Month: January 2007

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Finasteride and Pigmentation – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr Rassman, Im a 28 year old male that has been taking Proscar split into 1.25mg for about 1.5 years. During this period I have made two very interesting observations regarding my hair which i want to ask you about.

1. Does Finasteride effect the pigmentation of the hair? Over he past 1.5 years ive noticed that my hair has turned a bizarre color, it almost looks grey but it isn’t, it almost looks clear. (I have blonde/brown hair).

2. Does Finasteride decrease the diameter of the hair shaft? (Even on hairs that aren’t miniaturized). Ive noticed despite retaining the bulk of my hair, that the overall feel of my hair is thinner, it lacks body and luster, but there hair is still very much abundant as it was before and it still continues to grow long and strong. The hair itself is just finer, but this has occurred all over my head, it was never like this before! I can physically see the hair diameter is thinner. (But its definitely not suffering from miniaturization).

There is no report on finasteride being associated with a change of pigmentation of hair/color. Miniaturized hairs usually look lighter, as they have less pigment in them. If anything, finasteride increases the thickness of hair shaft and may make the hair look darker that way. There are some other causes for hair color change. Most of them are either genetic factors, or systemic factors like nutritional and hormonal disorders. Talk about this issue with your primary doctor.

It is hard for patients to judge the thickness of their hair after starting on Propecia. Although the medication is supposed to increase the thickness of individual hair shafts, the growth changes from finasteride probably occur over at least 3 months and even then it may not be easy for the patient to see the difference. By any means, Propecia should not decrease hair thickness. If you see such changes it might have to do with the progression of your miniaturization (and the hair loss) and the medication may not be as effective as you may have hoped.

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Avacor and Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Have you heard of Avacor? They have information at avacor.com

Who hasn’t heard of Avacor? They must spend millions of dollars on marketing and I use to see them on TV and everywhere.

I’ve written about Avacor before, but it is worth repeating –

Avacor has minoxidil in it as your active ingredient, which probably grows the hair that is reported. You can buy it for much less money under the generic name minoxidil.

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Hair Loss InformationAlopecia Areata in a Patient with a Miracle Cure (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

One of my patients came in yesterday to show me the results of my referral and his treatment for alopecia areata. I have included his before pictures and his after pictures below. One treatment reference is included here — Alopecia areata: successful half-side treatment with DNCB.

The treatment on this patient was managed by Clinical Professor of Medicine/Dermatology at UCLA School of Medicine, Dr. Richard Strick, a real expert on the treatment of this disease. Most doctors should not attempt this treatment, as it requires extensive experience with the drug and its dangerous side effects.

Please click the photos to enlarge.

Before:

 

After:

The after photos show only three small balding areas remaining — one on the back and one on the side of the scalp both about 1/2 inch or less in diameter, and one in the middle of his frontal hairline.

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Hair Cycling, Shaft Thickness, and Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I am 21 yrs. old and for the past several months my hair has been thinning diffusely throughout the top part of my head, with no change to my hair line. I have recently been prescribed Propecia by my physician and am hoping to gain an idea of the type of results I can expect. According to your blog, Propecia works best in the crown area of the scalp; so does this mean that my hair which has thinned in the front will not likely see any results?? Also, as a general question, you have stated that it may take upwards of 6 months to see new hairs, due to the slowness of the hair cycle. However, could it take less time for hairs to increase their shaft thickness while taking Propecia? I understand that the hair regrowth is dependant on hair cycling, but is this the same for also reversing the miniaturization process? Thank you for answering my questions!

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The published information on hair regrowth from Propecia is best documented in the crown. I am convinced that there are good results in the frontal area behind the hairline in people your age (under 26) with recent hair loss or hair thinning. You must stay the course. Yes, it can work earlier, but it will slow down or stop the hair loss in many young men your age. Be patient.

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Taking Half a Propecia Pill Each Day – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello, I have been using propecia for about 10 months. The last two months I took only half of the pill, because i had more headaches, testicle and stomach pains, dizziness and lower sex drive. My hair loss has stopped and i dont see any loss when i pull my hair. My question is how will this half pill effect on my hairloss? Should i expect the same results or can my situation worsen badly? And can propecia, if i take it for a long time, really stop balding or does it only slow the process (for how many years for example)? thanks

Taking half pill of Propecia is reported to be about 70% effective as taking a full dose of Propecia. I cannot tell you how taking half a pill will change your hair loss/gain, but it is certainly better than not taking at all. In your particular case, it seems to be a good compromise, although some of your complaints should not be caused by this drug.

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Organin and Toppik Side Effects? – Balding Blog

I have been using Toppik and Organin for over 1 year now. I am wondering is there any long term side effects?

thanks

Looking at the ingredients of these products, they all seem inert and should not cause any adverse effects. Contact allergy could be one of the side effects of almost every topical chemical agent, but since you have been using these products for a year with no reaction, it is unlikely that you’d show any allergic reactions to them in the future.


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Low Light Laser Hair Therapy – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I wanted to ask you about low light laser hair therapy. I know you have a few postings on your blog, and also went into some detail on your NHI website, but I wanted to follow up and see if you have any new or updated information regarding this form of treatment. I know you mentioned that you used low light laser hair therapy on your patients, but you werent sure if the benefits were due to propecia or the laser treatment. Any new updates? Thanks for the help!

You are correct in your statements. Unfortunately, there are no new updates. Laser light therapy for hair is semi-controversial and there are clinical studies that are attempting to prove its effectiveness. However, to date, I have not seen a good scientific and unbiased test result to prove if it works.

At NHI, we have two laser light machines which I offer to my patients (who have had surgery) at no additional cost to our patients (in other words, the treatments are free if the patient wants them). I often ask people if it seems to be working for them and I have gotten some positive comments (which are, of course, totally subjective).

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

Hello Dr. Rassman and thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

I am a 16 (almost 17) year old male and I am experiencing hair loss on the temple of my head. My father is near bald and has just surpassed 50 years of age. I read on the internet that uncontrolled diabetes can also affect hair loss and because my mother has diabetes I have wondered whether I also have diabetes, hence the reason for my hair loss. None of my grandparents were bald, although they had a receding hairline. I also recognize that I am at Norwood II. I am wondering if my hair loss is permanent or not?

Diabetes is not a cause of hair loss, but genetics certainly are and if the genetics are there, the stress of diabetes may accelerate the genetic patterned hair loss. If the diabetes is out of control, then clearly it can cause hair loss as well. You should confirm if you have diabetes, easily done through your family doctor.

If a diagnosis of male pattern balding is confirmed, then finasteride (brand name Propecia) is the best approach to preventing or slowing down any genetic hair loss process. Even a Class II patient in their 20s may be thinning from genetic causes. Early, aggressive treatment is the best prevention at any age.

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I Don’t Want to Get Caught Up with Counting Falling Hairs – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, Im a 29 year old male. In the last few months I have started shedding more hair than Ive noticed before. Im finding about 10 – 20 hairs on my pillow and a similar amount coming out in the shower. Also if I run my hand through my hair one or two hairs falls out each time. At this stage though there is no visible thinning/receding. I have a high forehead but as far as I can remember this has always been the case, there has been no substantial change throughout my 20’s.

I have started a new stressful job recently. Also my father started thinning in his mid 30’s. He is 60 now and has a type III/V Vertex on the Norwood scale. There is no baldness on my mothers side. I guess my question is, is moderate shedding enough to justify getting concerned? I have heard that people can get overly caught up with counting hairs and worry themselves silly, something which I can be prone to. I don’t want to begin taking Propecia prematurely.

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If you get your hair mapped out for miniaturization and there is none present, it would be reasonable to assume that you are not currently balding and need not worry. Most men who begin balding start to see miniaturizing of the hair before the hair loss occurs. That is why mapping out the head for miniaturization is so important. It takes the guess work out of the process and therefore should control your fears. Then, considering your family history, you should get your hair mapped out yearly for some advanced warning of impending hair loss. Most men at 29 years old should show miniaturization if they are losing hair.