June 2010 – Page 7 – Balding Blog

June 8, 2010

Why Is My Hair Changing from Blond to Black? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Drs –
I have been on finasteride for about 3 months for mostly frontal thinning and receding. One thing I’ve noticed on close inspection of my fine, darkish blond hair (and this could pre-date my finasteride treatment, of course) is the presence of a few coarse, jet black strands coming in and even the color of existing strands darkening remarkably towards the root. Is there an explanation for hair color anomalies? Could this be related to finasteride treatment? Is this a sign of something sinister going on hormonally or otherwise? And lastly, could this be viewed as a positive development in my treatment?

There is an excellent review of the genetics of hair color here. There is mention in this writing that some people will go dark after having light colored hair in younger days. Maybe the pigment for black hair gets turned on genetically in rare older people. Or perhaps these random hairs have occurred from time to time, but you’re only noticing them now because you’re more focused on your hair looking for finasteride benefits. I’ve not heard of finasteride causing black hairs to grow or turning blond hair into darker hairs.

It seems you’re not alone with these random coarse, black hairs, as I found others asking about the same thing (see here). Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer.

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June 8, 2010

The Finasteride FDA Probe Has Triggered Intense Anxiety! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

The latest news regarding the FDA and Propecia has triggered some intense anxiety in me. I have been using Propecia for 5 years, and have always had a little concern in the back of my mind. The fact is, its still a relatively new chemical.

In response to a question regarding the FDA looking into potential dangers of Propecia, you replied “In my opinion, Avodart and Propecia are both safe medications when used as directed…under the supervision of a physician.” You also quoted from the Merck spokesperson who referenced that there was already mention of male breat cancer in the propecia literature.

1. Shouldn’t we take this news as a warning flag that perhaps there is more to long-term use of Propecia than we might have originally thought?
2. You probably have had a number of patients taking Propecia for close to 10 years, or longer. In fact, you probably have a pretty decent sample size of patients using this drug. What have you seen in patients with regards to side-effects over the years?
3. You frequently answer questions about the hair-loss catch-up phase if someone stops taking Propecia. I am curious as to why someone would stop taking Propecia if they have been on it for several years or more?

I am sorry you have so much anxiety with the news, but at this point it is just an investigation. There is no link that Propecia causes breast cancer so don’t jump on the hysteria bandwagon. I would strongly recommend that you speak with your prescribing doctor about your concerns. Make educated and well informed choices, weighing out risks and benefits.

In my private practice of 10+ years of treating patients with Propecia, I have not seen a patient who presented with breast cancer. We have treated thousands of patients with Propecia/finasteride.

Most of my patients do not stop taking Propecia after several years, and many of them have been taking it for 5-10+ years with no issues. People might stop taking any medication for a variety of reasons, and the questions I post here are usually not from my patients so I’d have no way to know if there were medical reasons, financial reasons, etc. We should wait for any word from the FDA that points to real risks that we are unaware of at this time.

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June 8, 2010

Hair Loss After Running a High Fever – Balding Blog

I came down with high fever last November 2009. For several days, my temp was 105 degrees. After a week, my hair started falling out. the worst affected areas were the crown and the top. My dermatologist said I had a bout with TE. Today, May 2010, six months later, the shedding has significantly lessened and i guess has returned to normal BUT the hairs lost to TE still hasn’t grown back. How long does it take for those hairs to regrow?

I am 45, male and had very thick hair before this nightmare. My two older brothers have genetic balding but one older brother was ’spared’ and still has thick hair even though he is over 50. My hair is still thick except for the part of the crown where I lost a lot during TE. Will they ever grow back?

Thanks for your attention!

Fever It can take up to one full year to see hair regrowth start. Remember though, when it grows, it grows at a rate of 1/2 inch per month.

If you have genetic balding and the fever precipitated the hair loss it may never come back completely, but if it was just a telogen effluvium like your dermatologist says, that will be known to you by the end of this year.

June 8, 2010

Dad Lost Hair in His Late 30s, I’m Losing Mine at 20 – Balding Blog

Hi Doc. Really nice blog! Been so helpful!

Just want to know. Is it normal to see hairloss several years before your dad did? I’m balding in the age of 20. My dad began losing hair in his late thirties.

All the best!

It seem you are an early bloomer. Hair loss can start as early as teenage years and doesn’t necessarily follow the exact timeframe as other family members. I suspect what you are going through is normal… for you. You need a good diagnosis with a doctor who will map out your hair for miniaturization to help make the diagnosis. Drugs like Propecia can slow or stop the balding process and change the course of hair loss over time.

June 7, 2010

When I Move to Another Country, Will the Water Make Me Lose Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi. I am from Europe in Slovenia. In 5 months i’m gonna move to Canada for studying. So I wanna know, is “different” water gonna hurt my hair and started to make me bald? I am 18 years-old. And if water is bad there (in Canada) or if there’s “hard water” there or filled with chlorine… so if I don’t wash my hair with that water and I wash it with bottled water from stores, will that be OK, will the water be good for my hair, prevent baldness because of the “bad water”?

Thank you in advance for your answer.

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Canada When you go to Canada, look around to see if the people there are all bald. If the people’s hair in Canada look like they do in Slovenia, I wouldn’t worry too much.

Hard water (with a high mineral content) won’t make you go bald, though you might notice your hair lacking body or shine. If you are still worried and don’t want to even chance it, I suppose you will be spending lots of money on bottle water… or you could invest in a water filter.

June 7, 2010

Reader Stops Telogen Effluvium with Fish Oil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr, I wanted to share a success story with you that I recently had with telogen effluvium of the eyebrows.

After some stress, I got seborrheic dermatitis which triggered telogen effluvium. After about 5 months with no end in sight to the shedding, a skin care specialist told me about her success she had taking 6000mg fish oils (I cant remember what her skin condition exactly was). But long story short, I began taking them & I actually take about 7000mg. My seb derm. & tel. eff. both stopped. I’m very happy about that, & I read your blog & your new posts weekly so I thought I would share this & maybe it will benefit some of your readers.

BTW, fish oils are like $10 for 400 capsules of 1000mg capsules.

Thank you for your story and experience. I’m not suggesting fish oil supplements will work for everyone that is seeing eyebrow hair loss, but your advice may help others and the risks are very low in trying it.

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June 7, 2010

I’m a Woman and Was Prescribed 5mg Finasteride Daily – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a female, aged 68 years. My doctor just put me on finasteride 5mg daily. Is it now safe for women? And is the dosage too high? If I cut the pill into fourths, would that still be too much?

I would ask this question and your concerns with your doctor. If you need a second opinion, you need then see another doctor.

Please understand this from a medical perspective and I’m not just trying to brush you off. You provided your gender and your age, but I cannot advise you with just that information. For example, is there a breast, ovarian, or cervical cancer history in your family or have you had one of these cancers in the past? There are many variables, so that is the role your doctor plays in these decisions.

Finasteride is not FDA approved for treating female hair loss (I assume that is why you were prescribed it), which means that your doctor prescribed it to you off-label and you need to ask him/her about this. For men, 1mg is recommended for treating hair loss and 5mg is for treating the prostate… so it is unusual for a doctor to prescribe 5mg finasteride for treating female hair loss.

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June 7, 2010

Could a Steroid Shot to Treat Strep Throat Lead to Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had strep throat and the doctor gave me a steroid shot to bring down the inflammation. Now, I am assuming one little shot should not have any effect on my hair, correct?

I would agree with your assumption if you are looking for some assurance, but hypothetically, if you knew the single steroid shot caused even minor hair loss, would you have refused treatment for your strep throat?

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June 4, 2010

My Hair Appears to Be Thinning All Over, Not in a Pattern – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

About 6 months ago i noticed i was shedding hair. i had low B12 a few months ago, but have been taking vitamins since (my B12 is now normal). now, as far as i can tell my hair is thinning, but not receding. since at every hair loss site i look there’s the NW scale for hair loss, which shows the hairline receding gradually, i’m wondering – is overall thinning a form of MPB? could this be something else?

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You are asking two different things here. MPB stands for “male pattern baldness” and just as the name implies, the hair loss would be seen in a “pattern”. Diffuse hair loss would have no pattern. Either form can be genetic, but the diffuse loss may be caused by diet, vitamin deficiencies, or many other conditions.

I assume you saw a physician for your B12 deficiency diagnosis, and I would suggest you should see a doctor that can make a diagnosis for you about your hair.

June 4, 2010

Maximum Amount of Grafts That Can Be Extracted with FUE? – Balding Blog

Hey Doctor
Thanks for the website. In a person with average hair denisity, what is the maximum number of grafts on average that you would believe could be extracted over time using FUE (i.e more than one procedure)?

I really do not know the maximum and I would be just giving you a theoretical number. In practice, I believe we may have done about 4000 grafts over several procedures using only FUE.