Month: September 2006

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Pressure Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 31 year old female. I recently had 2 major surgeries on my back which required me to lay on my stomach in the OR for about 8 hours for both procudures. after which I noticed a spot on my forhead that hurt. Actually everywhere my body was touching the operating table hurt because of the amount of time and repetative movement involved in this very long surgery. 2 weeks after I notice the hair gone from that spot in my forhead. It no longer hurts but I figure with it being a month since the surgery that I would see it growing back by now. The area is still shiney and seems to be getting bigger (this could be my imagination).

Pressure hair loss does occur. Usually if the hair is healthy to start with, it will reverse. The shine you are seeing reflects the acute loss which will eventually disappear when the hair returns after 3-6 months from the date of the injury.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Fine Hairline Hairs Growing, Temples Thinning with Propecia Use – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m 25 years old, I have a slightly receeding frontal line. and had more receeding at the temples, so I took Propecia as a preventative measure. On Propecia for only 1 1/2 months I immediately noticed a few (3) fine hairs which began to grow right at the front. However the enitre thickness at my temple areas and frontal area has clearly thinned, but more especially at my temples. Will I regain this loss in density if I continue using propecia? To me it seems that it will just continue to ruin my temporal areas when all I was wanting to do was maintain it. Thanks

If you are experiencing genetic balding, you must wait out a full 8-12 months to judge the value of Propecia. On a few patients over the years, I have seen the corners of the frontal hairline regrow, but that has been unusual. You will not know for some time so please show patience. I can’t answer whether you will lose density or not, as I haven’t examined your loss, nor do I have enough information about you.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Can Shock Loss From My 2nd Surgery Hurt My 1st Surgery From 9 Months Earlier? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I first had 2500 grafts transplanted in Oct of 2005. I thought this went well and my clinic ran a special [per graft price] if I did the next surgury in July, 2006. Exactly 9 months after my first surgery. I had 3000 grafts this time and it went OK. I started using minoxidal 2% five days after surgury per post op instructions. I feel like I had some shock loss about 3 to 4 weeks after surgury. Now I am at 7 weeks post op. My question is this: Since I was stage 6 baldness, Is it possible that new hair from my first surgury could get shocked out? Will it grow back? Also my post op instructions say that I can discontinue minoxidil after 6 weeks. What do you think about what I have told you? Thanks

You should direct these questions to you doctor. Shock hair loss for the second surgery 9 months after the first surgery is very, very unusual. I do not recommend minoxidil right after surgery unless you were on it prior to the surgery. Usually, shock hair loss reverses within 2-5 months after it happens.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Will Time Make My Donor Scar Smaller? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i recently had a hair transplant about 8 months ago and i’m not happy with the results and now i am left with a signicant scar on my head. would much rather shave but i am hesitate becuase of the scar. is there anything that i can do to not make the so visible. or will time make the scar smaller! thank you for your time!

There will always be a scar on every person who had a hair transplant if they shaved their head. I have had two hair transplants, and although few can even find my scar, I am sure that if I shaved my head I would have a smile on the back of it. Sometimes, during the first half year or so, scars may contract so they may become less obvious. Also in that same time frame, some scars stretch. After a year or so, the scars will be stable. My scar (only the one scar for two surgeries) measures about 2-3 mm in width and what there is, has not changed over the years.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Very Stressed Woman Losing Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I recently went throught a very stressful situation.. Husband had an affair lost 26lbs in 6 weeks and 2 mths. after all this happened my hair started to come out. first slowly then it got worse, it’s starting to slow down on most days. Could all this have trigged this loss. My physician think yes and told me the hair will regrow. I’ve never dealt wiht anything like this and it make me sick to my stomach to try to do something to my now thin hair. I’m 37 and pretty healthy other than the rapid weight loss.. I went days sometimes wihtout eating.. Now I take a multi-vitamin and eat 3 meals a day.. How long will it take to correct the damage I did? My blood work came back good and my TSH is normal..

I agree with your doctor that your situation could’ve triggered the hair loss and that it should regrow, but you need to get good dietary management. If you have no genetic hair loss present, then the hair should return once you return to a normal, stress-free environment. If you need help getting there, see a good doctor and/or a good therapist to help you manage the stress.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Restoring Hair After Plucking – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

When I was young I had a bad habit of pulling strands of hair in the back on my head. It’s been almost ten years now and I noticed that I have slight baldness and different thickness in that area compared to my hair in the front and sides. This bothers me alot, because it is hard for me to style it. Is it safe to use hair regrowth products like (rogaine) so I could restore thickness and regrow hair? I am only nineteen years old.

For a well-picked scalp with permanent hair loss, no product/drug will regrow the hair. If you are absolutely sure that you no longer pull at that area, then this is easily transplanted — but if you pull the hair out again, it will also bald again.

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If Propecia Stops Working, Should I Stop Taking It? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I am replying to the Aug 25 post about Propecia. If data suggests that after 5 years of usage, that patients return to where they were when the drug was started, am I wasting my $50+ a month on Propecia? I have been taking it since Spring 1998. I had 2000 grafts at NHI in Feb. 2004, but have been continuing Propecia to help keep what’s left on the top of my head. If Propecia stops working after 5 years, should I stop taking it? Thanks a lot! Love your Blog!!

No, no, no. Propecia (finasteride) does not just stop working after 5 years. Somehow I am not getting that message over to my readers. If you see no benefit from it and you stop it and lose your hair, then you will know that it was working. Unfortunately, Propecia is a drug that you must believe is working for you, if you use it. I believe that it always works on men, if not in retaining hair, at least in slowing the loss down. Stopping it brings you back to where you would have been had you never taken it. There is no guarantee that it will keep being as effective as it was the day you started it but some hair is better than no hair.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Can Sports Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello, doc.

I’m a 25-year-old Chinese male. I’ve been suffering from hair loss since high school. I began to take Proscar a month ago. I have some questions:

  1. Will finasteride lose some of its effect when exposed to the air? Since I currently split a pill into 4 parts.
  2. I take part in sports very often like jogging, soccer. Do such sports do harm to my hair?
  3. What kind of foods will help the treatment of hair loss?

Thank you for any help.

  1. I do not like to give recommendations for how to manage drugs that are not the way the manufacturer engineered it to be. If I were to guess, I would keep any pills in a humidity free container if I were to do what you do.
  2. Sports are not harmful for your hair. In fact, as a way of managing stress, sports may help you keep your hair healthy as stress is one of the four causes of hair loss (when the genetic defect is present).
  3. The best diet is a well balanced one. Nothing magical about a good diet.

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71 Year Old Woman Experiencing Hair Breakage – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am female, age 71 and have a question. My hair has been breaking off quite badly for over a month. My Physician says I am not taking medication that would cause it. I have never dyed, bleached, or stripped my hair but I do wash it daily. I have been treating it with the Nioxin treatment kit for about 3 weeks but see no improvement. I do not brush it, use wide comb and have it man cut short. Have any suggestions for stopping the breakage?

Try a good conditioner made for dry hair and see if it helps. Check with a good stylist for suggestions.