February 2008 – Page 3

February 27, 2008

Benzoyl Peroxide and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Is it possible that a particular acne treatment (benzoyl peroxide) can cause hair loss at the temples and receding of the hair line if applied too close or on to the hair? This has occured over the last 6-8 months and i’m not sure whether the cause is male pattern baldness or the acne medication.

Benzoyl peroxide is a weak acid sometimes used for acne. It can irritate the skin, but it should not cause hair loss since the effects are probably superficial. The most common cause of hair loss in men is genetic balding and a good doctor should be able to point to the diagnosis.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 27, 2008

13 Year Old Girl Found a Bald Spot After a Haircut – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I am a 13-year old female girl. A few months ago in December 2007, I got a haircut and noticed a bald spot about the size of a dime on top of my head a few days later. I was really worried, and told my parents about it. They said me that it was due to stress in school etc., but I wasn’t completely sure.

It is now February. I’ve noticed a few days ago that there was a small part above my forehead that had very little hair (I have bangs). I have a feeling that I’ve been losing more hair, but I could be overreacting. I think that the previous bald spot had expanded.

My parents have made an appointment with the doctor, I will probably be going to see her in a week or so. Since I was a baby, I’ve had eczema, a skin condition, and I don’t know if it has any links to it. I don’t really remember, but my dad told me that around 5 years ago I’ve had this hair problem. The doctor gave me some medicine to put on my hair, and it seemed to work.

After looking on the internet for information, I’m really worried about any conditions I might have. I’m scared I’ll lose all my hair in the next few months or so. Any info will be greatly appreciated, thank you so much.

The right thing to do would be to see a doctor. There are many causes of bald spots appearing, some of which have been discussed on this site before (ringworm, alopecia areata, etc.). A doctor should give you a diagnosis after an in-person exam. Via the internet and based on just an email, I would just be blindly guessing.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 27, 2008

0.2mg Finasteride as Useful as 1mg According to Japanese Study? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

This Japanese study (not the UPenn paper) shows that .2mg of finasteride is almost as effective as 1mg.

Finasteride in the treatment of Japanese men with male pattern hair loss.

This is interesting and I thank you for sending this. The problem I have is that there were prior studies that showed that 1/2 dose of Propecia (0.5mg finasteride) is about 70% as effective as a full dose.

In our hair restoration medical practice, I recommend 1mg finasteride for the treatment of male pattern baldness. For those who have unwanted side effects with Propecia, this study may show some promise. The study says that after 48 weeks, 58% of men on 1mg finasteride showed improvement, while 54% of men on 0.2mg finasteride also showed improvement. It doesn’t state to what degree of improvement was seen, so it is still possible that the 1mg worked better for that higher percentage of men. The study does say “All efficacy endpoints were numerically superior for the 1 mg dose over the 0.2 mg dose at 48 weeks.”

Nonetheless, if this study is true, perhaps more the pill cutting will begin. Who wants to be the first to try?

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 26, 2008

Hair Loss InformationThe Damage Produced by Sun Exposure (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This is a 70+ year old man who had blonde hair in is youth. He was a lifeguard for 15 years and constantly got sun burned. The price he paid for this sun exposure is monthly visits to his dermatologist with many, many skin cancers. Notice that his hair loss could not be worse, with hair not only in the front and top, but also the sides to just behind the ears. I suggested that he was not a candidate for hair transplants. You can see the many scars resulting for removal of his skin cancer. The message to take from this is to stay out of the sun and certainly be careful that you don’t get sun burned!

Click the photos to enlarge.

February 26, 2008

Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Hair Loss Gene Identified? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey doc, how’s it going? I’ve stumbled across this article on MSNBC.

I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but the identification of a gene linked to hair loss sounds like an important discovery. What’s your take on it?

Block Quote

I had many people send me that MSNBC article yesterday, and my take on this is the following —

I think it is great that a possible hair loss gene may have been identified, but that does not necessarily solve the problem of genetic balding in the short term. It will help focus the research on the mechanism that have heretofore not been well understood. It is a step in the right direction, for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing where this discovery will take us.

Other articles about this can be found here:

February 26, 2008

Hair Loss InformationIf Facial Hair Loss is Not MPB, What Is It? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

You said in en earlier archive, “You can have very high levels of DHT, but as long as your hair is not sensitive to DHT, Propecia will have little effect on the normal hairs.” My question is what causes hairs to thin where its not male pattern like a mustache, sideburns or a beard. Both my doctor and dermatologist, prescribed for me to take propecia or Rogaine but I haven’t any signs of male pattern baldness. The hairs on my mustache have become very thin, brown and a little white. 4 years ago the hairs were denser and black. I am a 26 year old male with African/Caucasian decent.

Block Quote

You are correct that MPB and DHT do not impact the facial hair. We see changes with age in many people, although you are young for thinning of facial hair. At this point, I do not have the answer to your problem. I would love to examine your beard and measure the thickness of different hairs from different parts of the face. That would give me more insights into your problem.

February 26, 2008

Surgical Hairline Lowering Is Not Permanent? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have read in a couple of blogs on the web that the surgical hairline lowering procedure is not permanant -ie. in 10 years after the procedure, the skin can stretch back and pull the hairline back to its original position. Is this true?

It may be true. Many brow lifts (just the reverse of hairline lowering) will stretch back. As we get older, the skin loosens and stretch-back may occur to some degree.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 26, 2008

Propecia and Reflex Hyperandrogenicity – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman, if you could, please answer this question. It’s very important, I’ve seen a ton of people online that really need this clarified for them by an expert in this field. Can Propecia cause Reflex Hyperandrogenicity, thus actually accelerating your MPB and, if so, what are the symptoms? I can’t tell if this is happening to me or not. Also, if I have lost hair due to Reflex Hyperandrogenicity is that hair gone forever or is there a chance I can get it back?

HairLossHelp.com has a good explanation of reflex hyperandrogenicity –

“When the effects of androgens in the body are lessened, e.g. through lowering DHT or by systemic hormone receptor blockade, the body seeks equilibrium through a process called upregulation. This can take the form of increased hormone production and/or increased tissue sensitivity to the remaining hormones. The reason side effects usually gradually disappear with finasteride is probably due to such upregulation. In a small percentage of individuals, it may be that this process overshoots the mark, resulting in significant hyperandrogenicity. This is marked by such signs as greatly increased facial oil, increased pimples, and greatly elevated libido. It’s possible that in certain cases such hyperandrogenicity overcomes the hair-protective effect of, say, finasteride, though this does not appear to be the case for the vast majority of people.”

The term “reflex hyperandrogenicity” is a new one to me, and while I unfortunately do not have the answers to your questions directly, hair loss from genetic causes in men is usually not reversible.

More about reflex hyperandrogenicity at PropeciaHelp.com and Google Answers.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 26, 2008

Moderate Crown Thinning — Should I Use Rogaine? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If I only have moderate thinning at the crown, is it worth the risk using rogaine if I may lose hair and make a somewhat bad situation worse? In other words, if it only works 50% of the time, why should I take a chance that the Rogaine causes intial hair loss and then hope I get it back with it working for me? Is this initial hair loss rare or common? If it only happens 5% of the time I will risk it but if it happens 20% of the time, it isn’t worth the risk to me. Can you help me out? Thanks.

It seems you have already made up your mind, but you may consider seeing a doctor to have your hair in the crown area measured for the degree of miniaturization (for an objective documentation) and explore other medical options, such as Propecia (finasteride 1mg). To blindly start a journey (medical treatment) without a map (miniaturization study) would not be very smart.

Minoxidil does not cause hair loss that lasts if shedding does occur, and whatever is lost from the initial shed should regrow back. I don’t have statistics to show what percentage of users the shedding occurs with.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 26, 2008

Is There a Drug for Facial Hair Growth? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

is there a medicine,vitamins or any way to make facial hair grow?

Minoxidil is known to produce facial hair in some when applied to the face, but I can not tell you what will happen if you are trying to push beard growth by using it if you’re very young. I am not aware nor do I think that minoxidil will bring on a bristly beard.

If you want to accelerate your beard growth, I do not know any drug or vitamin that will help.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):