Month: August 2007

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Enhancing Growth After Controlling Trichotillomania – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Once a person has stopped pulling hair, and the hair is growing (albeit very slowly) what can be done to enhance this growth given the pathophysiology and consequences from trichotillomania?

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Trichotillomania can sometimes be a life long problem. Once the trichotillomania is under control and hair starts to grow there are no ‘known’ medications or treatments to speed up hair growth, but you might try minoxidil and see if it helps. I am sure there are hundreds of products that claim otherwise, but the only “cure” is time.

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Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I believe that Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is causing accelerated hair loss. I want to get a hair transplant procedure to correct it or at least cover it up. I am wondering, should I stop the TRT during the time period upto and following the procedure? If so, is there an ideal time period after the transplant during which to stay off? Should I give the hair 3 months of low testosterone to allow it to grow back ok? Would it matter?

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), if it is a medical issue related to low testosterone levels, is a decision that both you and your prescribing doctor need to address. Normal hair (hair that is not impacted by genetic hair loss) will not be impacted by testosterone, so hair transplants should not be a problem. With that said, you need a Master Plan to determine timing and dosing of medications (including Propecia) in conjunction with a hair transplant. This requires a good doctor. As you are in the Bay Area, we have an office in San Jose and you are welcome to visit us for a consultation. We will do a miniaturization study to establish baselines for following your hair loss. You will not see any salesman, just a competent and experience doctor.

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Penis is Burning After a Month on Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I have been on Propecia for almost a month now, I have been experiencing some discomfort in my male organ. It started by burning at the tip of my organ while urinating, it stayed for a couple of weeks and then it was gone, but now I have a constant feeling of itching my organ from the inside and at the tip.

Any suggestions about that would be great from you…
Thanks

Try stopping the Propecia and see if it goes away. Maybe you have urethritis. If simply stopping the medication does not work, see a doctor.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Masturbation and Hair Loss, For the Last Time! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello. I was browsing through your site looking for answers to verify something I was told by a doctor at an online herbal store. What I found was quite the opposite. According to this doctor masturbation can be linked to hair loss among other things. My concern surrounding the matter is I started masturbation at an age before my endocrine system kicked in and I’ve continued the habbit up until now.

Putting all the irrelevant information aside I guess my question is simply; Are you correct or are they?

Normal body functions include masturbation for most healthy men. It does not cause hair loss, but if a man has the gene for hair loss, then they will lose hair even if they did not masturbate. In other words, masturbation does not cause hair loss. I’d say this is one of the most frequent questions I get, and the answer never changes. Site tip: The search box in the top right corner of every page on this site would give you the answer you’re seeking very quickly.

Here’s some examples that I found just by using the search –

  1. Masturbation and Hair Loss
  2. Masturbation and Hair Loss, Again
  3. Masturbating, Ejaculation, and Hair Loss
  4. Masturbation! Hair Loss!!!
  5. Masturbation and Hair Loss, Revisited

Once more, masturbating does not cause you to lose your hair. Do you want to masturbate, but you are afraid of losing your hair because of it? They are not linked! Go nuts! No pun intended.

So to answer your question — I would stay away from people who give you bad advice.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Can Propecia Grow Body Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

I was wondering that if you take Propecia does it also cause hair to grow on your body say chest an face an legs as well as your head?

Thanks for helps

No, but on a rare number of patients, I have seen it cause loss of body hair.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Hair Loss InformationWhy Can Some Doctors Create the Illusion of Greater Density? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman

I am inquiring why some transplant surgeons can achieve significantly greater density than other surgeons on patients with similar hair loss and hair characteristics using the same number of grafts. is this due to the way the hairs are implanted to create the illusion of higher density?

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There are many factors that distinguish one hair transplant from another with the same number of grafts. They include:

  1. The artistic skill of the surgeon and the way the grafts are distributed (as well as the direction of the hair shafts)
  2. Hair thickness
  3. Hair character (curly or straight)
  4. Color and contrast between hair and skin color
  5. The number of hairs per follicular unit (relates to the way the harvesting is done and the density of the original hair)
  6. Styling (layering works better on some people, particularly those with straight or slightly wavy hair

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Would You Prescribe Dutasteride If It Was Approved for Treating Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Firstly I would like to thank you for making an excllent website which has enabled me to educate myself while challenging you to answer questions which you have done.

If Dutasteride was approved by the FDA in 0.5mg daily, would you prescribe it to your patients instead of Propecia or do you consider propecia a good fight against hairloss?

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If I prescribe an ‘off label’ drug, I am open to liability from state licensing boards and possibly medical-legal liability if something goes wrong (like the Vioxx problem). If dutasteride was approved to treat hair loss and thus would not need to be prescribed ‘off label’, then yes, I would consider prescribing it, provided that the risk factors were fully understood by me and the patient. For example, is there a substantial risk for sexual dysfunction with dutasteride that is higher than finasteride? The patient must know that risk (as I must know it), but right now the studies are not available. Without FDA approval, we really do not know what the effective dose of the medication is. The reality today is that the doctors are all guessing at the dose (not a good scenario) and the guess work is not based upon science.

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Insulin Resistance and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

What is the relationship between insulin resistance and hair loss?

Stress and/or diseases which are out of balance may increase hair loss. An interesting relationship between high insulin levels is discussed at PubMed — Hormones and hair patterning in men: a role for insulin-like growth factor 1?. This raises an interesting issue that may or may not make sense: Would dropping sugar levels, which will reduce insulin in the blood stream, reduce or stop hair loss?

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Deep Cut from Shaving My Head — Will I Lose Hair There? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi I am 27 year old male. I accidentally cut myself with a razor when I was shaving my head. This happened at the front of my scalp on my hairline. The cut was deep, a patch of my skin was removed. I could see white. I am terrified that my hair may not grow back. Do you think I will be able to regrow my hair there?

Thanks

To determine if the hair will grow will take an understanding of the degree of skin loss you suffered (if any). If you lost a full thickness of skin (down to the fat) in a reasonable sized area, then the hair will not grow in the area where the full thickness of the skin was lost. If you had it sutured back together or allowed it to heal edge to edge, then hair regrowth probably will occur provided that there was no gap left open. In that case, you should ask the doctor who sutured you back together. Without seeing the wound and subsequent scarring, there is little other help I can provide.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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