Month: April 2006

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Balding On One Side More Than Other – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman
I am 21 years old my grandfather on my father’s side is Bald my father however is not bald his brother is, I got my mother’s side of the hair which is very thick and wavy and alot of hair. My concern is that i shaved my head recently and I noticed that My Left side near my forehead is kinda thin compared to the left side. I can notice it. The left side is thick and strong. My father is not bald he has a receeded hairline but at age 47 I think thats as bald as hell get. I am concerned I may be at risk for balding, even though my grandfather on my mothers side isnt bald nor is anyone on that side of the family. My uncle my father’s brother however is bald. I heard a freind say that everyone naturally has a thin side is this true? or should I start buying rogain right away so that I can stop balding early.

It is not uncommon for one side to bald faster than the other. The other side will catch up, unless you are treating your balding process with Propecia.

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

Im a 21 year old female and have been noticeing my hair getting thinner since december of ‘04. I figured it was just shedding and did not relieze a more drastic hair loss until september of 05. I went to two different dermatologists and both said my sclap was fine and to take vitimans. I had bloodwork done and everything came back normal. My mom is 52 with very thick hair and has been double processing it since she was in the 8th grade and my fathers side does not have any hairloss problems either. Im very confused and am worried to loose even more. It started in the front of my head now its March of 06 and im now loosing alot more in the back as well. The doctors said it could be stress .. but i would like to get to the bottom of it before it gets any worse. Is there anything else it could be?

Without seeing your hair loss pattern, I cannot comment on the etiology of your hair loss. You may have genetic female hair loss that has symptoms similar to yours, or other conditions. As you indicated that you are in New York I recommend you see Dr. Robert Bernstein, a hair transplant doctor who happens to be a dermatologist on the Columbia Medical School faculty.

For more information, look up female hair loss in the search engine on the front page of this site and you can read the various questions and answers that will align to your questions. Remember, the more you know when you see a doctor, the more value you will get from the questions you pose and the doctor answers.

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2 Weeks After a Hair Transplant (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have some hair in the frontal area but it is thin. I want to know how would I look after a transplant? I must be in the public view within 2 weeks. Is that possible and still be undetectable?

The pictures below are from 13 days after this patient’s hair transplant of 2,710 grafts in the frontal area. He also had some hair present, just as you asked. This photos below show typical healing with small wounds, good post operative care, washing any scabs off within the first day or two and good overall planning. Your doctor should tell you what to expect, as each doctor’s work differs on the post operative course.

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Trichophytic Closure Photos – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I read your article about the Trichophytic incision. Do you have photos of what this looks like?

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The pictures shown below are of a patient who had a trichophytic incision on half of his wound and on the other side had a non-trichophytic closure. The side with the trichophytic closure has hair growing in the actual wound, making it less obvious. These pictures were taken 5 months after surgery, so the scars have not fully matured and a slight pink color still remains. The photos below are both from the same patient (right and left are exactly the same image), except the two on the left are unedited and the two on the right has a yellow highlight showing where the actual scar is, so that you can see clearly that hair is growing through it. I apologize because some of the hair from below the scar is obscuring the trichophytic set of photographs, but I believe if you look through the line of hair that is combed upward from below you will see the hair growing directly from the wound. I will replace these with better photographs from the next patient that comes in to the office. Click the images to enlarge.



The below photos show the non-trichophytic side.



For more information about Trichophytic closures, please see Techniques to Minimize Donor Area Scarring

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Hair Follicle Cells Growth Stages – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My son will be 12 this August, I have been noticing lately on his pillow in the morning, there is some lose hair on it, I would say about 12 strands. I have never noticed this before and I would like to know if this is normal or something I should be concerned about. I was wondering if this could be related to puberty, his voice is starting to change or if it is coincidental? Thanks for your time.

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It is normal to lose 100 to even as many as 200 hairs a day. Furthermore hair grows in cycles (see below) and you may notice more hair falling out at different phases and seasons of the month. In other words, hair growth and hair loss can be a cyclical phenomenon. Other factors certainly contribute to hair loss such as hormonal changes, malnutrition, etc. While your son’s hormonal changes of puberty may be coinciding with the hair loss, it is my opinion that 12 strands a day is perfectly normal.

Hair follicle cells have three phases of growth:

  1. Growth phase (Anagen phase) which lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 years. This is the phase where your hair is actively growing at approximately 10cm per year. 85% of hair is at this phase at any given time.
  2. Transitional phase (Catagen phase) which lasts about 2 weeks. This is the phase where the hair follicle shrinks and prepares to enter the resting phase.
  3. Resting phase (Telogen phase) which lasts about 1- 6 months. This is the phase where hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle. Some hairs are shed at this phase, but at the end the hair follicle re-enters the growth phase to start the cycle over again. 10-15% of hairs are at this phase at any given time.

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My Physician Says Rogaine Works Better Than Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My Primary care physician recently sent me this statement
“propecia has side effects and so we try to avoid it. rogaine actually works better.”

I am a 21 year old male that has started balding in the last few months. In your experience have you found that Rogaine works better than Propecia? I did research on the internet that Rogaine does not have very good long term success because the hair follicle eventually dies, and Rogaine is thus rendered ineffective. Also, There is no bald men on my mothers side of the family, but there is on my fathers. But nobody on his side of the family went bald until around till their late 20’s or early 30’s 30’s. He said he started to bald at the earliest in his family. He was 29. Do you think it is unusual that I would start balding now when nobody else in my family did not. I am starting to thin in the vertex a little bit. I am interested in starting Propecia. Am I a good canidate for starting Propecia.Do you think I should consult another doctor about my hair loss.

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Genetic balding can come from either side of the family. It could be that you are following someone else in your family line, as not all of the genes are expressed in your father’s or mother’s evident ancestors. You need a diagnosis and your scalp mapped out for miniaturization to find out if what you are seeing is actual balding. If you have genetic hair loss, then Propecia will address the cause and will be far more effective and appropriate than Rogaine, which is a hit or miss product that works better in women and it may work in men who are past the point where Propecia may help. I would not use Rogaine first and I strongly disagree with your doctor.

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Propecia and Body Hair (with Photos of Hair Transplant) – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

This patient had a very nice result from one hair transplant procedure. An interesting item to me was that he reported that when he started to take Propecia, the hair from his chest and back (which was very heavy) returned to his barely hairy 18 year old body’s hairless appearance. In addition, he also reported a reduction of nose and ear hair. So this patient shows not only the benefits of a good hair transplant, but also a rare but good side effect of Propecia (I have rarely seen been made aware of this loss of body hair). I only have photos of his head, as I didn’t think people needed to see photos of the inside of his nose or ears (and so I didn’t take any).

The first set shows his before photos. Click the images to enlarge.

And this set shows his results after one hair transplant procedure of 2,073 grafts.

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Moved to New Country and Hair Is Falling Out – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr.Rassman,
I been bothered by this problem for almost a year now and couldn’t find way of solving it .I been reding magzines and testimonials about this but need more explaination. I come from the Philippines but residing here in Dubai, U.A.E because i am working here now.I am here for 2 1/2 years now in Dubai.Back in the Philippines i have a healthy hair means shinny and bouncing but my nightmare came to me when I am here now in Dubai my healthy hair becomes lifeless, dull,dry,and i experience hairloss too plus my sclap is very itchy to been trying different medication about it but i don’t seem to see the results.

Admittedly, as a person I easily gets depressed and one year back i did experienced a total depression due to some personal problems. I also heard some stories that one reason of hairloss hair in dubai is the water and the harsh weather of this country .Also, I am quiet afraid of the reality that my mom had a thin hair and i suspect i may have hereditary hair loss.But , I am only 24 to experience such problem, that is why i am consulting you this problem because i really want to know the mean reason of my problem if you could elaborate some of the theory you may have for this; and also could you give a solutions or advise on what should i do .

Thank you very much and I would really appreciate everything if you will send me a reply on my e-mail as soon as possible.

I do not have an answer to your problem. Your depression should be addressed, but being away from home surely adds stress to your life and stress can change the character of hair in some people.

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How Does a Doctor Get FUE Training? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I see that many HT docs are offering FUEs and claiming how great they are. Where did they learn this and how can the consumer know what we’re getting is really quality work and not just a publicity scam?

It is best to ask to see the doctor’s patients and meet them directly. Do not accept photographs alone, for they may not be what they appear to be. FUE is becoming the ‘hip’ thing to offer patients to start to build a practice. It takes about 8 months from the time of the surgery until the results are known. For the dishonest doctor, that could become the ‘funding’ for a new venture and claims of expertise are easily made throughout newspaper ads and internet websites. Training is almost impossible to obtain unless you have a large hair transplant practice and are willing to practice on a dozen or so FUE grafts on every patient you perform a strip surgery upon. That is how I learned how to do them, 1-2 at a time per patient over 9 years. The main difference between me and others is that today’s self proclaimed expert can reference the standard I set and published. For me it was more complex than that, because I never knew it was really possible to obtain consistency until I had been doing it for years. The question you did not ask is about claims of success are measured. Self-proclaimed success in harvesting is clearly dependent upon ’self reporting’ without audits. Trust is everything and integrity is at the core of the surgeons being. I can not advise upon this point for the buyer has responsibilities to research it heavily (please see The Truth About Cheap Hair Transplants for more info). As I always end these types of comments, let the buyer beware.

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Hair Loss Information » DHT in Women – Balding Blog

What can you tell me about a product called Ayuervedic. I am a 57 year old African American Female, who has had extensie hair loss since age 20 after a perm. I have been wearing a wig. I have recently met someone I like very much, but I am so ashamed of him learning that I wear a wig because, I am bald.

When will the FDA make drugs available to be purchased by perscription for hair loss? It is my belief that most people who suffer from hair loss, just like acne suffers, are very stressed. In this society we are so judged by appearences that some of us are getting ill from the stress hair loss can cause.

Also can you eloberate on what chemicals in the body cause imbalance. What chemicals cause DHT.

Thank you

It is my understanding Ayuervedic is a holistic approach to health care. I am not very familiar with it other than it is likely a natural supplement type of product. It is not a medicine.

The only FDA approved hair loss medication is topical minoxidil and oral finasteride (Propecia). Propecia is only approved for male patients because it works by blocking DHT formation. DHT is a naturally occuring hormone that is a breakdown of testosterone. Although women also have DHT and testosterone in their body, most causes of hair loss in women are not related to DHT. Even in rare instances that DHT is a factor in a woman’s hair loss, the use of finasteride (Propecia) is probitited in women due to possible birth defects. At 57 years young, I suspect you may not be thinking of becoming pregnant, but Propecia is still restricted for use in woman. Furthermore, DHT is not likely the cause of your hair loss so Propecia would not work for you.

If you are concerned about hair loss, you should make an appointment with your primary care doctor first to rule of any medical causes. If you are still not satisfied, you may consult with a hair transplant doctor. The most important advice or opinion I have for your case is to be honest with your new friend. It is embarassing especially for women to disclose their hair loss, but if your relationship is to blossom it may be one of the first steps.