Can epidural steroid injection in the lumbar spine cause hair loss?
Thanks
I would not think that this would happen. The systemic dose of a single shot of steroid in the epidural space should not be high enough to impact your hair.
Should I Try Avodart? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
Hi. I took propecia at the 1.25mg dose for 2 years and noticed no cessation of hair loss. I’ve been off it for 2 months and am thinking of trying advodart. If I do try advodart, will it or any DHT inhibitor help the follicles that have already shrunk or are in the resting phase or should I use a combination of rogaine to help swell the follicle base and something like advodart to help reduce serum levels?
You sound like you’re trying to be your own doctor and have drawn conclusions that may not be correct. You should approach this process like a clinical scientist and get your hair mapped out for miniaturization and then have a doctor work with you on drugs or anything you need, producing a treatment plan that makes sense and is not random (a little bit of this, a little bit of that). Had you approached it that way two years ago, you would have a better hand on what is happening to you.
I can’t say whether Avodart (dutasteride) is right for you. For starters, I know nothing of your medical history. Even so, I don’t generally recommend dutasteride to my own patients since it is not FDA approved to treat hair loss — so advising someone on the Internet that isn’t even my patient about whether that prescription drug is suitable for them is definitely out of the realm of what I can offer. Since you’re on Propecia already, I’d discuss this with the doctor that prescribed that medication to you. With all that being said, you can give Rogaine (minoxidil) a try, as it is available over-the-counter.
Wrinkles, IQ, and Finasteride – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
Hello Dr. Rassman
I’m a 19 year old male showing early signs of Male Patterned Baldness(Small bald patch on crown area). My doctor prescribed be Finax (Finasteride 1 mg) and he is also insisting on getting one blood test done (DHT,DHEA etc.).Can you tell me what is the significance of this blood test?Also, I’m an engineering student and my IQ is 141, recently I got to know that finasteride lowers your IQ.Is it true?
Do you get wrinkles from finasteride? I looked at few before after pictures of people on propecia, and I could see that they got wrinkles on forehead within 8-9 months! Please confirm it. And if I start taking finasteride now, for how long I can keep my hair?
Thanks
There is no connection between IQ and finasteride. Some people believe that bald men are smarter than non-bald men, and that the balding is reflective of an overworked brain that overheats. I’m kidding!
I am not aware of any evidence that shows finasteride causes wrinkles or any aging process. The best test you can have is a miniaturization study before you start the finasteride so that you can establish a metric of the hair shaft thickness in different areas of your scalp and the degree of miniaturization. Finasteride should reverse much of this in a man at 19 years of age. There is no need to test for DHT or DHEA. I can’t tell you how long it’ll have visible benefits, as I’ve seen patients that have been taking the drug for a decade with great results, and have received emails from people saying their hair loss resumed after 5 or 6 years. Each person is different.
If Medication Causes Hair Loss, Why Won’t Stopping the Medication Regrow the Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
In a previous post a man had asked if off Nexium, will the hair grow back that was lost as a side effect and this site’s response was that it probably wouldn’t. My question is why? If a medication contributes to it and you get off that med and allow enough time for the body to fully release it from the bloodstream and wherever else, shouldn’t the side effects reverse? For instance when patients are on chemo and lose their hair. It grows back afteward.
I just wanted some clarification on this issue since I’ve been dealing with hair loss from Nexium after months of usuage and am now off it for about 2 weeks now (which I know is too soon anyways to see progress).
Thanks
We really do not understand the mechanisms that cause hair loss with drugs and some diseases. It is like pulling the trigger of a gun — once the bullet leaves the barrel, the bullet will do its damage. This is like a switch that is flipped and we know little as to why it does not reverse when the insulting drug is removed.
Actually, in some lucky people hair does regrow, so cross your fingers that you are one of the lucky ones.
From Rogaine to Generic Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
About a year ago I started using Rogaine to battle my thinning hair. The results were outstanding. 2 1/2 months ago I was on vacation and had run out of my Rogaine. At the local pharmacy all I could find was a 3 month pack of the house-brand generic Rogaine. It had the same concentration and I was in a pinch so I bought it. For the last couple weeks, I have noticed a lot of hair falling out when I shampoo and such, much like it did prior to my use of Rogaine. Is this a result of the switch to the generic product, something that normally happens, or is there something else at play here?
Thanks
The difference between generic and brand name drug content is controlled by the FDA, so in theory, the two are the same. My initial thought was that you got different strengths, but you said the concentrations were the same, so I’m stumped. Maybe the house-brand was fake? If it was purchased at a reputable pharmacy or store, it’s probably fine — but I don’t have all the details so I’m just speculating wildly. You might want to check with your doctor to see what is going on with your head.
Hair Loss InformationCan Nizoral Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
Hi Doctor Rassman!
Thanks for your great and informative site.
I am an 18 year old male with no signs of hair loss and a very thick head of hair. However I recently have noticed that I may have a very mild case of dandruff. I want to begin treating it right away in order to catch it before it gets worse and I have heard the great effects of Nizoral 1% on treating dandruff and even speculation that it may actually help with hair loss.
I just want to know if there is any chance that using the recommended dose of Nizoral 1% for my dandruff will ACTUALLY CAUSE HAIRLOSS? because of the chemical ketoconazole in it? Or is it perfectly fine to use for the recommended period of time?
Thank you I value your opinion and look forward to your response!
I would doubt that Nizoral would cause hair loss. I’ve not heard/read any reports of actual loss from this shampoo. Some believe that ketoconazole, the active ingredient in Nizoral, helps stimulate hair growth, but I’m not convinced until I can find more scientific studies on this.
Only the Frontal Hairline of My Transplant is Growing In After 4 Months – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
Hey Dr. Rassman. Just a quick question that maybe you can help me with regarding my recent hair transplant. I also will be making an appointment to see my doctor. I had 1200 grafts done mostly in temple area 4 months ago. At around month three I first noticed some regrowth now a month later I have longer hairs in that area, which I expect to become fuller as I get closer to the year mark. However, hair has only grown along the front line of what was transplanted. So I have a thin line of hairs connecting the front of my hair line to the sides, yet have a large gap between that and my regular growing hair. My question is, is this normal? Can hair grafts first grow in the front and take more time to grow in behind it? Is it possible that only the hairs in the front “survived” and the others aren’t coming in? I know at four months it is still too early to tell, but I thought it was odd nonetheless. Thanks so much.
The most likely answer is that by the 8th month fully 80-90% of the hair should have grown or started to grow. I never draw conclusions at the 4th month and you are correct, some parts may grow faster than other parts of the scalp. Be patient and wait another 4 months or so to see the results.
Woman with Hair Loss After Taking Prednisone – When Will it Stop?! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
(female)
I have been on prednisone for seven months for eustacian tube dysfunction. My hair started falling out when I weaned down to 5 mg of prednisone. I have been off the pred for four weeks and my hair is still falling out a lot. I have no other medical conditions and my primary checked my blood for anemia, thyroid etc. All very normal. My hair is so then only a few weeks away from a wig. Is there any way to stop this and will my hair grow back?
You may have a telogen effluvium and this may reverse in time with hair regrowth in 6-18 months. The use of minoxidil may help, but better do this under the direction of a good doctor.
Hair Loss InformationCan a Class 8 Person be Transplanted? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog
Many of you hopefully know (or at least have read) about the Norwood Classifications for male pattern baldness. I wrote the question in the title of this post, because there is no such thing as a Class 8 patient. Norwood Class 7 is the highest balding pattern defined, but I want to discuss a patient that has an extremely advanced Class 7, so to get my point across I’ve defined the Class 8 term here. He has white skin and black hair with a very, very fine hair character. I had great trepidations when he came to me three years ago to get a transplant, because he had no good quality hair and the worst color contrast possible. One thing running in his favor was a donor density 25% higher than normal. He’s had three procedures with me over the years. First one was 3908 grafts, then 3177 grafts, then 1525 grafts… for a total of 8610 grafts, and as the density dropped with each procedure, the yield also dropped. Of interest, his scar was minimal and the rest of the donor fringe area maintained its height to reflect the dropping density of the fringe hair with each successive hair transplant. He is tickled over the results and could not be happier. The fine hair is see-through, but he loves to comb it and keep it styled.
Click the photos below to enlarge.
Before:
After 8610 grafts:
A few weeks ago he came in and we tried an experiment. We applied concealers (Toppik) to try to manage the see-through hair. The results of this experiment can be seen in 3rd set of photos below. What we concluded was that the concealers made him appear too thick and if he dyed his hair a light brown and then used Toppik, his overall look might be better. His eyebrows are light brown, so that would fit.
After 8610 grafts (and Toppik):
This is a very important piece for BaldingBlog and the first time this patient has agreed to show his results on the Internet. In my opinion, this is one of the best “miracles” we have pulled off in this practice. It took courage for him (see his before picture) to trust me to make this happen and I was honored with his faith in me. With good doctor/patient communication, almost anything is possible. This man is soft spoken and often comes to our open house events to speak with patients and show off his results in person.
Here’s the side-by-side of his before and after (8610 grafts over 3 hair transplant procedures and Toppik), and you can see the results are just amazing!
Taking 1 Propecia in the Morning, 1 Propecia at Night? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman
Hello Doc. My question is this. I’m currently taking propecia 1mg tablet daily. Since propecia has a half life of 8 hours, will taking it in the morning and then 12 hours later at night increase it’s effectiveness? My concern is that I take propecia in the morning and take it every 24 hours like is intended. But doesn’t the drug work only 8 hours out of 24? So the other 16 hours dht is attacking the hair follicle? Please clarify. Thank you for your time doc.
The drug fixes to the tissues and the hair follicles, which lasts longer than 24 hour. The half life is the time in the blood stream, not fixed to your tissues. Just stick to one Propecia pill a day.
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