Month: July 2007

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I Want a Hair Transplant, But I Am Concerned About Keloids – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i am seriously considering a hair transplant on the sides of my hairline. i am a african american women who have had traction alopecia for quite some time now. i have a small keloid on my ear, and my dermatologist has been giving me injections to clear this up. he also told me that if i get any plastic surgery, there is a chance that i will develop keloid scarring. i do want my hair transplant, are there things that they can do to remove the keloid from the donor site?

Keloids are very rare on the scalp. Many people have stretched (flat) or hypertrophic (raised) scars, but actual keloids (they look like tumors growing out of a wound) are so rare that they are worth reporting in medical literature. You can test the donor and recipient areas with a punch wound and/or a needle and then wait it out to see if it forms keloids. That may be the best way to know for sure.

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Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 54 year old Africia American Female that has Central Centrifugal Cicatrical Alopecia, is there hope? and if so what can I do.

Also called “hot comb alopecia” in the past, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) is a rare condition that presents with cicatricial alopecia in the central scalp. This lesion grows larger around its center and tends to destroy the hair follicles and causes permanent balding.

It was thought that this condition has to do with combing or use of oil for hair styling in African-American women. The cause of this type of hair loss is still not known and its treatment is difficult, as seen with this and other similar scarring alopecias. This condition that is usually seen in African women presents as an unusual sensation (pins and needles) on the top of the scalp followed by tenderness in those areas. There is no visible sign of inflammation in the area. Skin color may change to become fleshy and eventually hyper-pigmented (darker). Hair loss in this condition is usually permanent.

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Would Minoxidil Be Unsafe for a Runner? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi there,

I am a 22-year old sportsman. I am considering Minoxidil, but for me it is VERY important is doesn’t affect my sport (running) at all.

My questions:

  1. Is it a drug?
  2. Can I have any physical problems such as high heartbeat…
  3. If I stop using it will I get even thinner than I was before the cure?
  1. Yes, minoxidil is a drug.
  2. Minoxidil can drop your blood pressure (that is what it was originally designed for) and as such, it can theoretically produce a higher heart rate if the blood pressure drops from its use.
  3. If you start minoxidil and it is effective, the hair will become dependent upon it so, if/when you stop it you will lose the hairs that grew because of it.

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Rubbing Areas of My Head Caused Thinning – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hey dr
this is gonna sound weird but i used to work in a job that involved lifting boxes all day. i lift them on my right shoulder and the boxes would always rub the side of my head and right
eyebrow but i noticed the hair on the right side thinning and also the eyebrow on the right side missing hair and i figured out that all the constant rubbing over the years had caused it. i
have a full head of hair all over except these affected areas. ive made sure over the last year not to touch my head with the boxes but ive noticed no regrowth. i was just wondering if you could suggest anything to use on my the affected areas to promote new hair growth that wont maybe lead to further hairloss as ive heard a lot treatments like rogaine once stopped can cause further hairloss. thanks

What you are describing seems to be a form of traction alopecia, where repeated tension on the scalp and hair causes hair loss. Rubbing hair also puts a pull on hair that is near the end of its cycle. If you have constant traction, this type of hair loss can be permanent. You can try Rogaine in those areas to see if some hair will grow back.

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My Left Eyebrow Hairs Just Fell Out! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) Ok first off, I’m almost seventeen. About a month and a half or so ago, most of the hairs on my eyebrow fell out. It’s only my left eyebrow though, which is strange. I haven’t used any sort of cream on my face or taken any medications except for the occasional ibuprofen which I’ve taken before with no problem. I think I have an idea, but I’m not sure. I got bangs before the eyebrow started falling out and when my bangs started to grow out, I just pushed them to the left. So is it possible that my bangs irritated the hairs, causing them to fall out? I’m not really sure. Since I thought of that, I’ve been trying to bobby pin them back lately because it’s summer and I’m home a lot, but take the bobby pin out when I leave the house because it’s embarrasing and my hair covers it. But they’re still not growing back. I don’t know what to do. Any suggestions?

It is very peculiar that only one side of your eyebrow has fallen out. I highly doubt it was due to your bangs brushing up on them. As it has only been a month, high magnification examination would show what stubble is left and what it looks like. I would be curious to know if you have experienced any specific patches of hair loss on your scalp or on your body. There is a relatively rare condition such as alopecia areata that can manifest in the manner that you are describing. You need to see your family doctor to make sure your thyroid is OK. The most common cause of eyebrow hair loss is when a person picks or plucks it. However it is almost impossible to give you a diagnosis without examining you in person. Perhaps you can email me some photos (confidential) of course. Please reference this post when sending. Even better, if you can make a trip to Los Angeles, I can examine you in person.

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I’m 14 and Losing My Hair — Is It Because I’m Over Weight? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)
Yes i am expiriencing hairloss and i am currently 14 years old only my uncle is lossing his hair but i say because he smokes i used to have very very thick hair and well now i have half of it and well i want to know what it is because im over weight or vitamins and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!! I am tired of seeing all my hair go down the drain and im only 14 please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not believe being over weight causes hair loss. However, there may be other health issues that you are not aware of that is causing your hair loss. You should see your primary care doctor for a physical examination and express to him/her these concerns.

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Can Hair Be Transplanted Into Grafted Skin After Burn? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Ten years ago my leg caught on fire and i got graft skin over the burn. know i got bald leg and hairy leg i wanna know if you can grow hair over the graft skin and get rid of the brownish color on it. thnk u

Yes, but it depends on the skin. I would need to see the quality of the skin below the grafted area to determine if transplanted hair would grow.

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Any Way to Stop Hair Loss Without Messing with DHT? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Doctor I was just wondering : isn’t there a way you can stop/reverse hair loss without affecting DHT serum levels? I was on propecia for a short time and, due to sides, had to quit. My dermatologist explained that since propecia lowers your body’s dht levels it may also cause side effects in some people. He also said I could try a topical formulation of spironolactone and progesterone. Have you had any experience with those two products in your practice?

Alternatively what medication would you put me on ?(I am a NW 2-3V ; 30 years old) Should I just wait for new powerful medications to come out,but in this case how long before something new and possibly revolutionary appears? thanks in advance for your help

DHT is one of the causes for male pattern hair loss (androgenic hair loss). Drugs such as Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and minoxidil are the only medications scientifically proven and approved by the FDA for the treatment for male pattern hair loss. Drugs such as spironolactone and progesterone have not been studied extensively or have shown variable response for clinical effectiveness on slowing or reversing hair loss. As such, I do not prescribe those medications in my practice.

You can keep waiting for the next treatment to come out, but there is no telling when the next great drug will be available. Dutasteride is currently in clinical trials for treating hair loss, but I do not know when that will be completed.

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Transplanting Hair to Chest? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I want to know if you have a method of transplant that will give me chest hair…I saw a program in NY while visiting that says there is a new way of doing this through transplant…

You can transplant head hair to the chest, but it will grow long, so it will have to be clipped. FUE or strip harvesting methods will work. We have done many pubic hair transplants in people who just did not have enough of it and it works very nicely.

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