May 2007 – Page 8 – Balding Blog

May 17, 2007

Any Studies Showing Propecia and Minoxidil Cause More Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Have there been any test results that showed products such as Propecia or Rogaine can actually cause MORE hair loss? Both products after several months caused me to lose more hair more rapidly and I’ve read other people’s accounts of this happening, on this blog, as well as other sites. It seems that the FDA should study this if they’re going to license products. Thank you for your time!

There are no long term hair loss events reported from either drug, except for the people who have local allergic reactions to minoxidil. The short term loss of hair is thought to be the results of accelerated hair cycling and it reverses.

May 16, 2007

What Happens When a Doctor’s Car and Mansion Payment Is More Important Than You? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Here is a man who had hair transplant surgery some years ago. He had hair then and the doctor put in about 600 grafts throughout his thinning area. After the surgery, his hair loss accelerated and when the grafts grew out, other than seeing some small plugs, he did not find any value to having had the surgery in the first place. Since his surgery, he lost all of the hair on the top and crown of his head. Now all he has left is the transplanted grafts that are now unnaturally scattered over his head. The doctor who did this was either ignorant or immoral. A properly done hair transplant should stand on its own, or the doctor should tell you otherwise. That is what is required of the doctor by law. There was NEVER a possibility that this patient had anything of value and now he has negative value that he will carry around for the rest of his life unless someone completes his hair transplant in a logical way. Even with a properly done job, he will not have enough hair to cover his crown. Still, the man he sees every day in the mirror should be much more normal looking after his ‘fix’. Unfortunately, too many doctors are quoting small and large transplant sessions where and when they are NOT NEEDED. These doctors are just out for the almighty dollar. Immorality has not been wiped out and the crooks are still out there. Don’t be fooled by slick ads and particularly watch out for doctors that use salesmen to push, push, push you into making a decision. Again I say, “Let the Buyer Beware“.

Click the photos to enlarge.

May 16, 2007

Taking Avodart and Propecia Together – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Doc,

I’m a little alarmed after reading a few posts by some people who are taking both avodart and propecia simultaneously. You’ve written before about how the combination sounds redundant, but I’m wondering if it can hurt anything besides our wallets. Isn’t there a possibilitity that the two drugs could compete with one another and perhaps be counterproductive?

You should always speak with your doctor before taking or stopping any prescribed medication. I am not your doctor. Generally speaking, you should not be taking Avodart (dutasteride) and Propecia (finasteride) together for hair loss. Avodart and Propecia taken together may push the side effects such as suppressed sexual drive, breast enlargement, etc.

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May 16, 2007

How Long For a New Hair to Emerge Through the Scalp? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Under normal circumstances once a hair has been through the resting stage and fallen out, how long does it take for a new hair to emerge through the scalp. Thanks

You should be aware of the various hair cycles, as follows:

Growth phase (Anagen phase) — lasts anywhere from 2-6 years. This is the phase where your hair is actively growing at approximately 10cm per year. 85% of hair is at this phase at any given time.
Transitional phase (Catagen phase) — lasts about 2 weeks. This is the phase where the hair follicle shrinks and prepares to enter the resting phase.
Resting phase (Telogen phase) — lasts about 1-6 months. This is the phase where hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle. Some hairs are shed at this phase, but at the end the hair follicle re-enters the growth phase to start the cycle over again. 10-15% of hairs are at this phase at any given time.

Freshly transplanted hair will emerge from the scalp anytime within 6 months of the time that it is transplanted. In about 5% of patients, hair growth is immediate, but largely the hair takes about 3-5 months to start growing at about 1/2 inch per month.

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May 16, 2007

Does DHT Play a Role in the Sex Drive? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Why does Propecia have such a significant effect on the sex drive? Does DHT play a role in one’s sex drive?If a 1 mg dose has such an effect on one’s sex drive, will 5 mg have an even greater effect?

I have heard that there will be a generic propecia, can you confirm? Thanks.

At 1mg of finasteride, the suppression of the male sex drive is about 1% of men taking the drug. The U.S. patent held by Merck for the 1mg tablet has years still left, so I doubt that there will be a legally available generic 1mg pill anytime soon.

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May 15, 2007

Dental Treatments Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m experiencing excessive hair loss 4 months after baby.It is still happening,now that baby is nine month old.When will it end? Also,i have read that dental treatment casues hair loss.I had dental fillings ( mercury alloy) after my delivery also. Does dental treatment causes hair loss and if so what kind? Eg, Dental implants or crowning?

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Postpartum hair loss in women is not uncommon. It should return within a year or so. Stress can cause hair loss in those that are genetically prone, and so I have seen hair loss in men and women who had stressful dental surgery — or any stressful surgery or illness. There is no connection between implants and crowns and hair loss that I know of.

May 15, 2007

Transplanting Hair in the Correct Direction – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

doctor my question to u is regarding direction.while transplanting grafts into the balding areas of the scalp how do u determine the direction in which it will grow, the depth or angle? the hair is trimmed so short before a surgery is there a sureshot way to determine the direction of hair will grow after a transplant??

The direction the hair will grow in is determined by the surgeon as he/she puts in the recipient sites. The direction and angle of the instrument in making the ‘hole’ is the direction that the hair will grow in. Almost 100% of the hairs between the parts point forward. At the part, the hair changes angle and the surgeon’s skills here are most important. I have seen far too many patients have a ‘radial’ direction to the hair where the hair is directed more like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. For those patients with straight hair, any faulty placement of the hair direction will be magnified.

Take a look at an article I co-authored back in 2002, The Art of Repair in Surgical Hair Restoration. In the images shown in this article, you can see some of the wrong directions and how to do the work correctly. Particularly, take a look at figure 3 from the article which shows the wrong direction (below for convenience) and the right direction in a schematic form:

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May 15, 2007

Training for a Marathon — Is the Extra Testosterone Going to Speed Up My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman,
I am a 38 year old male with recent thinning at the vertex. I’ve been training all of last year for the LA Marathon with weight and long distance running. Would all the extra testoterone from working out have an effect or speed up the process of mpb? Thank you.

I doubt your exercise and training will result in the progression of MPB, even with a slight elevation in your testosterone level. If you are genetically predisposed to lose hair, you will lose hair. Even if it has a slight effect would you do anything differently? Would you not run a marathon or not exercise and become a couch potato? Perhaps a couch potato with more hair?

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May 15, 2007

The Beard After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hey Dr.,

I’m coming in for about 1000 grafts next month. I do have a slight concern, however. I’ve seen pictures of this “beard” effect, in which you can noticably tell there is a dark area where there has been transplants. How long is the beard usually visible? Would it be as drastic with just about 1000 grafts in the front?

Thanks.

The beard effect you talk about is from the short transplanted hairs that are visible immediately after the hair transplant. It usually lasts one to four weeks before it sheds. It is not readily detectable if you have other hair to cover it, but if you are a class 6 (completely bald) obviously you cannot hide it. I would then suggest that you clip it short or let your facial hair grow out as this will detract from your head viewing. If you already have facial hair (a beard or mustache) shave it off for the shock value and it’ll draw less attention to the top of the head. This works very well.

May 15, 2007

Hair Shedding After Stopping Propecia — Is It Lost Forever? – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor, I had a question regarding Propecia. I know you mentioned on your blog that the good thing about Propecia is that the side effects should stop once you stop the treatment. I started Propecia but after a few months I was having sexual disfunction so I quit. My question is, will all the hair that’s been falling out from shedding be lost forever? Does some of the hair have more growth cycles left or is all the hair that falls out, hair that was destined NEVER to return? I recently had blood tests to make sure something else wasn’t going on, but they all showed I was healthy. The shedding has continued far past me quitting Propecia (3 weeks). When should it stop, and will any of that hair grow back? Thank you so much for your help! I have a lot of anxiety about this issue.

Shedding of hair after stopping the Propecia will take its toll on the weak hairs. There is a time when the hair will fall out and Propecia alters that time by delaying it. When you stop the drug, your normal hair loss will occur and continue until the worst of the miniaturized hairs fall out. Many of the hairs that fall out may not return. You may see shedding for months. I know this is not good news, but hair loss is a progressive process.

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