December 2005 – Page 11

December 13, 2005

Stopping Rogaine – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

doctor,
i have been using rogaine for about 4 years. i went to the 5% a couple of years ago, not too long after that, i only have been applying it a night, because it does tend to irritate my scalp. i thought it was helping me keep the hair i have, no regrown hair at all, but now at age 40, in the last 6 months i have seen an increase in hair loss. i have a good amount of hair on the top, but it is thinning worse and my bald spot has gotten bigger. should i stop rogaine even though i only use it at night, and if i do stop it will it accelerate my hair loss because i have been using it for the last few years? i realize i should have kept up with my dermatologist. any info is appreciated.

The use of Rogaine once a day has poor value. Twice a day is the recommended dosage. If you are a male and you have not started Propecia, then I would suggest that you do so,as it is the best way to control the crown loss and possibly reverse it. That does require a doctor’s prescription and should be accompanied by an examination of your head for miniaturization. If you have any Rogaine dependence (unlikely with a once a day treatment) then withdrawing it might risk more hair loss. So if you are a male, then continue what you are doing and make only one change, taking Propecia for 8 months. If you are a female, then there is no other choice but to go on Rogaine twice a day.

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December 13, 2005

Red Dots on a Burning, Itching Scalp – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i’m female and have been getting red dots on me that get a circle then the hair falls out, it burns and itches. Do you think I will go bald? Or will my hair grow back?

Based on your description, an itchy, red, circular ring lesion with hair loss might be due to a fungal or bacterial infection. If it is a fungus on the head, it is called Tinea Capitis. If the lesion is located on your body, it is called Tinea Corporus. If the infection is due to fungus, then the hair will grow back. You should see your doctor to get the diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

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December 13, 2005

I Want a Hairy Body – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a male, 24 years old. My problem is that i dont have a single hair on my entire body, to my surprise i dont have a moustache. I feel so embrassed when i remove my shirt. Please help me with this major problem. Please suggest something to me so that i can have a hairy body like others and enjoy my life happily by removing my shirt.

Is this present in any other member of your family? First, I would want to know if your eyebrow and public hair is still present. If not, then you might have a medical condition called Alopecia Totalis, in which case you need to see a dermatologist who specializes in Alopecia. If you are late with beard and body hair and the eyebrow and pubic hair are sill present, then I would suggest that you wait out the DHT effect, which should eventually come sooner or later. People like me envy people with low beard growth. All of my sons went through the period that you are talking about, thinking that it will never happen. I even remember that when I was 22 and my father was a hairy beast.

December 13, 2005

Hair Loss from Crash Dieting – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

In response to the blog posting Female Hair Loss After Braids…

Hi Dr. Rassman i just wanted to know about the recent 18 year old girl who is losing her hair because of the braids… I wanted to know if it could be possible that she could be suffering from Telogen Effluvium, because of her taking diet pills causing her to crash diet and her hair falling out as much as it has?

Yes, this is possible. Crash diets are a major cause of hair loss in young women, especially compounded with the braids, if there is substantial pulling on the hair.

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December 13, 2005

18 Year Old Female with Thinning Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am an 18 year old female college student and I have been noticing for about 3 months that right at my bang area, my hair is thinning and I can see my scalp. It not real bad, I mean you cant look at me and say your going bald.I am the only on that notices it. So yeah its not in horrible condition to where it is noticable. I just see it because of cousre I am a girl and look for things like that. What could it be: stress, diet, dying my hair? How can I help my problem? Please help me it bothers me so much even though its hardly noticable except by me when im staring at it…HELP!!

There is a typical female pattern of hair loss just behind the first 1/3 inch of hairline, in the area of the forelock. Whatever you have, you need to see a doctor who can evaluate you in person for miniaturization and determine if you do have female genetic balding. For your peace of mind, you should know that there are things that can be done for it. Overall testing of women for a variety of conditions are well discussed in this blog (see Female Hair Loss category).

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December 12, 2005

Coumadin and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 50 years old/F and have been taking Coumadin fo 8 years. I’ve had thin baby fine hair all my life and it’s been getting even thinner over the years. Last year I finally bought a wig. What effect does Coumadin have on hair loss?

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Coumadin has hair loss as a known side effect. You need to have a hair diagnosis in hand as discussed on the many pages of this blog and then approach the problem with a good hair doctor.

December 12, 2005

Hair Loss InformationTransplanting Very Bald Patients – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

how much “coverage and density” can a norwood 6 patient actually achieve? All your photos of men with 6 or 7 norwood, all have “comb over” type hair styles? How come u never show any pics of the back of the finished product(or crown)?

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A person with a Norwood Class 6 pattern will have lost 50-60% of his natural hair. A person with a Class 7 pattern will have lost between 70-80% of his natural hair. If you move half of the permanent zone of an average man, the most you can yield would be about 15,000-20,000 hairs (or 7,500/10,000 grafts in a series of about 3-4 surgeries). That would mean the coverage mathematics, of let’s say 60% of the total area of originally hairy scalp, can only receive maximally 20,000 hairs in an area that originally had 60,000. This is at best 1/3rd of the original density. In actuality, one rarely ge’s out that much and more likely 12,000-15,000 hairs is maximal. In the person with a Class 7 pattern and 80% hair loss by count, the maximum overall density in the recipient area is 80/12 or 15% of the total original density. We usually weight it to the front so that there is a comb-back effect, moving more density to the place where the greatest impact will occur. We could weight it to the front and sides, with a good comb-over produced (front to back or side to side). Either approach works. The crown is often sacrificed with the lowest densities placed there favoring the front or the sides, as the case may be. So you are correct, the densities in the less favored areas are ‘covered’ with some type of comb-over.

I posted these photos a few months ago here, but it is worth displaying them again to show that the results of weighting the frontal hairline can be very good, even though the crown is not as dense. Patient ZU is in his mid 60’s and had multiple procedures totalling 6,036 follicular unit grafts transplanted. “Before” is on the left, “after” is on the right. Click the photos to enlarge.

Before
After

You can see more of his before and after photos on the NHI site: Patient ZU

December 12, 2005

Zig-Zag Incision – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doc.
This blog is getting more useful everyday and of course warm applaud to Dr. Rassman . I’ve recieved a strip HT surgery, as you know that the sutures which were used to close the incision are left on for about 12 days post-op before removal. My enquiry is that during the removal process for my sutures, the nurse told me that my thin incision was closed in a zigzag way, something like this in shape \/\/\/\/ , now does that mean anything? and does it have any benefecial effects? Thanks & Thanks

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Some doctors believe that zig-zag incisions are better, because they break the single line that may contribute to scar widening, as forces on the scar change accordingly. There is not a clear scientific paper presented that shows that this is true for the donor area scars, but neither is there a negative value to it unless you are going to have another transplant. The zig-zag scar makes the next strip excision more difficult.

December 12, 2005

Shoulder and Back Pain from Propecia? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi doctor , i have been taking propecia almost 8 months . I am 28 years old and do not have thinning anywehere but some receeding from the front sides. I was taking to slow down my receeding. Two weeks ago i decided to take two pill per day and i took it 5 days like that. And when i didnt see any difference i stop taking two pills and went back to one pill. Just two days after i went back to one pill .I started to realize that i have a pain on my upper back and shoulders and my shoulders started to move forward like a body builder. I stop taking propecia one week ago to see if it cleans whatever damage i had . Is it possible that something like this can happen in a short time. Now i have shoulder pain and upper back pain time to time during the day. Is the hormones has something to do with it.Thanks.

I have never heard about Propecia causing shoulder, back, and joint pain. I do not believe that blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT will cause these muscular and joint problems. Have you been carrying some heavy loads or started new exercises which could cause your shoulder or back pain? Look for other causes for the problem, but get to see your doctor and do not treat yourself.

December 12, 2005

Revivogen and Kevis – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,
What are your thoughts on Revivogen and Kevis? Revivogen seems to be pushed pretty hard as a “natural” DHT blocker that supposedly works well. I hear Kevis commercials on AM radio all the time. is there any validity to their claims?
thank you

Revivogen seems to make claims about ‘proven’ DHT blocking and ‘Doctor formulated’ natural ingredients. Kevis has minoxidil as an active ingredient. There is clear value to minoxidil, but you can buy this over the counter at substantially less money than with the Kevis formula and Revivogen has made claims that are not widely accepted although it has been around for years with some good reports by some consumers. I have made comments on non-FDA approved medications and claims about safety and effectiveness in the past (see Scalpmed and ViTrichol for examples).