Month: November 2008

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Tingling Sensation from Liquid Rogaine – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My question involves Rogaine Liquid 5% and Rogaine 5% foam. I switched to the foam (after about 3 months on the liquid) about two weeks ago and have noticed that the tingling sensation has ceased. I used to feel the tingling on and off throughout the day. I began using the liquid with a shaved head (it is now grown out to about 1 inch) and it is difficult to gauge any increase in shedding but from 3 weeks ago to now, it seems like there is an increase.

My questions are :

  1. Is there an increase in shedding when starting the Foam after having used the liquid?
  2. Is there evidence that the “tingling” sensation is correlated to absorption into the scalp?
  3. If application/time is not a big issue, which of the 2 do you recommend?

There’s no difference that I’m aware of between any initial shedding from the foam or liquid. Tingling may have a correlation to absorption, but the foam does provide better absorption than the liquid. The tingling might just be from the amount you’re applying, or perhaps you have a sensitivity to a secondary ingredient in the liquid that isn’t in the foam.

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Local Pharmacy Claimed They Cut Up Generic Proscar to Make 1mg Generic Propecia Tablets – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hey Doctor! Huge fan of your site, your clearly the top in the hairloss industry. Here is my question I was on propecia for over a year and decided to switch the generic. Well the generic must have been fake because I would clearly see my hair thinning more and my hairline pull back. I am 21 years old, and thank god switched immediately back to the real version of propecia. I was off propecia for maybe 3-4 weeks max. I was doing great on propecia until the switch.

Do you think my hair is likely to continue to fall-out even though I am back on the drug? Should I consider starting rogaine to bring back those hairs lost in the frontal region?

On a side note, I would continue to recommend informing people of the dangers of the generic, I got the generic from a real pharmacy in the state of NY. There was no way this was the same strength as propecia. I could tell it was so obvious. It was said to be 1mg by the Pharmacy. They claimed they cut up proscar and turned it into 1MG tablets. There was no way this was real though.

If the pharmacy is making 1mg dose tablets, they are breaking the law (violating Merck’s patents). There are many counterfeit pills on the market and the best way to guarantee what you are buying is to get it from reliable sources. If your pharmacist is willing to break the law, I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in the pharmacy selling you reliable medication. Now that you’ve restarted the real medication, the hair loss should subside again. Give it some time. You can add Rogaine if you’d like.

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Is Propecia Illegal in Parts of the World? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi there,

Appreciate that customs of countries would probably be the most effective people to ask, but in terms of small and remote countries that are not so advanced technologically, is it possible that someting like propecia is illegal?

Cheers

I doubt that finasteride would be illegal to possess, as it has been available worldwide for the treatment of prostate problems prior to becoming available as a hair loss treatment. It is illegal in many countries to import drugs from other countries, and of course in many countries it is illegal to purchase prescription drugs without a prescription.

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Could I Ruin My Hair By Sleeping On It? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had a hair transplant about 14 months ago now and the transplant was successful. I would of liked more density, however i am happy with it. My question is, when i sleep and wake up the transplanted sections-which is both temple areas are always messy and ruffled up because i lean on them on my pillow. Its hard to explain however i feel i am putting pressure on the hairs and pulling them because the hairs are getting trapped between the pillow and my head if you can understand. not terribly but my temple areas which were transplanted are always messed up as though i was lying on it and putting a certain amount of pressure as my head was lying on the hair and the pillow-its really hard to explain. Do you think this will cause damage. And if so how long will it take before i see? will it go gradually?

thank you

There’s no problem sleeping on your transplanted hair. On occasion, transplanted hair will become more curly and even wiry, so look carefully at the transplants and see if the character is the same as the non-transplanted hair.

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Can Propecia Change Hair Color? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Would taking Propecia, if I am diagnosed with balding, alter my hair color? I have heard, for instance, that Rogaine has changed some individuals hair colors dramatically, so that’s why I ask. My hair color’s dirty blond.

I do not believe that Propecia will change hair color (I haven’t seen it in my practice), but as hair miniaturizes more and more, the hair may become whiter or blonder if your hair is light brown / dirty blonde.

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Mapping Your Own Scalp for Miniaturization, Part 1 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What’s the Point?

For some years now, I have been advocating the use of video magnification for the purpose of:

  1. Detecting the presence of miniaturization to establish the presence of genetic balding in men.
  2. Examining the extent of the miniaturization as a predictor of just how far the balding pattern might go if left untreated.
  3. Using the estimate of measurements for the degree of miniaturization to establish reversal or progression of the balding process.

The medical community has been less than enthusiastic about accepting this approach for reasons that I never have and still do not understand.

 

Do It Yourself!

CelestronPeople interested in getting this study have been unable to find cooperative doctors willing to make this service available and many doctors just laugh when they have been approached by blog readers asking to get the study done. Many doctors don’t even understand what it means to analyze the presence and degree of miniaturization. I have realized for some time that performing these determinations is not rocket science, so I have made the decision to enable those interested readers to perform their own miniaturization study. It requires an adequate video imaging system (a computerized version of my original U.S. Patent issued in 1994) which I’ve found available over the internet for under $100. For the informed patient who is interested in getting this analysis and can not find a doctor to do it, they can purchase the handheld unit from one of the sources referenced below and perform the testing themselves. The cost of the video imaging system is often less than the cost of the physician’s visit and it will allow the interested person to repeat the study yearly, accumulate a set of photographs of their balding area and compare the results over time. For those on medications like Propecia, it will enable the user to see if he is getting control of his hair loss over the course of 8-12 months.

Take a good look at the defined Norwood balding pattern classifications and you can clearly see that quantifying miniaturization in the areas of balding will give you a tool to determine just how far your balding might progress.

 

What Do I Buy?

The hardware required is a Celestron 44300 handheld digital microscope, and what I particularly like about this (aside from the sub-$100 cost) is that you can plug it into your computer’s USB slot to save the images in JPG format. That will make it easy for you to upload the saved images so that physicians can analyze the results. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself just yet (wait until Monday)! This microscope works for both Windows and Mac computers. I’ll be providing a tutorial video next week on our new sister site, BaldingForum.com, that will show you how to use this microscope and how to map your scalp.

Here are some sites that sell the microscope; I have no preference of which site you purchase from:

 

Click here to read part 2!

 

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Hair Loss InformationHow Can I Tell If I Damaged My Transplanted Grafts? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there.

14 days after hair transplant surgery i got sunburned…i saw a similar question here on the site.

my question is – is there a way to know if i damaged my hair transplant? Does in any case of sunburn the newly grafts are “killed” what are the signs ( if any ) to know whether you killed your grafts or are they alive and slowly growing….? I would appreciate if you could explain why and under what conditions the sunburn can prevent growth.

i’m quite worried and appreciate your answer. thank you

Block Quote

Ultraviolet light is bad for skin and worse for new wounds, which are your healing grafts at 2 weeks. If the burn was deep enough to be a second degree burn, then you could have damaged the grafts, but superficial first degree burns should not have gone deep enough to damage the grafts from a growth perspective. Healing tissues, on the other hand, may be a problem.

Did you get the instructions to keep your head covered? My patients are indoctrinated on the things that they can and can not do. Ask your surgeon for a list of do’s and don’ts, and as long as you avoid the don’ts I’d expect that you shouldn’t experience any problems with your transplant.

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Is HairDX Accurate? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Thank you for your website.

What do you think about the genetic test for the male pattern baldness? Do you think it is accurate?

It will identify the genes that it is looking for, nothing more. Genetic tests are accurate assuming that they are done properly and the genes have been isolated for the test. I’d expect it to be accurate, yes, though I haven’t run any independent tests.

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Do Birth Control Pills Treat or Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Bottom Line with hair loss and birth control pills?

I read conflicting information about the birth control pills and hair loss. It can trigger hair loss yet is also a treatment for androgenic alopecia.

I experienced heavy shedding after discontinuing Ovcon 35 several years ago. I became pregnant shortly after stopping the pill, and the hair loss ceased. I had moderate TE after all three of my subsequent pregnancies. I am now finished childbearing (at 32)and looking for contraception. My mother has severe androgenic alopecia and I’m quite sure I’m destined for the same fate.

So, for my case (there are no other known health problems in myself or my family) should I take BCP’s to prevent the alopecia? I was thinking of trying Yaz or Yasmin because of the drospironone that is derived from spironolactone and has anti-androgenic properties. But is it the estrogen or the progesterone in the pills that cause the hair loss? Should I stay away from BCP’s completely due to my history?

You should have this conversation with your OB/GYN doctor. I do not prescribe or recommend birth control pills (BCP) in my practice, but more importantly you should not be taking BCP for hair loss. All medications have risks and benefits and potential side effects. As such, these matters are highly specific to each and every individual.

I wish I can give you a blanket answer saying one birth control pill is better than the other at hair loss or hair growth, but I do not know of any firm proof of what is good/bad for what. From a theoretical perspective (as you seem to have done your research), spironolactone does have anti-androgenic properties. From a practical and real world perspective, spironolactone does not stop or help with androgenic alopecia, which is why I do not prescribe spironolactone for hair loss either.

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Hair Loss InformationGoodbye Wig! A Hair Transplant Repair Case (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This patient came in last week, a few years after having 709 grafts taken from a very depleted donor area. Half of the grafts contained just one hair. Getting those 709 grafts was a challenge, as his scalp was tight and the donor area heavily scarred. Because of the anticipated poor yield, I elected to spread the grafts over an inch from the plugs (forward) creating a loosely built thin hairline. When he allows his hair to stand up rather than pull it back as shown here, the results are even more spectacular. This patient gave up his wig and is thrilled with his result. We will try to do another procedure with up to 700 grafts in the recipient area to thicken it, but that will be even more of a challenge because the scarring is very bad and the density of the donor area is very low and he knows it.

Many of what I will call the “normal transplant patients” we perform surgery on today who have not had the old type of plugs, may look at pictures like those shown here and get very frightened. I understand the fear that gets invoked by these patients, but some of my most satisfied patients are those who walked around for years and found that people never looked into their eyes, only to their hairline. This man is an example of a patient where just a small change had a major impact on his life, allowing him freedom from a wig he despised to cover a pluggy look he hated.

Click the photos below to enlarge.

Before:

 

After: