Month: May 2009

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In the News – Hair Loss Gene Found? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Snippet from the article:

Researchers in Japan have identified a gene that appears to determine cyclical hair loss in mice and believe it may also be responsible for hair loss, or alopecia, in people.

In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists described how they generated a line of mice that were lacking in the Sox21 gene.

Read the full article: Scientists identify gene that may explain hair loss

I’m sure there will be much more information announced about this, as hair loss is a billion dollar industry and companies will be trying to figure out ways to use this new find to their advantage. So far though, this has only been shown to be valid in mice and “could” be the case for humans, as well.

Here’s some past hair loss genetics news:

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Can Propecia Be Transmitted to Women During Sex or Kissing? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Some reports shown that propecia is not suitable for women as it may cause birth defects.Therefore, I want to know if a man is taking propecia continuosly, then will the contents of the propecia transmitted to women during having sex with his partner(which is transmitted via kissing or sperm) and indirectly will it affect women’s health?

thanks for your reply. I do appreciate it.

From a practical perspective Propecia is NOT carried via sperm/ejaculate, when kissing, or having intercourse or oral sex.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Transplant in 21 Year Old Woman is Criminal – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a transplant in August, 2007. Needless to say it has been over a year and a half, and to my sadness and distress, I have yet to see ANY results. I had a full head of hair going into the surgery, and I went to Mexico with the doctors of a medical institute there, maybe that was my first mistake.. I was 21, and I am a female, and now I find I might not even have been a good candidate to begin with. The doctor just looked at me and told me that I was a good candidate. My hair had a diffuse thinning, but still there was quite a bit of hair stil left, something I wish I would have appreciated before. After the surgery, my hair fell out. I was patient, thinking it was shock loss and it would be temporary, but it has been more than a YEAR and the hair never came back. Fortunately I can use powders like Topikk all over my head to fake a full head of hair, something not necessary before, and my hair is much thinner than before. Does this seem like shock loss and is it permanent? I am upset over this and stressed out, but I would like to know what the future holds for me. Any help given would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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This is quite unfortunate. Hair transplantation on a 21 year old woman is usually performed by doctors who want the money and do not care about the patient’s welfare. Indeed, about 80% of women with hair loss are not candidates for hair transplants and may suffer the same outcome that you did. You should have had a full medical work-up to include many blood tests for medical conditions that could cause female hair loss. There is even a genetic test for the inherited form of genetic hair loss. This remains a buyer beware market.

It might be worthwhile visiting me in my Los Angeles office. I could then confirm for you what may be going on and possibly give you some insights into what may happen to you in the future. I may even be able to suggest treatments for your hair loss. As your surgery was over 20 months ago, you should’ve seen some growth by now if the surgery was successful.

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Common Age for Female Hair Loss to Start? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,
Searching the internet and various websites I always seem to hear/read about women who have severe diffuse hair loss and have developed female pattern baldness when they are around 20-years-old. Is this very common? Some information I’ve come across says it’s very very common while other says it rarely happens. Do you have any statistics on it?

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I am not aware of statistics, but from my experience, women often follow the females in the family that have genetic balding in the time of onset and the pattern. There is a strong one-to-one link between mother and daughter in this condition and it is not infrequent to see it in your mother’s mother or aunts. Female genetic hair loss is not common in very young women, but in each decade, the frequency rises until menopause when almost 50% of women experience the problem. We see hair loss after pregnancy in many of these women as well.

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2 Weeks After Hair Transplant, The Density Looks Better on One Side! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I recently underwent a 1700 FUT procedure in the temples with a very respected surgeon. I followed all post-op instructions. A day after the surgery I noticed that the incisions on the left side temple looked closer than the right and I could see more hair coming from them. It is now 13 days post op and all scabs are gone. It seems that the hairs are more dense on the left side of my head than right.

My question is if the density of the hair I see that was transplanted is indicative of the final density I will see? If the right side looked less dense a day after surgery and looks less dense 13 days after surgery does that mean it will likely be less dense in the final result or can small hairs be transplanted below the skin hence not being seen until they grow out?

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What you see is what you will probably get. Ask you doctor about it — maybe he did it intentionally as part of a plan he had for you.

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I Trust My Transplant Doctor, But I Think I Had Shock Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your input on the website; I’m a daily reader. I have read your previous posts regarding preventative transplants. I am in my late 20’s and essentially had a first transplant done 1.5 years ago in what was pretty much a preventative measure. The transplant definitely had the impact of which you speak, namely causing native hairs to fall out, replacing miniaturized hairs with a lesser number of transplanted hairs. My transplant was only done in the front portion of the scalp, not touching the crown. I was not taking Propecia before the surgery, although there is doubt as to whether or not that would have prevented the shedding. Either way, I now am being told the following from my doctor, whom I trust and with whom I’ve developed a very good relationship:

  • The procedure was not wasteful as if we had waited 1-2 years, there would have been less hair to camouflage the procedure.
  • You did lose some pre-existing miniaturized hairs, but gained permanent, terminal hairs that give much more of a cosmetic fullness than miniaturized hairs.
  • It is disappointing that you did not get the full potential cosmetic fullness because of miniaturized hair loss so the relative change wasn’t as great as you had hoped. But if you had waited there would have been less hair to camouflage what we were doing, and you would have been perceived as having more hair loss going into the procedures.
  • For now you can go on Propecia for 6 months to help maintain hair and perhaps beef it up somewhat. Then you may have a 2nd and 3rd procedure at some point for the frontal half of the scalp to get the density you can get with transplants. You can also do a second procedure at any time, and I know you will feel that much better when that second session is in and growing.

My questions at this point are the following: Should I do another transplant now or should I wait longer? I’m told that 70% of the hair in that area now is transplanted hair and that I wouldn’t really get much if any shock loss from the next one as there are very few miniaturized hairs between the transplanted hair. Should I take Propecia before going to another transplant and if so for how long or does it not matter because there will not be anymore shock loss?

Thank you for your answer. I have had a great experience with my doctor so far and trust him to the fullest. I simply post as an educational measure for myself and for all other readers as I think this is a topic of great interest to younger men in the initial stages of hair loss.

I am a bit critical of your doctor for not using Propecia prior to your first surgery, as this probably would have prevented much of the hair loss you experienced. Propecia (finasteride) is very important in young men having transplants to protect against shock loss. Anytime after 8 months you can follow up with another procedure. Best this time to be on Propecia before hand.

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I Think My Hair Loss Is Too Aggressive to Be MPB! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I would like to get your opinion on why I am experiencing relatively sudden thinning. I am 19 years old. I can’t pinpoint the exact time that my hair started getting thinner, but I can say that my hair was completely full a little under a year ago, because of my driver’s license photo.

I have a feeling the hair loss is far too aggressive to be male pattern baldness, because I have had no signs up until recently. I don’t recall before a couple of months ago. In fact I have never seen hair fall out of my scalp or seen actual “hairloss” but i’m sure people rarely do.

I would like to know if you think this hair loss is temporary (based on the photographs) and if you think this is possibly permanent or even male pattern baldness. I have no history of the disease, my grandfathers on both sides died with a full head of hair. So did the grandmothers!

Male pattern baldness (MPB) does not always require a doctor to assess. Look at your hair loss pattern (use two mirrors). Is it thinning mostly at the top, but you still have good hair on the back and sides? If so, chances are you have MPB. We recommend a miniaturization mapping of your scalp hair and you can make the diagnosis that way. You can see how to do this yourself — here. By the way, MPB is not a “disease”. It is a genetic trait that you inherited from one of your parents. It may skip generations so you may not see it in your immediate family tree.

Finally, the aggressive nature as you describe does not surprise me, as men who lose considerable amounts of hair with an advanced balding pattern usually have a more rapid course of hair loss, often starting in their very early 20s. That may not be your case, but don’t fool around with it as there is a good medication (finasteride) to take if you are unfortunately balding. See your doctor and get a correct diagnosis and ask about options.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Hair Loss InformationWhy Is Dr Farjo Balding? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Not to be rude but I can’t help but ask, before i ask a more detailed question; why Dr. Farjo, a contributing writer appears to be having serious balding problem.

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Look at this another way — should a plastic surgeon make a statement by not having a boob job or a face lift? My former associate, Dr. Robert Bernstein, was asked about his balding on national TV (he has a class 6/7 balding pattern) and simply put, his hair loss does not bother him. Like Dr. Bernstein, there are many men who look handsome with a short haircut and some advanced balding pattern. Decisions on having a hair transplant reflect upon personal choices. I’ve written about this before here and here (and probably elsewhere).

I know a man with a broken nose who never had it fixed. He came to see me for a hair transplant and he said his nose was not a priority for him and the cost of a repair exceeded his budget. He obviously felt different about his hair. As to the cause, I am sure Dr. Farjo’s balding reflects genetic pattern balding like most men.

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Online Doctor Consultation and Propecia Purchasing – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr,

I have been following your blog for a while now and am definite that I am beginning to suffer MPB.I am 20,and my dad and brothers were all 16/17 when they started balding. They have all followed a pattern of continued receding from the front hairline untill it reached all over. My temples and frontal hairline however resemble a normal mature hairline. It is the hairs on top and mainly in my crown which when they fall out are noticably and quite a bit thinner than the rest of my hair, which otherwise is probably thicker than average! The crown also looks and feels thinner. MPB has appeared in most men on both sides of the family (just one uncle has escaped it), my genetics are against me!

Although I want to get the situation controlled, I cannot bring myself to go to the doctor, the embarassment is too much. Especially here in the UK it seems trying to beat hairloss has a lot of stigma and embarassment attached to it. Even my parents think I am ridiculous thinking that I am thinning (they think I am ok seeing as i don’t have the same pattern as father and brothers)…obviously not having read what I have here about minaturization and not necessarily following an identical pattern.

I came across this website and wondered what you thought. It claims to give a consultation with an online doctor and then to allow you to purchase propecia online if they authorise it. I wondered if you think this all looks genuine, as I am considering doing it, It does seem so!

The beginnings of MPB is ruling my life but I can’t face the embarassment of a doctor considering friends and family think I am being stupid, also there doesnt seem to be much knowledge on the subject here or specialised doctors/clinics.

Thankyou.

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I do not generally condone strictly online consultations, but would not be against it if you can take Propecia to prevent the family hair loss problem following you into adulthood. Nothing compares to a one-on-one patient to doctor relationship. I don’t know if that site is genuine or if prescribing medication like that is legal in the UK. There is nothing wrong with being bald and there should be no embarrassment to request medications to stop the hair loss. I would do your research and find a doctor in your area and have a confidential consultation and examination.