August 2006 – Page 8 – Balding Blog

August 21, 2006

Buying Propecia Online — Is It Really Finasteride? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I was wondering about these websites online that “prescribe” and sell Propecia for a much-reduced price. Am I guaranteed to get finasteride from these sites? Or are they just big time scams. I just bought my first month’s supply at about $70. The price really worries me, especially since I want to continue finasteride long term.

The key to buying any medication over the internet is to determine if the source (manufacturer) is a known producer of quality drugs and the chain from manufacturer to you is unbroken by folks who can substitute fake drugs into that chain. Now that there is freedom to sell finasteride in the U.S. market in the 5mg dose (the U.S. Patent that restricted this has expired), there are drugs appearing on the market which have FDA clearance. If there is really FDA clearance, then the drug is most probably what the label says it is. There have been, however, reports that a black market in drugs is appearing in the U.S. and even pills purchased by U.S. pharmacies are being substituted with fake drugs that have little or no drug in them. The pharmacies have a responsibility to guarantee the authentic nature of such purchases so when you talk about guarantees, then there is a sort of purchase guarantee covered by the pharmacy’s license to do business in the states where they operate. When you purchase drugs over the internet, there is no way to guarantee the source or the quality and even fake pills that look like the originals pills may not be real. This is a problem not only for drugs like Propecia/finasteride, but for drugs like Viagra which may look like the real thing and are only sugar in reality. This is a growing problem and there seems to be great profits for those without any sense of honor and who chase the almighty dollar. Expensive cancer drugs or AIDS drugs are falling victim to this process as well. As I’ve said before, it is a ‘buyer beware’ business so to help our patients, we purchase Propecia directly from Merck and sell it ‘at cost’ to our patients as a convenience to them.

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August 21, 2006

20 Year Old Wants Suggestion Other Than Rogaine or Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi , I had a question . I am vegetarian right and I just moved from india like couple of years ago , the first few years went fine but the things started getting worse like from previous year as i lost like 40% of my hair in like 8 months period and also my hair has started going thin and if it goes like this , I would be going bald in like next 4 months . I am just 20 right now and it all started last year so I am also too young to think about hair transplant . I have been to all the best clinics in toronto .. hairclub they all recommend propecia and rogiane n they told me about that but i am worried about taking them because i used rogaine for a while but it didnt work so If you could suggest me anythin. really it would be appreciated. thanks

At 20, the only drug I’d recommend that you take would be finasteride (Peopecia). In my opinion, if you don’t take it and it is genetic, you will be bald. Be sure that this is genetic balding and then get on that drug before it is too late. Take charge and start treatment now. Do I sound repetitive?

August 18, 2006

Hair Loss InformationEmail from Inventor of Rejuvx – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am the inventor of Rejuvx and after selling thousands of bottels of my product i guess i must have a formular that must give some results other wise people would not keep on buying it, my product has never been sold to regrow hair as i belive as a chemist that is never going to happen but it has helped thousands of people have a fuller healthier head of hair

Regards Edward Horton
Presient c.e.o RejuvX

Block Quote

Soap Box Thank you for the letter and finding BaldingBlog. First, I need to point out to readers that I have no way to verify if this is a legit email from the actual inventor of Rejuvx, but I have no reason to think otherwise so I’ll take it at face value.

I am a bit confused that your letter states Rejuvx has “never been sold to regrow hair“, because I just visited your website which states: “Within weeks of using Rejuvx, people experiencing hair loss will notice improved growth“. There may be a fine line from a legal FDA point of wording here, but that is not my specialty.

Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the Helsinki Formula was advertised to treat hair loss and was one of the best selling products for hair grwoth on the market at the time. What most people do not know is that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 filed a suit against the makers of Helsinki Formula stating their advertising constituted a deceptive trade practice. The court concluded that the product had a “placebo effect”. In other words, many companies have sold great amounts of product and have yet to do what they claim, so pointing out that you have sold “thousands of bottels [sic]” really holds no meaning but suggested value.

There may be laws and regulations, but manufacturers advertise what consumers want to hear. Desperate people spend money in hopes that a cure for balding is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Most of these claims will go under the radar of the Federal Trade Commission, because there is an art to stating certain claims without breaking the law and the FTC cannot possibly prosecute all of those that are in violation (they pick and choose their battles).

The Rejuvx website states, “The abandonment of artificial ingredients additionally makes Rejuvx prescription free, since it does not cause any significant side effects.” — No significant side effects imples there are SOME side effects and I would love to know what they are and so should potential buyers for proper disclosure. If there are side effects of any type, then I would be happy to contact the FDA’s enforcement arm to look into the language you are using and in pursuing a full disclosure so that the public will know the safety factors about your product. I believe that the FDA is empowered to investigate and report on the safety of products sold that have side effects and only they can judge what is and what is not significant.

I am pleased you have a successful business. It illustrates the fact that we live in a society obsessed with hair loss, and the appearance and worship of youth. While my statement may trigger a spectrum of theories and opinions about our vanity, it is also a catalyst for many to profit from our insecurities. My ultimate point is that it is (and it always will be) a buyer beware market.

August 18, 2006

What Should a 23 Year Old Male with Norwood 4A Pattern Do? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Do you recommend that a 23 year old male with a receding hairline and visible thinning to the point of resembling a Norwood 4A should hold off on transplant options or begin preparing for treatment?

Assuming that you already started Propecia at least 8 months ago, then you need to see a good doctor to build a Master Plan. If you and the doctor hit it off and bond and he/she develop that plan, a hair transplant may be appropriate. I generally do not like to do surgery on 23 year olds, but I do violate my rule based upon the needs of my patient and the Master Plan that is built between us.

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August 18, 2006

Using Aloe Vera to Speed Up Recipient Area Healing After Transplant? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman:

I’m very interested in an HT to fill in my hair line but I am concerned about the redness in the recipient area after the procedure. Is there anything I can do to speed up the healing? I’ve heard using Aloe Vera can help as well some specific items such Graftcyte or Bioton spray. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks very much and thanks for writing this blog…..it’s a great source of info for me.

Aloe vera has been known to have good healing properties. I had a great number of these plants growing in my garden in Hawaii and the leaves can be broken. One rubs the broken leaf on your wound or whatever you want to cure and according to local Hawaii folk lure, it cures everything!

I do not recommend its use but I do not see any harm by its use either. In my practice I often give a shampoo containing copper-peptide to decrease the redness after a hair transplant.

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August 18, 2006

Initial Hair Loss Acceleration from Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have used propecia since the late 90’s and I believe it has effectively slowed my hair loss. But recently I began using Minoxidill due to some accelerated loss I experienced in some areas in the temples and crown. I have been using the minox for @ 4mos. Initially it appeaered that I was losing hair at a faster rate due to the minox use. But after 3 mos I began to notice the return of hair in the areas I was concerned about prior to using minox and the areas that began thinning more with the initial use of minox have also begun growing again. Here’s the question. Is an initial acceleration of hair loss to be expected when you begin using the minoxidil followed by growth due to minox use?

Some people have observed initial shedding with minoxidil and even with Propecia. You were smart to hold the course and stay with the medication to pass the shedding phase.

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August 18, 2006

I Am Noticing Thousands of Hairs Falling Out – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi my name is Nick (male) i’m 17 years old and i have recently notice thosands of hairs falling out from all over my head. I have long blonde hair and have recently been waking up and there are loads of hairs on my pillow. My dad started balding at 16 does this mean i will to? also my mums dad had a full head of hair when he died at 50. do you inherit the hair gene from mum or dad? Although alot of hair is falling out there is no signs of receding from the top what so ever. do you think i’m going to go bald are these the symptons. Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail.

It is certainly not normal to lose THOUSANDS of hairs. The average person has 100,000 hairs on their head, so if you are really losing say 3000 hairs per day, you would have been bald in a month or so, losing 2000 hairs/day would put you at bald in a couple of months, and losing 1000 hairs/day would cause you to be bald in three months. It is typical to lose 100 hairs a day. At the rate you are describing (I think it is less than you think it is) and with your father’s history of balding starting at about 16 years old, you may be progressing to some sort of hair loss. I cannot comment on whether you will be bald, because I have not examined you. Furthermore, you may want to pay particular attention to the areas of your scalp where you are losing hair. A typical male pattern hair loss spares the back side of your scalp. If you are losing hair on the back side of your scalp there may be other medical cause that you may want to see a doctor about it and get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to obtain a diagnosis. The good news for those who are balding is that when the diagnosis is confirmed, drugs like finasteride work well to slow down or stop the hair loss, particually in the young man like you.

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August 18, 2006

How Can I Get a Proscar, Procerin Prescription? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr Rassman,
I had a couple questions. First, I have done some research and am interested in purchasing either Proscar or Procerin. Procerin seems to be less costly. Is Procerin as/more effective as Proscar? Second, if Proscar is the better alternative, how do I go about obtaining a prescription? Can I see any physician or do I need to see a hair loss physician? I am 21 years old and am just starting to experience the beginning stages of hair loss, but I would like to do something soon. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.

Proscar (5mg finasteride) and Propecia (1mg finasteride) are medications that requires a prescription from a licensed medical doctor in the US. Any medical doctor can prescribe them. The only caveat is that in our practice, we generally like to document the degree of miniaturization of scalp hair with a computer video densitometer to quantify and record the state of your hair before you start the medication, so that there is an objective record to compare the effects of the drug after a given period of time.

Procerin is NOT a medication. It is a cleverly named herb, vitamin, and mineral formula that claims to treat hair loss. You do not need a prescription for Procerin, because it is not a medication. The name Procerin just sounds like Propecia or Proscar.

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August 18, 2006

Hair Regrowth Cycles – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I am a 43 year old lady with increased hairloss usually between 150-200 hairs a day at the moment.

3 years ago I had two lots of traumas which caused my initial hairloss. After eventually seeing a trichologist and starting estradex lotion (containing minidoxil and phyto hormones)my hairloss reduced this took 3-4 months to see benefit. Initial the estradex made more hair come out which trichologist said normal as the estradex gets rid of the bad hair making room for better quality hair. I was also put on a antidepressant dotheipin 75mg. 12 months ago I stopped estradex, hairloss returned, not that it totally stopped but hair did look thicker. I have started back on estradex about 3 months on side of head but the partening looking slighlty wider on one side so started using estradex along this area for last 6 weeks. Still taking dothiepin 50mg – 75 mg alt days. I have recently started vitamins saw palmetto and pygeum and stinging nettle root. Sure my telogen as increased within a day of taking this vitamin could it be related. Taking high doses off this up to 2000mg. Or do you think its the estradex getting into my system (which contains 5% minidoxil)?

When I woke up yesterday, the birds were chirping and the air was crisp and I had a great day. Today when I woke up the dog was barking and the air was smoggy and I had a bad day. Do you think I had a good day because the birds where chirping or the air was crisp? Do you think I had a bad day because the dog was barking and the air was smoggy?

Your guess is as good as mine.

There’s too many variables and no direct proven relationships in the information you provided. It is normal to lose 100+ hairs a day. For most normal people, the regrowing hair will start at about the same time as the hair is lost so that the total hair count of hairs growing on the head stays constant. If you do the math, 100 hairs lost per day is about 109,500 hairs in three years (36,500/year) and that is the normal adult hair population. The hair cycling we have discussed before on this web site, is responsible for the fall out and the regrowth that is every person’s normal. The average growth cycle is 3 years for most people, so that means that in three years, most people replace 100% of the hairs on the head with new hair, one day at a time.

August 18, 2006

Does a Maturing Hairline Show Miniaturization Too? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,

I have some recession in the front and sides of my scalp. I have always had a bit of a recessed hairline. But now it seems, now that I look close, hair around the area of recession is thin and short (some hairs are very small, lacking color and are almost transparent). It appears, form a distance that the hairline is not defined well.

Is this part of a normal receding hairline or rather the onset of male pattern baldness.

I am 30 years old and the remainder of my hair is very thick and full.

Thank you in advance for you reply.

A maturing hairline generally appears in the late teenage years to the late twenties. A small degree of recession in the corners can certainly be normal, but that always seems to be determined by the individual’s perception. To answer your question, miniaturization of hair may occur as the frontal hair slowly falls out or more often just starts falling out front to back with a slow rise in the frontal hairline that is very subtle in those without frontal balding. It is normal for hair to go through cycling phases of rest/shedding (catagen/telogen). In conclusion, a maturing hairline may show miniaturization, but not always.