February 2007 – Page 15

February 1, 2007

Hair Loss InformationIs My Alopecia Areata Getting Worse? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I first noticed the symptoms of alopecia areata at age 13. I’m 23 years old now. I briefly saw a dermatologist when I was 16 and received steroid injections for about a year. These proved ineffective. My hair regularly grows back, only to be followed by other areas falling out. At any one time I’d guess that about 40% of my head is covered in hair. I’ve learned to deal with the condition, but recently it seems that it’s migrated to my beard and as well I’m experiencing increased pitting in my fingernails, which hasn’t happened for about 8 years.

Is my condition significantly worsening? If so, what can I expect? Also, given it’s been 7 years since I’ve seen a professional about this, what sort of treatments might be effective in a case such as mine?

Thanks for your time

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You need to be managed by a doctor whose specialty and interests are focused on alopecia areata (usually this would be a dermatologist). The disease moves around and sounds like it is active in you. Biopsies of the active area at the border with the normal hair will show inflammatory cells suggestive of auto-immune disease. Look at the case I posted about the other day (Alopecia Areata in a Patient with a Miracle Cure). This type of expertise is what I would want if I had the problem. I am not an expert on alopecia areata, so I am unfortunately not the person to ask.

February 1, 2007

Rogaine is Irritating My Scalp, Causing Transplanted Hairs to Fall Out – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi. i been using rogaine four months now. i had a hair transplant a year ago and i have shedding in the areas that were transplanted from rogaine and get irritation from it only when wearing a hat. Could it be my hat causing the the shedding at four month. And will transplanted hair grow back even if it been a year ?

It is difficult to know what is truly going on.

Rogaine can cause irritation. If it is causing irritation, it should probably be stopped. I doubt that the irritation is causing hair loss unless you are scratching it.
Wearing a hat can cause irritation. If it is causing irritation, you should stop wearing it. I doubt that the use of a hat is causing hair loss.
Hair transplants should not fall out, since they are considered permanent. If hair transplants were to fall out (and never grow back) no one would be doing it. I doubt that the falling hair is the transplanted hair unless you are traumatizing it. It may be the hair that was originally there (native hair). If the transplanted hair falls out for whatever reason, it should grow back.

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February 1, 2007

Loss of Donor Hair and Value of a Scalp Tattoo – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have had too many hair restoration procedures, the doctor told me last week. Now I am struggling to manage this big bald area on the back of my head. I saw (what I think was) a good doctor who said that the entire back of my head was solid scar. Any suggestions?

Tattoo I am assuming that having long hair does not cover the scarred area. One might consider the use of tattoo treatments to the donor area, starting off with a temporary henna tattoo in the balding donor area with a color that closely matches your hair color. Be sure that the tattoo artist who does it, does it will a stipple effect so that it looks like hair (not like the picture on the right). The henna tattoo is temporary and usually goes away in a few weeks and if it works (temporary) then you could step up and have it permanently done. I have seen a few people who have done this and it covered reasonably well but it is best woven with some hair to augment the effect. Be careful and be sure that you use somone who is knowledgeable in henna, as there are some potentially harmful variations out there. I’m not a henna expert, so I am just going by what I’ve read (for more, see Wikipedia – Henna).

You generally need some hair in the scar and most of the time a limited transplant into the scarred scalp can put enough hair to blend with the tattoo, It might be worth a try and with a temporary tattoo there as there is no long-term risk.

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February 1, 2007

I Use Nourkin for Treating My Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I read your comments regarding Nourkrin with interest. I agree with you there are no constructive comments on the internet. I have been using the standard, not high strength version for nearly 3 months now. My wife was a professional hairdresser and cuts my hair. She has confirmed noticeable new growth, thickening and a stop to any further loss. An improvement was noticeable after two weeks with steady progress thereafter. The pharmaceutical assistant that recommended the product said her husband had very good results after 6 months, but a rapid deterioration ensued when he stopped using it. After starting it again he has recovered the situation. I have not tried any other products and do not know whether this (expensive) product is better or worse than it’s rivals. I would be interested in other feedback regarding comparisons.

If you are getting a response from it, then continue using it. I am not against it, just do not know first hand the value of it, so I do not recommend something that I do not know. When I get comments like yours, that is encouraging, and I may very well change my mind. According to their website, the ingredients are:

Marine based extract of proteins and polysaccharides.
Vitamin C in the form of Acerola Cherry. This is the richest possible source of vitamin C.
Silica, which is a mineral and is essential in the connective tissue. Silica is an important mineral for reducing hair loss and maintaining strong healthy hair.
Horsetail Extract, which is the organic form of silica and increases the strength of the hair and revitalizes lifeless hair.
IgG Protein, which helps improve the environment in the digestive system aiding digestion.

I can not give you a comparison between these products and other such products as there is no scientific studies that make the comparisons.

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