April 2006 – Page 3 – Balding Blog

April 26, 2006

Topronil and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i am a 50 yr old women and i have just recently started loosing quite abit of hair like in groups of like 10 hairs at each stroke of comb or brush and i was wondering if it would be caused by the drug topronil? not sure if i am spelling it right. it seems that this just started about 1 month into using this drug i cant believe how much i have lost could you please help?

If you saw an increase in hair loss upon starting a medication and there is no ‘need’ for that medication, you should consult with your doctor about stopping it. Topronil, however, does not show hair loss as one of its side effects.

April 26, 2006

Stress and Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doctor

i’ve been taking propecia for 1 year and a half with no success. But it seems that for me it’ll work in small stretches then when im feeling stressed, ill have a strange feeling in my throat, and any hair ive maintained in a short period of time will fall out. it’s very visible. This is obviously uncommon, does it make any sense? if so is there any prevention for something like this?

thank you so much.

Stress may be central to your problems, but all of what you think you are seeing may not be what is actually there. Work on the stress with some stress reduction process and stay on the Propecia if you really have male patterned balding. This is a wonderful drug to slow, stop, or reverse hair loss in men, particularly for those under the age of 30.

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April 26, 2006

Raynaud’s Disease and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello. I have a rare type of mild skin condition called “Raynaud’s disease” or “Raynaud’s phenomenon”. It basically consists of a tingling sensation on the surface of my skin and scalp, in a designated area for a second or two, when I experience stress or anxiety. For a long time I have wondered if it would eventually lead to thinning or balding on my scalp. I have not experienced any bad side effects yet, but I wanted professional opinions. Do you think my condition will lead to hair-loss? Do people that lose their hair physically feel it prior? Do I have any reason to be concerned?

Raynaud’s phenomenon and Raynaud’s disease, a similar disorder, may be associated with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and scleroderma. Genetic female balding is present in 50% of women (most are past 50) and these women can get Raynaud’s disease as well. I would not focus upon hair loss that you might get. This would not be a productive exercise. People with full blown autoimmune diseases like the ones mentioned above, can experience hair loss.

April 26, 2006

Lose 10% of My Hair From Shock Loss After Hairline Lowering? – Balding Blog

Hi, I would like your opinion on lowering my hairline (I’m female).Dr. ‘X’ in Australia stated that i may lose 10% of my hair from the shock loss due to the new implanted hairs? Why do some say there won’t be any shock loss and others say there will be? It is the only reason delaying me to proceed with the procedure. Dr do you travel to Sydney etc or could give any recommendations? Also would you suggest i get the fox procedure rather then the traditional way? Is there any benefits of this procedure over the conventional way? Thank you. Kindest Regards.

The answer is, “It depends.” If you have genetic female hair loss (which actually usually maintains the frontal hairline in women) shock loss is possible and when it occurs in women, it is rarely permanent. If you are trying to lower your hairline because you have had a forehead/brow/face lift then hair transplants work very well (see Female Hairline Restoration After Brow Lift). If you don’t like how your face is framed, because you were genetically programmed to have a high hairline and have no other underlying medical conditions, then a hairline lowering procedure is a good surgery to fix this. Shock loss is rarely a problem in this type of surgery.

As for the other, FOX/FUE may or may not be a better option for you, again just depending on your reasons for getting it done in the first place. These FOX/FUE procedures are fairly expensive. I would suggest that you send me photographs and tell me something about yourself so I can give you direct advice that fits your agenda.

April 26, 2006

How Long After Transplant Can I Wear a Motorcycle Helmet? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am having a transplant (strip) next week. My husband and I take frequent motorcycle trips and I am wondering when I can safely wear a helmet. They are by necessity tight fitting so they will rub while wearing them and when I put it on and take it off.

The helmet can not rub the donor area or it may cause wound problems. You might want to wait 3 or more weeks for the wound to heal and all staples or sutures to be removed. Check with your surgeon, of course.

April 26, 2006

Effexor and Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Could the medication effexor interfere with propecia

All medications have the potential for cross reactivity with other medications. I do not believe Effexor or its generic form venlafaxine (which is an anti-depressant class of medication) will interfere with Propecia (finasteride).

As a disclaimer, posts on BaldingBlog are to educate the public on hair loss topics based on my personal experience and opinions. It not to be used for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment. Always check with your physician before starting any medication.

April 25, 2006

Hair Loss InformationDishonest Doctors and FUE – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have published an article recently in the Hair Transplant Forum International (an industry newsletter, see below) that warns of doctors who perform Follicular Unit Extraction and produce a Follicular Holocaust, killing off many of the hair follicles and then charging the patient as if all of the follicles were actually transplanted. This process is unfortunately more the rule rather than the exception, because doctors just do not count what they actually deliver. This is a double ‘insult’ to the patient who pays for 100% of what the doctor says he is transferring and actually receiving something in the order of 25-50% of that quantity. The second part of the insult is the loss of the hair which may be irretrievably lost from the patient’s limited donor supply for life. So, the surgeons who engage in this process are cheating the patient and at the same time destroying valuable donor hair.

I have just participated in a Regional Workshop for the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgeons where I was one of the faculty, teaching the FUE technique on patient volunteers to some 25 doctors from around the world. A few of the better known self promoted doctors were invited to attend, but they did not take up the invitation. Most of the doctors who attended the course came with an open mind to learn state of the art FUE technology from more experienced physicians who have been doing FUE successfully for years. I learned that the reports of dishonesty that I reported in the article I wrote continue to be a real problem. I received confirmation of what I discussed in the article, which appears to be widespread, over much of the world. I applaud doctors who take formal approved courses to learn or enhance their skills for new technologies by spending the time and the money to come from Korea, Japan, Western and Eastern Europe, North America and the Middle East, but I continue to be disgusted by physicians who would rather develop experience by experimenting on patients and damaging/cheating fellow human beings. I admire the courageous balding people who want to get the benefits of new technologies, but when dishonest doctors promote their expertise with no real basis, they behave like hucksters, only distinguishing themselves from other crooks selling products or services by having an M.D. after their name and a ‘doctor’ for a title. Clearly, for the FUE buyer, the buyer must beware!

Here is the editorial I wrote addressing problems of ethics in hair transplantation surgery, which was published a few months ago in the Hair Transplant Forum International, January/February 2006, Volume 16, Number 1:

Are All Grafts Created Equal?

April 25, 2006

Hair Loss InformationMinoxidil 5% Without Propylene Glycol – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctor
i am 23 year old, and i am started to use propecia 2 months ago. i am using 1% nizoral once a week with my mild shampoo. i want to order minoxidil 5% without propylene glycol from http://www.minoxidil.com, but is that a safe product ? and when can i be a good candidate to HT?

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Minoxidil 5% is a higher concentration formulation, so it may have some side effects as stated in on the product. Minoxidil is a known weak hypotensive agent and it could drop your blood pressure. The higher the dose, possibly the higher the drop in blood pressure. leaving out the propylene glycol should not impact the value or safety of minoxidil, but this is not an area of my expertise (that formulations) so let’s say this is my medical ‘guess’.

With respect to being a “good candidate” for a hair transplantation, there is no way for me to know that without seeing you in person, taking a good medical history, examining your scalp hair for miniaturization, and understanding what your goals are (it’s the old-fashioned way of practicing medicine). Generally if we can predict your pattern of hair loss, understand what your worse case scenario for hair loss might be, and can measure your supply of hair against your worse case need for hair (from a hair transplant perspective), then we can make a recommendation and answer your question about being a “good candidate”. Stay the course on Propecia, as this is the best of the things you are presently doing while you come to other decisions about your hair loss.

Also, always consult with your doctor before starting any medical therapy. I may be a medical doctor, but I am not your doctor and BaldingBlog’s main purpose is to educate rather than providing individual medical advice — I recognize that this is sometimes a fine line.

April 25, 2006

Hair Loss InformationIf I Still Have My Hair By Age 33, Will It Be Unlikely to Lose It? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it true that by the age of around 33, if no genetic balding pattern has shown much of a sign of appearing it is unlikely that it will appear in a way that will result in major hairloss?

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Sean Connery as James Bond Although this is largely true, it is not a hard fast rule 100% of the time. Sean Connery had a ~~perfect hairline~~ (see update below) in the first of the James Bond movies (when he was in his early 30’s), yet today, his hair loss is quite advanced. His genes kicked in late enough for him to have developed that frame to his face which women find sexy. All of the James Bonds have that perfect, youthful hairline that set many standards for the sexy male image in Hollywood for years.

You need to find out what you have in terms of miniaturization. It would be unlikely that you would bald significantly if: (1) there was no miniaturization of the hair in the front, top or crown at 33, and (2) no one in your family started to bald later than 33. You can check your scalp for miniaturization by mapping it out. If none exists, the probability is that you may never bald, but nothing is ever certain, even for James Bond.

Update: A reader pointed out something I was oblivious to. Sean Connery was bald in his 20s.
From NNDB: “With an especially bad case of male pattern baldness, Connery began losing his hair at the age of 21. Without his toupee, he has been thoroughly bald for decades, except for a small ring of now-gray and thin hair above his ears”

Oops.

April 25, 2006

Hair Loss InformationRogaine, Advecia Questions – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am female, currently taking Diovan/hct and Synthorid. I have tried Rogaine, however I had a reaction from it (my face became very puffy and swollen). Once I stopped, the swelling stopped. Do you think I would have the same reaction with minoxidil? There is also a product called Advecia. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. The hair loss is so depressing. Thank you for your time

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Advecia (according to the search I performed online), contains:

Saw Palmetto Extract 4:1 37.5 mg
Green Tea Extract 600 mg
Phytosterol Complex
Beta Sitosteral 125 mg
L- Arginine 1500 mg
L-Lysine 600 mg
Grape Seed Extract
Proanthocyanidins 265 mg

Frankly, I don’t have any idea if this works. Your guess is as good as mine.

With regard to minoxidil, the symptoms you listed are known side effects possibly reflecting either an allergy to the medications or an unusual topical reaction to it.