Month: June 2007

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Are Thinning Temples Part of a Mature Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I have been on propecia for close to 3 months now, and in that time I seemed to have noticed the temples thinning more than they ever had. The hair above the sideburns (that comes to a point above the eybrow) is also seemingly thinning. I notice much more blonde hair in these areas, yet I am a fairly dark haired person. Could this be just evidence of a maturing hairline (although I feel it is going beyond that) or could it be evidence of a shed from propecia? Or could it have probably happened anyway and hopefully propecia is slowing it? I’m sure you can’t tell me for sure, but any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.

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There is no way to answer to your question without a good physical exam, which includes a miniaturization study. To better assess the hair loss you are noticing we would need to compare your miniaturization state before you started Propecia and your miniaturization state now. Moreover, Propecia is not reported as effective on your frontal hairline and your temples (although I am not sure that I believe that it is completely ineffective). Thus, your hair loss may just be a part of your male pattern hair loss or your maturing hairline (depending on your particular pattern).

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Using Minoxidil On Newly Transplanted Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello-

What is your recommendation regarding the use of Minoxidil post-op on the newly transplanted hair?

Does Minoxidil really do anything to speed the growth of the new transplanted hair?

It seems like half of the guys use this and half do not.

Thank you.

You can use minoxidil after a hair transplant surgery, but there is no conclusive proof that it will speed the growth of the newly transplanted hair. In the end, if your hair transplant was a success your hair will grow with or without minoxidil.

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Using 30% Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I asked this questin eariler but got no response- I am a 21 year old male and have been using 30% minoxidil for a month now cause of severe thinning all over. Are the new hairs that are suppose to be growing in vellus hairs or are they going to be terminal hairs. In addition are new hairs unaffected by MPB and untreated by any drug or anything say in the back of the head thinner and lighter in color as they emerge through the scalp or are they regular terminal hairs? In addition is it possible for miniturization to occur all over the head or only in areas affected by MPB. Thanks

I also have noted some patients reporting hair loss after starting minoxidil. While the exact mechanism is not understood, it is thought that hair cycle is “reset” as you start using minoxidil. So the hair follicle is accelerated to a telogen (hair loss) phase as it gets ready to go into the anagen (growth) phase. If you use minoxidil on your arm, for example, it will produce vellus hair. A 30% solution is high, so be careful for side effects, which will be more common.

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Immunoprivileged Follicle – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I saw the previous comment about obtaining hair follicles from a donor (another person than yourself) transplanted to the patient. I’ve looked on the internet and did a search for “immunoprivileged follicle” and found dozens of articles that suggest that the follicle of the hair seems to fall in the category.

They’d even claim that it is also trans-gender: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v402/n6757/full/402033a0.html
and the Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium: www.nature.com/jidsp/journal/v8/n2/full/5640115a.html

Does this mean that it is possible,after all, to obtain hair follicles from a donor? Thanks!

It may be possible, but for all practicality, not probable. Even with the best case scenario, where would you get the donor hair? Could this give a new meaning to selling your hair for money?

Generally hair transplantation from one person to another carries the same risk as organ (liver, heart, kidney) transplants. There is a risk of rejection and failure and life long anti-rejection medication. You may accept the risk of rejection when faced with threatening situations such as heart/ liver/ kidney failure, but most people spending thousands of dollars for a cosmetic (hair transplant) procedure may not accept the failure risk. One might think that hair from a newborn baby might be immunoprivileged (it seems to work for a heart transplant), but again, who would endorse such a donor?

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Balding, Obesity, and Heart Disease in Young Men – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Is there an association between balding, obesity and heart disease in young men? The following link is to an abstract of the article that shows that such an association is probable.

Previous investigations have revealed an association of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), especially in younger subjects with severe early-onset AGA, with ischemic heart disease.

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What Do Fewer Grafts Look Like If You Can’t Afford More? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am what you call a Class 7 pattern with black hair. I am 55 years old and I dye my hair black. I know that if I came to see you, you would want to do thousands of grafts, but I am a bus driver and just would not be able to afford a large transplant. I might save up enough for a second surgery, but I would want to enjoy the hair while I am still young. I just got a divorce and want to start dating so my bald head really bothers me.

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I am going to show you a Class 7 patient who is about your age with just about the same problem you had. Although I would have recommended 3,000 grafts because of the large balding area, I gave this man 1677 grafts instead. Here are photos of his before and after (1 year) results. Click to enlarge.

 

He has a frame for his face and uses a ‘comb-back’ to cover the area which was not transplanted. After a year, it almost covers the entire bald area. Many doctors are reluctant to perform smaller sessions on people like you, but with a good artistic feel, the doctor should and can produce an acceptable result in one session (in most circumstances) with a thin look (as if he is losing his hair). It is important for prospective patients to be aware of these results. They can help by not dying the hair black and keeping it either salt and pepper or white, or even go sandy blonde, as it will always look fuller.

Please also note the scar on this man. We used a trichophytic closure of his wound with exceptional results, but as I have said before, the wounds are a reflection of not just the surgeon’s skills and the techniques used, but also the healing ability of the patient. Scar photo below. Click to enlarge.

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Out of Box Thinking for Poor Hair Supply — Using Glue – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

The technology of hair transplants have certainly changed since I first started with Dr. Sparkyl. NHI has refined and developed techniques that has been appreciated by all of us.However the denisity of hair and the amount of donor sites is limited and can limit the final outcome.I’m interested in developing a method where two to three hair would be glued around existing hair and eventually would come of after 4-6 weeks similar to a traditional hair piece.The question I have is somebody working on this process, and if not what do you see as potential problems or any valuable suggestion for this project.

I am not aware of anyone working on this today. There is a problem in that any hairs that are glued to existing hair will ‘pull out’ the existing hair and create traction alopecia. I’d love the opportunity to talk to you about it.

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My Twin and I Lost Leg Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’ve been reading some of the postings about hair loss on calf. You commented about not knowing age & also about role of DHT & hair being one of the benefits.

With that in mind, here’s another one for you. My fraternal twin & I have both lost the hair on the calves of our legs. Happened in late 30s-early 40s. All the males on father’s side are pretty hirsute, as we are. In my case, I have all the hair I’ve ever had everywhere else, including the tops of my feet and toes! I’m a little thin on top, too, as is my brother. But, I’m also now dealing with rampant eyebrow hair growth & hairy ears needing trimmed. I have pitting edema of lower calves as well, but normal warmth and good pedal pulses. What do you think?

Thanks!

Pedal edema (swelling of the feet) usually reflects some medical problem. With swollen feet, there may be a connection. Does your fraternal twin have pedal edema? Good chance that there is some genetic cause, but I am stumped.

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Iron Deficiency Caused Follicle to Die? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been told my a so called hair expert that hair that fell out from iron deficiency could have caused the hair follicle to atrophy and die. What is the chances of this happening. My hairloss lasted about 4 months. Thanks

I would need to know whether you are male or female and if the iron deficiency resolved (you commented that it ‘lasted about 4 months’). Generally, if you are iron deficient, reversing the process should bring the hair back after a hair cycle has occurred. I do not know enough about your history to answer your questions more specifically, though.

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I Want a Hair Transplant, But I Don’t Want a Noticeable Scar Around My Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

How many years are we from a transplant without a noticeable scar (Donor Scar) around someone’s head? Im sure that a lot more people (especially people with shave fades or short hair) would get a transplant if there wasnt a large ugly permanant scar around their head.

The answer is NOW!

We have a follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique called the FOX Procedure that has been pioneered by me in the early 2000s, and was presented at the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) conference in 2002. In fact, a company in San Jose is currently working on a robotic system to accomplish this task. This technology was invented and patented by Dr. Pak and I back in 1998.

The FOX/FUE technique leaves virtually undetectable scars. It is important to understand that all surgical cuts will create a scar but the FOX/FUE technique involves extracting single hair follicles, one at a time, leaving a scar the size of a small dot. Since these dots are random and small, you would not notice the scar even if you buzz cut your hair. In other words, there will be no linear scar. If you look at this earlier posting, you will see a patient who had no detectable scar even with a shaved head.

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