August 2010 – Page 6 – Balding Blog

August 13, 2010

Small Hairs are Now Growing in My Facial Hair Bald Spot! – Balding Blog

So for about 4 months I’ve had to bald spot on lower right cheek. the bald spots were very smooth but now I fill little and blond hairs sprouting up. What caused this? Is it stress or alopecia or cancer? What can I do ?

Doubtful that it is cancer. It could be stress induced or it could be alopecia areata, but it’s impossible to say without an exam. I’d really doubt it is life-threatening or anything to be concerned about in regards to your overall health. See a dermatologist if you’re looking for a more direct reason as to why spots appeared in your beard.

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August 13, 2010

I Burned My Daughter’s Scalp and Years Later the Hair Grows Slowly – Balding Blog

I burned a very small area of my daughter’s scalp while straigtening her hair with a hot comb around 2 years ago. Ever since then this area of her hair grows very very slowly in comparison to the rest of her hair. Its only grown to around 1 to 4 inches while the rest of her hair is flourishing. Also, I use chamical straightners in her hair and this patch tends not to straighten at all. If there is a re-growth in this area when its being straightened, within days the regrowth breaks off and the hair is back down to 1 – 2 inches long.

Could you tell me please whether it is likely that this area is permanently damaged or what we can do to solve the problem.

Many thanks

It sounds like you accidentally created permanent damage to your daughter’s hair. Without an examination I couldn’t get into detail about regrowth possibilities… but generally speaking, if after multiple years the hair is still barely growing in the burned area, I would have to assume the damage is permanent.

If you haven’t taken your daughter to a dermatologist for an examination of her scalp, you should consider doing so.

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August 12, 2010

Normal Moustache Hair Loss? – Balding Blog

How many hairs are lost each day from an average moustache? Is moustache hair more or less likely to fall out than hair on the head?

I have been working in the food industry for more than 20 years. Many manufacturers are beginning to require covering moustaches while working with food.

Best regards

The best I can tell you is that the overall moustache hair cycle runs between 2-6 months. The telogen (resting) phase follows the fall out of the moustache hair lasts up to 2 months. All hair is likely to fall out as it cycles.

August 12, 2010

Dutasteride 0.5mg (Avodart) Phase III Study Results – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Avodart A recently published study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that in a 6 month limited span, 0.5mg dutasteride (commonly known as Avodart) was shown to be effective at treating hair loss in men aged 18-49 years. Now we have known for some time that this drug is effective, but I’m still unclear about side effect risks. This is a stronger medication than finasteride and there is no real statement by the FDA on the issue of fertility with dutasteride that has been reported by some medical authorities. I have prescribed dutasteride at this point on a very limited basis with the caveat that the sterility factor is unknown.

It is worth pointing out that dutasteride’s half life is measured in weeks, while finasteride’s half life is measured in hours (finasteride currently being the only FDA approved DHT blocker for treating hair loss). In other words, if you do experience side effects from dutasteride they’ll take much, much longer to clear.

I must caution that dutasteride isn’t FDA approved to treat hair loss at this time, but these results appear to be a positive step in the right direction. Also, this study does not compare dutasteride to finasteride, but rather dutasteride to placebo… so that’s still a big question mark.

Read the study abstract — Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of dutasteride 0.5 mg once daily in male patients with male pattern hair loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study.

Photos from the study can be found at Regrowth.com

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August 12, 2010

After 10 Years, Finasteride Seems to Have Stopped Working! – Balding Blog

I have been using propecia, now generic finesteride, for at least 10 years. Recently, I noticed that I have a noticeable bald spot extending from my front to my back of the head. I am 58 years old. Is it true that in a lot of cases the treatment simply stops working as we get older?

It’s not that finasteride stops working altogether, but rather, your body is likely starting to win the war against the drug. I’ve seen this happen in some patients that have taken the medication for many years, though I also have patients that haven taken it for a decade without any problems.

I’d imagine that if you quit the medication completely you’d see further loss. Besides, at 58 years old the finasteride is good for prostate health. You should be under a doctor’s care and discuss your problem with him/her. Perhaps you should talk to your prescribing doctor about increasing the dose to 2mg to see if that might help.

I’ve written about this before here and here, so you’re not alone.

August 11, 2010

Could Putting On / Taking Off Hat Over and Over Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello doctor. Thank you so much for taking the time to loo at and answer this question.

I know a question like this has been answered many times before, but I have a slight variation in the question concerning baseball caps and hair loss. My job (part-time) requires me to wear a hat and I have to wear it for about 5-8 hours straight each shift. I keep it a little bit loose so it doesn’t cause a cut off in circulation, but my question is, sometimes I adjust my hat, for example take it off and put it back on or shift it around a little bit.

I’ve read on other sites that putting your hat on/taking it off if you do it often/a few times can cause hairs to pull out/fall out. I do not know if there is any truth to these sources, so I am asking a professional. Is there ANY risk of thinning by wearing a baseball cap for long periods of time 3-4 times a week?

Also, how about hair nets, do they cause any damage/thinning to your hair?

Thank you so much and I hope this question doesn’t cause any irritation as it is a common one.

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Cap If the hat is not pulling on your hair, taking it off and putting it on over and over again should not cause any impact. Same goes for hair nets.

Basically, if something is tugging on your hair for extended periods of time, that is when you run the risk of developing traction alopecia, which is commonly seen in women with tight braids.

August 11, 2010

My Hair on Top is Thick, But My Sides Are Thinning Quickly! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

First of all i would like to take this time to say that this is the most helpful internet site about regarding hairloss.

My question is that i have began receding and thinning badly on the sides of my hair. From the side burn to just above my ear. My hair on top is thick and i am slightly receding at the corners, but at the side of my hair it is getting extremely worse quickly. why is this? what options do i have?

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This is a good situation for mapping out your miniaturization. This will put numbers to what you are observing. A good doctor will know how to do this for you.

If you are thinning only on the sides, something that I have rarely seen, it’s often associated with diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA).

August 11, 2010

Styling a Partially Transplanted Hairline as Hair Loss Progresses – Balding Blog

I have a styling question for you dr. rassman.

I’m thinking of transplanting some hair in the side on the front of my scalp as it is quite thin on the sides. I’m worried if my center forelock hair becomes thin one day and the sides appear thicker, it will look awkward. If such a case were to happen do you think it is plausible to individually cut some of the transplanted side hairs very short to thin it out in such a way it blends with the center? I know its a strange styling question, but let me know your thoughts if this has been done before?

thanks

Hair style I’m just trying to figure out if I understand what you want to do and what you’re asking me. Perhaps your terminology is off. I have to assume that when you say you want hair transplanted to your “sides” you actually mean the corners of the hairline… not the sides of your head.

As for styling, I’m sure something can be done… but you could also have a second transplant procedure to strengthen the forelock area again and complete the hairline. I think most patients would opt to having another transplant to the bald area at the hairline center (assuming that is how the loss progresses), rather than just giving up after transplanting the corners. If you want to find out the options for how you can cut your hair, you should talk to a barber or hairdresser.

I’d hope that any doctor that performed such a surgery on the corners of your hairline would inform you of the possibility that your hair loss could progress, and put you on Propecia to halt that.

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August 10, 2010

Transplanting Neck Hair into a Strip Scar? (with Video) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctors. I’m a big fan of your work and this site. Thank you for what you do!!

I just saw this video by Dr Umar using beard hair taken with the FUE technique as the donor into the line scar from the strip technique. I know how you feel about body hair transplants and I agree that the results from using body hair on front/top of the scalp generally look unimpressive, but what about using body hair densely packed into the strip scar? Even if the hairs never get too long or have a different growth cycle, its just being used in the scar.

I have a scar and it doesn’t bother me, but if I have the option to essentially eliminate the appearance of the line I might consider something like this. I wanted to get your thoughts about using body hair for this and whether one could use hair from another part of the body for the same thing (why not chest hair for example). Check it out:

YouTube video

Thanks again

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While I do have reservations about using body hair transplants, my biggest problem is when they’re used in the frontal hairline or top of the scalp. That being said, the use of beard hair to transplant into a linear scalp scar (from a hair transplant) is reasonable. The beard hair has a thicker hair shaft than most scalp hair and it would work well to fill in the scar.

I have used it on a limited basis, particularly when a plastic surgeon supplies me the beard skin after a facelift. The few cases I have done (one with FUE) have worked nicely.

As I mentioned in a past post, I cannot give an endorsement of Dr. Umar because I have not reviewed his work beyond what I’ve seen in YouTube videos. The video is impressive, though it is a bit long, so for those that don’t want to watch the whole thing just skip to about 2:30 to see how the linear scars disappeared.

August 10, 2010

Laser Removal of Facial Hair? – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,

I suffer constantly from razor bumps after shaving and just very sensitive skin in general. I get a very bad reaction if i shave more than once a wk. I was considering getting laser hair removal to permanently remove all stubble from my face. What is the success rate of this and have you come across anyone that has had this done with decent results. Thanks Doc.

I do not use the laser in my office, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask. I put in hair… I don’t remove it.

Removing facial (beard hair in men) with a laser can be time consuming and costly. I don’t know success rates off hand, but you can speak with a dermatologist experienced with using lasers for this purpose, or check with facial hair removal “specialists” online. I found one such site using Google that explains various methods, costs, and time involved — HairRemovalJournal.org.

I wish I could offer you more, but laser hair removal isn’t within my field of expertise.

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