October 2008 – Page 9

October 14, 2008

Hair Loss Information » I Kept Nizoral on My Scalp for 20 Hours! – Balding Blog

Dr Rassman

Due to a series of very unfortunate events , i had to have my scalp covered with very poorly rinsed nizoral 2% for over 20 hours (believe it or not , water supply was interrupted a few seconds after i started rinsing and a few minutes later i had to rush to the hospital ) . I rinsed my head thorouughly 20 hours later but i feel it itching like crazy .My question is : Should i be afraid of any hair damage , temporary or more serious ?

I would appreciate a reply as im overly stressed

I do not know the answer to that question, but I assume by the time you read this answer, if your hair is still present and looks healthy, then there will probably be no long term side effect of what happened. You might want to contact the makers of Nizoral to find out what they’ve learned about keeping ketoconazole (the active ingredient in the Nizoral shampoo) in your hair for extended periods of time.

October 14, 2008

How Do I Know I Got All the Grafts I Was Charged For? – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Excellent blog. It’s great to be able to find straight forward information on hair loss which isn’t over hyped (like much hair info on the web) and isn’t afraid to point out pitfalls.

I’ve consulted with a Clinic who offer a technique which appears to be an advancement of FUE . They suggested I need one session and have 2,000 follicles transplanted on the day.

From looking at the photo of me today, aged 31, does it look like I need 2,000 transplanted? (I know a photo isn’t sufficient for you to diagnose and you could easily guess 15% too high or too low from looking at it) Also, how am I to know that I wasn’t charged for 2,000 while 1,500 are transplanted?

As I’ve found your blog useful I’m sure others have too and I’m more than happy for you to publish the photos attached.

Thanks in advance

Firstly, thanks for sending and allowing me to publish your photos. Even if I know the clinic you mention, it would be unprofessional of me to give a comment. The graft recommendation of 2000 grafts appears reasonable based upon the photos you sent and projecting the building of a mature hair line which is lower than the high exposed forelock the photo shows. Viewing the hairline proposed by the doctor would give me a better way to determine the appropriateness of the estimate.

In the end, it is still a “buyer beware” market. You really need to do your research, meet with the doctor, and meet with patients from the clinic to judge the results — don’t just settle for seeing photos of results. Most important, you need to be comfortable with your ultimate decision to trust the doctor performing your surgery. Yes… its a hard process. Speaking with patients who have had the work done there before you came on the scene, will tell you much about the doctor. Speaking with the patient that has had the work done by that clinic should get you the inside scoop. I remember a clinic that offered potential clients a list of over 1,000 satisfied customers, but when I personally called the first 20 on the list, 100% of them told me of horror stories about their experiences with that clinic. The trust issue sometime is relatively easy to flush out from former patients.

If you trust the doctor, you shouldn’t have to worry if you indeed got the grafts you were promised. And yes, there are clinics that can deceive you on the number of grafts you received. We developed count sheets and for FUE we even recorded the amount of damage to the hairs in the follicular units, but damage from the FUE technique is now virtually eliminated with our new breakthrough (but we still keep a written track record of what we do every time, even with FUE². Ask the clinic you ultimately decide to have surgery with, to show you their count sheet paperwork, not only for your own surgery (as this is something you should have in your possession when you leave the surgery), but also in other patients (with the name blanked out so you can verify they actually even make count sheets and record their damaged grafts). If the clinic will not give it to you, or they do not exist, then I would probe the situation more.

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October 14, 2008

Happy Be Bald and Be Free Day! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I was sent this fluff piece that really doesn’t dig into anything other than reminding me that today is “Be Bald and Be Free” day. The article from the Examiner is about professional golfers that are losing their hair, and the writer states:

Looking at mug shots in the PGA Tour media guide, I count 21 baldies – not including a surgically enhanced Woods – among 311 players listed in the publication.

That’s only 7 percent, compared to the 40-to-50 percent of the male population who are bald or balding. (Estimates vary, depending on age parameters, definition of baldness and what studies you believe. However, I did learn in my research that castration is the only cure for baldness and neither masturbation nor wearing hats causes hair loss.)

Tiger Woods had a hair transplant? He wears a hat so often, as many golfers do, that I never noticed.

But back to the Be Bald and Be Free day — Holiday Insights says, “Bald and Free Day honors those of us with a beautiful, shiny top. You don’t have to be bald to celebrate this day. But, it helps. People who are married to, or related to a bald headed person can celebrate with the honoree.”

I’m enjoying a big slice of Be Bald and Be Free Day cake and our Be Bald and Be Free flag is proudly presented in our office, in honor of those fallen follicles. Sorry, I got carried away.

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October 14, 2008

Does a Juvenile Hairline at 29 Years Old Indicate That I Won’t Bald? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 29 year old male who still has his jeuvenile hairline and low, thick, full hair. I have heard that men who retain their jeuvenile hairlines by 30 years old rarily ever go bald early, if ever. My father kept his jeuvenile hairline and has only lost a very small amount of hair in recent years since he has been in his fifties. I have noticed other older men who have a complete full head of hair sometimes have a jeuvenile hairline. So is there any truth to this? Is a jeuvenile hairline at 29 a good sign?

A juvenile hairline at the age of 29 without evidence of balding says that there is a good possibility that you may never bald (at least not in the front)… but to be sure, get your hair mapped out for miniaturization, which would show any signs of balding at your age.

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October 13, 2008

Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Tracking Down the Hair Loss Genes – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Two articles just published in Nature Genetics may explain why some men lose their hair, while others do not. One of the articles shows the complexity of the gene, where the baldness gene not only has more than one site, but it also is on more than one chromosome. There is a link between balding, heart disease, and other metabolic abnormalities as well.

The published journal articles themselves are not online yet (not sure if they will be freely available by the publisher), but there are a few summaries in the news that I found, linked below. Read the news items:

October 13, 2008

Tinea Capitis / Ringworm Scars (with Photos) – Balding Blog

I had Tinea Capitis as a child and i would pick them off of my scalp leaving these scar spots. I was wondering how much it would cost to fill in most of the “bald spots” also if i get them filled in would it be possible for me to cut my hair and the hair that was transplanted will regrow?

Iam 19years old Male, You have permission to use my pictures if needed.

First, thank you for allowing me to publish your photos. This is an extraordinary case, and one that is ideal for follicular unit extraction (FUE), where we can re-arrange the hairs from one place to another.

What I’m wondering, though, is whether you’re going to experience male pattern baldness. There is a genetic test that will tell you if you carry the balding gene, and it would be worth getting tested. If you do not have genetic MPB, then I would perform FUE all over your head, redistributing the hair from one place next to the balding areas, one at a time. If you are carrying the balding gene, then we would have to rethink the strategy. Cost might become an issue, as there is a great deal of cumulative balding, and although the fees are generally charged per graft (group of hairs), I could work with you on pricing due to the unique nature of the case.

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October 13, 2008

Did Propecia and Creatine Turn My Hair White? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Thanks for your time.
I have been on Propecia for a year. I am in my twenties, and I had seen good results, until i used creatine monohydrate for a month with my workout regimen and it seemed to stop the effect of propecia. this is not my question however. Over the last month on propecia, after i had stopped creatine around 2 months ago, I have noticed that a small area of my hair in the front has begun to turn grey or white. As i said, i am in my twenties and have long-ish black hair. I was merely curious as to if you have heard of this ever happening before? Thanks again.

There is no evidence that I could find that links white hair to either Propecia or to creatine monohydrate.

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October 13, 2008

Bodybuilder and Have High Testosterone — Will Propecia Work? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hello doc. my question is this. I have high levels of testosterone levels and I am quite muscular because of it(never taken steroids, but look like a bodybuilder due to consistent hard work over the years and a good nutrition diet). I am on propecia for about a month now and minoxidil, so obviously I have a long time to yet see results. Because I am very muscular, due to high levels of natural testosterone production(thus I look like a bodybuilder=Huge! without ever taking any steroids), will taking propecia work on me? I don’t mind having high testoterone levels as I’m 21 in great natural bodybuilding shape, and feel great. I just hope propecia will respond for me because of my young age, and the fact that I have very mild early miniturazion(I got it mapped out) and hope to thicken up my hair in the thinning areas. Thank you for your time Doctor.

I do not believe having high testosterone or looking like a bodybuilder has much to do with Propecia’s success. Hair loss is genetic. Propecia will likely work for you if you’re a male with genetic hair loss (and by “work”, i mean it could halt the hair loss for a while or it could regrow — or both). In fact, you can be a scrawny little man with very low testosterone and you can still have hair loss (if you have the genes for hair loss).

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October 10, 2008

Is DUPA Progressive or Stable? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

You’ve mentioned the condition Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) as being the miniturizing and loss of hair on the sides and donor zone, and that your pretty much screwed if you got it.

What I want to know is if (DUPA) is a stable condition or is it a progressive condition, meaning will a person with (DUPA) eventually lose all his donor hair or will it just become thin and stay thin?

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DUPA can be stable once it appears… or it can be progressive. The other day I met with a young man who clearly had DUPA a year ago with 50% miniaturization in the donor area. When he came in this time after being on Propecia (finasteride) for a year, the miniaturization rate was down to 10% (a figure I’d call normal). Successful treatment for DUPA with finasteride is in the minority of patients I see, but his hair loss needs reflected a Norwood Class 3 pattern, so he might become a candidate for FUE if the process remains stable.

October 10, 2008

Tonic from Bell Peppers, Onion on the Scalp – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor!

I read somewhere that there are natural remedies to reversing receding hairlines. Some of these remedies included rubbing oils on the scalp, applying tonic made from red bell peppers, and rubbing an onion on the scalp… have you ever heard of any of these remedies, and of their effective, or non-effective results?

Thank you!

I also read somewhere rubbing semen from a monkey on your head is also effective for hair loss. I wouldn’t recommend trying it, though. I do wonder how the first person stumbled upon that discovery…

There are many urban legends out there about hair loss treatments, and I’ve yet to see any of them work. Your proposition does not seem very harmful, so you can try it, but I also think you won’t have many friends that want to be around you after rubbing onions and bell peppers on your scalp. Keep me posted.

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