December 2007 – Page 9

December 11, 2007

Losing Hair At Nape of Neck – Balding Blog

I have had hair loss in the nape area of my head for the last 3 or 4 years, my hair falls out completely down to the scalp it seems to happen around the same time each year but the symptoms are itching, burning and tingling. the hair grows back but falls out all over again. is this a sign of beginning Alopecia? Im 27 years old

I have seen people lose neck hair, but I have never heard of it cycling every year. I am sorry, but there’s really not much I can offer you, particularly without examining your scalp and seeing what you’re seeing. The word “alopecia” means “hair loss” so the question is not not precise for a cause of the hair loss. Various adjectives are used, such as traction alopecia (caused by pulling on the hair) or androgenic alopecia (caused by genes).

December 11, 2007

Finasteride Has Increased My Sex Drive After 2 Months – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been on 1/5 proscar for 2 months now and it has actually caused a massive increase in my sex drive. Is this because of the medication!? I have only read about it causing a decrease in libido. However it is a side affect I think I can live with

Finasteride will often increase the testosterone levels and I have heard reports of an increased sex drive. Few men have complained about it, but when it happens to an older married man, it is oftentimes the wife that will do the complaining.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 11, 2007

Can I Damage the Follicles If I Cut Myself Shaving? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

first of all i want to thank the doctor for a such great site, and also taking the time to answer some questions.My first question how is easy can a hair follicle be damaged, for example I cut my self shaving my head does that mean that the follicle is damaged? second question is that if you get slapped in the head is that gone make hair to fall out?

Unless it is very deep, cutting your skin while shaving will not cause hair damage. And no, slapping your head will not cause hair loss.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 10, 2007

Taking Propecia Before Completing Puberty – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

can mpb or aga occur during puberty, opposed to after its completion? if so, should one think twice about taking propecia if they are not sure they have fully completed puberty?

Block Quote

Male pattern baldness (MPB) or androgenic alopecia (AGA) can start as early as puberty, when your hormones are at a flux. I would generally recommend Propecia (finasteride 1mg) for men who have completed puberty in their late teens. I am not aware of any studies on Propecia with respect to its effects on men still undergoing puberty, but I would suspect it might slow down or even block the appearance of puberty.

December 10, 2007

Today Show Tells How Women Can Stop Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Every bit of information educates the public. Interesting reading.

From the article —

We normally have, on average, 100,000 hairs on our scalp. And as evinced by our changing hair lengths, roots and visits to our hairdressers, those hairs grow; in fact, 90 percent of our hair is actively growing at any given time. Hair is the second fastest growing tissue in our body after (I’d love for you to guess) … bone marrow.

Block Quote

Read the full article by Dr. Judith Reichman: Today – What women can do to stop hair loss

December 10, 2007

Show Me Evidence that Masturbation and Hair Loss Aren’t Linked! – Balding Blog

You seem pretty sure that no amount of ejaculation can contribute to hair loss. Where is your evidence?

I’m merely saying this because I know for a fact that my bald spot is a direct result of my excessive masturbation. Seeing that I’m only 19 and that the hair loss completely stopped after I stopped masturbating I’d say I have plenty of evidence at least for myself.

Testosterone is converted to DHT through frequent ejaculations…therefore masturbation does in fact contribute to baldness. I’m only 19 and after two years of masturbating 5-7 times a day I already have a huge bald spot on my head so don’t give me any bulls..t and don’t contribute to the suffering of others just because you don’t want your precious masturbation to be seen for what it really is -A dangerous addiction.

In addition masturbating does not relieve sexual urges, it merely feeds them. I haven’t masturbated or had sex for 5 months now and I don’t miss it.

You are a pitiful human being and I hope that one day you realize how big of a mistake you are making right now. You are being extremely selfish and you will have to answer for your actions just like the rest of us.

What can I say? Sexual addictions are addictions. I can not prove a connection between masturbation and hair loss… I just know it in my gut. There is no doubt that people who take high doses of testosterone can become overly sexually obsessed. That is how our biology works. You are correct, testosterone does cause hair loss largely when it is converted to DHT. I would have to do a study isolating hundreds of men who have the balding gene, then get accurate information about the frequency of their masturbation and separate the groups so that the balding would be considered. Then it would have to be statistically significant according to a statistician. I don’t know of anyone willing or driven to do this study scientifically. As this is your focused question, why not resolve the issue with your own study and report it back to me? I will post it if it is a serious study.

I gather from your email that you are also angry and have focused that anger on me. Excess testosterone has been known to cause aggressive behavior in some men. You may have a hormonal problem or an addictive one. In any event, your anger is misplaced. I do wish you well.

December 10, 2007

Are Steroid Shots in the Scalp to Treat Occipital Neuralgia Causing Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a physician assistant and my 66 y/o mother called me yesterday about hair loss. My mom was diagnosed with occipital neuralgia and has given multiple steroid injections under the scalp into the muscles and nerve sheaths. About 2 months ago her hair started to thin. Now it is falling out with just movement. She does not have a predisposition to balding. Both her parents passed away with full heads of hair. I have told her to stop doing the shots, but I wanted to see if this is possible a cause to her hair loss and if so is it permanent. Thank you for your help.

Steroids injections into the scalp can cause hair loss in the vicinity of the shots. Focal balding is common. As far as generalized hair loss, yes, steroids can cause that as well (assuming the systemic levels of drugs are achieved). Never assume a simple cause as she may have another cause of hair loss (much of it is discussed in various postings on this site). She should be checked out medically, so be sure that there is no underlying medical condition present.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 7, 2007

Hair Loss InformationCutis Verticis Gyrata and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a condition that is called ‘cutis verticis gyrata’ where the scalp grows ridges or abnormal lines on the surface. I have had this condition for some time, but have never been concerned before because I have hair that covers the ridges in my head. I’m in the beginning stages of MPB, and have been taking propecia for about a month. I don’t know if my hair loss will ever be extensive enough to show the condition of my scalp, but it causes great concern because I do not want this to happen. I am 32 years old. Have you ever dealt with this issue before? I have read a little on the internet to try to see what people have done with this, but there is not much out there about it. I have read that it has been treated with scalp reduction, which sounds reasonable, but then what? Any ideas?

Block Quote

Cutis Verticis Gyrata After receiving your email, I wrote to a group of well-respected doctors to inquire about experience in this area, and the general consensus was that this should not be treated surgically. Most of the doctors I wrote to were dermatologists who may have an aversion to scalp reductions in this situation. You need to be evaluated by a surgeon, perhaps a very specialized plastic surgeon who has experience doing this surgery in a patient with your diagnosis. Logically, scalp reductions should work, but I wouldn’t recommend that you be the first patient to attempt surgery to correct this condition.

If you are concerned about balding (which might make the appearance more detectable) then I strongly suggest a miniaturization study to see what degree of hair is at risk of falling out, followed up by a Master Plan. If I was your doctor, I would explore your options after you became my patient, but I simply cannot give you an in-depth answer as I have not examined your scalp or your hair.

Image from DermAtlas

December 7, 2007

My Hair Regrew with Propecia and the LaserComb – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello.

This is MY video: YouTube – Hair Grew Back with Propecia, Laser Comb, and Rogaine foam

My hair DID regrow using Propecia and the laser comb MAY have helped thicken the existing hairs. I don’t even care if anybody buys the laser comb, in fact, I often tell them not to buy one. My video is 100% real and I would never mislead anyone into thinking something that wasn’t true.

Both Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Bauman believe the laser comb works to some degree. It’s fine to disagree with them, but please understand that my video is 100% real and true. I’m an advocate for hair loss sufferers, I would never send them to buy a product that doesn’t work to some degree.

I have been on the radio show “The Bald Truth” debating with the Hairmax company against their claims! I say it doesn’t work anywhere near what they claim. I told them the product was disappointing, but may have thickened my existing high quality hairs. I’m even open to the suggestion that it was a placebo effect.

Bottom line…my video is real.

Thanks, I think you’re honest and have the same goal as me…….educate patients!

Good for you! Thanks for sharing this. You do agree that the results are sometimes disappointing compared to the advertisement, but I have seen many patients achieving similar results with Propecia alone, particularly in men under 27 years old.

I can’t display the video on this page since he’s disabled the ability to embed the video, but it can be seen by going to YouTube.

December 7, 2007

In the News — Young Girl Went Bald After Getting Braids – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Braids can cause hair loss from the traction that is produced by the tight pulling. Unfortunately, this 8 year old girl experienced a horrible scenario from her new hairstyle.

From the article –

Jodie, eight, pestered her mum for the £30 style after seeing a stall offering the service. But days after arriving home her locks started to fall out because the braids had been wound too tight, killing her hair follicles.

Read the full article: Hols hair braids made me bald

Image from The Sun

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):