Can you get bold spots in different places of the scalp (patches) from coloring the hair? Product used was Loreal. No patch test was done first.
One can develop allergic reactions to hair products. If that happens, stop using them. You can then try a test spot to be sure. Make sure that these spots are not skin diseases like alopecia areata. A good doctor should be able to tell you if that is the case.
This patient came in the other day to say hello. He agreed to let me use his photographs to show his beautiful results. He had 350 grafts in one session at NHI about 8 and a half years ago to produce this hairline. Prior to seeing us, he had some older type of plugs which were neither full enough nor natural enough for his appearance. His gray hair helped me to help him.
Before:
After:
Hi Dr. Rassman,
There are two well-designed, peer-reviewed studies demonstrating the efficacy of dutasteride in preventing male pattern baldness:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1473-2165.2007.00297.x
http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/resources/Dutasteride-Finasteride.phpIn addition, here is a peer-reviewed case study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=…
I hope this convinces you of the efficacy of dutasteride in preventing male pattern baldness, even relative to finasteride.
Best Regards
The general consensus for dutasteride is that it grows hair. I do not believe other doctors will challenge this point too much. The real question is how much better it is when compared to finasteride. And more importantly is the safety profile of the drug and the issues of side effects when taken for an indefinite period of time. Dutasteride has a very long half life in the order of weeks versus finasteride which has a half life in the order of only hours.
hello i have Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and was wondering if propecia worked for me would it thinken the existing hair or would it have to shed and grow again as a new hair? and if possible could you tell me how long i’d have to wait to see if the propecia was working for me?
Propecia works by blocking DHT effects on scalp hair that is affected by male pattern hair loss (androgenic hair loss). Hair loss from DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia) is not related to male pattern hair loss and it may not be affected by DHT. Thus, Propecia may not work, but it is the only drug that can be used. That being said, some doctors (include me in this group) will prescribe Propecia to patients with DUPA in case there is an underlying androgenic component to hair loss. In some patients with DUPA, I have seen improvement with Propecia.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
I increased the contrast on the photo and dropped a big arrow on it to show where the netting on the hairpiece is.
More photos at Dlisted.com
Who would have ever thunk that this was a hairpiece? You can see the lace only from the reflection of the light in these photographs. The system is well done and seems to meet his needs. Still, it looks better than John Travolta’s piece.
What is Regenix and how is it used in conjunction with other products
To answer your questions I had to contact the company and get a list of the ingredients directly from them. Here is the list they emailed me:
Vitamins:
A, B, Series D, E, F, H1 and H2 P, Amino Benzoic Acid, Inositol, Calium d-Pantothenate, 8-Hydroxyquinolene Sulphate, Live Yeast Cell Extract, Folic Acid, Chlorobutanol, Menthyl Nicontinate, Organic Sulfur, Nucleic Acids.
Herbal Extracts:
Horse Tail, Stinging Nettle, Horse Chestnut, Birch, Burdock Root, Mistletoe, Chamomile, Hops, Balmint, Fennel, Yarrow, Soluble Collagen Derivatives, Quaternary Derivatives of Hydrolyzed Collagen Protein, Glucose, Glutamate, Biotin, Plant Protein, Saw Palmetto Berry Extract
Although presence of an adequate amount of vitamins is necessary for growth and health of hair follicles, hair follicles generally get them through blood circulation and there is no evidence to show topical vitamins have any effect on growth of hair follicles. Among the other ingredients, you can see some herbal extracts such as saw palmetto which claims some DHT blocking activities. The data on the effectiveness of topical DHT blockers are positive, but the studies are very limited and more research is needed before we can recommend those to our patients for the treatment of hair loss.
There is no direct comparison between Regenix and standard approaches with Propecia and/or minoxidil. One would need this to determine the cost effectiveness of this type of product in comparison with medications such as finasteride and minoxidil that are being used for prevention of hair loss. Those studies are just not available.
About a year ago I started getting some scalp problems, primarily an itch. I would scratch the itch so hard I would develop some raw areas on the scalp that would scab over. Yet I continued to scratch and pick at the scabs until I noticed patches of bald areas on the top of my head where I had been scratching and picking. Will these areas grow back hair in time? Have I damaged the roots to the point no hair will re-grow in these areas? It looks horrible. Thanks.
You are clearly developing traction alopecia and these areas may stay bald. This is an obsessive/compulsive disorder and you should see your family doctor about his/her recommendations for treatment.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Dr. Rassman,
How long does shock fallout last for? I am more than 15 months out after my initial transplant (49 years old and on Propecia for several years) and had alot of fallout shortly after the surgery. My hair continues to fall out at a pace greater than what I experienced before the procedure. Are the hairs I am still losing possibly the result of the surgery from over a year ago? I am confused and very disappopinted with the results of my transplant as I have decidely less hair now than prior to the surgery – not exactly what I envisioned as the outcome of my procedure.
Please help with your input.
Your case brings up many points. Have you started to lose your native hair in a new cycle? You may have had shock hair loss, but that process should plateau in 3-4 months. One would have to find out if the new grafts grew. What did your surgeon say about your situation? I am coming in late in the game and would need to establish baselines as to what I am looking at before rendering an opinion.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Dear Dr. Rassman,
I’m 26 years old and have noticed, whether it’s due to high stress from school and my job, or from genetics, that my hairline has raised by a half-inch or one inch and that my temples have started thinning out in the past 9 months. I’m not sure if this is hair-loss or the development of a “mature hairline”. I’ve considered propecia and will get the miniaturization test done, but: assuming that one doesn’t suffer ill effects from propecia, in terms of my hair, are there any repercussions or detrimental effects to starting the medication early?
a lot of your messages suggest that it’s better to be safe than sorry; so if i am indeed losing hair slowly (albeit currently at a snail’s pace), other than loss of a few extra dollars, is there any harm in starting treatment on propecia ASAP to minimize the potential for long-term hair loss?
thank you for taking my question.
Stress can be a cause of hair loss, but the hair loss would likely occur diffusely (all over front, top, side, and back). Genetic hair loss for men (male pattern hair loss) will occur mostly on the front and top areas of the scalp – sparing the sides and back.
While Propecia is a safe medication to take, you need to have a good diagnosis to see if it will help your hair loss situation. In other words, Propecia would not help you if your hair loss is due to stress, unless you have a genetic predisposition to balding. I personally don’t like the use of Propecia without a diagnosis. Why commit a lifetime on medication if there is no balding present? Think about that!
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Everyone has seen those awful comb-overs and wonder how people get there. First, it is important to note these men did not wake up one morning, see that they were bald and then decide to grow out the hair above their ears to comb back to the other side. Politicians are frequently seen with these bizarre comb-overs. They develop insidiously over time. First a little hair loss, and the person starts combing their hair from one side to the other. The ‘part’ moves down over time as the hair by the ‘part’ grows longer and longer. For the first few years, this trick of styling with the patient’s own hair works well, even as the hair loss progresses, but sooner or later, the comb-over starts to become obvious as the balding area enlarges so much that the hair can not cover it. Because the change occurs each and every day over years, the person who uses the comb-over doesn’t notice it. Even their wives don’t see it, nor do many of those in a close family. If the comb-over is really bad (I see them at the theaters all of the time), friends and family don’t want to touch the subject, so these poor men just don’t know how they look. This is a classic psychological term called “denial”. These men think hairs, and they are hairy, no matter what anyone says.
Alternatively, some men create bouffants, a puffed up hairdo which is made up by very long hair that is wrapped around the top of the head to look like a normal head of hair. Some of these bouffants are truly amazing and they have often fooled me when they came into the office. Most of these man are either Class 6 or 7 patients and they work the frontal hair, hair by hair, to stick to the upper part of the forehead and combing the hair from behind to a forward direction so that the actual hairline does not show. I remember one man who took it one step further — he cut his hair and let it settle on his bald scalp. I am not sure how it started, but when I saw him, he had a pile of loose hairs, held by the dirt and grime of Los Angeles, to the bald area of his scalp. It worked, at least for the top and crown of his head, but not for the front of his head. This poor man never washed his hair, because the hair would all go down the drain. He used a type of perfume to neutralize any odor from his hair, which actually smelled musty.
So styling, which works for slight hair loss and is very commonly used, is modified over and over again as the hair loss progresses. As over 50% of women over the age of 60 have significant hair loss, the use of puffing up styles, allow the appearance of more as their balding becomes worse. Just go to a retirement community and you will see what I mean. If you realize than almost 50% of men and women over 45 have hair loss, most of them are using styling tricks to make their hair look fuller. Hair thickeners, gels and special hydrating shampoos will increase the thickness of each hair shaft.
It should be clear to regular readers of this site that hair transplantation rarely brings back the hair to normal densities. So the same tricks that are used in those with thinning hair are used by those people who have had hair transplants. On very rare occasions, I have returned the transplanted area to an almost normal density, but that is more the exception to the rule than what I normally do. Many hair transplant doctors would like you to think that you really get your hair back, but that is not the case. I have selected four patient examples with estimates of the actual range of density that they have obtained from hair transplantation. The reason that one might get a higher density return is because the supply is more than adequate to address the balding area demand.
Patient #1 has returned about 80% of his original density at great cost to his donor supply, which has become a bit depleted. His hair is very fine, so more density was necessary for his to get his crew cut hair style.
Patient #2 uses a puffed up hair style to create the illusion of hair (he has less than 15% of his original density replaced and is a full Class 6 patterned balding patient).
Patient #3 is a full Class 6/7 balding pattern and combs his hair backward to cover the balding in the crown.
Styling is part of a hair transplant process which you and your doctor should discuss as part of his informed consent. It is a process that balding men, sooner or later will adopt if they want to look hairier.
