Month: October 2006

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Hair Loss InformationClaritin-D, Pseudoephedrine, and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a follow-up question on the matter of amphetamines. Could long term use of pseudoephedrine then also cause hair loss? I know it is used in Claritin-D and that people had been using it to make illegal methamphetamines. Having taken Claritin-D for allergies over a number of years (from 18-22) and suffering from gradually thinning hair, I’d be very curious to hear your thoughts.

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Many drugs can potentially cause hair loss. Before you point to a drug (such as Claritin-D) for a potential cause of hair loss, you should seek out other possible causes, such as male pattern hair loss (especially if you are losing hair in the typical pattern). There’s some interesting reading about ephedra (ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) at BodyBuilding.com, which does list hair loss as a side effect.

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Regrowing Pubic Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, i have a question about pubic hair with regards to testicles. I recently was curious in shaving that area. But i did it with a trimmer, the one that cleans your neck for haircuts. Iam wondering if it is a myth with regards to shaving with a razor or hair trimmer on your privates or body areas for men. Does the hair grow back thicker, longer or does it grow back normal? Basically is your body hair different from facial hair. Because now iam worried and regret doing what i did. Thank you

This may not be so scientific, but I recall listening to The Howard Stern Show on the radio, and Howard joked/admitted that he did what you did. You should call him and ask if his pubic hair grew back thicker.

Shave wisely, be happy and don’t worry. Everything will grow again as good as it did prior to cutting or clipping it.

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Is Thinning Hair Always Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Can a person who’s not balding have a certain degree of hair thinning? or is it that hair thinning has to be associated with hair loss?

RainI think I used this analogy before, but just because it is cloudy outside does not mean it will rain. Yet when it is raining, it is cloudy. In other words, hair thinning is just a state of the health of your hair and one part may thin while other parts may not — or all of it may thin. The cause is multifactorial, from nutritional status to drug exposure to aging to genetic balding. Thinning in a certain male pattern hair loss may potentially be an early sign of the genetic type. When a series of hair shafts are thinner than others (miniaturized), then this usually indicates something is wrong. There is no way to make this simple, so that is why people like us exist. We try to analyze what is happening to each patient, establish baselines for future hair loss, sort through the possibilities of causes, some of which may be correctable, and then suggest actions (medications to hair transplants) as they are appropriate to each of our patients.

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How Bald Will I Become? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman – I went to a dermatologist today and she did a tug test on my hair and looked at my head and said i’m a class 3, althouh a bit abnormal since my hairline hasn’t receeded at all. She said I’m a good candidate for Propecia. BUT, she never said anything about miniturization. Am I to assume that my hair (thinning in the crown) is as a result of miniturization, and if that’s the case, then I will be bald, for sure at some point?

I guess I’m trying to understand – and would follow-up with the dermatologist, but she was pretty rushed with me – if my hair has miniturization in that region, and if that’s the case, then the hair loss will continue?

Is miniturization test the true way to determine whether I’ll be bald or not, and if she didn’t do a miniturization test then is she just giving me her gut instinct on what she can see with the naked eye, and thus should I get a 2nd opinion?

Thanks for your input.

Miniaturization mapping is a predictor of future hair loss, but by itself, the mapping will not tell you how fast your hair loss will advance. There are other factors that I use to determine this, and they include:

  1. Rate of progression of the miniaturization
  2. Distribution and pattern of the miniaturization
  3. Family history
  4. Your age and the pattern you are now showing
  5. Response to medications like Propecia (finasteride)

With that knowledge, I can make an educated guess. As an expert doing this for 15 years, I have built some good judgments in making such assessments and therefore it is something that I am comfortable with.

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So, What Should I Look for In a Doctor? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I am a 27 year old male who is seriously considering a hair transplant in the begining of next summer. My concern is to make sure I find a good surgeon. Do you have any other surgeons that would reccomend. Maybe, its just yourself and whoever works with you.

What should somone look for?
Are there any new technological breakthroughs to look for?
What can I do to make sure my scar is not very bad? I always wanted to get a fade again. Maybe Im just dreaming but in getting a fade, the side of the head is shaved and the scar would be present.

I have thinning along the middle of my head and a clear receding hair line. I now shave my head to conceal it.

My last question, is how long does it take for it to look and feel normal after and a transplant. Also, how long should my hair be when I go for a consultation?

Thanks for your time

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I wrote a book on these very subjects (with Dr. Robert Bernstein), so rewriting it for this blog would just be too time consuming. You can request a copy of the book and I will send it to you or to any of my readers that want a copy. Or, even easier, the text of the book can be downloaded in PDF format here. Also, I posted a blog entry just a couple weeks ago that may be of interest to you — How to Tell if You’ve Found the Right Hair Transplant Doctor.

With regard to your other questions, thinning along the middle is an unusual presentation of genetic balding, but I have seen it. You need to get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to determine if there is genetic balding or not.

A person who has a hair transplant will feel normal (no pain in the back of the head at all) usually within 2 weeks or less. I generally like people to keep their hair long for the consultation, because I want to understand the impact of balding in a styled hairline. Sometimes thinning hair looks full when it is styled or longer.

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Is My Barber Possibly Pulling Hair Out? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

BarberHello i think this website is great. I had one question…im experiencing some thinning in my bi-tempural areas. I get my hair shaved (not bald) every two weeks. I notice that my barber is a little rough with the clippers/shaver…could this be pulling my hair out??? Would this cause further miniaturization??

Does rubbing your scalp really work at reviving thinning hair??? thanks

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If your barber is pulling out your hair, he is not furthering his business. Being rough with hair brushing will not accelerate miniaturization, but it can loosen hair that is on the way out to produce premature thinning.

Rubbing the scalp feels good, but you have to be careful that the rubbing does not pull out the weak hairs that are miniaturizing.

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Electrolysis to Make Transplanted Hairs Finer? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Couldn’t electrolysis be used to make transplanted hairs finer? I have mostly folicular transplants however I noticed that they are still courser and darker than my native hairs. Couldn’t electrolysis be use to make them lighter in texture and finer in contrast? Thanks for your response.

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In theory, if the electrolysis damages but does not kill the hair, it would become finer. I would think that this would be a difficult or near impossible thing to achieve.

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Minoxidil on the Chest – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

You said that minoxidil might work on the chest in one of your answers to a question but the container says not to apply to anywhere but the scalp. Can I get sick from putting minoxidil on my chest?

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The larger the area you apply it, the more of the drug your body will absorb. Minoxidil does drop blood pressure, so if you put it all over your chest and back (for example) you could possibly overdose and get a stroke or heart attack (in theory at least).

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Taking Proscar 4 Days On, 1 Day Off – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman, i have a question regarding the use of finasteride. I am a 26y.o. male with a history of gynecomastia and moderate acne. Last year my family doctor prescribed proscar for my hair loss. He has instructed me to cut the pill into 4 pieces, take 1/4 of proscar each day and have an off day after every four days. At the beginning of this year i’ve noticed that my frontal and termporal areas have been thinning out tremendously. The thinning has been progressing really fast ever since. My question is, should i start taking 1/4 of proscar everyday from now on(instead of having an off day after every 4 days) or should i take propecia everyday instead? Thanks.

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You should address these concerns to your doctor who prescribed you the medication. Finasteride is well known to address the top and crown areas of the scalp for male pattern balding. It is less effective on the front and the temporal areas and maybe the genetic hair loss is accelerating on its own. We go through phases where the rapidity of the hair loss goes active in spirts. You should at the least have your hair mapped for miniaturization by a doctor to document the progression and the degree of hair loss, rather than just subjectively noting the thinning. With good measurements in hand, you may be able to judge the effect of changes like what you are proposing.

Anyway, to answer your question — in my personal opinion, taking Proscar 1/4 pill (1.25mg finasteride) four days on and one day off is not as good as taking it once a day.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Transplant for Severe Alopecia Areata Sufferer? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 52 years old, male, and since about 18 months ago I have severe alopecia areata but only in the top of my head, not on the hair line, sides or back. My dermatologist says a hair transplant will not work in my case, that it will fall shortly, etc.What is your opinion?Isn´t there any hope for me on any kind of transplant?

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Alopecia areata can be transplanted if the disease has been inactive for 3 years and shows a negative biopsy for active disease during that period. For those who I have transplanted who met that criteria (very few people), the disease had not returned, but this is a real risk even when the disease is inactive for 3 years.