June 2006 – Page 11 – Balding Blog

June 14, 2006

My 9 Year Old Daughter Has Many Bald Spots – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman

My daughter has many bald spots on her head, we noticed this back in August of last year and it dosen’t seem to be getting better. I am at a loss as to what to do. I have had her saliva tested and put her on a vitamin and mineral regiment. She has also started to eat more vegetables at our urging to help with her problem. She is nine years old and has always been concerned with her appearance, I am very concerned that this will progress and affect her forever. Please send me any information that you think may help us.

Take her to a good dermatologist. Spots of hair loss are signs of something wrong like a fungal disease of the scalp or alopecia areata or a variety of other conditions. This is not the place for the amateurs (or even online opinions) and your daughter deserves a good professional opinion from an expert in person.

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June 14, 2006

I Want Hair Like Tom Hanks in the Da Vinci Code – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman!

Thank you for answering my last two questions.
This is a quick one and I’m interested to see what pictures you post along with your answer.

If I get a hair transplant that resembles Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code (due to a below average donor density, for instance) could I potentially move my hair line to Tom Hanks in Big if and when hair multipication becomes possible?
More broadly, what is your advice for someone considering a less than juvenille hair line look?
If that is what someone desires can it be created in advance of total hair loss?

I have had many people pick out a celebrity and say that they want to look like this one or that one. Sometimes I make an effort to do just that if:

The hair transplant option is part of a Master Plan that makes sense and looks appropriate.
The patient understands the process.
The goals are realistic with regard to hair supply and demand, and the characteristics of the hair itself.

The isolation of the frontal hairline in the treatment of the balding or thinning process may be appropriate in some people. There is a bonding between doctor and patient here that must be taken into account. If I met with you and bonded and believed that your goals were realistic, I am sure that we could develop a plan that makes sense to both of us. I have had patients get a mature hairline (playing conservative initially) and then move it down to their more youthful childhood hairline in another hair transplant procedure. I would rather do it that way then create a hairline that was too low which (because of its permanent nature) is there for life. If Tom Hanks wanted the hairline he had when he was young in the movie ‘Big’, he could get it moved down with little difficulty. For people who are not balding, I have replaced the youthful hairline to prevent the maturing hairline from appearing, but I have done this mostly for actors or male models whose career depends upon this youthful look.

Please just look at the NHI patient photo gallery and focus upon the variations of the hairlines. I could produce a Count Dracula type of hair line with a very wild widow’s peak, but I wouldn’t do that unless the Count himself asked for it.

June 14, 2006

Eyebrows Fell Out After Moving to a New House – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi I moved into this new house and about a week in i began to experience dryness around my eyebrows and my eyebrows began to fall out because these little white and clear things which may have been exposed hair follicle would form at the base of the hair and the hairs would subsequentely fall out. I have patches of missing hair and saw a dermatologist who said it was seborrhiec dermatitis which i dont think it is – would you have any clue what this condition may be?

Without seeing you, any ideas I’d have about your situation would be a complete guess. If your dermatologist diagnosed it, he/she must have given you some treatment for it. Follow the advice and see where you are in a few months. I always believe that if you are fortunate enough to find a good doctor, stick to that doctor so that you can last long enough to see the benefits of the advice/treatments you are given. If you are not satisfied, then find a new doctor, but do not use the Internet as a doctor substitute (even if I enjoy helping people like you).

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June 14, 2006

Concerned About Taking Propecia For 10-20 More Years – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman:
I’ve inherited my father’s genes-my hair began to thin across the top of my head since the beginning of high school. I saw a dermatologist at that time and have been on Propecia ever since. At 27, while the balding process has been slowed significantly, I’m beginning to question the safety of taking Propecia for another 10 or even 20 years. I’ve heard a great deal of positive press about the Hair Max Laser Comb, and because it isn’t a treatment that is taken internally, I decided to order one. What I’d like to know is how much of a gamble it would be to start phasing out my Propecia dosage if I begin using the laser comb? Thanks in advance

I would strongly suggest that you continue to use Propecia for the long term. If you stop it, there will almost certainly be fairly extensive hair loss based upon the fact that you had good slowing of the hair loss from using it. The protection that Propecia gives you will disappear once you stop it and what I call “catch up hair loss” will occur, which means big time hair loss happens in just a few months.

The HairMax comb has little down side, unless you fool yourself into believing that it will replace Propecia. Long term Propecia use has a good up-side — the prevention of prostate cancer. There are no long term reports of problems with the drug if taken for many years.

June 13, 2006

Female Temple and Sideburn Hair Transplant (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have lost my sideburns and thinned out my temples after I had plastic surgery. Can you put the hair back with hair transplants?

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Yes, complications of hair loss in face lifts and brow lifts are the most common type of hair transplant I perform on women. Here is a great example of the before and after picture on one such patient with red hair who had more than one face lift. Note that the entire side burn area was bare ‘before’ the hair transplant as was much of the temple hair. When the face is lifted tightly, the side burn and side hair around the ear is often either weakened or removed during the repair process. The more facelifts a person has, the greater the price to hair loss and my role in restoring the hair becomes more critical. Women want to pull their hair back as a styling option and many face lift patients can not do this. Clearly, this red-head can wear her hair in a bun showing off the side hair as she did as a younger woman.

The photo on the left is before, the photo on the right is after. Note the scars from the last recent face lift she had on the picture on the left. The transplants hid the scars nicely. Click to enlarge.

Before
After

June 13, 2006

I Had My Eyebrows Tattooed and It Created A Bump – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had my eyebrow tattoed twice. It created a “bump” after. It looks ugly.Could you please recommend what to buy in order to restore the hair growth for my eyebrow. I would appreciate any input please. I am frustrated everyday looking at my face on the mirror daily. On top of that, brown spots started to grow on my forehead. I tried every skin bleaching cream & sun block with high SPF, but did not clear it.
Please help.

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Tattoos are permanent and they tend to change color with time, many turning a green hue. Restoring hair growth may not be possible. Most women that lose eyebrow hair get the loss from plucking the eyebrow and producing traction alopecia. Eyebrows are more sensitive to permanent loss from plucking than head hair. However, hair transplants work nicely in the eyebrow to restore them. We have an office in San Jose, which is where I believe you reside (that’s the location you provided, anyway).

I am not sure what the bump is that you are talking about, nor do I understand the brown spots that are growing on your forehead. Without seeing you, there is little I can offer. May I suggest that you see a dermatologist?

June 13, 2006

Propecia Effectiveness Studies? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi dr rassman, are there any studies to show the ratio of propecia users who have used for several yrs and then the drug loses its effectiveness, for instance 80% or 8 out of 10

There are no studies I am aware of that show such information. There are some general observations that I have made about finasteride which are strictly my opinion, however. Finasteride works better:

in younger men or when the hair loss is more recent (less than 2 -3 years)
in the crown for restoring hair
to prevent rather than restore hair in the front
to prevent shock hair loss after a transplant if it is started prior to the transplant
when the initial results are impressive, rather than at the end of the 5th year when the progressive nature of the hair loss continues with its slow progression

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June 13, 2006

I Think My Hair Is Growing Back – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I used to have beautiful hair. Over the past year and a half I have been under a lot of stress. last summer i noticed two bald spots in my hair. they were the size of silver dollars. i went to a place where they said i had androgenic alopecia (they weren’t doctors) and now i wear a hair piece in my hair. it is hot, uncomfortable, and i can’t help but feel self concious. it’s also expensive, and i’m only 25 and can barely afford it. i’m a single mom.

i’ve worn the hair piece for about 5 months.

lately i’ve noticed that my hair has been growing faster, and my mother looked within my hair piece and says my hair may be growing back (my stress level has diminished quite a bit)

i was wondering (besides appearance) if there would be signs that this conditon is going away.

will my head be a little itchy, will i feel stubble? will the hair grow in and be thinner from the scalp at first (not like a telogen hair) and then grow in thicker? what kinds of things do you recomend I do to make my hair grow back, because i can’t live without hair anymore, and i’m not rich, and can’t afford medical procedures or cosmetic ones.

should i get a b12 shot, or purchase the ssublingual pill?

please help. i want to be normal and pretty again.

If you feel stubble, the you can assume that the hair is probably growing back. Hair cycles every 3-7 months (approximately) so if the hair loss is short term, you may see it reverse in that time frame. Wearing hair systems will cause traction alopecia and I would advise you against this, and suggest that you just style around your area of loss, if possible.

There are many medical conditions that need to be evaluated, so consider seeing a doctor and reviewing the Female Hair Loss category.

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June 13, 2006

Human Growth Hormone and Hair Loss – Balding Blog

Doc, all the recent talk about baseball players and Human Growth Hormone got me thinking about whether or not a person injecting HGH is likely to speed up their hairloss.

I know certain steroids will definately speed up hairloss but HGH, to my knowledge, is not considered a “steroid”. Shopping around the internet for propecia/proscar (not the generic kind) I came accross a site that offers HGH under the name Jintropin. It has some great benefits listed, but injecting HGH must have some serious side effects.

I believe that you are correct. I have had a number of patients who were taking HGH and had acceleration of their hair loss.

June 13, 2006

Does Propecia Slowly Lose Effectiveness Over Years? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr.Rassman,

Im trying to decide if I’m going to start taking propecia or not. On many places, including this blog, I have found similiar questions – is the positive effects of propecia time limited?

I think most people understands that this is very individual, however, if this product slowly losing it’s positive effects (4-6 years), why use it in the first place?

It feels like you are buying a couple of years of halted hairloss just to, 5 years later, wake up and face the reality – again.

Please advice, Im 24 years young with a Norwood II, I think it’s a good time to start fighting hairloss now but Im not to sure if I want to use propecia yet!

I am sure that Propecia keeps it effectiveness over many, many years. The issue is one of your progressive hair loss that comes with the genetic male hair loss process. The thing that we do not know is whether the loss stabilizes at a final pattern that will be better than had you never taken the drug. I suspect that the answer is that prolonging the hair loss process over many, many years buys you time and in this time frame, it is possible that better and more effective long term approaches to hair loss will materialize. Take the drug rather than lose the hair, and then when the new treatments become available (it is inevitable) you can move to the next generations of solutions for hair loss, whatever it be.