August 2006 – Page 15

August 4, 2006

Taking Propecia For a Year, But 3 Months Ago It Stopped Working – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 35 yr. old African-American and seem to be losing my hair in just the frontal area. I have taken Propecia since August 2005 and maintained well the first six months. However, in the last three months I’ve noticed heaving shedding and my frontal area is getting much thinner. Would I be considered a non-responder?

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Pickles Propecia is probably still working, probably holding on to some of the hair you have. If you should stop it now, you might see considerable hair loss. Do you really want to try that? This creates a real pickle (quandry) for most men in your situation. Stop it and risk acceleration of hair loss or keep on it for life? I do not have the answer for you. I doubt that you are a non-responder if you really have genetic balding, but without an in-person examination I’m just making assumptions. Get your hair mapped out for miniaturization and at the least, find out if you really have genetic balding. Then, with more information in your hand, you can make a more informed decision.

August 4, 2006

Mood Swings on Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I would justlike to say that I have also experienced the mood swings while on Propecia. I have been taking it for about 6 months now. I feel more anxious, stressed, and foggy headed. Please research this so more people are aware. Thank you.

It might be difficult to come up with the answer you are looking for. Men do get mood swings without Propecia. I can remember many moody men whose wives report mood problems that may turn out to be caused by many other factors. It is possible the finasteride is a cause of such swings as many other causes can be the etiology. I am not in a position to perform clinical research for this question, although it is a good one.

August 4, 2006

Hair Coloring Agents – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I am a 56 year old man and I started having grey hair when I was about 20. I have a full head of hair and little or no receeding. I have tried hair coloring like Just for Men and it burns my scalp and gives me terrible rashes for days. I have tried the Grecian Formula type of treatment with varying degrees of success, but it seems to yellow my hair and I am also concerned whether it is safe or not- I believe it contains lead? Finally, I think (or possibly I am imagining) that I am seeing very slow improvement with Melancor. Is this product safe?

Any advice that you could give me about Melancor and also the Grecian formula type hair treatments would be greatly appreciated.

I am a doctor, not a hair stylist. The answer to your questions would best be obtained from people who use or recommend the products. I have no way to tell you about the safety or ingredients. I did try to look it up, but there are only slanted views available in the public domain. Sorry.

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August 4, 2006

Dr Rassman’s Donor Area – Balding Blog

What was the shape of your donor area and what is the appearance after the surgery and healing? Does it look a little funny with the hair being a lot thinner in the back?

Below is a photo of my donor area. The scar is barely 2mm high and never visible unless you are looking for it, very close, and very carefully. Much of the ‘white’ you see in glare from the room lighting. If you look at the left part of the wound, you will see what the scar looks like without the lighting distortion. Click the image to enlarge.

Oh… by the way, the hand holding my hair up in the back of my head is not mine. My fingernails are not quite as nice.

Rassman_Donor

August 4, 2006

Do I Have to Miss Work After a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have a scar on the side of my head which looks almost like a number 7, it is about 2 and a half inches tall, from top to bottom, and at the length it is about an inch long,I was wondering if hair could be grown on the scar through surgery of some sort? If so, what would be the procedure of this? Would it be a simple come in, do the surgery and go home type of thing where I wouldn’t have to miss work or anything?

It is doubtful that the scar will impact your work if it is buried inside the normal hair. Send me a good digital photograph with a ruler next to it (or just a finger for perspective) and I will give you an opinion as to what I am looking at. Transplants are a good way to manage scalp scars. Depending upon the degree of balding and the amount of hair transplanted, you might be able to go back to work the very next day. From what you describe, it does not sound like you’d need to take time off work, though it can depend on what type of work you do as well. I would not suggest rushing back to work the day after a procedure if you are a professional trainer and need to lift heavy weights, for example.

On the other hand, if you are very, very, very bald, then you might want take a week off before tackling work. I have had judges go to court the day after a hair transplant. I have had two very well known celebrities go on national TV within a week of a transplant — one 2 days out and the other 5 days out.

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August 4, 2006

Dandruff Shampoo and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 32 year old male. Within just the past couple years I have notices my hairline receding more rapidly. I for a while I have been using dandruff shampoo all the time. Is this ok for my hair, or should I only use dandruff shampoo when I have noticable signs of dandruff. Could this be a cause of my faster receding hairline? Thank you.

Commerically available dandruff shampoo (stuff you find in stores) does not cause hair loss — otherwise the manufacturers would go out of business. You are probably receding regardless of any hair product. You may benefit from visiting a physician who can evaluate your head using a densitometer for your current hair loss pattern. Hopefully the doctor can map out your hair for miniaturization and tell you what is happening to you.

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August 4, 2006

Cosmetic Surgery Questions – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have a couple questions regarding cosmetic surgery.

I had upper jaw surgery in February and ever since my nose has no long matched my face. It is noticeably off center, and it stands out from my face much less than it did before. I know the surgery did not cause it to become off center, as it made the rest of my face more symmetrical, but in order to make my nose match my now symmetrical face the results will have me looking much more youthful and slightly feminine. (Which occurred once already from the jaw surgery) I do not mind this, but then again, I am only 19. People guess my age as between 15 and 16, and I take it as a compliment. If I do go through with the procedure, will my face continue to mature? I have heard that once your nose has been surgically altered it will no longer grow. I worry about being 40 and having the same face I do now… plus a few wrinkles. Boy would THAT look unnatural…

I also was wondering about jaw contouring. My mandible is very straight on one side but for some reason has a rounded area on one side near my chin which does nothing except make my face slightly more off balance. My jaw line is quite prominent and therefore it has been pointed out more times than I care for. I have never heard of anyone actually having their jawline shaved down to create symmetry and I was wondering if it is an actual procedure… and how much something like that might cost financially and in healing time.

Thank you for your time

By the age of fifteen or sixteen your nose has effectively stopped growing. It sounds like you have likely lost projection of your tip and or bridge area. These areas can be improved or corrected using reconstructive techniques including the possibilities of bone and/or cartilage grafts. I do not expect your nose to grow any further at the age of nineteen.
It may be possible for a maxillofacial surgeon to refine your jaw contour. This would depend upon the thickness of your jaw bone in the area to be recontoured, and the possible proximity of sensory nerves responsible for sensation in the area of your lower lip and chin. The surgical team that worked on your previous jaw surgery would probably be best equipped to advise you.

Answers supplied by cosmetic surgeon Jon A. Perlman MD, FACS

August 3, 2006

Analyzing the Results of the HairMax Laser Comb – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have added a link to some of the before and after pics of people who have apparently used the lasercomb.

What do you think?

http://www.lasercomb.net/beforeafter.htm

Thanks again Dr! I’m addicted to your site now!!!

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Ah, the HairMax LaserComb by Lexington International. It’s worth noting that lasercomb.net and hairmax.com both go to the exact same site, so the link you sent is the official site of this product. The page you sent (linked above) has 2 groups of photographs, each with multiple before/after sets. The 1st group is apparently patient results, and the 2nd group is of clinical trial macro photos.

So let’s start with the first group of photos — the patient results. I looked carefully at these, and there is a real question in my mind as to what I am seeing. A few of these pictures have longer hair that is possibly responsible for the changes that I can see. I wanted to get an enlarged version of the photos to see the details that would tell me what I was looking at, but they are not available on the site. The first before/after set in the group are a good example to start with. There is a suggestion that the scalp has coloring to it (Dermatch or something similar), but as I can’t enlarge the photos, I can’t try to determine what it might be. Could the difference be lighting or combing style? I don’t know, honestly. Many of the photographs suggest styling differences. In no case was there any significant change in the hair coverage, though. Either the person had plenty of hair when they started or there was not enough hair when they finished treatment.

Moving on to the 2nd group of pictures, the clinical trial macro photos —

We analyzed two sets of the before/after high-powered magnification photos, which also includes the data that they based their research upon. The actual hair counts as they did them are well presented and can be seen by magnifying the circular areas of hair density assessments. Each hair grouping was identified, numbered, and the authors put the actual count on each follicular unit as they made the measurement. They did not separate or identify those hairs that were miniaturized. Because all of the information is present in the material presented on their website, it was easy for us to repeat their measurements and to ascertain if their numbers corresponded to an independent assessment.

Here’s a breakdown of what I found in the macro photos that Hairmax presents on their LaserComb site.

Macro Photo Set 1 – Before picture:

HairMax’s hair count: 107

My hair count: 115

Of these hairs, 12 were miniaturized

Macro Photo Set 1 – After picture:

HairMax’s hair count: 148

My hair count: 128

Of these hairs, 10 were miniaturized

See the image on the LaserComb site

Statistically, the percent difference between the before and after photos (according to my count) is insignificant. Therefore, in the first set of photos the LaserComb made no real difference.

In the second sequential set of photos, I discovered that the after photo actually had less hair than the before photo —

Macro Photo Set 2 – Before picture:

HairMax’s hair count: 147

My hair count: 161

Of these hairs, 12 were miniaturized

Macro Photo Set 2 – After picture:

HairMax’s hair count: 184

My hair count: 159

Of these hairs, 10 were miniaturized

See the image on the LaserComb site

Yes, I actually counted three fewer hairs after the LaserComb was used. My measurements of the data on their official site do not support the findings they offer.

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I am comfortable saying that I am one of the world’s experts in hair densitometry. I can prove this as I am the inventor of this technology and hold the U.S. Patent on the instruments used by HairMax (or Lexington International) to demonstrate their findings (see: USPTO.gov). With that being said, I reviewed our findings and agree with our counts. I believe that HairMax’s photos do not show any objective evidence of hair growth on the first two sets of data and that the numbers that they derived do not correspond to the assessments made by us. Lots of good hype if you’re into it.

August 3, 2006

Why Might I Have an Itchy, Sore Scalp? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am an African American woman and my scalp started itching on and off about 2 months ago mainly in the crown area and the front area, then my scalp became sore for a day or 2, then I noticed, I didnt become bald, but my hair in the crown area and certain parts of the frontal area looks like it broke all the way down and left about 1 to 2 inches of hair in certain spots. This has happened to me about 2 years ago. But the hair always grew back. Can you tell me why this happens and what I can do to prevent it?

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There is no way to tell what is happening with your scalp or hair without a physical examination. Usually if you pull or scratch your hair enough it will break off at its tip. It is sometimes a compulsive act. This condition is known a trichotillomania. But if the root (pardon the pun) of your problem is an itchy scalp you may have a local dermatitis or ring worms (fungal infection) or hundreds of other causes. BaldingBlog is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice or second opinions. You should see a medical doctor if this problem persists.

August 3, 2006

Hair Loss InformationNeurontin and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,
I am female and 45. I was on Neurontin for nerve damage and most of my hair fell out quickly in clumps after being on it for about 3-4mos. I assumed the medication did it but then I had a biopsy and a diagnosis of alopecia due to either Telogen Effluvium or Andrognetic. At this point, one year later, I have very little hair and I am not sure if it is growing back or not. Do you have any thoughts on whether this is an accurate diagnosis and what my chnces are for my hair to grow back? Thanks

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It is difficult to second guess your diagnosis without a proper physical examination. Neurontin may have been a factor in your hair loss. Generally when hair loss occurs due to a trigger (such as stress, hormones, drugs, age, etc) it is impossible to tell if hair will return even if the offending trigger is removed. Hair loss is not an exact science. Scientists still cannot define and pinpoint the exact cause of hair loss.