Month: October 2006

My 6 yr old son has developed a small, oblong bald spot around 3 months ago. The spot has no signs of hair growth and is very smooth as if no hair was ever there. What could be the cause and should I take him for blood work?

You should have it look at by a good dermatologist. The possibilities are extensive, and infections are not uncommon. Ringworm (a fungal infection) is one of the more common causes in a six year old.

hi dr… will you give a pt a juvenile hairline if they want it and promise to stay on propecia and are 40 yrs old and do not have a lot of balding??? please let me know .. thanks

I have to be encouraged to produce juvenile hairlines in 40 year old men. Included in my criteria are:

1. emotional maturity
2. good, solid thinking
3. a good reason for wanting it
4. some assurance (by examination and from taking a careful family history) that the person does not have advanced genetic balding

The need for Propecia (finasteride) is only critical if there is balding present. I have done hairlines on actors whose youthful hairlines are critical to their professional careers. I have created these juvenile hairlines in other people too, but these men usually bond with me and develop a relationship with me that convinces me that it is the right thing for them to do. Sometimes, when older men want a lower hairline and their balding is stable, I will move it down to a lower position (lower than a mature hairline but possibly higher than the juvenile hairline).

Your explanation of the mature hairline is very helpful. However, is possible to have general thinning in the frontal hair regions at the same time the mature hairline develops. Could that still indicate the beginnings of male pattern baldness?

This is a very good question. Yes, you can experience balding at the same time that a maturing hairline develops.

Greeting Doctor Rassman. I am a 15 year-old male. I realize that your website relates to hair loss information, however, I was interested in asking you a general question about hair since you founded the New Hair Institute. At the current time, my facial hair grows at a decent rate for my age in my opinion. I considering having facial hair at such a young age a luxury. I’d love to be able to grow a beard over the next couple years. Although there is one problem, my facial hair does not grow as evenly on the left side of my neck as it does on the right side. It’s more empty on the left. I was wondering if you had any solutions to my problem, or if it is just because I haven’t fully matured yet. How long do you think it would take? I really appreciate any input you would have on this. Thank you for your time.

I have facial hair and I consider it a curse personally, because I hate shaving. The asymmetry of hair density on your beard can be normal. Not everyone develops symetrically. Be patient, the less hairy side will catch up all too soon.

Hi,

Im 22 and I have noticed some wierdness around my scalp. What happens is I develop pimples on my head and removing the hairs that grow out of the pimple have a very wierd end. They have a short white film on the bottom with the bottom of the hair showing a black dot. The difference is tat normal hairs come up fine with no black dot and no white film. Is this a type of disease?

From your brief description, I do not think you have a “disease”. If you have pimples on your scalp or skin, the white material is just dead white blood cells, cellular debre and bacteria that have accumlated that caused your pimple. The tiny black dot may just the end of your hair root. Unless you see the black dot crawling with tiny legs, I wouldn’t worry.

I’ve been feeding my Sphynx (aka Canadian Hairless) cat propecia and rubbing it with minoxidil on a daily basis to see whether hair can be grown. So far there’s been no response, however, I’m hopeful.

I honestly hope this is a joke, but you’d be surprised at some of the emails I receive that are completely serious. Most people would think that the funnier notes I receive were sent to just mess with me, but either way, I’ll answer it seriously…

Cats lick their fur and will ingest these medications. I suspect that the minoxidil may drop your cat’s blood pressure, if nothing else. Silly things like what you are doing to your cat, may make discoveries where no man has gone before. I don’t recommend experimenting on your pets though.

At least you made me smile, something that your cat may not be experiencing.

Hello Dr. Rassman,
My hair is extremely porous, yet certainly not over-processed. I colour the gray roots once every 4-6 weeks and do not blow dry or straighten. No matter how expensive the salon or the hair product, it’s always porous. In the Summer it loves the humidity and in the Fall and Winter it looks like string.

I am also at 6 months post-hair-transplant, and I am hoping for the best hair possible. Is there a relationship between female pattern baldness, which began in my teens, and porous hair? Can you recommend anything at all for my hair, which has been treated very carefully all my life. Thanks a million, and God Bless you! xoxo

I generally do not like to make recommendations for daily hair grooming and hair management. There is clearly dry and moist hair and the difference does reflect the porous nature of the individual hair shaft for that person. The transplants should behave as it did when the hair was located in their original ‘home’ in the back of your head. I would stick to the recommendations of a good stylist who works with individuals with different hair characteristics (porous and non-porous) every working hour of their lives.

Hello Dr – I read with interest your answer about MRI scans and how there is no link from them to hairloss as they use magnets. What then, would be your opinion on CT Scans? Could these cause hairloss and if so over what time period? i.e – a few days after the scan or a few years? Thank you for your time.

The amount of radiation that a CT scan (also known as a CAT scan) will administer is not sufficient to cause hair loss. It takes much, much more radiation to cause radiation sickness and have the side effects to cause hair loss.

For more information about CT scanning, please see: Wikipedia – Computed tomography