Month: August 2008

Posted on

Drinking Fruit Juices with Propecia? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman,

This news story recently came up and I was wondering if it at all pertains to Propecia? Do fruit juices hamper the effect of the pills or does Propecia work no matter what it’s ingested with? Thanks for your time and consideration.

Taking pills? Lose the juice and take with water to ensure absorption: study

GrapefruitIt has been known for some time that grapefruit juice can decrease the effectiveness of certain drugs. I do not believe Propecia is one of them, but if you are concerned, then simply do not take Propecia (finasteride 1mg) with grapefruit juice. The article does do a good job telling you when grapefruit juice is a problem.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Hair Loss InformationI Remember an Advertisement for Artificial Hair Implants – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Years back I could swear, unless I’m imagining this, that I saw an ad in a magazine about hair replacement that consisted of attaching artificial hair into the scalp. This was not a “piece” either. It was actually inserting hairs directly into the scalp. The reason I think I could be imagining this is because it was so long ago and I have never heard anything about it since. The thing is…I really do remember reading it. Have you ever heard of this? If yes, can you tell me (and your readers) what you know about it? Does it work? Do you do it? Please share whatever you know.

Thank you very much for your time.

Block Quote

There are many problems associated with inserting artificial hair into the scalp, including:

  1. Infection
  2. Horrible scarring
  3. Scalp irritation
  4. Accelerated hair loss
  5. Infection, infection, infection!!!

As such, this type of procedure has been banned in the United States, yet this has been done for many years in the past, particularly in some Asian countries. For more info, check out the post I wrote about this a few years back — Artificial Hair.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationHair Loss After Battling Multi-Year Illness – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) I was ill with fever of unknown origin (temp about 100.7 – 102) from Jan. 2004- Jul. 2007. It eventually went away by itself (after I was checked for everything under the sun numerous times) but left me with much, much thinner hair. It completely changed my hair texture from thick and very curly to thin and barely wavy. Most of the loss is on top of my head, but there is also some at the nape of the neck. Will it grow back? I’m even considering the transplant procedure. I just don’t know how long I should wait for this to resolve itself on its own. I have been using Minoxil and taking vitamins (biotin and vit B.)

Block Quote

The hair loss you describe sounds like it is diffuse, and as such, you would most likely NOT be a candidate for a hair transplant procedure. To have such a procedure, you need good hair from some plentiful source to move into the bald areas. It doesn’t sound like you have such a source.

Sadly, I really cannot say if your hair will grow back to its original state. You may try topical minoxidil (Rogaine), and it generally takes over a year to notice some growth with this medication.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationThin Skin Patients – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,
During hair transplant, are thin skin patients more prone to damage to dermis when incisions are made or is the thickness of epidermis layer same in everyone.

Block Quote

The epidermis is about the same size in everyone. Some people have large amounts of dermal and subdermal fat making their scalp appear thicker. With good surgical techniques, damage should not be a problem for those with “thinner” skin.

Posted on

The 5mg Finasteride Sold Here Is Too Small to Be Cut! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 24 years old male. in my country there is no finasteride 1mg product of the pharmaceuticals companies. It’s also impossible for me to order online or import propecia. there is some finasteride 5mg product named “Prosfin” and it’s a famous pharma company. The main problem is the size of the tablet Prosfin is very small and it can not be cut with knife or pill cutter. i have to take finasteride because it works for me. Now what is the best solution for me, i mean how can i take finasteride 5mg tablet? it will be very helpful if u advice. should i take 1 tablet/3 days or 1 tablet/2 days? what will be the best? of course there is no way rather taking 5mg finasteride and it also impossible to cut it. Please advise. At last your blog is very helpful and i have not seen such a fantastic blog before.

Beximco Pharma

You don’t want to take too much of the finasteride unnecessarily, as you do run a greater risk of side effect potential. Also, there’s no reason to have more medication in your system than needed for treatment.

I did some research and found that Prosfin (5mg finasteride for treating BPH) is made by Beximco Pharmaceuticals, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh. The same company does make a pill called Recur (1mg finasteride for treating MPB), so it should be available in your country. This should be the same as Propecia.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

My Doctor Said Finasteride Makes Prostate Cancer Untreatable! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

After much consideration, I finally made an appointment with my physician to discuss going on Propecia to halt further hair loss. I figured that I really couldn’t lose – a drug to stop my hair loss and help reduce my chance of getting prostate cancer. A double threat – sounded like a good idea! My doctor who is very knowledgeable informed me of something I had never heard before. He said that even though Propecia (finasteride) helps to prevent prostate cancer in most men – some men do develop prostate cancer anyway, even while on the drug. He said the prognosis for treatment of prostate cancer is very good, but if you are one of the men who develop prostate cancer WHILE ON FINASTERIDE the cancer is extremely aggressive and you will undoubtably die from the disease. He said since I do not have any of the risk factors for developing prostate cancer, he did not think it was worth chancing developing an untreatable form of prostate cancer to save my hair. Have you ever heard this…that even though Propecia helps to reduce the risk of prostate cancer that if you get the disease anyway, that it is untreatable due to it being so aggressive?

The report on the study of over 15,000 men showed that although the cancer risk on 5mg of finasteride for 7 years decreased the incidence of cancer by 25%, of those who did get cancer, the classification of aggressiveness (judged by the Gleason score) is higher in some of the prostate cancers found. This is a pathologist’s description of the tumor based on appearance under a microscope.

There is some controversy on this issue, because some doctors believe that the Gleason score may not be indicative of the reality seen in long term follow-ups of these cancers, which I believe did not show more clinical aggressiveness. One medical paper discussed the overall risk to life when one compared the decreased incidence of 25% for cancers in patients on long term finasteride, with the risks to life with a possible more aggressive tumor. The claim that one risk may offset the other was in consideration. Where ever the truth lies, this finding is what it is without any final conclusions drawn at this time.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

ACell to Heal Donor Scar? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr.Rassman,

Firstly i would like to thank you for the time and effort you take in providing this valuable blog – it is a great source of information! I am writing to you to ask about recent discussions on the web with respect to Acell and its (potential) ability to (completly) heal the donor scar. Have you had a chance to look at this ? What are your thoughts? If Acell can revise our donor scars it would be a great step for many of us who just want to buzz our heads!!

ACellThe technology sounds good, but I have no experience on how it would be used after a scar has formed. The question would be, “Would there be value for a person to include this therapy in the actual surgery?” Frankly, I do not know the answer to that question and can not render an opinion at this time.

Although they appear to have more invested in veterinary services at this point (there’s a lot more info on treating animals than on treating humans), you can check out the ACell site here.


Posted on

Hair Loss InformationIf Propecia Only Slows MPB, What Eventually Happens? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I was curious, if drugs like propecia only slow mpb and genes usually overcome them after time and you get hair transplants, what do you do later on when the drugs looses it’s effect and you loose hair in the non transplanted areas, and by chance you don’t have the donor hair to compensate. Thank you for your time.

Block Quote

Norwood Class 7Great question! The treatment of male pattern baldness with drugs and possible transplants requires a good Master Plan with your doctor. The Master Plan will balance the eventual worst case scenario for your balding pattern (only 7% of men go all the way to a Norwood Class 7 pattern — see illustration at right), the donor supply, and the reconstruction. For example, a person who has a Class 3A balding pattern at 35 years old, has a worst case scenario of a Class 5A pattern, but probably wont get there if he is treated with Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and is a good responder. I find that I can restore almost all Class 5A patterns with reasonable hair density, good laxity and average or better than average hair weight. When you discuss your balding problem with your doctor, this should become the central focus on your consultation.

Like you suggest, going into transplants blindly could not work in your favor if your hair loss pattern eventually works to a Class 7 pattern. With that said, people who may evolve into a Class 7 pattern could accept coverage in the front and top, leaving the crown out of the reconstruction if their pattern goes too far. A frontal reconstruction with a Class 7 pattern looks great in the mirror and is a reasonable option for the worst of the balding patients.

Posted on

Which is Better — Taking 0.5mg Finasteride Daily or 1mg Every other Day? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doc,
Is there a difference in cutting fin in half and taking .5mgs a day compared to taking 1mg every other day?

I read somewhere that 0.5mg is 80% as effective as a full 1mg dose of finasteride. I can not tell you from direct experience, though. Am I safe to assume that you are halving the dose to deal with some side effect like decrease libido? If there is no side effects at the 1mg dose, stay on it (studies have shown the best treatment for your hair loss will happen at 1mg).

If you are only going to take 0.5mg daily or 1mg every other day, then I’d say that the 0.5mg a day may be better, but frankly that is just a guess.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):