September 2009 – Page 5

September 21, 2009

Using Baby Oil on Recent Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Sir,
I had recently done a hairtransplant surgery and starting from day one i started spraying the grafted area with johnson baby oil at night before going to bed and washing my hair with johnson baby shampoo every other morning and evening.

Do you think that gohnson baby oil might cause a problem to the grafts if the grafts are washed regularily.

your quick response will be appreciated
Best Regards

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I don’t know why you need this routine, but I can not find a problem with it, provided that the daily wash is done properly. I hope you received aftercare instructions from your doctor.

September 18, 2009

What Keeps Dr. Rassman Busy These Days? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman, I am a patient of yours from years past and remember you were involved in many things over and above your hair transplant practice. Can you tell me what you are doing now and how you keep everything in balance. There are only so many hours in every day, so how do you cope?

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I am very well organized, depend heavily on computers and software to keep my non-surgical work efficient, and I have a wonderful supportive staff that keeps me prepared. My thirst for information is helped by reading journals and magazines which cover the entire field of science and scientific discovery (such as Scientific American and The New Scientist), and each day I get an email from LBN E-Lert to keep me informed of the latest worldwide news. I must constantly stay in contact with the world around me.

Maven Along with writing for the blog almost every day, I’m a surgeon, business owner, and inventor. I need diversity in my life, so I have invested time and money into a biotech company with their focus on rapid disease diagnosis and screening — Maven Biotechnologies. The best way to explain the vision of Maven is to imagine a disposable bio-chip (like a microchip on a small piece of glass or plastic) that can precisely test a drop of your blood for hundreds of diseases, along with your reaction to available drugs for the treatment of these diseases in just minutes! Now imagine visiting your doctor, who inserts the chip into a small desktop device for processing, then presents the results to you in the very same visit. This animation will give you an idea on how Maven’s unique technology will eventually facilitate the development of personalized medicine, a rapidly evolving change in the future of clinical medicine.

One recent invention of mine that I’ve worked on with one of my patients, is the newly patented Ski Brake, which will make it much easier for adults to learn how to ski. One prototype has been developed and you can view a simple animation of how it works.

I live and feel every minute I am alive and am fortunate to have the health and the associates to make these dreams turn into a reality. This is no different than what Dr. Bob Bernstein and I did in the 1990s to change the way hair transplantation is done.

September 18, 2009

Heavy Drinking Blocks Finasteride Effectiveness – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

New study showing heavy alcohol usage blocked effects of finasteride (half way down page): Prostate cancer and alcohol

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Beers The link has quick paragraphs about a variety of topics, but here’s the relevant info from the page (the bold emphasis added was mine) —

“This study analyzed data on 10,920 men. In a seven-year span, prostate cancer was detected in 2,129 of them, including 564 men with high-grade tumors, which grow and spread quickly. Those who consumed, on average, four or more drinks a day (totaling roughly two ounces or more of pure alcohol) five days a week in the year before diagnosis were more than twice as likely to have developed high-grade prostate cancer as were those who did not drink. No link was found between prostate cancer and more-moderate drinking. Also, among men who had been randomly assigned to take finasteride (Proscar, Propecia) as part of other research to test the drug’s ability to prevent prostate cancer, heavy drinking blocked the effectiveness of the drug.“

This is interesting, but it doesn’t necessarily prove that heavy drinking blocks finasteride effectiveness. Heavy drinking (4+ drinks a day) in itself can cause higher grade cancer. It should go without saying, but heavy drinking is not good in any case. If there is indeed an association with finasteride not working when you drink heavily, I would say it is a good idea to limit your alcohol intake!

September 18, 2009

Must Hair Be Miniaturized Before Falling Out? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc, I have a buring question, I am a 29 year old Asian made with very thick black and have very good hair coverage, my question is when i comb my hair I see thick black hair that come out approx 10-15 not what you would describe as minutrized hair. Must hairs be minutrized when they fall out as mine seem very strange becase they appear to be very health ‘normal’ hair?

Thanks doc

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Norwood 4A I do not believe that hair must be miniaturized to be lost hairs in the balding patterns. Miniaturization does point to a problem, though, for as the DHT attacks the hair, the impact suppresses the hair growth to normal circumference (hence “miniaturized”). As the balding process probably reflects the number of cycles of a hair in any given location, a hair will only live out the number of cycles it is destined to live (for example, hair in the front might have 10 cycles in your lifetime of 3 years each). The hairs around the head usually will outlive you, while the hairs in the front for a Norwood Class 4A (see image at right) balder may last only 7-12 cycles, on average.

September 18, 2009

Testing Fertility While on Dutasteride? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctor,

I’m a 29 male in good health who has been taking avodart daily for ~5 years and took propecia for four years before that. I recently had a sperm analysis done along with my physical as I was concerned about potential risks associated with avodart. The results that came back were positive in the sense that my sperm count was in a normal range. My question is can you recommend any other tests that I could take to monitor my fertility while on avodart?

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Sperm I do not specialize in male fertility, but if the sperm have a normal count and a normal motility, I would expect that there is no problem with it. I would pose this question to your primary doctor or better yet, a fertility specialist. This is beyond my scope of knowledge.

September 17, 2009

Ted Kennedy – Mature Hairline Example – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for your excellent, informative site. I’m 32 and still have my juvenile hairline, but like most men, I’m concerned about the prospect of balding in the future, and have considered starting Propecia just in case.

I’m writing because something occurred to me while watching the coverage of the passing of Ted Kennedy: he’s an excellent person for you to hold up as an example of a maturing hairline. Footage and photos of his first election in 1960, at age 30, show a pretty severely receded hairline at the temples, probably more severe than the average mature hairline. Anyone looking at him at the time probably thought he was destined to be bald. But, when he died nearly 50 years later, he had basically the same hairline — just replaced, of course, with white hair.

Thanks again.

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I have assembled some photos of Ted Kennedy throughout his political career to reflect your insights…

Senator Edward Kennedy

In all three of these photos above, you can see that the shape of the hairline is convex (mature male hairline) rather than concave (which would be a more juvenile or female type). What is notable is that the forelock is lower than usual and this is often a hereditary issue. At times, a lower forelock (like with talk show host David Letterman) runs independent of the hair around it and becomes isolated. Ted Kennedy’s hairline is the shape that I like to obtain in my patients, but I often go slightly higher.

September 17, 2009

My Moustache is Disappearing – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Sir, my problem is that my moustache started disappearing on left side gradually. I have a habit of shaving daily so it was not noticed by me earlier. But now it has reached to about half. How to stop this and what to do so that hair is again grown in the bare part? Please cure my problem!

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That is rather strange. Perhaps you can send me a picture? I can’t simply cure your problem for a couple of reasons, the first one being that I’m not a magician and the second one being that there is no cure for hair loss. I have no clue what could be causing it and you really should see a dermatologist in your area to get to the bottom of your disappearing mustache.

I’ve answered a similar question before here and was just as baffled then.

September 17, 2009

Hair Loss InformationI Need a Straight Answer – Why Does HGH Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hair loss has seemed to progress. after 13 months on finasteride, i started taking hgh injections however have stopped since. reading the blogs on hgh and hair loss, however never getting a straight answer. why does hgh cause hair loss? and what can i do to stop mine. im using rogaine, spectal dnc-l and on 2.5mg of finasteride daily…and wash with revita shampoo. is there anything else i can do?

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Human growth hormone (HGH) has anabolic properties that include increased androgen production. Increased androgens contribute to the androgenic alopecia (as the term implies). The impact of hair loss from HGH or androgens like testosterone is generally not reversible. It seems you are doing everything you can, but still losing the battle.

September 17, 2009

My Rogaine Shedding Has Been Going on For Months! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

I understand that Rogaine may cause initial shedding, but I’m concerned that mine is going on longer than it should- 2.5 months. At first I had some minor thinning on the crown and minor receding at the temples (my friends think I’m crazy, but I saw a dermatologist who noticed thinning), but not really anywhere else. After following her advice to take Rogaine, my hairline (not just the temples) has receded some, and all of the hair on top of my head is thinner, to the point that I can see scalp, which I never could before. At this point, should I discontinue Rogaine, or try to stick it out for a few more months?

Thanks

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I can’t tell you what you should do with medication, but I can tell you that shedding from Rogaine (minoxidil) may last up to 3 months. You have a dermatologist and I would ask her that question, as she has the advantage of being able to examine you.

September 16, 2009

Teen Girl with Bulimia and Hair Loss – Balding Blog

(female) i have bulimia, i used to smoke weed and be very depressed. during that time, i had a v8 moment and suddenly realized my hair was soo much thinner than it used to be. i looked around and realized both of my older sisters, have extremly thin hair, balding hair i guess could describe it more. they have been smoking for tens of years, i have stopped, unfortuantely i have picked up another habit. i guess i want to know what everyone else here wants to know, will or could it grow back? also, i am only 15, im still growing, is there hope?

I would have to see you and understand what you are actually referring to as thinning. I would map out your scalp for miniaturization, perform a hair pull test, and then render an opinion. Obviously without seeing you, I can not really understand what your situation is and where you are in this cycle.

Bulimics often have hair loss from stress and unhealthy weight loss, so I would like to know more about your overall nutrition. I wouldn’t rule out that your hair could regrow at some point, but I doubt it will until you get your eating disorder under control. Hopefully it is a temporary telogen effluvium, but I have no way to know that over the web and without some more medical history.

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