February 2007 – Page 13

February 6, 2007

Does Hair Miniaturize Even Without MPB? – Balding Blog

Hi.

If you are losing hair for a reason that isnt MPB will you still have miniturisation?

i.e does miniturisation in the front mean that it is MPB, or could it still be to do with thyroid, low immune system etc?

Thanks

Miniaturization of the hair may occur in many conditions where hair is thinning such a thyroid disease, malnutrition, and even old age (as the hair character does change in some older people). It means that the hair ‘generating machinery’ is shutting or slowing down (e.g. age the growth cycle may slow down and shorten). We actually see the effects of miniaturization as the hair is more ’see-through’ and that is what most people call hair thinning.

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February 6, 2007

Considering BioMatrix at Hair Club – Balding Blog

I visited doctor Rassman for a consultation on two occasions: the first time was about 6 years ago, the second time about three years later. On both visits Dr. Rassman advised against transplant surgery because of limited donor hair. I appreciated his honesty and have adhered to his advice.

I recently visited the Hair Club in LA. I am considering their biomatrix procedure. I would appreciate any advice you could give me. Thank you

I did write about the Bio Matrix before, but I am still not too familiar with it, so it would be unfair for me to give you solid advice. You were kind enough to come into my Open House on February 3rd to ask me this question after you already submitted it to the BaldingBlog. It was a pleasure meeting you. Your examination showed you have Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA), and based on the Hair Club’s website, the Bio Matrix product appears to be interwoven with your own hair or placed on a bald head (the actual picture they used was man with frontal balding). If they actually weave it into the existing hair, I feel it may actually make you balder from traction. Be very careful with any product that could pull on your hair and deplete your current good hair supply.

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February 5, 2007

Hair Loss InformationAge and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello sir,

I really respect your advice and in the past your forum has been very helpful for me. I do have one question however, and that has to do with regard to age and hair loss.

Currently I have a full head of hair, but for the past 2 years now, i have had some frontal recession and a thinning of the crown. Neither of these has progressed for the past two years. Since I am 22 however, does that mean with absolute assurity that I have inherited aggressive balding since I am only 22, despite the fact my hair has not gotten any worse?

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Male pattern balding (MPB), androgenic hair loss, and genetic hair loss are terms used to describe the SAME thing. If you have miniaturization in the crown, then I suspect you have genetic patterned hair loss, and that means that it will probably kick in to another phase of the hair loss process sooner or later. Finasteride (Propecia) may slow down the appearance of the next hair loss cycle, but first get a good doctor and then a diagnosis before you commit yourself to a lifetime of this medication.

Genetic hair loss can start as early as the teenage years. The degree of hair loss — from small frontal recession to full baldness — is difficult to predict at such early age. There is no way for me to diagnose your hair loss without a proper exam, but genetic hair loss at the age of 22 is a good possibility. With regard to your frontal loss, be sure you understand the difference between the progression of a mature hairline and balding.

February 5, 2007

Hair Loss InformationCreatine and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I was wondering if there was any correlation between hair loss and creatine usage. I’ve been working out 6 – 7 days a week for the six weeks while taking creatine every daily, and have noticed increased hair loss.

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Although as far as I know, creatine does not cause hair loss, I found a couple of sites that tell stories that would dispute that. Remember, just because you read about it on the internet, it does not necessarily make it true. Take these with a grain of salt:

February 5, 2007

Top of Scalp is Thinning, but Hair Still Grows Very Slowly – Balding Blog

Hi Dr., I am a 23 year old black male. My texture of hair is curly (soft). About 5 years ago I was dying my hair alot and putting relaxers in it as well, for different styles. I then cut my hair very low. Now that i’m trying to grow my hair out again, the top of my hair is starting look alot thinner than the rest. I can see the little holes on my head, but the hair grows very slow from them. What do I do?

It is difficult to answer your question without a good physical exam and medical history. While trauma from chemicals may cause some hair loss, it should generally grow back unless the chemicals you used worked their way into the hair follicles below the skin of the scalp. Furthermore, if you have a very short hair cut, the thinning or hair loss is more readily noticeable and any hair that is genetically impacted with miniaturization will see slower hair growth. You may have a component of male pattern hair loss and a miniaturization analysis will show that. If you suspect such a scenario, you should see a doctor to establish a diagnosis and have a miniaturization study of your hair to see the pattern of thinning.

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February 5, 2007

Losing Eyelashes – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have noticed that my eyelashes are not only thinning out but on the lower lashes they are gone. My hair is thinning as well. I have made no changes in my lifestyle. The only change concerning my eyelashes is that I started using Estee Lauder mascara. Any suggestions to stop the loss and will the lashes grow back?

Best to leave it alone for a period of 6 months, not applying anything to them. It could be the gentle pulling of the brush or the mascara itself. Give it time to go through a hair cycle and then re-evaluate your situation.

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February 5, 2007

Hair Loss, Skin Rash, and Excessive Pubic Hair Sweat – Balding Blog

It appears no one has helped me with my current condition. Approximately two years ago, my hair started shedding drastically. My doctor thought it was my hormones because I just had a baby. A thyroid test has been performed but test came back normal. Now I have a rash on my leg which looks like I’ve been burned. The derm said it could be a fungal infection but the culture came back negative. I don’t have a clue what the problem is but very concerned as I haven’t gotten a diagnosis yet. My pubic hairs sweat just like underarm sweat. I have to use deodarant down below because its very strong smelling which its coming from the pubic hairs. Any suggestions on what other test could be performed?

Hair loss after having a baby is a common problem. Hair should grow back with time.

It is virtually impossible to tell you what your rash is without an examination. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by seeing a dermatologist.

With respect to your pubic hair and the strong smell, I would also suggest that you discuss this problem with your dermatologist. There are a number of conditions that will cause excessive sweating and a smell (frequently an over-growth of certain bacteria in the gland itself) can be caused by such bacterial growth. Like bad breath is a bacterial growth problem, our sweat glands ‘breathe’ (metaphorically speaking)

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February 5, 2007

Estimated Efficacy of Taking Propecia In Morning vs At Night – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hey Doc, great site, very informative.

I know you’re not into guessing and speculation, and the question is not as simple as it sounds at face value, but if you HAD to give an estimate as to the percentage difference in efficacy when it comes to taking propecia in the morning (9:30am) as opposed to in the evening (7:30pm), what relative percentages would you assign to each? Let’s say that all other lifestyle factors are equal and the timing of dose is the only variable here. I work a regular 9-5 day, Mon-Fri.

Would you expect taking it at 9:30 am would be x% more effective than 7:30pm?

Again, just an educated guess on your part (since I value your experienced opinion). And by the way, what time do you take it?

Thanks a lot, and congrats on the awesome site! I’ve been reading almost daily since last spring

Morning vs evening use of Propecia should not make a huge difference. It just makes sense to me to take it upon awakening in the morning when the testosterone levels are highest.

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February 5, 2007

Baldness Trends Through History – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Doc,

Are there any trends in the amount of bald people we see in the population over time. For example, is there a higher percentage of bald people now than say 100 years ago? Just curious.

I have no way to answer your question. Good studies 100 years ago were not done to my knowledge. I would think that the incidence is the same considering that this is a genetic problem.

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February 2, 2007

Propecia and Sperm Count – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman.

What current info do you have on the possibility of finasteride reducing sperm count? Are there any scientific studies out there on this subject? I will be planning on starting a family in the next year or two and fear such side effects will greatly harm my chances of conception.

You have stated that finasteride in a dose of 0.5mg is around 70-80% as effective as 1mg. Can you give an answer as to how effective you think a 0.25mg dose would be in comparison to 1mg? After only 5 days of taking a quartered proscar pill, I’m experiencing some side effects such as increased libido and problems in maintaining an erection. I have no problems getting an erection (due to the increase of libido), just maintaining it.

I’ve heard that taking zinc in high doses can significantly lower DHT levels. Can you shed more light on this subject?

Warmest Regards

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Pregnancy Finasteride (Propecia) may cause a decrease in volume of semen, but there is no evidence that the medication causes low sperm count in men. In animal studies, mature rats treated with very high doses of finasteride (488 times the usual human exposure) for up to 12 weeks did not demonstrate any adverse effect on fertility or ejaculate volume. However, when treatment was continued for 24 to 30 weeks, fertility rate decreased significantly in those animals. Diminished fertility was entirely reversible within 6 weeks of discontinuation of the medication in all animals.

The above mentioned study was performed with very high doses of finasteride. The occurrence of decreased fertility should be much less if any in usual doses in human. If you are still concerned about fertility, stop finasteride and the potential adverse effect of the medication should be eliminated in days.

About the effect of lower doses of finasteride, there is not enough evidence on lower doses to absolutely confirm value. We suspect the lower doses may still have a good effect based on animal studies. I can not give you an exact number for this until it is proven by scientific studies on humans. There is no evidence that fertility is impacted by finasteride so this woman on the right could have been your wife.

Regarding the last part of your question; treatment with zinc has been studied in 37 patients with infertility. Administration of zinc has increased DHT with no effect on testosterone or fertility. The mechanism of this effect is not clear. And we don’t have any evidences that zinc supplement can increase hair growth in people who are not zinc deficient.