January 2007 – Page 5

January 24, 2007

Hairline is Fine, Thinning All Over – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,
Im a 25 year old male and Im confused about a development in my hair over the past few years. Four years ago I had thick (like a bush) hair all over my head. Now my hair seems to be thinner all over (almost as if I lost density on the whole top of my scalp at once). My hair line, however, is and has been stable since I was in high school.

Am I losing hair/going bald or is this just my hair “maturing” ?

Thanks

Block Quote

You are within the period that hairline maturation occurs. Some of your frontal hair loss might be associated either with the maturing hairline (the frontal 1/3rd inch) or possibly genetic balding (which would be behind the frontal 2/3rds inch). Since you are experiencing generalized thinning (mostly behind the leading frontal hairline), you may have some components of male pattern hair loss with miniaturization, suggesting some ill defined early ‘patterned’ loss. In order to confirm your diagnosis, you need to be examined and get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to help define the diagnosis of your current condition and it can be used to predict where you are heading in terms of eventual hair loss.

January 24, 2007

Dilated Pupils and Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

Great website! I recently had a consult to see if I am a candidate for Lasik eye surgery. I was told by the eye doctor that my pupils are too large, and this may be a result of propecia, which I began taking two weeks ago. Does propecia cause dilated pupils that you are aware of, and if so, is it temporary? Also, can excessive scratching of the scalp cause thinning hair in a person without MPB, or does it accelerate it if that person has MPB? I was told by a hairdresser that I have thinning in an unusual place, and this may be caused by excesive scratching in that area.

Thanks so much.

Block Quote

Dilated pupils are not known complications from Propecia (finasteride) at normal prescribed doses. I can not imagine what your doctor is talking about.

Scratching may reflect a drying scalp from hair thinning and it usually can be treated with shampoos and conditioners for dry skin.

January 24, 2007

Hair Loss InformationDoctor Told Me to Use Salt Water Soaked Gauze After Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Incredible Blog… wish I had seen it before my surgery.

I’m at 4 days post op. Donor area still a little sensitive, but everything going smoothly so far!

I had 3000 grafts placed both on the crown and in frontal region. I’m 43 and was somewhere between IIIv & IV

My post operative instructions include… salt water soaked gauze 4 times a day for 4 days followed by an application of polysporin ointment. How do you feel about the use of polysporin on the recepient area to reduce the scabbing and redness. How or will this affect the time it takes for the grafts to “secure”? Any suggestions on how to safely get the polysporin out of your hair without scrubbing the grafts out??? Thanks

Block Quote

I do not do it the way your doctor does it, so it would not be fair to comment. My washing instructions can be found here — Washing Scalp After Transplant.

With regard to Neosporin ointment in the recipient area and on any hair there, speak with your doctor, as it can be a nuisance.

January 24, 2007

Prescription Drugs After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i have had a transplant recently. can you tell me if any presription drugs should not be used. like high blood pressure medicine or viagra.

Block Quote

I look at a hair transplant as a non-event, so that whatever medications you used prior to the transplant should be continued as if there was no transplant ever done. There are medications that should be stopped prior to a transplant and that would include those medications that interfere with bleeding. I am assuming that the patient is in good health.

January 24, 2007

Does the Chest Get Hairier After Your Scalp Balds? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 30 year old male who has been balding slowly since age 17, and now it has finally accelerated.

I am curious as to whether eyebrows also become thin with balding, and does one grow more hair on their chest after they bald? I used to have a hairy chest but now it seems like that is also falling out!

Block Quote

Chest hair results from a combination of genetics and testosterone. Both are needed for a hairy chest. Hair loss on the scalp comes from the same combination. Loss of chest hair may reflect genetic factors. Are you on Propecia (finasteride) for your balding?

January 24, 2007

Propecia and DUPA – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman:

Thanks for the informative website.

I am a 28 year old male who has been diagnosed with diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), and I have some questions about available treatments.

My doctor prescribed Propecia, which I have just started taking. I was wondering about its effectiveness with my condition. Your blog says in various places that finasteride works for about 50% of people with DUPA. Does that mean that 50% experience regrowth, or just a halting of the DUPA process? I feel that my DUPA hasn’t progressed particularly rapidly, and while I would love to have regrowth, I certainly would also be happy to have the process halted.

Also, I have been using Rogaine foam for about 10 weeks with no noticeable results thus far. I end up using a lot of it, as I use it on almost my entire head, and as you can imagine it’s an expensive pain. Is there any reason that minoxidil does/should work better or worse with DUPA, such that I might stop using it and use only finasteride?

Thanks

Benefits for diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) with Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a subjective call on my part. You may see cessation of the process or reversal. Half of patients who I follow, have no impact from the medications.

The effects of minoxidil (foam or otherwise) will not be seen for 8-12 months. Wait it out.

January 24, 2007

HairMax Say They Challenged You on Your LaserComb Findings – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I see the lasercomb people do not take kindly to criticism. Any thoughts about that? The link is here on the official hairmaxforum.com

I took the time to review their data and contrary to their protestations that there was not enough resolution in the photographs, I would challenge that statement. If they felt the photos didn’t well represent their claims, why would they bother posting them? In fact, the resolution in the photos were excellent (we looked at the macro photos, which quite clearly show the hairs or lack thereof), as was their scientific methodology, and that is why I was willing to state what I said, that the conclusions of their ’scientific paper’ were inaccurate. I have declared that I am an expert in viewing these photographs because I am the inventor of the technology that they used to do the very experiment being challenged by me (U.S. Patent 5,331,472 issued July, 1994). I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but based upon the data I reviewed, their conclusions are not credible.

Just so everything is easy to find, here was the follow-up email I received from Lexington after my initial blog post — Email Response from Managing Director of HairMax LaserComb.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

January 23, 2007

Proving the Authentication of a Generic Drug – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doctor;

I understand there is a pharmaceutical company by the name of Dr. Reddy’s, based in India. I did some research, and though it is not one of the heavy-hitters like GSK, or Pfizer, they are publically traded. I examined the website and saw that they sell generic Dutasteride, named “Dutas”. My question is this: Has GSK released a generic form of Avodart? Is Dr. Reddy’s allowed to sell a generic form of Dutasteride? How would I know that this “Dutas” is actually Dutasteride? Avodaty soft-gels are printed with the characters
“GX CE2″. Is there an identifier on generic Dutasteride that would prove its authentication? Thanks so much!

Block Quote

Dr Reddys Drug substitution is a buyer beware market. Generally, if a generic is sold in the United States and obtained from a reputable pharmacy, it must be from a good source, scrutinized by the FDA and meeting FDA requirements. If you buy the manufacturer’s brand and there is no ‘fake’ drug substituted (when it is done it is usually done in the supply chain through illegal means), then you are getting the real drug.

I understand that Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is the 2nd largest pharmaceutical company in India, which would make it quite a well known company. I am not privy to know the dealings between Dr. Reddy’s and the original manufacturers of the drugs you listed. I know little more than you do when it comes to this, but fake drugs or drug piracy is a real problem in today’s market. Even some of the brand named drugs could be subject to substitution. For further reading about Dr. Reddy’s, here’s a list of facts I found on their site — Fact Book.

With all this being said, I do think that you must do the research on your own to truly make yourself comfortable.

January 23, 2007

Castration To Treat Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

In one of the rare on-topic posts to the Usenet group alt.baldspot, someone cited a study from the U. of Washington investigating, among various things, a chemical called acyline:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.baldspot/msg/d2a641313cf28285

They suggest that it can be used as an agent to induce medical castration (suppressing testosterone production?)

I imagine you’d have a rough time finding a doctor who’d prescribe any such thing, but in theory, would such treatment stop balding cold, more completely than would a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor? If I’ve gotten the processes down properly, DHT production is not possible in the absence of testosterone.

I imagine it’d also completely eliminate one’s libido as well. Maybe I’m nuts to think it, but I doubt that’d bother me. It’s not been of much use to me anyway, but losing my hair is going to pretty quickly kill off whatever hope remains for the future.

Well, thanks for reading. The accolades on the site from your readers are well deserved.

Block Quote

Castration of a male will stop the balding process. What hair loss that happened prior to the castration will not reverse. So if you lost all of your frontal hair and are starting to lose the crown hair, being castrated (medically or surgically) will not reverse the frontal hair loss, but will probably halt the hair loss in the crown. Sounds like you are depressed. You might seek help.

January 23, 2007

Using DNCB for Genetic Hair Loss? – Balding Blog

I had a question about the post on alopecia areata where the subject grew a large amount of hair back using the drug DNCB (Dinitrochlorobenzene). Will that eventually be used in people who don’t have alopecia areata but suffer from baldness?

I am currently a 24 year old male suffering from baldness. I am on proscar and it has halted my hair loss to some degree. I have really curly jet black hair so that helps to cover up the baldness and people think I have thick hair, which is good by me. But still I want more. Do you think that proscar/propecia can maintain my hair for another 20 years until I am finally married and ready to let go of it? That is just a little about myself. Thanks for the website.

DNCB is like a really bad case of poison ivy. It impacts the immune system. Male pattern baldness (MPB) is a genetic problem, not an autoimmune problem. The treatment used for the man that I posted about the other day is quite dangerous. Forget it for the treatment of MPB.

As for the question about Propecia effectiveness over the years, please see Propecia and Hair Count.