Month: March 2007

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Losing Concentration/Focus with Taking Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman

Have you had a hair transplant procedure done on yourself? If so have you ever tried or are you currently using propecia? I have been on propecia for about 2 months now and I find that my concentration/focus is severely lacking. I am currently going to grad school so you can see why this is a big problem. Whats your thoughts on the matter?

Thank You

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I have had two hair transplants on my crown and I take Propecia daily. I have not had problems like you are describing. Are you stressed? Try stopping the Propecia for a week and see if the concentration problem resolves. I would doubt that it would have this side effect, but there are many men who talk themselves into problems from the use of Propecia, a placebo type of effect.

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Testing Hormones Before Starting Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Do you think its a good idea to get all your hormones tested before propecia so you have a baseline to compare against? Propecia can raise estrogen, testosterone, and aromatase levels because of the lower DHT which helps balance these right?

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There is no need to test your hormones before taking Propecia. While your theory may be valid, there would be no value in measuring high or low hormone levels. Why? Of course some values may be high or low, but what will you do if they are? Stop taking the medication? On the contrary, you are taking the medication to change some of these hormone levels! More specifically, the DHT hormone levels. So in the end, the hormone measurements only end up being a matter of curiosity which has been extensively studied by scientists before the drug was approved by the FDA.

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Yasmin and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I wanted to ask you a question re Yasmin, which I have been taking for almost a year now.

I experienced heavy hair shedding postpartum which could be contributed to the delivery itself and to my then overactive thyroid. My thyroid has been stable and normal during the last 5 months. After stopping for 2 months, I started experiencing heavier hair shedding recently. Since my thyroid is fine, plus no other deficiencies were detected (iron, zinc, B12), could Yasmin be the culprit? Or are other hormonal issues I should be aware of? I didn’t take the first pill of this new cycle and the shedding seemed to slow immediately. Should I consider an alternative contraceptive and will I have regrowth?

Thank you for your time.

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We’ve answered a similar question on the contraceptive medication, Yasmin. As we’ve explained before, Yasmin is a combination of drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. Loss of scalp hair is a reported side effect of this medication. The hair loss from most birth control pills is benign and self limited. Losing hair in this situation is thought to be through inducing hair follicles to go into the telogen phase. You should stop taking Yasmin and speak to your doctor regarding alternative birth control medications or methods.

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Why Do I Have a Patch of Thin Hair Above My Right Ear? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doc,
I have been experiencing hairloss for the past 8 months. I still have a good amount of hair it’s just become alot thinner. My problem is that on my right side about 4cm above my ear I have a patch that has gone extremely thin. It’s not bald but it looks as if someone has got a pair of clippers and shaved a chunk of my hair hair off – it looks rather odd. The other side is fine. Why do think this has happened? Thanks.

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Some people have a different genetic trait in the area above the ears. It is usually on both sides and frequently present for a long time. There are a variety of hair conditions that can cause patchy hair loss or thinning. You need to see a good dermatologist for an examination and an opinion. You should also get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to see if this is happening in other parts of your scalp.