November 2006 – Page 8

November 15, 2006

Growing a Handlebar Moustache – Balding Blog

I have a decent moustache. A little on the thin side but decent. I have been letting it grow out for 5 years and I wax it. I love handlebar moustaches and I want a nice thick one instead. I have been trying to do research online but don’t see lots of information out there. I don’t know if anyone really near me does it or not. The phone pages only list baldness help. My hair on my head is thin but I keep it buzz cut anyway. Remember the movie Tombstone? I want a ’stache more like Kurt Russells and mine is really alot like Val Kilmers. Any suggestions? I guess I don’t know anything about this so I’m unsure of who to go to for the procedure and I don’t want to chance losing anything that I have.

Thank you.

A hair transplant is an ideal procedure for scars on the moustache area, but in your case, you already have a moustache and just want to make it thicker. If the problem with your moustache is the density of hair, more hair could be added with hair transplantation, but it would be scalp hair. We can not create thicker hair shafts, but if you have thin mustache hair that is about the same diameter as your scalp hair, then this might work for you. Hair densities on the scalp are probably at least twice the density of moustache or beard hair. A hair transplant simply moves hair from one area to another and as such, it should be relatively easy to double the density of your mustache hair. The anatomy and alignment of hair of the moustache is different than that of a traditional scalp hair transplant. If you decided to do this, you need to be seen by an experienced hair transplant surgeon and only then you will know if you are a good candidate for this procedure.

November 15, 2006

Generic Propecia on the Web – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr Rassman,
I’m considering buying generic propecia made in india by CIPLA

The online pharmacy is: [site removed]. Do you think this is advisable?

Cipla makes generic finasteride available in 1mg form as Finpecia and as 5mg form as Fincar, but I do not know about buying prescription drugs through online pharmacies. If you chose to purchase generic finasteride via the web, do so at your own risk.

Also, it is important to note that 1mg generic finasteride (for hair) is not yet legally available in the United States due to patent restrictions, but you can get the 5mg generic finasteride (for prostate) at US pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription and just cut the pill in quarter-sized pieces.

For more on Cipla, see their entry in Wikipedia.

November 15, 2006

Follicare and Propecia – Balding Blog

Is it ok to take propecia and follicare together, since there is a vitamin you take when using follicare

I have reviewed the “supplement” listed at the Follicare website for ingredients. I can say, right off, that they seem to have put everything but the kitchen sink into the product. I do not believe it will be harmful if taken with Propecia.

November 15, 2006

Bald Spots on Neck – Balding Blog

I am a 28 yr old active male in is great physical condition. Recently I have been noticing bald spots appearing on my neck where hair use to grow. Then spots where the hair use to grow are completely bald now. I am trying to find out what may be the cause of this.

This could be some peculiar genetic trait, or something like Ringworm (a fungus infection). You also might have alopecia areata. Alopecia areata can cause circular patches of baldness and could be seen almost anywhere in body, including scalp, beard, eyebrow and even eyelashes. The outcome is usually good and in most cases hair re-grows within several months. Occasionally the baldness could be permanent. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease and typically recovers in most cases without any treatments.

There are far too many possibilities, so you should see a dermatologist and get an opinion as well as a thorough examination of your body and scalp hair. Let an expert give you an opinion after an examination, something I simply can not do over the internet.

November 14, 2006

Hair Transplant Surgery by a Non-Licensed Physician – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I just saw a person that had a hair transplant by a man claiming to be a doctor (who actually wasn’t). This fake doc opened up a practice for doing hair transplants, and I decided to write a brief note here to hopefully serve as an important reminder about verifying your doctor’s credentials.

So what does one do to verify if the person who claims to be a doctor is really a doctor? It may sound ridiculous, but you could ask to see his/her state identification (like a driver’s license, for example) to get the correct spelling of the first/last name and then look the physician up at the state medical board database. For California, check here — for other states in the US, I found this Medical Board Directory, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for in there, I’m sure a Google search will turn up results by state/country/region. Try using the keywords “medical board” followed by your state/country/etc. Granted, fake state identification might be relatively easy to get, so maybe then you need to get his/her licenses to practice medicine and their narcotic number, both of which are harder to falsify.

The particular phony doctor that prompted this blog entry had rented another doctor’s office to give himself some credibility and had a line-up of patients for surgery. I won’t get into how wrong it was for the doctor to have rented him the office, but what was particularly significant to me is knowing what would have happened if something went wrong with a surgery. One of the most common complications I see is a fainting spell brought on when the Vagus nerve is stimulated from the excitement of the procedure, slowing the heart down to possible unsafe levels. When the heart slows, there is often a temporary drop in blood pressure, but if this very simple process is not addressed quickly and the patient had atherosclerosis of blood vessels to the brain or heart, a simple drop in blood pressure can lead to or cause a stroke or a heart attack. This complication is easily prevented by lying the patient back with the head down and the feet elevated. In a few minutes of careful observation with the patient in this position, the heart rate usually goes back to normal on its own. If this is not done, what may have been simply practicing medicine without a license might turn into some murder prosecution if the patient died.

November 14, 2006

Taking Propecia for Over 10 Years — Will My Hair Loss Still “Catch Up”? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I read your last blog entry and I was wondering, I know people who have been on propecia for about a decade (they started when they were 19) and they still have a good amount of hair left (I know one of my friends has a large receding hair line but it is not that visible when he has long hair but when he has short hair he combs it down and you can tell). You talk about our genetic code catching up to us and eventually those hair losing people will lose all their hair even on propecia but the thing is when does the genetic code of those people on the medication for 10+ yrs catch up to them? Will they keep all their hair until they are 50 because they have been taking finasteride for so many years? Because I remember you mentioned one time that at the age of 30 baldness stops so If I take propecia until 30 and then stop the hair on my head will it stay forever?

There are no studies that go out more than 10 years. My own experience takes me to ten years. As long as you take it, if there were ever benefits, they will be retained to some degree over the lifetime that you take the drug.

November 14, 2006

Shock Loss in the Recipient Area – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

HI DR… I would like to know if there is shock loss after hair surgery what is your policy in solving the problem. thanks

I properly inform my patients of the risk, try to mitigate that risk, and am very supportive if it happens. I can not guarantee what will happen to the native hair that is there and which may react poorly to a hair transplant by undergoing shock loss. I have not had a case of shock loss for more than a year. I suspect it is because I prescribe finasteride on all those who are subject to that risk.

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November 14, 2006

Scalp Bumps on Top of Head, Mostly Near Temples – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,

I am a male 26 years old…About a year ago I noticed acne like bumps on the crown of my head and generally all over my scalp, I went to a doctor and he prescribed a shampoo (tar) and the bumps went away temporarily, I have noticed that my hair is thinning out on top of my head and quite alot near my temples. Can the acne like bumps be a sign of hair loss? I am really concerned especially about my hair loss in my temples, and on top of my head….

Thank You

You need to have these bumps evaluated by a competent doctor. Any good dermatologist and many good family doctors are able to make that assessment. For the thinning of your hair, I would recommend that you get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to determine what is causing your hair loss.

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November 14, 2006

Regrow Hair Lost from Triangular Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,
I believe i have since my 20s (now 38) triangular alopecia – a small bald spot on one side of my head (above the ear). Thinning on top since early 20s. Been on minox 5% and finasteride for 1 yr. No change in bald spot apart from lots of vellus hair. Will it ever grow or is a transplant into that area the only solution. Many thanks

I would doubt that it would regrow from minoxidil. Hair transplants work well. See this previous post for more on triangular alopecia.

November 14, 2006

Hairline Lowering Options? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 26 year old male, with no sign of balding. Both sides of my family still have a full head of hair, but I do have a naturally high forehead. What are my options to lower my hairline, and is it advisable to even do so for a guy? Thanks for any information on any procedures I could undertake. Thanks.

If you knew for sure that you would not bald, then a hairline lowering procedure can give you a fairly fast result (immediately after the surgery). If your hairline went up because of frontal balding, a hair transplant can bring down the hairline quite nicely, though the results of which will not be seen for some months. The amount of hairline that can be lowered varies with the hairline lowering procedure, as it depends upon the looseness of your scalp. A hair transplant approach does not have this limitation. See the following links for more:

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