Month: August 2008

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I Bought a DHT Blocker at My Local Drug Store – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I recently took a 4 week cycle of steroids and now my hair is falling out and thinning really bad and I’m scared I will go bald. I purchased some DHT blocker from a local drug store along with some hair regrowth vitamins in hope that it doesn’t cause permanent damage. My question is just that. Will the hair loss and thinning be permanent and how long does it usually take to stop the cycle of hair loss once started? Please any suggestions would help. Oh and don’t worry I’ve learned my lesson not to mess with steroids! Thanks.

You went from one bad thing to another. Buying an over-the-counter DHT blocker is like buying a sugar pill. Your worst scenario comes from you wasting time with this stuff when you could be doing the right thing. See a professional (a doctor) to make the diagnosis and treat it correctly.

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Extreme Makeover – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I saw you (Dr. Rassman) on Extreme Makeover last night. There was a man who had a receding hairline and you did a transplant on him. The procedure involved plucking the hairs from the back of the head instead of cutting a strip. What is the name of this procedure and what are the pros and cons in comparison to other procedures?

This is called follicular unit extraction / FUE (also known as the FOX Procedure) and is a technique I invented and published back in 2002 (see article). More information on FUE can be found here:

Pros are the quick healing time and no linear scar in the back of the scalp (giving you the ability to have a very closely cropped haircut without any noticeable scarring). The cons at the time of writing this would be pricing (it is much more labor intensive, and the fees reflect this) and not everyone is a candidate (depends on a number of issues).

Also, here’s all of my Extreme Makeover cases (these were filmed and originally aired a few years ago) — NHI: Extreme Makeover. I’m glad to hear that they’re still being aired.

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Does Propecia Just Stop Working and Restart On Its Own? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Can propecia work for a while, stop working, and then start working again? Or once it stops it stops?

Propecia is constant, but your hair loss is not constant, as it comes in waves. That is why it pays to stay on the drug so that you do not mix up the therapy cycle.

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Woman Growing Face and Neck Hair with Rogaine Use – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I’m a 25 yr old female and have been using mens rogaine for 3 months as directed from physician. In the past month i have noticed a lot of unwanted hair on face and neck. I understand that this is a possible side effect. my question is, does it decrease and go away with time or as long as i continue using it, it will be there.
thank you

The hair growth that you mention does sound like a potential adverse effect of the medication. Stopping it should make the facial/neck hair go away, but it might take a few weeks/months to disappear. You should discuss this with your doctor, as you are already under someone’s care.

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Reader Wants Me to Believe Him Regarding Masturbation and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi doc
i have read all of the emails on the link between hair loss and masturbation. I have been loosing my hair since i was 13 and despite evryone telling me there is no link between them i feel i can provide proof. Basically if i stop having masturbation my hair stops falling out, and when given a couple of days doing this combined with brushing my scalp once or twice a day my hair feels noticably stronger and literally starts growing back. I have taken photos before and after doing this that shows it. Of corse when i have sex or masturbate it starts falling out again and my hair feels weak and i also get strong sharp pains from the root of my hair. I have seen many dermtologists but they say its MPB and nothing i can do. This has torchered me throughout my teens. Is there any way you could belive me?

There is no clinical evidence or proof that masturbation leads to hair loss or blindness or even hairy palms. There is no scientific justification for your statement that, “hair feels weak and i also get strong sharp pains from the root of my hair”. Look, if you strongly believe that this is a cause of your hair loss then you should follow your instincts about masturbating in order to keep your hair.

For everyone else, there is no relation. I’ve gone on and on and on and on and on about this, and yet somehow I’m sure this won’t be the last time this discussion comes up.

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Is the Alcohol in Rogaine Foam Bad for Recipient Area? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

On the Hair Loss Help Forum, I read where a poster stated that his surgeon told him that Rogaine Foam was bad for the grafted areas post-surgery due to its high alcohol content? Is it safe to use Rogaine Foam in the grafted areas at 3 months post-surgery? My doctor never warned me about this!

Thanks

Like the old saying goes, “Drunk hair follicles are happy hair follicles!” No, I’m kidding. Actually, Rogaine Foam is not a problem three months after a hair transplant.

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Dutasteride, Finasteride, and the CYP3A4 Enzyme – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Doctor,
I have read that Dutasteride is metabolised by the CYP3A4 enzyme. I am taking Acomplia (obesity treatment drug) which is a CYP3A4 inhibitor and I have read that has been proved that, in combination with CYP3A4 inhibitor, Dutasteride level in the blood have raised Would this mean than Dutasteride would be ineffective in my case? Would the same be for Propecia?

Thanks very much

Drugs like this (metabolized by CYP3A4) may impact liver metabolism and therefore impact the length of action of other drugs in your body. Take note of the following diseases: impaired liver or kidney function. For finasteride, the presence of epilepsy may put you at risk with this drug. It drug may have side effects with antifungal, HIV, antibiotics, antidepressive medications.

I found nothing about dutasteride, but I would imagine the same rules apply as discussed above.

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Are Acne Sufferers More Likely to Have Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If acne sufferers have increased 5 alpha reductase activity then does this mean they are more likely to suffer baldness? I am a male and have quite bad acne and my hair seems to be thinning at the front :( your help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks

I think that the answer to your question is no, but there is a connection with the medications (Accutane, for example) that are often used in acne treatment and hair loss.

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Hair Loss Information20 Year Old Wants Hair Transplants to Fill in a Surgical Scar, But There’s a Family History of MPB – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 20 year old male and was wondering what type of procedures there are, if any, to have hair grow where a scar is from surgery. My freshman year of college at Indiana University I was playing basketball and collided with another player resulting in a depression in my right orbital bone above my eye. To fix the depression a plastic surgeon had to peel my face off to get access to the depressed bone resulting in a scar going from one side of the head to the other. My family having a history of baldness I was wondering if its possible to have hair grow over a scar. Thanks for the help.

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I would want to see photos or meet with you in person. I have had one patient with that type of deformity and his transplanted area (including the eyebrow) did correct most of his problem, but everyone and every scar is different. Let’s start off with some photos though, as that is probably most convenient for you. Send them here and reference this post when sending, please.

Having a hair transplant to fix a scar is reasonable provided that you know what would happen to you if you should bald. That means to me that you should, at a minimum, have a Master Plan for your worst case scenario understood.

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Mature Hairline Measurements – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been reading about the mature hairline in this blog and you seem to state different measurements in each blog. The temples suppose to be up to 1.5inches receded but the frontal hairline is anywhere from 1-3cm on this blog. Isn’t 3cm too much? The reason I ask it seems that where my hairline is heading although it’s only 1cm up but I can see it’s thinning out to that length.

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I agree that 3cm elevation for the mature hairline from the highest crease of the furrowed brow is high for the mid-line. I use my finger and generally see about one width of my index finger… and I don’t have fat hands. My index finger is 2/3rd of an inch wide.

There is no hard rule on measuring the mature hairline and each person is different, so this is a loose measurement.