Month: February 2006

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Hair Wax Plugging Follicles? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Thank you for creating this blog, it has been very helpful!

Recently a friend told me that using hair wax causes hair loss because it plugs the hair follicles. He said to go to a hairdresser and get a stripping shampoo, I guess to get rid of any wax that may be plugging follicles. My question is, do you know anything about using hair wax and it causing hair loss?

Thank you!

I am not clear what your question is. If you are asking about the wax that is made from the hair follicle (sebum) which is made in every person with hair, then this does not cause hair loss for if it did, the homeless people we see on the streets (who never washed their hair and probably have considerable wax buildup) would be bald and the compulsively clean person that washes their hair many times a day would be the hairy population. Sometimes I wonder if there are less bald homeless people out there then well washed coiffured people who hold real jobs. At the least, the homeless people I see in Santa Monica (sleeping on the beach) may have less stress than those people with big house payments (with heavy debt) and we know that stress does cause hair loss (not wax or dirt).

If you mean hot wax, as used in hair removal, I would not recommend any stripping shampoo or wax that strips hair. Any reasonable chemical assault that goes after hair or wax should cause hair loss, eventually permanent.

If you are referring to the wax in grooming/styling products, then I do not believe that these will cause you any problem.

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Hair is Smelly Even After Washing – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i have a niece that has a very strong odor coming from her hair. she washes very well yet the smell does not cease. do you have any ideas of what could be going on? thanks!

There are many things that can cause bad smells from the body or hair, and they include:

  1. Washing incorrectly. I had a patient who came here with his family with the same complaint. He smelled badly to me in the office, like someone who did not wash his body or his hair, yet the family told me that they knew for a fact that he washed his hair twice a day when he showered. When questioning him about what he was doing in the shower, he told me that he stood under the shower and let the water flow on him, his hair and his body. I then questioned him on how he uses soap and shampoo. He told me that he never used them and on further questioning the family, I found out that he had a learning disability. I suggested that his father should go into the shower with him and make sure he washed, or if necessary teach him how to wash correctly. It turned out that I hit the bullseye. His odor went away and neither he, his hair, or his clothes smelled anymore.
  2. Infection. There are infections that can cause odors and these include fungal and bacterial problems on the skin. Treatments for bacterial problems are different than those for fungal problems. A good examination by a completent doctor would help review her entire body and determine where the actual odor is coming from. Appropriate cultures of the skin/scalp/gland area, etc. may point to the problem.
  3. Disease. There is a disease called Hidradenitis Suppurativa (other related names and diseases include: acne inversa, acne triad, acne tetrad, hidradenitis axillaris, apocrinitis, intertriginous acne, pyoderma fistulans sinifica, Verneuil’s disease, Verneuil disease, dissecting cellulitis of scalp and neck, acne conglobata, follicular occlusion triad, follicular occlusion tetrad, pilonidal sinus, acneiform disorder, apocrine occlusion). As noted from these names, the scalp may be impacted. This condition or a variant of it may be present in 1-4% of the young adult population to some degree (see this article on eMedicine.com).

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Can Propecia Retain My Childhood Hairline? – Balding Blog

If I want to stop a receded mature hairline, and keep a childhood hairline can propecia help do this? I actually believe its more MPB now than a mature hairline yet I have no to little MPB family history. I want to stop my hairloss im 23 years old. I have always had bad acne since I was young as well as a very bad itch thats been with me since about 14. The itch never went away and i tried every shampoo including prescriptions I could. I tried saw palmetto 320 a day and the itch vanished. I quit saw palmetto and recently restarted, but the itch was unaffected this time. Could this be MPB?

The short answer to whether your childhood hairline can be retained on Propecia is most probably “Nope.” Propecia works best at the crown of your head and although it seems to have some effect on the frontal region and hairline while you are less than about 35 years old, after that time one sees more hair loss in this area. Hair surgeons jokingly call this “Job Security.”

As for your itch, I have heard anecdotal reports of scalp itchiness related to hair loss, but no scientific evidence exists linking the two. To find out if you have male patterned balding (genetic), you should get a diagnostic mapping of your scalp for miniaturization to confirm if it is actually male patterned balding.

Finally, please do not go out and find a hair surgeon who will tranplant your childhood hairline (there are some unscrupulous people out there who will agree to do this for you – avoid them). Just remember that transplanted hair is permanent, and that as an older man you may not want a childhood hairline – it would look out of place or odd. You can always bring it lower in subsequent surgeries, but you cannot move it higher! I always tell my patients that the good and bad news about hair transplants is, they are permanent. This is not a place to make a mistake.




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Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Full Activity After Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

How soon after hair transplant can I lift heavy weights and also go surfing? Are there any vitamins for the hair, so that the transplanted hair grows healthy and strong?

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If you have a traditional strip harvesting technique for hair transplants, I would suggest that you wait until the stitches or staples are out (14 days or so) before going to soak your hair for long periods of time with activies like surfing. Heavy weight lifting also is included with some restriction for a month or so (to be safe, you should wait around 4-6 weeks before doing any heavy lifting where you have to strain your neck muscle). Running, biking, and such can be started within 5 days after a strip harvesting hair transplant.

If you have an FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) harvesting technique, you can resume full activity including scuba, surfing, or weight lifting within a week of the surgery. You can go surfing a few weeks after surgery, including light weight lifting.

All healthy people will grow the hair after a hair transplant. You can not stop it from growing; well, almost true, except for those people who do not exercise good judgments.

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Transplanting Females with Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and Glaucoma – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello I have several more question I need answers for before I consider a transplant procedure. Can you preform this procedure if you have diabetes or high blood pressure and glaucoma and if not do you have another kind of treatment for a candidate like me. Is there a medication in a different form? I am female.

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I am assuming that the hair transplant is appropriate and you are concerned about the existence of the medical problems. These problems are not contraindications for hair transplants which are performed under local anesthesia. I have my diabetic patients continue to eat and take the same medications that they would normally take. I would expect that the blood pressure is under good medical treatment and that the glaucoma is also well controlled. In people like you, any problems have not been different than in people without diabetes or high blood pressure.

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My Hair Is Turning Wavy – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

This is not a hair loss question! I am a 40 year old bi-racial (white + Korean or AmerAsian) female. I am also adopted and do not have biological-medical history. In the past year, my very straight hair has turned quite wavy. It is still thick and healthy, but changing! I have always had straight hair. I have not reached menopause yet, so I don’t know if this change can be attributed to hormones? I haven’t changed my diet, nor am I taking any medications (other than multi-vitamins). I cannot seem to find any substantial information concerning the potential “cause” of this change. Do you know why my hair is changing? Is this common to aging? I would appreciate any insight you can generously offer. Thank you!

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Hair changes its character and thickness with age. Usually, it gets finer and will become wavy if it was straight when it was thicker.

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Lost All Hair from Back and Sides in the Past Month – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctor,

Within the last 25 days I’ve lost all of my hair from mid back and sides and seem as though it is moving toward the top. I am a black woman 46 years old, I’m taking several medication along with vitamins. Such as Zocar, Zeta, Enulose and Flax Oil, One A Day women vitamin and Calcium. I’m under stress with adult sons and job and I’m planning our wedding with my fiance which that is a happy ordeal in my life. I am very stress now that my hair is coming out in comb full three times a day if I comb. One day I decided not to comb and waited to the next day, only to have two hand full of hair. I recently had blood work with my primary Doctor, who said my blood work was good and recommended me to see a Dermatologist. Which I did make an appoitment. My diet is not the worse, very little fruit but lots of vegetables,fish and chicken or turkey. Little fried food. Beverages is water or juices. Please give me your opinion, I know you cannot give me a diagnoisis. Maybe a suggestion.

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Are you losing hair in the frontal and top area too? It is best to wait and see a dermatologist first so that he can map your hair loss pattern out and possibly biopsy your scalp for any inflammatory processes, if indicated. Genetic female hair loss can be made worse by stress and mediations like Zocar, which can cause hair loss as well. This is a multifactorial problem in you and a good dermatologist should be able to help you discern the contributing factors.

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Top of My Scalp Is Sore – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 34 year old African American female. The top of my scalp is sore, thinning and I can not get rid of the dandruff. Is this part of Alopecia? Also, Why do I have soreness at the the top of my scalp and I believe thinning? What can I do for the soreness and thinning? I relax my hair approx every 4 Months. Please help. Thanks.

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Chemicals that relax your hair for a long period of time, may cause skin irritation and/or hair loss. Drandruff treatment are found in every pharmacy and you need to experiment with each until you find one that works well for you.

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2 Years After Transplant, 50% of My Transplanted Hair Has Fallen Out – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassmann,

I apologize for the lengthy message, but I’m very concerned about my current situation and really need 3rd party insight.

The Situation:

Approximately 24 months ago, I had a transplantation procedure by a well known and highly respected expert in this field. Procedure deilvered over 3,300 FU’s to frontal 3rd in one session. The results at 12 months were incredible, as my hairline and overall density were more than I had hoped for. At about 18 months, I started noticing steady hair shedding, lasting for months. During this time, and up until today, I noticed structural changes to the transplanted hair (very thin in dia., squiggly, etc). Bottom line, at a little over 24 months I now have less than 50% of the density I had at 1 year with no improvement or regrowth. My diet is immaculate, very healthy, workout, take finasteride, minoxodil, etc. etc. In phone conversations with the doctor, he believes it’s Telogen Afluvium. However, this was not sudden loss all over my scalp that has been followed by growth. We’re talking about a steady loss of the transplanted hair, with nothing re growing, and the hair that’s remaining looking very ill.

Questions:

1. Are you aware of any similar cases like this?
2. If so, any insights on what causes it what to do to stop/generate re-growth?
3. Is it possible to consider this failed FU’s even though they looked great at 12 months?

Thank you for your time and insight.

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Loss of ‘permanent’ hair from a previous hair transplant is very, very unusual. I would expect that the answer to your problem lies in your donor area now. If you lost 50% of the hair transplants, then you should have lost 50% of the hair population in the donor area. I have seen men develop Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia after a hair transplant, though it is very rare. You need to have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization to make this diagnosis.