Month: March 2006

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I Can’t Visit A Specialist — How Do I Know If I Am Balding? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman
It is not possible for me to visit a specialist to have my hair mapped for minaturization, but would like to know if I am balding. I am 32 years old and over the last 4 months have noticed about 20-30 hairs on my hands everytime I wash my hair (every other day), although there is rarely any hair on my pillow. This is something new to me and I would like to know if this hair loss is temporary. I have thick hair, and for this reason, about 1 year ago I had a hair cut to really make my hair actually thinner to achieve the style I wanted. Is is possible that the hairs that were not cut, have reached then end of there growth cycle and are falling out? I am asking this because most of the hairs on my hands after washing are the longest hairs on my head, namely the ones at the front. If so when can I expect this cycle to stop?

Also I notice a few red spots and dryness on my scalp. Can this be related to the hair loss?
Thanks for any help

I am sorry to say, but at 32 years old you should be able to find the means to visit a specialist if you are serious about wanting to do something for your hair loss. Are you unable or unwilling to take charge of your hair loss? I would want to know why you can not connect to a good doctor to help you. I recommend that you review some of the past entries on this blog to find the answers to your questions. We all lose 100-150 hairs per day so if you are counting hair on the pillow and in the comb, you may be over reacting. That is the start of an answer that has already been posted many times here on this site. After a year or so, your hair should have grown to styling length, but as you get older, the hair may develop a different hair characteristic secondary to thinning of the hair shafts, common also with aging. In answer to your last question, red spots can be a reflection of folliculitis, vascular skin irregularities, and many other conditions that go beyond the scalp. If there are really a problem, again, see a doctor.

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Hair Shedding for Past 2 Months — Should I Get Transplants? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m 33 and my hairline has been slowly receding over the last 10 years. By slowly, I mean very slowly. I never even gave it much thought until about a year ago. Within the last 2 months, my hair started shedding without any real reason. I went to my doctor to make sure there wasn’t any serious issue causing the hair loss and all my tests came out negative.

I don’t want to lose my hair and am now considering hair transplants. My question is: when should I get them? Do I need to wait until I’m bald?

First, I would ask if you have been losing hair for a long time and just noticed it. That would be evident if you already have one of the balding patterns (see Norwood Classes). If you are considering hair transplants because of one of these patterns, you should set an appointment with a hair transplant doctor for a formal consultation to map your hair loss for a href=”http://www.baldingblog.com/2006/02/07/hair-mapping-for-miniaturization/”>miniaturization to find out if you have male pattern balding. There may be other options that your doctor may recommend, such as taking a medication called Propecia (finasteride). You do not need to wait until you are bald to start this medication and if you have early hair loss, then this drug may reverse it. Not using Propecia would be similar to waiting for a heart attack before you start doing something about coronary artery disease. Perhaps not as drastic, but you get the idea. Then again, I am often surprised that hair loss can sometimes be a life and death matter to some people.

A hair transplant should not be your first option. Get a diagnosis first, determine if the hair loss is reversible with a drug like Propecia and then if the hair loss is cosmetically a problem and does not respond to Propecia or if the hair loss has gone too far, then and only then should a transplant be considered.

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Excessive Shedding with Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I started taking propecia 3 weeks ago but i’m still seeing excessive shedding. I think i am losing more than 200 hairs a day. I think i have lost around 50% of hair density in 1 year. Strange thing is if i lightly pull on my hair in “usually non balding areas” (near the ears, or back of neck) hair
is coming out massively. Today from those areas i probably pulled out 200 hairs (they come out with the white part at the end). Can this mean my hair loss is medical (since traditionally non balding areas are losing the most hair) I am 23. Thanks.

Some people have reported increased shedding after starting Propecia. One medical explanation for this reflects accelerated hair cycling. Hair goes into various phases, producing growth (anagen) or regression (catagen). If cycling is accelerated to bring in more anagen hairs, then regression may be seen to cycle into more anagen hairs. You must stay on the course you have started on. This accelerated cycling may last 3-4 months (rare) but if you do not keep to the pill regimen, then you will lose the value of what you started. Alternatively, you could be going through an accelerated cycling from the balding process. In either case, stay the course. For information on hair cycling, see DermNet NZ.

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Matthew McConaughey’s Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I read somewhere that the actor Matthew McConaughey restored his hairline with “regenix”. What is that? His hair looks great and a lot fuller than a few years ago. I also read that you did a hair transplant for him. I know you can’t tell, but if you did, congratulations on an excellent job.

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Matthew McConaugheyFunny you asked about Matthew McConaughey. I saw his new movie this weekend, Failure to Launch.

I must thank you for the compliment, but I cannot take the credit for his hairline. I do not personally know Mr. McConaughey, nor do I know if he had a hair transplant, and nor do I know if he uses “Regenix” (though I did see him mention it on the Letterman show). That being said, even if I did work on him, I could never divulge such confidential information. I did, however, pay particular attention to his hairline (which seemed very natural) in the movie, while my girlfriend was probably paying attention to his body. Your guess is as good as mine with respect to a hair transplant. A good hair transplant should not be detectable. I could have made that hairline, but alas, no I did not. You might ask: could this be a good hair system, a mesh or some wig attachment? The answer is absolutely a yes to that question as well, although you did not ask it.

I am well aware Mr. McConaughey has been a popular topic in such hair forums, hair related websites, and even this blog. If he is reading this and if his hairline is just a great hair piece, I would like to meet him (professionally of course), as would my girlfriend and my entire office staff who are fans (non-professionally I am sure)!

The questions never seem to end when it concerns hair and the famous men in our society. Many of our readers may be jealous and the high interest reflects the many questions that we keep getting. I’ve previously posted about Matthew McConaughey here and here.

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Female Temple Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Approaching high school my hair started to thin in the temple area. I am female, African American and No one in my family has genetic hair disorders or anything but, I believe very strongly that ever since I started to relax/perm my hair, is when my temples started to fade.

With relaxers, you have to keep putting them in every couple of months otherwise your hair will fall out. I do put my hair in a pony tail a lot, but instead of brushing and pulling backwards, I brush down to cover my temples and then put it in a ponytail.

Without the option of Hair transplant surgery or wigs for right now, how can I get my temples to grow back? Will they always be this way or get worse?

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Sometimes people describe the corners of the forehead as their temples (which is incorrect). If you are losing hair from the corners of your forehead, you may have male pattern balding. If you are losing hair above your ears, up to the corner of your frontal hair line (your temples), you may have hair loss from the use of topical chemicals to ‘relax’ your hair. You may also have a condition known as diffuse alopecia areata or a known genetic condition where the temples themselves will fall out (Triangular Alopecia) without other areas of the scalp being impacted, but we need to review your pictures to help make this diagnosis as it has a characteristic appearance. You should be evaluated by a qualified doctor for a definitive diagnosis if this problem continues to be an issue for you. If you send us pictures, we may be able to help further.

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Hair Loss InformationHow Can I Reduce Excess Sebum? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I often have little balls of sebum that form on my scalp and it seems like no matter what I do they’re always there. I’ve been using Head and Shoulders, which seems to have reduced the numbers and size, but I still have somewhat of a problem. Also, my hair falls out pretty quickly and I was wondering if there might be a connection. What can I do for this?

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Sebum is the oil from your sebaceous (oil) glands around your hair follicle. You may have oily scalp (which is normal). There are many shampoos available for oily scalp. Sebum has no negative side effect, contrary to claims made by many people who promote cures for hair loss by attacking the sebum problem (which is not a problem for anyone other than the styling issues that occur from the oily nature of the hair).

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My Son Became Vegan And Started Losing His Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My 17 year old son became a vegan (6 months ago) and now his hair is falling out in an alarming manner. He eats fruit,nuts,beans and soy products. He has lost 15 lbs and was only 120 to begin with. Tired all the time and now depressed. I took him to a dermatologist and he said nothing was wrong. Can you help us?

From your description of your son’s condition (weight loss, lack of energy, depression, hair loss), there may be an underlying health issue. He should be seen by his primary care doctor who can evaluate his health (not just his hair loss). Of note, a vegetarian diet lacks certain vitamins such as vitamin B12. Anyone starting a new diet should be evaluated by a medical doctor and receive proper nutritional eduacation. Mal-nutrition is a known cause of hair loss.

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Does Propecia Grow Hair in Other Areas of the Body? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m 27 and about to start using Propecia 1mg. Does it regrow (or grow new) hair in other places than the scalp?

Not to my knowledge. Are you seeing some growth of hair elsewhere that you may want to share with me?

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Doctor Recommended Against Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i am writing this for my 19yr old son. He has lost a lot of hair at the sides and is thinning at the top. His GP told him to try rogaine, although he didn’t hold out much hope for it. He only suggested rogaine because we told him we had been looking on the internet and we came across propecia and rogaine. My son did want to try propecia but his GP advised against it due to hormones relating to female breast tissue? You are the expert in this field. Which one would you recommend to get the best results?
– from a very concerned and worried mum

It is true, one side effect of Propecia is gynecomastia, which is a benign enlargement of the male breast resulting from a proliferation of the glandular component of the breast. It is reported in a very small pecentage (approximately 1 in 300) of patients using Propecia. Of note, many other drugs (such Advil or Motrin) also cause gynecomastia. The good news is that most of the time, gynecomastia is reversible.

Your GP may or may not be familiar with male pattern baldness (MPB) and may not feel comfortable prescribing the drug Propecia. Propecia can only be prescribed by a medical doctor, so I if your son is concerned about hair loss, he should see a qualified hair transplant doctor or a dermatologist. For male patterned genetic hair loss, Propecia is the only FDA approved drug that will prevent, slow down, or reverse hair loss. Rogaine does not act in that manner with any predictability.