December 2008 – Page 10

December 10, 2008

How Long After a Hair Transplant Are the Grafts Safe? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

male, 36yo. I had a hair transplant 15 days ago. I am wondering how I can tell how many or what percentage of the grafts have survived, or if it is even possible to tell that at this point. I am also wondering if there is a certain day like day 10 post op or so that whatever grafts have survived so far will continue to survive? Can transplanted grafts die at month 5 for example that before then have been just fine?

Also, will I experience shedding of the transplanted hairs before I see any growth in 4 months or so? In other words, will things look worse before they look better? Should I be concerned if I see shedding in the grafted area? Does shedding mean the grafts have not survived? I have not yet noticed any shedding as far as I can tell.

thanks.

At 15 days without scabbing, you should be safe with the grafts and they will not come out. If the scabs persist, that is another story which requires careful washing. You really should never look worse unless you experience some degree of shock loss. At your age, to prevent this, you should be on finasteride. At 5 months, the hair should be growing or just starting to grow and the hair loss from the hair within the transplanted grafts will return.

For more, see this paper I co-authored and was published in 2006 –Graft Anchoring in Hair Transplantation (PDF file).

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December 10, 2008

Hair Growing Out Brittle a Year After Dying It – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)
Hello
Just a quick question.. About a year ago I dyed my hair for the first time. ANd then it got really dry and brittle. Well it’s been a year and it’s still like that! Is it because I dyed it, even though since then I haven’t dyed it again and my hair is back to it’s natural color. I have very short hair and all the hair I have dyed is completely off (due to hair cuts) the problem is it’s still dry. Can you tell me why that is? What should I do?

Maybe you can try a different shampoo or conditioner? If you damaged your hair from dying it, as the hair grows out, the normal hair from below the skin will replace what is brittle. If the dying was toxic, you may have damaged the hair below the skin. I have an extensive discussion of dyes in my new book, Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies, which you can buy at your local book store, major chain book store, or from HairOutletStore.com (powered by Amazon).

If you are still bothered by your hair, see a good hair stylist or even a dermatologist for a good examination.

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December 10, 2008

Could Vitamin D Make My Hair Loss Worse? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,
Great site. I take proscar and it works great. My question is regarding Vitamin D. I am low in serum D and am adding a supplement. I have read that Vitamin D can help with hair loss. My question is does it raise Testosterone levels or DHT levels which would work against what Proscar is doing.I does show Vitamin D as a PRE-hormone which I don’t quite understand. Could the VitD make things worse especially on someone with diffuse hair loss over all of head. My doctor thinks this diffuse loss could be a result of my low D. What is your opinion. By the way I’m a male.

Thanks

Vitamin D is safe if taken in reasonable (recommended) doses and if your Vitamin D level is low, this supplement may help your hair situation. Super dosing it may cause hair loss.

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December 9, 2008

Losing Hair at the Back of My Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been losing my hair around the crown and in the front for past three to four years. However, now I am starting to lose hair in the back of my head I have never seen this happen before and I do not know why?? I have a very stressful job but am only 25. Please help!!!

I don’t know what you would like me to do to help you. Losing hair in the back of the head (below the crown) is unusual, and my advice is that if you are concerned about your hair loss and want to be proactive about it, go see your primary care doctor or a hair transplant surgeon (who will not necessarily do a hair transplant) for a good diagnosis of what is going on. There may be treatments (not only surgery, but medications) that may help with your situation.

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December 9, 2008

Increased My Finasteride Dosage and Saw Breast Enlargement – Balding Blog

Hello. I have been using finasteride (1.25mg) for around 10 years and it has worked great. Recently however i started to notice an increase in shedding and increased my dosage (2.5mg). About 6 weeks later i unfortunately noticed palpable breast enlargement. I immediately went off the medication. It has been 3 weeks now and I have noticed very little regression, if any. My questions are: Will my chest return to its original state? How long does it generally take for regression to occur? Can I be off of finasteride for a couple of months without drastic consequences to my hair. Thanks for your time. I’m pretty depressed about this.

Increasing your dosage of finasteride will not cause you to grow more hair, but it will give you a higher risk of side effects. Besides, you should discuss any changes in your medication regimen with your prescribing doctor. I do not know if your chest will return to its original size, but it should. Also keep in mind that breast enlargement (while a side effect of finasteride) may not be related and there may be another serious underlying condition. I’m not trying to turn the attention away from finasteride as a possible cause, but don’t rule out that it could be a coincidence. I would suggest you see your doctor to explore your options, your risks, and your benefits.

December 9, 2008

In the News – Women with Short Hair Don’t Want Sex? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Daily Mail UK has a hard-hitting new bit of journalism (yes, I’m being sarcastic) where they ask hair stylists and relationship experts the question on the minds of most of the world: Does short hair on a woman mean she doesn’t want sex?

From the article:

Is short hair a conscious – or unconscious – signal that a woman is not interested in sex? The question was raised this week by sex therapist and former comedienne Pamela Stephenson, who believes ‘deliberately reducing one’s attractiveness’ can sometimes be a way of repelling men’s interest.

Read the rest at Does a short haircut mean women have gone off sex?

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December 9, 2008

If Propecia Loses Effectiveness, Can I Take a Break and Restart It Later? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, can you tell me if Propecia stops working over time, if you take a break for say a year will it work again? Does Avodart have this problem of losing its effect over time as well?

Thank you

Propecia (finasteride) does not work like that. It doesn’t require a lunch break. If Propecia loses effectiveness over time, you’ll have to try something else. I wouldn’t say that it stops working, because if you get off the medication altogether (like the extended break you’re talking about), you will see permanent reversal of the gains you saw from the medication. Any hair that was retained will fall out.

Avodart (dutasteride) doesn’t have the history that finasteride has, as it just became available in 2002 for prostate treatment. Propecia has been an available hair loss treatment since early 1998 and Proscar was out in mid 1992, so more patient data can be found (regardless of whether it is verified or valid — and I say that only because these are not closed studies, but reader anecdotes and forum chatter). Even though the hair loss treatment clinical trials of dutasteride have concluded in Korea, no results are public yet so the data isn’t there from that end either. So in other words, I couldn’t say if it’ll lose effectiveness over time (keeping in mind that finasteride still works great for many of my patients that have been on it for 10 years+), but my guess is that it will function similar to finasteride in many respects.

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December 9, 2008

I Used Oxidized Vitamin C on My Forehead, Green Tea on My Scalp — Now I’m Losing Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) Hi About 4 weeks ago used oxodized vit c serum on my forehead. I see major wrinkles just from one application. I started reading about damage to skin cells due to free radicals which I understand travels quickly which lead me to worry about my already thin hair. I read online that green tea mixed with isopropyl alcohol will neutralize free radicals so i mixed it up and applied it so scalp using spray bottle. About two weeks later my hair is falling out big time and it ia getting me really down. it seems to have happened suddenly not gradually. what could have caused this and do you think it will be permanent?? Thanks for your time

I do not know if and what damage could have been caused by your treatments. I can not tell if this was just a possible coincidence or not. It’s just too vague to possibly know without an examination. The causes for female hair loss are numerous, and you can find a good starting point here.

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December 9, 2008

I Had Folliculitis and Stress Induced Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr.,

Upon graduating college at the age of 22, I began noticing hair shedding. At first I thought that it may have been hereditary, but then it got to the point where I could actually pull out the hair without much effort.

After a very exhausting effort, the first diagnosis from my dermatologist was Telogen Effluvium enduced by stress. Months later a biopsy was taken, and the diagnosis was changed to folliculitis. I am currently on Minocycline 2x per day, a two corticosteroid topicals (a shampoo in the morning, and a foam at night). My scalp has cleared up dramatically, and there is no visible scaring, though I am still noticing some hairline pimples. When my scalp itches, I do a light “hair pull” and usually one hair comes out- and the end of the hair has a bulb like shape.

I’m still VERY FRUSTRATED from the hair loss. My question is this: Since I have had Folliculitis for about two years now, is there a chance that the hair will grow back, now that the inflamation has been reduced? Are there any questions I should ask my dermatologist?

Thanks

I do not understand how you can have folliculitis for two years. Why do you have folliculitis? Did it ever go away? You need to take charge of your health and educate yourself on what is going on. Sit down with your doctor and ask him/her to explain to you what is going on with your condition. If you are not satisfied, go to another doctor for a second opinion. Generally hair loss in men is genetic. Does your hair loss fit a Norwood pattern?

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December 9, 2008

Can Food Allergy or Food Poisoning Lead to Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello doctor

Could food poisoning or food allergy cause hair loss , and if so permanent or temporary ?

Thank you

I would doubt that there is a connection, but some do believe that food allergy can lead to alopecia areata. I haven’t read anything about food poisoning causing hair loss, but I’d expect that if you had a bout of food poisoning followed by hair loss, it was stress induced (in which case it should be temporary).

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