January 2007 – Page 10

January 15, 2007

Significant Amount of Small Hairs Growing 1 Month Post-Surgery – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr,

I know that after transplantation one can expect to start seeing growth after 2-3 mo. It is only one month post-op for me and there are a significant amount of small hairs already emerging. Does this mean that I can expect better than average results, or that the total amount of hair will just come in sooner.

PS – I am taking propecia. Thanks for your help doc

I am not sure what you are looking at. The transplanted hair appears to grow for the first few weeks before falling out in 95% of patients. In 5% of patients it grow and keeps growing. Be patient and wait. You will soon know what will happen.

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January 15, 2007

My Dermatologist Prescribed Olux Foam for Hair Loss Prevention – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My dermatologist recently prescribed me olux foam to apply to my scalp to help prevent mpb, not really sure what it does or why he prescribed it, any ideas? thank you in advance

Olux Foam is a topical corticosteroid. As such, it has no value for the prevention of male patterned genetic hair loss. The chronic use of any steroid is bad for you. It does get absorbed by the body and if you take it over prolonged periods of time it might suppress adrenal function. Steroids are known to cause hair loss, although the dose of skin application may not be enough for that complication. This drug is used mostly for psoriasis. Are you sure that this is not what your doctor is treating?

January 15, 2007

I Want a Hairline Like Actor Jamie Foxx – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Doc,

I was gonna ask you if you all could make my hairline like Jamie Foxx and if so about how much will it cost and can you all do as good a job as his surgeon did, assuming that he did have hair transplantaion surgery done to his hair line? Also how do i get in touch with you all?

It might be worth noting that there is debate on the internet (yes, it’s gossip) about whether Jamie Foxx’s hairline is his actual hair, or just a spray-on look. We’ve even discussed it before.

Yes, I can make such a hairline, but it would depend upon how bald you are. If I am to assume that you have an African hairline, then you should know that hair densities are generally lower in African hair (Caucasians have 2.1 hairs per mm square, Asians have 1.7 hairs per mm square and Africans have 1.3 hairs per mm square). I would be that Jamie Foxx has much better densities than other African males. The issue of producing such a perfect hairline reflect issues of supply and demand. If you have only frontal recession and it is limited, yes I would love to give you Jamie Foxx’s hairline if that is your desire. It will take more than one procedure. Cost estimates must be done in person after I examine you. You can call for an appointment to see me at 800-NEW-HAIR.

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January 15, 2007

How to Transition from Taking Propecia at Night to Taking it In the Morning? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

I’ve been taking propecia in the evening for a little over 2 months now. I have read your comments that state it is better to take propecia when you wake up and I was wondering what the best way to make the transition is. Should I skip a dosage at night then take it when I wake up and continue taking it in the morning after that?

Just take one the next morning. A 50% increase in the dose for one day will be insignificant in the management of your hair loss.

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January 15, 2007

Hair Loss from Common Medications – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Many of the questions I get each day are specifically asking about whether this drug or that drug could be the cause of hair loss. While there are many drugs that have hair loss listed as a potential side effect, it should be noted that looking at the drug as the cause of your thinning hair may not be the actual reason for the balding you’ve experienced. As genetic hair loss can skip generations, you need to take a good look at your family history (on either side of the family) to give a possible indication of where your hair loss originates. That being said, some of the common drug families may cause hair thinning. Below you can find an incomplete list of medications that may cause hair thinning and hair loss:

Anti-thyroid medications (carbimazole, propylthiouracil)
Most of anticancer medications
Blood-thinner (warfarin)
Some lipid lowering medicaitons (clofibrate, bezafibrate)
Anti-acne drugs (isotertinoin)
Some blood pressure medications, such as ACE inhibitors (captopril, enalapril, lisinopril)
Gout medication (allopurinol)
Antimalarial medication (chloroquine)
Drugs for epilepsy (valproate sodium, vigabatrin)
Parkinson’s disease medications (pramipexole, bromocriptine)

As I said, this is by no means a complete listing. In the literature of many drugs, hair loss is included as a side effect. It is so common, I wonder if it isn’t put in by their lawyers rather than their scientists.

January 12, 2007

Why Might Propecia Not Work for Some Men? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman, I’m a 22 year old male and have been on Propecia for a little over a month now. I’ve heard you say that it takes 8-12 months to see if the drug is effective and I’m just curious, why would the drug NOT work for all men? We all have DHT and this drug has the ability to eliminate or reduce the amounts of it in our body. Do some men have larger amounts of DHT than others? Thank you for your time and thank you for your blog, I have to say it is the most helpful website on the Internet. Take care!

It is my belief that Propecia works in 100% of men your age. What I mean by “works” is that it will slow, stop, or reverse hair loss. As you have been taking it for only a month, it is far too early to judge just what your benefit is. Did you get your hair mapped out for miniaturization? Such mapping will give you a measurement by which to judge any benefit. The amount of DHT your body makes is a direct relationship to the testosterone made, as it is a breakdown product of the testosterone. Men with lower testosterone might have lower DHT levels.

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January 12, 2007

Taking Propecia with Liquid – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Sorry for the naive question, but would Propecia’s efficiency be affected if not taken with water (i.e, Milk, Cola, etc)?

Propecia will work even if you take it with whiskey (although if you take it in the morning and take it with whiskey, then you probably have an alcohol problem and not just a hair issue). Water, milk, or cola will do just fine.

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January 12, 2007

Muscle Relaxers and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. I have a pulled hamstring and was prescribed muscle relaxers, can muscle relaxers cause hair loss?

the drugs are called:
cyclobenzaprine 10mg
naproxen 500mg

Although not a common finding, hair loss is a possible side effect with these medications.

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January 12, 2007

I’m Mostly Bald In the Front — Am I Still at Risk of Shock Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr Rassman

Recently you replied to a young man who had a transplant with you that:

“More importantly, having surgery too early may actually accelerate hair loss and you may end up with negative (worse off) results”

Were you referring to shock loss? I am 26, and also considering FUE surgery, but in the front of my head where it is actually bald now. I was told that I am not in much risk of shock loss because of this, and that transplanted hairs will not be in between existing ones. Would you agree?

I dont want to make my hair loss worse, is there a chance of this even though I will not be going near my existing hair (which is actually quite full). Thank you for your time.

Any 26 year old is at risk for shock hair loss after transplantation. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is your best protection against it. What you already lost may be permanent, but the remaining hairs and all of the miniaturized hairs that are still present could be lost. What did the mapping of your scalp for miniaturization show? That will define the hairs at risk. Even in areas where your ‘eye’ says it is full, there still might have 50% miniaturization in which these miniaturized hairs could fall out. You need to know the answer to mapping question for a fully informed patient.

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January 12, 2007

Facial Hair Growth Problems – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i’m 27 years old and i have problems in facial hair growth due to genetic problems. the male hormones are low, however i’m on hormone shots that i take every other week. however it doesn’t look like it does noticeable job with my facial hair which causes me a lot of problems (it makes me look like 17 years old), in addition to the very poor growth of the body hair. anyway my most concern is about making a facial hair transplant surgery. my question is about the cost of this surgery and also if the transplanted hair will be growing as if it was natural and how long does it take to do the whole procedure? thank you doctor. it’d be a great help if u answered my question as soon as possible. thank you again

Beard transplants (from the scalp to the beard area) should have some similarity of the hair character for these transplants to look normal. If your beard is coarse and the scalp hair is fine, then the difference may be too great for a normal look. Costs for hair transplants generally are priced by the graft. The cost would reflect the extent of the transplants and estimates would have to be done. Transplants from other areas of the body may not work, because of the short hair cycle of most body hairs. Pubic hair or underarm hair to beard might be a closer match for beard hair if your scalp hair is too fine to use for transplantation.

I would love to trade situations with you. My coarse beard makes a tug every morning when I shave and I do hate to shave. I guess life is not always fair. You may have to learn to live with your genetic situation if the beard does not grow out in the next 5 years or so.

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