February 2008 – Page 12

February 7, 2008

If I’m Diagnosed with MPB, Can It Later Turn Into DUPA? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman
I was curious if one is diagnose with MPB on the hamilton scale. Is it possible for that person to later develop DUPA in the future randomly. Or once you have MPB that the route you will go according to the hamilton scale. Hope that makes sense. thank you (great blog site by the way)

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That is a great question. To give you a specific response, I’d need to know if you had miniaturization study done (and the results of this). For a more general answer, although male pattern baldness (MPB) and diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) are both classified as androgenic alopecia, it is unlikely that you would go from MPB to DUPA — although I suppose anything is possible. DUPA is more common in women.

February 7, 2008

Still Confused About a Maturing Hairline… – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc,
Exactly what is a maturing hairline.. what age does it start.. and where does it stop. Isn’t there usually general thinning of the scalp with a maturing hairline as men age without going bald? I see a lot of guys in the office around 50, who still have hair but certainly not the hair I remember them having 10 years ago. I’m assuming they’ll have much less at 60.

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A maturing hairline can start from the teenage years to the late twenties. General male pattern hair loss can start as early as puberty or as late as in the 50’s, but these are not firm rules. The men you see at your office probably have male pattern hair loss or you’re just remembering wrong (10 years is a long time!). Just getting older will not produce hair loss, just as our former president Ronald Reagan demonstrated.

Please see Maturation of a Hairline — Moving From Juvenile to Mature for more.

February 7, 2008

If I Pluck a Hair, How Long Does it Take to Regrow? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi I was just wondering how long it will take for scalp hair to grow back. I had damage done to my hair a few mos back and had little stray hairs on my head sticking up. I plucked only a few out one time 2 mos ago and not seeing results of them coming back. Will the hairs I plucked come back, I have not touched them since then? Thanks

Depending upon the amount of trauma, plucked hairs usually come back earlier than the normal telogen (rest) hair cycle that the hair transplant surgeon sees when a transplant is done. To determine the answer to your question, pluck out a few hairs and note where they are, then observe when they come back.

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February 7, 2008

3 Months After Having a Baby, I Lost Hair — Twice Now! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 30 year old, healthy female and I moved house in 2006 – 3 months later noticed excessive hair loss (300 per day at it’s peak!). I had also given birth 15 months previous to a healthy boy. The hair loss started Oct 2006 and by Nov 2006 I found I was pregnant again. By feb 2007 hair loss had stopped and I had some regrowth (although not as thick as it had been). I have since given birth again to a baby girl and 3 months later I’m suffering hair loss again – to the point where I’ve had to have a fringe cut into my hair to cover the thinning hair line!! I’ve been checked by a trichologist for female pattern hair loss and told I don’t have this. Would you expect my hair to return to its former luster? It’s still real shiny and healthy (the 50% I have left!!!) Thank you so much

I would suspect that you have telogen effluvium related to childbirth with your most recent newborn. This usually occurs after you give birth and you can expect hair regrowth from 3 weeks to 3 months. Stress may be contributing to the hair loss of the earlier period. If your hair does not return by the 8th month, you will need to see a hair specialist for a complete evaluation.

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February 6, 2008

Sean Connery’s Hairpiece – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Connery In continuing with the theme from yesterday of old links I forgot to post sooner…

Check out Connery’s hairpiece at the Guardian Unlimited in the UK for a short editorial on Sean Connery’s lack of hair. In talking about his early career (in which he wore a hairpiece), the article begs the question of whether or not James Bond himself could’ve been a trailblazer for balding men everywhere.

Article: Connery’s hairpiece

February 6, 2008

Product to Hide Hair Loss After Swimming? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

What is a good product to hide hair loss after swimming?

I’m not aware of any products, short of a wig or weave. I suppose shaving your head would hide genetic hair loss pretty well, too.

Many wig makers claim that you can swim with a hairpiece on. If they are tightly woven into your hair (recently done) then they may stay on. I would not dive off a board, but swimming with these hairpieces has to be gently done. Nobody would want their hair to float away when in a swimming pool.

February 6, 2008

Is Propecia Taking Months to Work, and How Realistic Is It to Expect Regrowth? – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman, let me first apologize as this message is quite long. I’ve got some questions about Propecia. First, I am twenty-six and I first noticed some slight bi-temporal recession about 1-2 years ago. It seemed to progress very slowly and even halt at times, but around nine months ago, the recession picked up speed considerably. I first went to Hair Club and got on the EXT regimen, which I stopped because it seemed to do more harm than good. I’m currently on my fourst month(bottle) of Propecia and for a while it seemed that it had stopped further loss. Recently, however, the middle-front part is receding inward at terribly; I’ve gone from long, thick hair with a barely noticable widow’s peak to noticable recession in just a few months. The odd thing is, I’m not seeing more than 5-10 lost hairs-sometimes none-in the shower drain and almost none on my pillows (the classic places we notice shedding/loss).

My question is: Is this the drug taking a few months to kick in and possibly an initial shed that will yield positive results later on and how would I know if I was experiencing hyperandrogenicity in the absense of any sexual side effects or increased acne?

Second, if I ultimately stop or significantly slow my loss and/or turn back the clock a little, would it be realistic to expect, say, to regrow hair that has been lost within 6 months to a year and, if so, how long do you think it might be effective in my case.

Last, I wear my hair in a ponytail at work and use a non-alcoholic smoothing product called citre shine. I notice what looks like a bunch of broken off hairs around the receding area that both my doctor and a dermatologist say looks like new growth, but I’m not sure. How can I tell breakage due to weakened hair from regrowth?

Again, I apologize for the incredible length of this message; I just wish to be as detailed as possible so as to provide you with good info. I regret that I don’t currently have photos available but I could probably get some together for you in the future.

Finasteride takes time to see if it is working. Most people notice that the amount of hair that falls out in the shower drain reduces within a month of starting the medication, so we could assume that it does stop the actual loss in many young men. You are right, more recent hair loss has a higher likelihood of regrowth, but everyone is different. The degree of hair loss that one sees over time varies with individuals and there are no rules. With regard to your questions of hair breakage, alcohol based products dry the hair and make it fragile. Breakage is usually not the cause of the balding process itself, but thinner miniaturized hair are generally more fragile to what you are doing to your hair (smoothing products, for example).

With regard to your stubs of hair at the hairline, without examining you under magnified video observation, I can not comment on your observations. Breakage usually reflects drying or direct damage to the hair shafts due to causes like the application of topicals, nutritional deficiencies, heat applications, dyes, and other such treatments.

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February 6, 2008

Can the Use of Alcohol Swabs on the Forehead Damage Hairline Grafts? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

My doctor recommends that I use vitamin E on the recipient area. The use of vitamin E results in a sticky forehead. Will the use of an alcohol swab to clean my forehead damage any of the frontal grafts in the early days post-surgery? I am worried the alcohol will migrate to the grafts through diffusion.

Thanks.

In our practice, we do not recommend using alcohol swabs in the first days post-op, because of the potential harm this could cause to the grafts. Your question is appropriate. After a few days have passed, the alcohol should not be a problem. I don’t recommend vitamin E for the very reason that it results in a sticky forehead.

It is highly recommended that you speak with your hair transplant surgeon about this.

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February 6, 2008

Aluminum and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

what do you think of this one doc, aluminum (as found in deodorants, etc) as the cause of toxicity hair loss?

important distinction, will bacterial infections and other things that cause hair loss cause miniaturization, or is that only hormones that will cause miniaturization?!?!

Aluminum There are know elements that can cause hair loss when one is exposed to them in high concentrations. These include:

lead
cadmium
mercury
iron
aluminum
copper
manganese
chromium
arsenic
titanium

From a practical point of view, I have never seen/recognized these in my practice, so all I can reference is what I read. When there is hair loss in a male, think of a genetic cause first as it is most probable. Anything that causes stress in such men (infections, for example) can precipitate the hair loss process. The presence of any of these substances (like aluminum) will most probably not be absorbed in any concentration to produce hair loss.

February 5, 2008

Hair Loss InformationWhat Kind of Doctor Can Make a Master Plan? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi dr. rassman, i just would like to get some feedback from you on my situation. i had been noticing some recession/loss in front and went to see the dermatologist. he said it was early signs of MPB and told me to get on propecia/minoxidil. at that point (which was less than a month ago), i didn’t really notice any appearance of scalp. however, now after being on the treatments, it seems like it’s getting worse with thinning and areas of scalp becoming apparent in the front. is this normal in such a short period? eg getting worse before getting better? it’s kind of scary, considering i’m supposed to be on medications to make it better. should i be worried?

also you speak alot about finding a doctor to work with and form a plan, etc. what type of doctor are you referring to? a dermatologist? a hair transplant specialist?

i appreciate any advice/information. thank you.

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It is just your comments that are critical to understanding the need for a Master Plan to deal with questions about your hair loss, how it is progressing, and what the treatment is actually doing to modify your loss. A doctor with a great deal of experience in following hair loss is often the experienced hair transplant surgeon or a good dermatologist with an interest in such problems. The doctor must have incorporated miniaturization studies to establish a metric baseline for seeing the impact of time and drugs on the hair loss between each visit. Most important, you must like the doctor and he/she must be caring and understanding of your concerns. My expertise is in seeing thousands of patients over the past 16 years that have had hair loss from aging over time, and the impact of various treatments such as drugs and hair transplants. I think that if you review this blog you will see the importance of experience.

With regard to your experience with the early treatment of your hair loss, you must be patient and wait out at least 8 months to see the effects of the drugs you are using. Everyone responds differently, so ask your doctor if you have questions on your response.