February 2006 – Page 10

February 14, 2006

Ingrown Hairs at Donor Scar – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman
I’ve written this inquiry which i appreciate your priceless opinions for. I’ve had a strip surgery which normally results in a fine pencil thin linear incision (provided that healing is normal, reasonable surgery size & smart closing technique). I don’t really know how wide my scar is since I am growing my hair long in the back, but like many, i suffered shock loss in my donor region through out the linear incision. I also don’t know what closing method the surgeon used on me, but anyhow, everytime i massage my 5 month old scar, i feel those little stubbles (short ingrown hairs) that appear/feel to be growing right from the scar. Problem is that those hairs are taking forever to grow longer, normal hair grows about 0.5in/month (i think)…so why is this happening? i’ve heard of that newly used closure technique which allows hairs to grow out along the scar, so maybe it has been used with me & that could explain the existance of those hairs. Will the application of Regaine/Minoxdil do any help?
With Regards

You need to wait out a full 7-8 months for even the hair around the donor area to completely recover from a transplant. If your scar has widened, then it can be assessed now, at the 5 month time frame. New donor area closures are now the talk of the town (in doctor’s communications) because doctors seem to be admitting to seeing far too many widened scars. Hello doctors! that’s what patients have been saying for years.

We can discuss these further if you have particular questions for me.

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February 14, 2006

Combining Minoxidil and Finasteride Into Topical Treatment? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman – I’ve been taking Rogaine and Finasteride for a couple of years now. I split the 5 MG. tab of Finasteride into 4 parts and take that daily and take a full 5 MG. tab on Sundays. The Minoxodil I out on 1 or 2 times daily. I was interested in combining the finasteride into the minoxidil to make a topical preparation. Can you tell me what would be the propere way to do this? Also, will that reduce any possible side effects from the finasteride? Thanx for any advice you can give me on this

You can help treat your hair loss by using Rogaine as topical and Finasteride by mouth. I believe that if that if your approach to building a topical with both combined and it worked, the drug company would have done this. There are effectiveness issues with topical use and these must be worked out. Absorbing medications through the skin is a science, not to be played with by the unskilled. I have heard that a topical DHT blocker may be in the drug pipeline, but that could take years. These two chemical works differently. However, since I am not a chemist, I can not recommend mixing Finasteride and Minoxidil together to make a cream.

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February 13, 2006

My Hair Keeps Falling Out In the Same Spot – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 21 year old African American Female. I started to relax my hair for the first time at about fourteen years old and after a couple months (maybe 6) the hair at the back of my head began to fall out. I then proceded to braid my hair for the next two years and relaxed it again at 16. Again, following a couple of months my hair began to fall out at the same place – the left corner of my head. I put it in braids again. I permed my hair for the last time when I was 18 and then decided that I was going to go natural. I braided my hair for the next two years to gradually grow out my natural hair. I now do not process my hair chemically (or hotcomb it) at all. However, last year after wearing my natural hair out for about 8-9mths my hair fell out in the same place again. Basically – My hair falls out repeatedly in the same place – the left corner in the back of my head. All the rest of my hair seems relatively fine. I usually put my hair in braids when this happens and the vast majority of the hair grows back (pretty quickly too). But after taking the braids out and leaving my hair out for a while, natural (no chemicals, or straightening products – just in a straight afro) it repeatedly breaks in that spot. HELP!! Do you have any hints into what is going on ?

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Braiding will cause hair loss from constant pulling pressure, meaning Traction Alopecia. This is a known permanent cause of hair loss in the African American community. All of the things you discussed can cause permanent hair loss if you persist in doing them. I can not tell you if you are past the point of no return, but would strongly advise that to prevent further hair loss, you should avoid braiding and everything else you are doing to your hair. After a year or so, you will know what your new baseline is.

Many women in your situation find that if they put a stop to the things that they are doing to get the style they need to function on a daily basis, then I understand that the problem and the solution clash. Even the wigs used by some women can produce traction alopecia if they pull on the hair, so you have to find a balance between your social needs and the costs (in hair loss terms) between the things you do.

February 13, 2006

Using Minoxidil After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,
My concern is about minoxidil use hair transplant post-op. I have searched online and have come across concerns about red irritation on the hair transplanted area with the use of minoxidil but haven’t come across an answer if i should stop or not.

I have irritation and it gets red and kind of hot as if i am having an allergic reaction to it. I have discontinued the use and it seems to go away, but will it stop the growth of my hair? PLease help… i can’t seem to find an answer anywhere.
Thanks

Minoxidil does cause a pink discoloration to the scalp, as it is a known irritant in some people. Stopping the minoxidil will not stop your newly transplanted hair from growing.

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February 13, 2006

Stress from Months Ago Still Causing Female Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 23 year old female and over the past 2 months I have lost over half of my hair. This past year i have gone through a divorce, had a miscarriage, lost my job, and hospitalized and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. My miscarriage was 6 months ago so i don’t believe that would still be affecting my hair loss but i could be wrong. When i went to the hospital in october for diabetes, my body was in a starvation stage, i was dehydrated, very little potassium, and down to 98lbs. (I regularly weigh 122). I’ve already been tested for thyroid disease and that came back negative. Is it possible that the stress that i had so long ago is just now causing all my hair to fall out? I’m very worried that i might lose it all. My dermotologist put me on over the counter medicine called appearex that contains 2.5 mg of biotin once daily. I’ve taken it for a week and my hair is still falling out by the handfulls. I wish i could find someone that could tell me exactly how to fix this problem but it all seems to be a guessing game. This is a very serious problem especially for females, we cant just go and shave our heads. Please help me if you can, i don’t know what else to do.
Thank you

I would expect that the some or all of your hair will return within a year. The body takes months to go through its cycle and the telogen cycle in people can vary between 3-8 months. That is the minimum time to get reversal to show. I am assuming that you do not have genetic hair loss as well, which can be precipitated by the stress and then some of the hair may not return.

Any residual elements of the above causes of hair loss, may continue to hold back growth and you have many causes all going on at the same time. Show patience, because you have little choice but to continue to correct your problems with the proper medical management (it seems that you are getting that now). Hopefully you will be rewarded with a return of your hair.

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February 13, 2006

Shen Min for Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi dr. rassman,
im 24 year old female and recently i have noticed that my hair in the front is thinning. my father had male pattern baldness and i know that this is in the genes so most likely either my sis and i will develop this eventually..but didnt anticipate it at my age. i dont know what to do. ive been told to take this pill called shen min. does this really work? and what about rubbing the scalp with aloe vera? pls. help!!

When tackling male pattern balding, you should not experiment or you will lose valuable time. Drugs like Propecia work best if early hair loss is treated, so time works against you. You need to have a diagnosis, so mapping out your hair for miniaturization is critically important to get a base line for the diagnosis and treatment. After 8 months of Propecia, you can get another assessment for Miniaturization and see if you gained hair numbers and hair bulk.

With regard to rubbing the scalp with aloe vera, when I lived in Hawaii, I have observed that this plant extract (which grows wild in Hawaii) has been rubbed onto almost part of the body for many problems, including bald scalps. It was never reported that it grows hair.

With regard to Shen Min, I looked at the site and could not ascertain the science behind it. Frankly, I have no idea if it works safely or effectively.

February 13, 2006

No Sign of Hair Loss in Family Line – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi. I am 20 years old and I have a very high hairline that I have had since I was a child. I did not have hair on my head until I was 3 years old. My hair is very thin and over the past few years I have had long, unhealthy hair that I was able to pull out of my head by merely running my my hand through it, especially when I was showering. I just recently got it cut short, but just long enough so that it actually appears to be thicker because it is much healthier. There is no sign of male pattern hairloss in my family so I am wondering if the hair that fell off of my head could actually grow back over time, and if hair can naturally and gradually thicken on its own if it is healthy. Thank you

You need to get a firm diagnosis to determine if you really do or do not have genetic balding. If the thinning you are talking about is traumatic, it will grow back. If it is secondary to genetic causes, then it probably will not. Just because there is no genetic balding in the family, it does not mean that you do not have it, because it can skip generations. I see this fairly often. Get your hair mapped out for miniaturization (see also: Hair Mapping for Miniaturization) and then with a diagnosis in hand, you can look at your problem more objectively.

February 13, 2006

Hairline Lowering in 15 Year Old Female – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 15 year old female from Michigan. I have been dealing with the unfortunate inheritance of a high hairline. It has made me suffer through a lot of insecurities for most of my teenage years and I would like to learn more about hairline placement through the insertion of new hair follicles that weren’t present in the area before. I would also like the find out the average cost for both 1 and 2 procedures for future reference if possible. Thank you!

The hairline lowering procedure is a good one. The best way is probably the surgical approach where the actual hairline is lowered by up to an inch. The results of this are immediate (hair transplants take time) but there will be some minimal scarring in the frontal area for a while (most disappear over time) and these can be covered with bangs or other hair styling techniques. You must get your parents involved and there must not be a history of female genetic hair loss in the family. Cost for the hairline lowering procedure (one time surgery) is $9,000-$11,000 (there are no extra charges for anesthesia and the surgical room).

The cost for a hair transplant solution goes by the graft, so I would have to see pictures (with your forehead creased by lifting your eyebrows) both from the eyebrows up and full face as well (front and sides). Graft prices vary depending upon the circumstances; standby pricing is the least expensive at $5/graft, regular scheduling is $6/graft, and the fees are a bit higher if you request that I personally do the transplant procedure. Transplant estimates may range between 900-1300 grafts per session. Some people can get it done in a single hair transplant if their hair and skin color have low contrast and the hair shaft thickness is not fine. Send photos to the address on the Contact page and please reference this blog posting in your email.

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February 13, 2006

Best Medication for Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am currently using avodart, but i was wondering is this currently the best medication i can be on, labeled for mpb or otherwise

I would love to be able to say that one medication is the best medication for genetic hair loss. For men, Propecia and Minoxidil are the only two FDA approved medications that are shwon to be safe and effective. Avodart is shown to be safe and effective for prostate problems, but what about the young man with a stronger Type I and Type II DHT blocker? We do not know.

All of the other products on the market are not FDA approved. Some may mention that they contain “active ingredients that are FDA approved” and these usually contain minoxidil, yet many claim that they are effective DHT blockers and either get confused between the way minoxidil works or they are downright misrepresenting the ingredients.

February 11, 2006

Happy 1000th Post, BaldingBlog! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

100th Post! Wow, this is the 1000th posting on BaldingBlog.com! In just 10 months, we’ve hit a huge milestone where I must once again take a moment to thank the loyal readers for making this a success. This is the first daily blog of its kind, written by a doctor specializing in hair, and while it can be quite a time-consuming endeavor, the support I’ve received by way of your encouraging emails makes it all worthwhile. Keep your questions coming in and please tell your friends, because we’re approaching our 1 year mark and we’re just getting started!

Update: The Open House event today (Saturday, February 11) at our Los Angeles office had a huge crowd and was highlighted by an appearance by CBS Sports Newscaster and NHI patient, Steve Hartman. Be sure to check out our NHI Events page for future free events.