What type of a specialist do I need to go see if I am expereincing hair loss/thinning as a result of taking accutane?
You need to see a dermatologist who would first look at the accutane treatment, determine its value and then ascertain the risks of taking the drug as they balance against the benefits. There are substitutes for accutane in some people. Hair loss is a high price to pay, but a good dermatologist can balance this process for you.
My frontal hair line is receding and i want to bring it back to a decent level. This is affecting my confidence. I have been advised to cut all my hair off with a blade finish to bring back my original hair line. Is this true will it work? Please suggest to me any form of medication that will quickly bring back my frontal hair line. Thank you.
Cutting or shaving your hair to make it grow faster, better, and stronger is a myth. Shaving your face, does not make your beard grow.
For the hairlines in Caucasian men, a change occurs sometime between 18-29 years of age when (in about 95% of men) it rises about 1/2 inch from the middle to about 1 1/4 inch on the sides. The higher corners make us take on the somewhat typical mature male look, which is distinctly different from the rounder corners found in the typical female hairline (or child’s hairline). You should have yourself evaluated by a good doctor to find out if you have genetic hair loss, do something about your problem and find out if it is real, or not.
On some movie stars and male models who need their youthful hairline, I have put it back where it was in their more youthful days. These men should also take Propecia to prevent more hair loss. It seems that their jobs (and their very high incomes) depend upon the very youthful look so transplanting it back is easy for a skilled hair transplant surgeon.
can cortizone sprays help hairloss?
Cortisone is an androgen and can in itself, cause hair loss. It can also slow down hair loss in individuals with autoimmune causes of hair loss. This will most likely confuse you if you are not a doctor or an expert; get a doctor to manage the process correctly.
Does saw palmetto work like propecia? Will it help at all in hair loss?
If saw palmetto works as a DHT blocker, it is a weak one. The problems I see with it is that you don’t know what you are getting when you buy it. Every manufacturer seems to have a different dose. I believe that in high doses, it will depress the sex drive in men. What I like about Propecia, is that its dose is known and the side effects are well documented. You get just what you buy and the results on long term hair loss is well known, published in scientific journals, and FDA-certified as safe and effective.
Dr. Rassman,
I will try to keep my inquiry short. I am 23 and have been taking propecia for 15 months. I do not think that I have regrown hair and due to my obsessive practice of frequent checking, it is nearly impossible for me to tell how much hair I have kept or if I am continuing to bald. While I do not have a bald spot and have no discernable loss along my hair line, my crown has thinned significantly. I have read your posts regarding dutasteride. I am under the impression that you do not perscribe it. I have reached a point where I am desperate for hair regrowth and I would like to try the drug. My concern is regarding the supression of nearly all dht in the body. I am a natural bodybuilder and concerned that supression of DHT will have a negative effect on my muscularity. I cannot find an article or study relating to this specific inquiry. If you could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Additionally, I have actually visited your los angeles facility and impressed by the professionalism of the doctor I spoke with, he informed me that I would not, at my age be an acceptable transplant candidate.
I do not know for sure, but I would suspect that the testosterone levels will increase to substitute for the DHT drops in effectiveness. Now with that said, you should be evaluating the degree of miniaturization to find out what is happening. In addition, I have no idea where your hair loss pattern is now, so before you jump into more drugs and act blindly, get the assessment properly done.
I have a high hairline that I want to fix. About how much does it cost for the procedure?
A female hairline lowering procedure in my hands, done by me, will cost you around $11,000. If hair transplants are needed for a refined frontal hairline to hide the scar (unusual), that is also included in the fee. Not everyone is a candidate for this procedure. It requires someone with a loose enough scalp to allow for the surgery and goals that are realistic.
My new doctor recently told us that my 3 year old step-son has alopecia. She didn’t get into specifics with it but said that his condition seemed to be improving on it’s own. He has a bald spot on his right side and it was really bad in January when he first moved in from living with his mother. Is it possible malnutrition caused his hair to bald? He was also extremely underwieght according to another doctor?
There are many causes of hair loss including fungal and bacterial infections. In children, fungal infections are not uncommon. Malnutrition would be unusual, particularly without dieting. Included are other conditions of genetic origin such as Alopecia Areata. If it is going away on its own and your doctor already has seen it, is involved, and is comfortable with your step-son’s situation, then just wait it out.
I have been using GHB (Xyrem) to treat insomnia. Nothing in the Xyrem literature mentions hair loss as a possible side effect. However, Xyrem induces deep – stage sleep in which larger amounts of growth hormone are released naturally by the pituitary gland. Synthetic HGH supplements list hair loss as a possible side effect. My hair loss had been well controlled by Avodart and Rogaine prior to using Xyren. Now, however, I am noticing some mild hair loss. Could this be caused by the Xyrem?
Xyrem may cause alopecia, acne, and rash. However, there is no known specific mechanism explaining how Xyrem causes hair loss.
What pattern of hair loss do you have? You may want to give Propecia a try to help stop your hair loss. Although Avodart is in the same class as Propecia, the data for this medication is ‘officially’ limited. Switching from Avodart to Propecia is a very long shot in helping you out here, particularly if the relationship with Xyrem is as direct as you suggest. You will want to evaluate other causes of your hair loss. You need a good doctor and a good mapping of your scalp for miniaturization to get a proper diagnosis. A thorough endocrine work up must be updated and complete. Talk to your doctor about Xyrem and the possibility of switching to another medication.
In an answer to a previous post, you wrote:
“Only about 5% of former patient developed noticeable scarring. Most of these scars are the result of the healing properties of the patient, although some are technique dependent.”But another top hair restoration practice, Hasson & Wong, asserts a different view:
“The single most important factors in donor scarring is the ability of the surgeon to excise the strip and close the wound from the donor site correctly. The ability of the individual to “heal well” is much less important except for a very small percentage of individuals who either heal with keloid formation or have an abnormality of collagen formation.” (from their website)My questions are, how can two leading medical groups in the field hold such seemingly polar-opposite opinions? And, do you base your assertion on anecdotal observations, or have formal studies been published on this topic?
Much of what I say about scars is based upon: (1) anecdotal observations that I am constantly researching on my patients, and (2) direct measurements on patients whose scars I have measured before and after repairs.
I do not agree with you that our two statement are polar. I always assume that doctors are all competent and the techniques are all consistent between doctors. I know that is not always true, but I generally like to believe that doctors try their best to do their best. When it comes to wound closure, it is not rocket science. I am a surgeon by training, so I am more qualified to make that statement then others who did not invest the years of training and experience that I have. With that said, both of us are in agreement. I suspect that Drs. Hassan and Wong are not making the same assumption on the uniformity of techniques in the first place.
I have 25 yr old plugs in frontal and crown area. Interested in repair work. Can repair work be done unilaterally so one side can be used to cover (comb over) the treated side, wait 6-12 months, then do the other side using the first treated side as a comb over to cover the second treated side? Do not want to walk around with scabs/scars and don’t want to wear hairpiece to conceal surgery while healing. Second question: How do I request the surgeon at NHI who has done the most repair work and who is the most talented at doing repair work. I’m not interested in any special pricing. Thank you.
I am one of the most experienced surgeons for hair work, along with Dr. Robert Bernstein in New York. Read our articles on the NHI website and make an appointment to work out the details of what you need to do, along a timeline that makes sense to you. My offices are in Los Angeles and San Jose, and are reachable by phone at 800-NEW-HAIR. Some good places to start for repair information:
