. There is minimal risk of excessive bleeding after MicroLipo.

#3 Performed under local anaesthetic

MicroLipo is performed under local anaesthetic so the risks and recovery associated with a general anaesthetic are eliminated.

#4 Can be repeated

Up to 3.5 litres of fat can be removed in one session and multiple areas can be treated at the same time. However, it is very safe to have a repeat session if further body sculpting is required.

#5 Smooth contours

MicroLipo’s tiny cannula means Mr Michael Mouzakis has full control over the procedure and there is minimal chance of too much fat being removed which can result in a rippling effect. The slow, controlled MicroLipo technique produces a smoother result.

#6 Suitable for small body areas

MicroLipo is particularly effective for targeting smaller body areas such as under the chin, along the neck, the back of the arms and the knees.

#7 Fantastic treatment for Lipoedema

One of the key benefits of MicroLipo is that it is particularly effective at treating Lipoedma as the size of the cannula means it cause less damage to the lymphatic drainage system.

To discover more of the benefits of MicroLipo, call 02033 256 533 or email info@drmooz.com to arrange a consultation with Mr Michael Mouzakis.