May 2007 – Page 12 – Balding Blog

May 8, 2007

Propecia and Cancer – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My question concerns Propecia and Melanoma/other cancers. I’m a 28 year old male with moderate MPB. 2 years ago I was taking Propecia with positive results. After about 8 months on the drug I was diagnosed with a Stage 1 Melanoma. The biopsy showed no sun damage and I have no family history of the disease. I immediately made several life changes (diet etc.) including stopping Propecia. After lots of cancer research post diagnosis I noticed the correlation with hormone change/imbalance and cancer development (fertility drugs, pregnancy etc.). Studies also show that men that develop prostate cancer while taking dutastaride develop a more aggressive form of the cancer. My question is, what do you think the odds are that Propecia had a hand in the development of my cancer and have you ever heard of this before? Also, do you think it would be safe for me to start taking the drug again?
Thanks for your time

There is no evidence that Propecia (finasteride) impacts any cancer other than prostate cancer. The studies on finasteride (5mg daily use over 7 years) showed that men that took it (over placebo group) has a decreased risk of cancer by 25%. The statement of more malignant cancers has not been born out with follow-ups on these patients, as reports show that those patients that were thought to have a more aggressive cancer lived just as long as the other group of men. I do not believe that there is any connection between Propecia and your melanoma and would not hesitate to recommend it to one of my patients with your history, but if it worried you, then you can elect not to take it.

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May 8, 2007

No Hair Where Mole Was Removed from Scalp – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

When I was about 16 years old I had a mole surgically removed from the back of my head because it was growing larger and the doctor said it could become cancerous. I am angry about this because I don’t know if it was necessary at the time or not. Anyway I am 22 now and no hair has grown in that spot since. I don’t under stand why but lately it has consumed me and I am extremely depressed and obsessed with it. Am I able to get a hair transplant and make the hair grow back? Also will I be loosing one bald spot and creating another one at the donor area if I can have a transplant?

Scars from removal of growths or just lacerations are common in the scalp. It depends upon the surgical technique and possibly more important is the general direction of the wound. Linear scars that run front to back tend to scar more than those that run side to side, but everything in the scalp can scar. With a good hair transplant surgeon, a decision can be made how best to address the scar. Some of these scars can be fixed with a simple surgical excision of the scar and proper closure techniques, while others may be fixed best with a small hair transplant (always works). See an expert.

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May 8, 2007

I’ve Lost Leg Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(male)
I have lost all of the hair on the outside of my legs from the knee down. I do not have any medical conditions that should affect this. Thank you

I do not know enough about you — like your age, for starters. If you know you have nothing wrong with you, then what value can I have? I think you need to link with a good doctor and then let him/her tell you that you have no medical conditions, and/or possibly identify something that is wrong.

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May 8, 2007

Chances of Nerve Damage from Strip Excision? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Haemorrhage, vascular and nerve damage is a risk of strip excision?? can we see some of these implications in patients? what are the chances of this to happen?

I can reflect on these from only experience in my practice:

Bleeding after surgery — I sometimes see some wound ooze beyond a day after a surgery (I would guess 1 in 300 patients). I handle this with a simple pressure dressing over the donor wound. Bleeding is never a problem beyond a day in the recipient area.
Bleeding significantly during a surgery (by “significantly”, I mean enough to impact blood pressure – more than a few ounces of blood) — Risk for this is close to zero. Every patient bleeds during the surgery as the scalp is very vascular (might lose a few ounces of blood), but it should not be meaningful bleeding that risks anything. Bleeding may be a problem if a patient is on anticoagulants, Aspirin, or if they might have a clotting/bleeding disorder that stops blood from coagulating (this last one should be known by taking a good history from a patient for hemophilia).
Vascular damage — There is no risk of direct vascular damage in a normal person unless the patient has had many scalp reduction procedures or many hair transplant procedures, or the surgeon does not have experience in doing this type of surgery.
Nerve damage — There are two types of nerve damage that may follow a hair transplant. The fine cutaneous nerves are cut in almost everyone both in the recipient area and the donor area. This might leave some numbness above the wound and this usually disappears in days or weeks. The second type of nerve injury occurs when and if the surgeon accidentally cut a major nerve (’greater or lesser’ occipital nerves). This is a surgical error in technique when it occurs. In my practice, I have never seen it in a surgery I have done, but I have seen this injury in patients who came to me from other doctors who may not have been skilled surgeons in the first place.

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May 8, 2007

Are There Foods to Make Hair Thicker? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m receding and using certain supplements to control it, with some amount of success.

However, I seem to be growing lots and lots of thin, dry hair. What are the best foods to make my hair thicker and give it more moisture.
Many thanks

I do not believe that there is a one to one connection between certain foods and hair thickness or growth rate, provided that you are eating a healthy diet. The body is a wonderful regulator of growth. With that said, there are many articles that say otherwise and many products being sold that promote better hair growth through nutritional supplements.

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May 8, 2007

6 Weeks with the LaserComb — No Results – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I found this new video about one user’s experience with the Lasercomb: Gizmodo.com – Lab Rat: HairMax Laser Comb Final Results

Any time you want to see results of anything that you use for hair growth, it takes a good 8 months of treatment to see the results. I know that the people who manufacture this product suggest that you get results in 90 days, but that claim is what I find unbelievable, not that there are benefits after 8 months.

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May 7, 2007

Hair Loss InformationLack of Sleep Causing My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear dr.
i am 19, and sleep only four hours a night. this has gone on for years. i also have a lot of stress. a friend told me this is why my widdows peak hairline is so drasticly receding, is this true?!

would sleeping more and stressing less do any good?!!!! Thank you soo much for your time doctor.

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Some people get along just fine on 3-4 hours of sleep a night, and while that might be stressful for some, others (like me) get along on little sleep without stress.

Stress can cause hair loss. A maturing hairline also occurs in people between 19-29 years old. Look at the photos in Maturation of a Hairline — Moving From Juvenile to Mature and you will see the different between a balding and a maturing hairline. See a doctor and make sure that he/she gets your scalp mapped out for miniaturization to see just how far back the change in your scalp is occurring. If you are balding, then stress reduction and probably Propecia is a reasonable alternative.

May 7, 2007

Will Propecia Ruin My Chances of Using Stem Cells In the Future for Hair Loss Treatment? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr!

I am 21 years old and I am struggling with hair loss. I spent a lot of money on laser treatment, but it is now a year later and my hair is back to looking terrible! should i begin propecia? if a cure for baldness ever comes along with propecia ruin my chances of using it? (stem cell) thanks! i need help bad!

(I am also afraid of the side effect of propecia)

The simple answer to your question is probably no! The medication (Propecia) is gone from your blood stream in a day or two and probably out of your body in under a week or so. If you are genetically balding and take Propecia and experience side effects, you can stop the medication and the side effects will go away.

May 7, 2007

Touch-Up Hair Transplants – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

What are your thoughts on “touch up” transplants? I am currently 27 yrs old and have had thinning in my front forelock since I was 18. When I was 24 I started Propecia and although it has progressed (from the size of a dime to a quarter) It has been slow.. This makes me think that my problem could be solved with 800 or so grafts. The rest of my head has good thickness. I realize you’re going to recomend a “master plan” and “hair mapping”, but if you could include your thoughts on touch up’s. It would be appreciated. Most importantly on what criteria you would recomend them, if any.

thank you.

It is impossible for me to tell you about your hair loss and treatment plans from a simple blog posting. You seem to know about the importance of a Master Plan and miniaturization mapping and with any transplant work that you are considering, anticipating the future direction of the hair loss is critical to balance things like:

Supply/demand of donor hair use
The rate of hair loss for following your progressive hair loss over time
Budgeting appropriately to follow-through with what you start

If you are concerned about your hair loss, your next step is to see a good, honest hair transplant doctor. If you saying that you already had a hair transplant or two or three, and this is a touch-up (meaning another small hair transplant procedure) you should ask your doctor how many more of these are needed to make sure that you know where it will all end sometime.

Sometimes patients come to me with a preconceived number of grafts they need. Often times these numbers do not match their expectations and the real needs to achieve the goals. Everyone’s needs and the criteria for choosing the numbers of grafts are different based on hair color, skin color, hair texture, head shape, etc, etc. See Patient’s Guide — How Many Grafts Will I Need?

I do not understand what you mean by a “touch up” transplant. You should either have a hair transplant to meet your goals or you should not have a transplant at all. There are some patients who may come back a year later for more fullness or address other areas and as there may be a risk of shock loss, you need to prepare a worst case scenario. You may see this as a “touch up”, but as you can see, it is related to the goals and expectations of a hair transplant program.

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May 7, 2007

Perform a Skin Test Before Trying Hair Products? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doc,
when we buy new hair products for our hair, like shampoo, conditioner, etc, is it necessary to do a skin test? This is because some products may be sensitive to a person’s scalp?

Yes, that may be a good idea, but most commercial products are designed to by hypoallergenic (low sensitivity for a reaction). It is generally safe to use almost any known brand on the market today.

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