Hair transplantation can be performed with several techniques, including one in which punch grafts from the occipital areas are transplanted to the bald temporal areas. Hair loss from endocrine, metabolic, inflammatory, or nutritional disorders can be fully reversed by correcting the underlying disorder. Unwanted hairs can be repeatedly plucked, cut, or dissolved with use of a topical depilatory agent, which breaks the sulfide bonds in the hair shaft. Alternatively, the follicle can be permanently destroyed by electrolysis or by laser. The thickness, shape, color, and growth rate of the nails change with age, reflecting changes in the supporting nail bed and germinative matrix.
Nails become dry and brittle and flat or concave instead of convex, often with longitudinal ridging.
Nail color may vary from yellow to gray. The lunulae can become poorly defined. Lamellar dystrophy manifests as brittle nails with split ends or layering and commonly occurs in middle-aged women and in elderly persons of both sexes. No effective treatment exists for age-related nail changes. For the patient's safety and comfort, a podiatrist should trim thickened toenails with an electric drill and burrs or a carbon dioxide laser.