December 2008 – Page 8

December 15, 2008

Finasteride and Inflammation? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’ve been on Finasteride for 3-4months now and I’ve been going through and immense shed. I’m losing hair on my crown , on my middle area , temples have receded 1 inch and my front sides are thinning. I’m 19 years old and understand that my hair loss is quite aggressive. One thing that I cannot understand is why my inflammation has not declined since I have introduced Finasteride.

Since Finasteride inhibits DHT , and DHT is the cause of inflammation (immune response to DHT attacking follicles) Shouldn’t a reduction in DHT cause a reduction in inflammation?

I know Ketoconazole in products such as Nizoral and Revtia will help with inflammation , but I was curious to see if there would be a drop in inflammation.

If you truly have inflammation, I would strongly suggest you see your doctor for a physical exam. Normal male pattern baldness (MPB), otherwise known as androgenic alopecia (AGA), is genetic and DHT is responsible for it, but it does not cause inflammation that you can see. DHT does not cause an immune response or attack hair follicles. The source of the information you have is not reliable.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 15, 2008

Are Transplanted Hairs as Strong as Natural Growing Hairs? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Are transplanted hairs at least a year after the transplant theoretically more fragile and not as strong as in the root of the hair compared to natural hair that hasn’t been transplant and isn’t miniaturizing. I sometimes itch my transplanted section of my head, sum times rigorously, not too hard but itch it. could i damage the tranplsnted hair by doing this or becuase the hair grows beneath the skin it wont be doing damage because the hair starts to grow from beneath the skin?

Both transplanted hair and the non-balding hair are equally strong. If you had your transplant with small needles rather than large ones, there should not be itching. On occasion small nerves are damaged which may produce itching. This eventually goes away.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 12, 2008

Pricing for Hairline Lowering with Balloon Expansion? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)Hello Dr. Rassman;

Your website indicated that the cost of a one-time hairline lowering surgery ranged between $9,000-$11,000. I am curious as to the price if a balloon expansion is necessary.

Thanks in advance

We don’t list a price for that type of procedure on the NHI site, so I assume you’re talking about a past posting on this site. The cost of the hairline lowering surgery is around $15,000 plus the cost of the balloon expander (usually about $1000). This includes multiple visits per week for balloon inflation with saline until the balloon reaches its final point of inflation. Balloon expanders are rarely needed for lowering the hairline, though.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 12, 2008

I Want a Larger Forehead – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have a fairly small forehead line and i really want to make my forehead line larger naturally soon. Please suggest me what I can do to have a larger forehead line. Thank you.

The answer to this question reflects missing data which I would need to take this to a next step:

Are you male or female?
What is your age?
Can you send me some good photos with your eyebrows lifted high as well as a normal facial set of photos?
Do you have genetic hair loss?

I would pick up this once I have the missing pieces I have just asked for.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 12, 2008

I Got Scalp Acne After Shaving My Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I shaved my head bald about two months ago, just so all my hair could grow back evenly. About a week later, I noticed acne starting to appear all around the back of my head. Even when my hair reached its usual length about a month later, acne was still appearing. And i know it wasn’t wise, but I would pop the pimples, then when they grew scabs, i’d pick them off. Now I cut my hair down again about two weeks ago and i noticed about twenty or so small bald spots on the back and top of my head. Is this permanant? Is there something I can do??? My hair is my life!!!

Razor Sometimes shavers are not so sanitary and cause pimples or folliculitis. Your skin and scalp naturally contain (normal) bacteria and even the worrisome Staph, which can be a major infection problem that spreads easily. Irritating the skin/scalp with blades or shavers can also introduce the normal bacteria to the skin/scalp, causing local infection and irritation (pimples). So ask yourself is this acne or folliculitis (infection)? You’ll need to see a good dermatologist for the answer to that.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 12, 2008

Especially on TV, Your Appearance is Everything – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doctor. My hairline has been the same for about 20yrs and about a year ago noticed a slight change on one side. I haven’t seen much of a change in a year and a half. To me, it looks like my hairline never finished maturing. I’m now 37 years old and recently made my debut on national television. My hair is black and curly with good density. I did see a doctor who said that at this point, if I got a HT, it would look like I had hair on my forehead. She said the measurments were normal etc. I am also starting to get gray hair and will probably start dying it soon. Is it possible when you go gray your hairline might change slightly? If I wanted, would you lower my hairline if it continues to recede? People tell me that at age 37 if you aren’t showing signs of baldness, or have mild recession you probably wont lose your hair; is this true. Just concerned about my new career on tv, where your appearance is everything. Thanks.

Firstly, grey hair and balding are not related. Look at the beautiful head of hair on George Clooney for an example.

At one time I had transplanted a number of men who were in their early 20s and had soap opera stardom, with hair loss starting as you described. The entertainment field demands that many of its male soap opera actors look almost like boy toys, apparently that being the look most women like. So getting hair transplants to maintain a career look is not an unusual request and I would be happy to render you my opinion upon examining you. I’d argue that for many people, appearance is everything — so that isn’t limited to just entertainment-based careers.

If you are receding slightly and want to do something proactive (due to TV careers, personal preference, etc), a choice to have a hair transplant surgery is an option, but it is one that you must fully be educated on with respect to its limitations and expectations. At your age (37), if you don’t have significant balding, your chances of further balding may be slim. You may continue to recede in the front corners, but I really cannot tell. You should have your hair examined under a microscope for miniaturization. If appearance in front of a camera is important to you and you are conscious of your frontal hairline, you can also consider using makeup products (like DermMatch or Toppik) that make your hair look fuller.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 12, 2008

Dandruff from Minoxidil — Should I Switch to the Foam? – Balding Blog

Hey Doc. I, like many other Minoxidil users, experience increased dandruff coupled with a dry, itchy scalp. I have used Minoxidil on and off with successful results but it is difficult to continue prolonged use due to the resulting dandruff. I am looking for a solution and here are my questions. Do you know if using Rogaine Foam will irritate my scalp as much as the traditional Minoxidil liquid? My other idea is to go from the 5% Minoxidil which I use now to the lesser strength?

Everybody is different. I can’t tell you if you will have better results with the foam. I suppose in theory it might, but the best thing to do is TRY it. One of the side effects of minoxidil is skin flaking (dandruff) and you may not be able to tolerate it. Use a good dandruff shampoo if that occurs.

I have an extensive discussion of this subject 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).

December 12, 2008

Cutting Back on Rogaine Foam? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,
I had a quick question for you and appreciate your input. Right now I have a moderate to severe case of Seborrheic Dermatitis. I am using extina foam, Tgel and donovex to control this. I wanted to know if I cut back the use of Rogaine 5% foam to every other day will that help prevent me from loosing the hair I have gained by using this product? Also to help control my hair loss I am on proscar. Is there any benefit changing to propecia?

Thank you

The less the dose of Rogaine (minoxidil) and the less frequently you apply it, the less effective it is. In other words, you might not maintain all of the benefits you’ve seen from the Rogaine Foam if you cut back on its use. Cut pills of Proscar (1mg or 1.25mg) and Propecia are essentially no different. They’re both finasteride.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 12, 2008

18 Year Old Feeling Depressed Over Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello!
I m 18 years old and i m suffering hair loss since the age of 13. I used to have much hair so when i was younger my family said that it was ok, and it was going to stop. Now i am 18 and there are clearly bald spots on the front. This is getting me very depress i do not know what to do. Yes my father is kinda bald , i dont live with him but i saw him once a year ago ( he was 55 years old). i’ve seen pictures of him, when he was 30-40 and he had normal hair not bald spots or anything. If this is genetic then it comes from him, because no male in my family is bald.

Is there anything i can do? any doctor you can recomend? please help me stop it. I touch my forehead and everytime i feel less hair. Please doctor if you need any other imformation let me know. Help me stop it PLEASE

If you have bald spots appearing on your scalp (as you described), that doesn’t sound like genetic hair loss / male pattern baldness. MPB does not cause bald spots and I would look to other diagnosis such as alopecia areata, ringworm, etc. If you’re saying your hairline is thinning (and not actually forming spots), then that could very well be MPB. I don’t know though, as I haven’t seen you.

Before going on Propecia you need to secure a firm working diagnosis with your doctor (a dermatologist should be fine for that). A good psychiatrist may be beneficial to help you through this stressful period. If you’re feeling depressed, you should seek help. Good luck.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

December 11, 2008

Treating Hair Loss with Low Cholesterol, Green Tea, Saw Palmetto, and Vitamins – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,
do enjoy the site, always looking for new information that can help. I am aware that supplements such as saw palmetto are of ill comparison to the strength of finasteride. But what if you were to create a sort of daily routine which followed suite to the same components finasteride has such as rather then popping a pill of propecia you were to:

keep cholesterol intake low to possibly decrease your testosterone levels

1-3 cups of green tea a day

daily intake of supplements which include moderately large amounts of saw palmetto,nettle, beta sitosterol and lysine

omega 3′6′9

vitamin b complex

daily multi vitamin of good quality

and also I have heard that to much vitamin A could possibly worsen the effects of male pattern baldness is this true? thanks

Saw palmetto does not work the same way as finasteride, and hair growth with it is less predictable. It is always good to live healthy and have a low cholesterol diet. Any good thing in excess can be bad for you (such as overdosing on vitamin A).

If the regimen you outlined works for you, then I would stick with it… but from a medical and scientific point of view, I doubt it will grow hair.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):