November 2006 – Page 10

November 10, 2006

I Was Diagnosed Chronic Kidney Disease and Stopped Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 35 years old I was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease earlier this year (stage 3). Up until this point I had taken Propecia with good results. My Doctor has told me to stop all medication, vitamins etc but since stopping Propecia my hair is falling out quick. Is this normal? I want to go back on Propecia but my Doctor said no. Do you know if Propecia has any adverse affects on the kidneys?

Many thanks

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There is no documented adverse effect of Propecia on the kidneys. Propecia use is safe in patients with renal failure. Propecia is being eliminated from your body by two different ways:

Excretion in the urine (39%)
Excretion in the feces (57%)

This means, even if you have severe kidney failure, your body can get rid of Propecia through the liver and it will be excreted into the feces; so in theory no real adjustment is needed for Propecia in patients with kidney failure. Having said that, you still need to talk it over with your physician and make sure about the other reasons that he/she may have wanted it discontinued. Share this blog posting with your doctor. You might want to try the regular dose and then check for blood levels at the lab.

November 10, 2006

Hair Loss InformationFacial Swelling from Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi,

i have tried many different formulations of minoxidil. each one causes my face/cheeks to go very puffy/swollen.

is it the minoxidil or alcohol that causes this ?

most importantly, is there anyway of reducing the puffiness, preferably by using some sort of cream rather than a tablet ?

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It seems you may have an allergic reaction to the minoxidil formulation. Either you may be allergic to the inactive ingredients or the minoxidil itself. There is a new formulation of minoxidil available as Rogaine Foam. You may give that a try. However, if this is a true allergic reaction, I would stop using it completely, because your body may react to it stronger with subsequent use and cause your face or tongue to swell to a point where it may even be life threatening.

November 10, 2006

What About Aderans? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr.,

Now that Intercytex have moved into Phase II trials has aderans given up on their research for hair multiplication? Are they still pursuing with their version of the treatment? If so, do you know the status of their development? I thought you may have heard from ome of your contacts at the IHRS meeting in October. Many thanks for a very informative blog.

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From attending the ISHRS conference last month and also being present at the Aderans presentation, there is nothing groundbreaking to report here. Aderans is continuing on with their research.

November 10, 2006

If I Do Use Minoxidil on My Chest… – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If I do decide to use minoxidil on my chest, should I use 1 ml twice a day as prescribed for the scalp? I only want to use it in one small area that is very bare compared to the rest of my chest.
Thanks

Since minoxidil is not officially approved by the FDA for application or growth of chest hair, one can only guess. In my opinion, even if you apply it twice a day, I am not sure if it will grow significant hair to match other areas of your chest. Applying it more than the recommended dosing may cause systemic side effects such as dizziness and drop in blood pressure to name a few.

November 10, 2006

Hemorrhoids and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Excessive bleeding from hemorrhoids for a period of four days triggered hair loss which has persisted and has fallen out over a period of four months. I have an iron deficiency although I am not anaemic. Worringly, my hair loss has not occurred on the back and sides (a characteristic of AGA). Do you think my hair will regrow?

Iron loss from acute and chronic bleeding can cause hair loss. It is a controversial issue. A link between iron deficiency and hair loss is not fully shown in every study and that is why iron-deficiency screening is not routine for people with hair loss. However, studies show that whatever the cause of hair loss, having too little iron in the blood makes it worse.

Treatment of iron deficiency is easy and patients with accelerated hair loss due to iron deficiency will respond beautifully to correction of their iron deficiency. You may also be predisposed to AGA and iron deficiency has just triggered the ‘genetic switch’. The good news is, even if this is the case, your hair loss should improve considerably with treatment of iron deficiency.

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November 10, 2006

Generic Proscar Big Enough to Be Cut into .5mg Pieces? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I just started a regimen of 5% minoxidil/retin-A a month and a half ago and would like to add .5 mg/day finasteride to my regimen.

Is the generic 5 mg proscar big enough to be cut into 10 sections with a pill cutter?

Is propecia due to be generic in the U.S. anytime soon?

I doubt that you can cut a pill in 10 equal sections unless the pill is large enough — and the generic Proscar (finasteride 5mg) that I’ve seen is not that big. That being said, you can always try! It actually looks to be equal in size to 1mg Propecia, if that helps any.

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is still under U.S. Patent protection and will not be available anytime soon in generic form (at least in the United States).

The combination of minoxidil and retin-A is a combo that I do not particularly like, and you might want to try Rogaine Foam as an alternative.

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November 10, 2006

2 Weeks After Using Hair Dye, My Hair Is Falling Out! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 28 year old female who has always had very long, thick and strong hair. I’ve dyed it for YEARS. Now, suddenly, my hair is falling out and baldness is not found on the woman’s side of my family. After I brush and after I wash I can literally pull out the hair by the handful. It’s scaring me to death. I dyed my hair about 5 weeks ago, and 3 weeks ago is when I began to notice this. Could it be connected? My scalp didn’t feel burned or hurt, so origially didn’t think it could be related to the coloring. However, I at a loss and I’m loosing my cool. Please help! Thanks so much.

It is normal to lose 100 hairs a day. You might consider stopping the hair coloring process to try to surround what is happening. That being said, I am sure you are noticing more hair falling out than what you are used to. It may be a phase or it may be a sign of a medical illness or a genetic balding process. Genetic balding does not necessary mean that your mother or father were balding. Hair loss in women can sometimes be caused by underlying medical conditions, so it is important for you to be evaluated by your own physician before we proceed. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions and emotional stress. It is also important to review the use of medications that can cause hair loss, such as oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin and prednisone. The following laboratory tests are often useful if underlying problems are suspected: Estradiol, FSH, LH, SHBG, Prolactin, T4, TSH, ANA, Iron, TIBC, Ferritin, Free and Total Testosterone. You may benefit from a miniaturization study to examine your hair under a hair densitometer to document the health of your hair.

November 9, 2006

Hair Loss InformationWhy Do Hair Loss Treatments Not Work in the Frontal Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is there a reason why rogaine and finasteride only work on the vertex but not the receding hairline/frontal area?

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Many aspects of the mechanism of action of Rogaine and finasteride (Propecia) are still unknown, and for that same reason we do not know why they work on the vertex better than the temple and frontal area. I can guess that reversal of frontal hair loss is very rare, because by the time the treatments are started, the balding has gone too far as it starts earlier. Crown balding is slower and from the time it is first recognized, it often early in the thinning process. As such, reversal of crown loss is much more common with these medications, particularly in the young man under 35 years old. However, finasteride does work to slow down or stop hair loss in the frontal area, particularly if caught early enough.

November 9, 2006

Did Johnny Depp Have a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc, Johnny Depp totally had a hair transplant. Compare this pic of him wearing a tuque or beanie or whatever Americans call it:

http://www.johnnydepp-zone.com/deppartment/nocolor/13.jpg

to this pic in the same head-gear:
http://www.johnnydepp-zone.com/deppartment/nocolor/09.jpg

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Those photographs seem to show slight differences in the corners of the hairline. Could this be a hair transplant that caused this difference? Possibly. I’d guess that it’s probably the photography leading the viewer astray.

November 9, 2006

Hair Multiplication Won’t Give a Full Head of Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr,
I have been looking at articles in relation to hair cloning recently and something caught my attention. Researchers are warning that the first available hair multiplication procedures won’t give a full head of hair. If this is the case do you think hair multiplication will be able to give a full head of hair in the near future? Do you think these kinks will be ironed out? Your views on this would be much appreciated.

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The solution where one hair can make many, is years away. We really do not understand the process and can not replicate it at this time. Too much hype, in my opinion and years away from a solution. When ever I report this, I get many emails that knock my pessimism — but I can’t please everyone.