Month: September 2010

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Did a Bad Sunburn Cause MPB? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Sir,
i go to a military school and during the boot camp they shaved our heads to the skin. Within the next two days i was exposed to the sun and got a really bad sunburn to where my face swelled. As my hair started to grow back i noticed like a u shape which is not growing back as long and my hair is very thin on top. Will this heal? im only 19 and had no problem with balding previous to this. Thanks

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HotIt sounds like the start of your hair loss is coincidental to your sunburn. It’s possible you had the loss starting and didn’t notice it until your head was shaved. A sunburn won’t cause you to lose hair, and the pattern of thinning you describe is more like genetic hair loss than anything else. I am sure the sunburn will heal, but will your hair regrow? If it is early male pattern baldness (MPB), it won’t regrow on its own.

I would see a dermatologist or a general physician so they can examine your scalp and determine if you’ve got early signs of MPB or if there’s something else at play.

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Hair Breaking After Chemical Straightening – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I recently had chemical straightening and have now noticed that my hair is breaking of a lot. i am scared i am getting bald. i have had straightening done in the past but havent ever had this much hair fall. is there anything special i need to do. how do i stop hair from breaking off. Please let me know i am getting very stressed out

Thanks

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If you’re seeing a lot of hear breakage from chemical damage, there is not much you can do since damage is already done. The good news is that your hair will grow out if it is not damaged at the root. The only thing you need to do now is be patient. Stress could lead to other problems, including additional hair loss. If you are worried, see a dermatologist or your primary care doctor.

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Reader Has Had Good Results from Avodart – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve been on Avodart for 2 years now with good results. Propecia simply stopped working for me. I believe we all know that Avodart is more effective. Are you a “paid speaker” for Merck? Thanks…

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AvodartAvodart (dutasteride) is possibly more effective for some men, but at what cost? Not only has dosage not been defined for treating hair loss and the side effect risks may be greater, but clinical trials aren’t even complete. Remember, Propecia is FDA approved to treat hair loss… Avodart is not. As a physician, it is difficult to make a recommendation to a wide internet audience for a medication like dutasteride that would have to be prescribed off-label.

I need to know more about the medication before I can feel comfortable recommending it. I’m glad you have good results from Avodart, but I don’t know anything about you (age, hair loss history, etc)… so I couldn’t use your 3 sentence review as something that would change my opinion.

I’m not on Merck’s payroll nor do I own stock in them. I’ve answered the question a few times. Here’s a post from a few years ago that should help explain this (it still applies today).

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I Think I’m Losing Hair But I Don’t Want Surgery or Medication – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor,
I am 20 years old male. my problem is that i am losing hair on the crown, but im losing it very slowly, like i lose about 10 to 20 hairs in the shower and during combing, and my girlfriend told me i can lose like a 100 hairs and its not a problem!! but when i take pictures with my camera i can totally see through my hair on the crown but no where else, and my hair line is like a 15 year olds’ so there is almost no recession. maybe a slight maturing, but that’s all.

i massage my hair with almond oil every week day and olive oil every weekend and i shampoo my hair everyday but i dilute it with water. i have fine hair which is not dense at all. my mom’s dad is bald and everyone else in my mom’s and dad’s family has hair, and i have fine spiky hair just like my dad, and my dad just has a little thinning all over his head. i do not want to use any medication like minoxidil or propecia, and i dont want any surgery. is there any other way to gain a little density all over?? Please help

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Camera flashYou have fine hair, and in harsh lighting (like a direct camera flash) it would be normal to see your scalp in photos. I have no idea if you’re losing hair or not based on your email, but let’s assume for a minute that you are. You don’t want surgery and you don’t want to take medication. I’m not sure what you want to do then. You can’t just hope or wish for your hair to regrow. If it was that easy, nobody would be bald.

If you aren’t sure if you’re losing hair (it is normal to lose 100 a day in the hair cycle), a doctor should be able to tell you.

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A Reader’s Early Finasteride Results – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

I’m sure you get plenty of repetitive questions and whining but I just wanted to share more good news from people out on the Internet.

I started taking generic proscar 4 months ago to help my diffuse thinning and hope for some nice reversal. The thing I was scared most of was side effects. I did get a strange aching in the testicles for about a week, it was annoying, but it went away. However, after that, I continued to get some strange groin/testicle aches. I made sure it wasn’t a result of an injury exercising. If I stopped taking my finasteride for two days, it went away.

However, right around the 3 month mark it went away completely and I have had no more side effects. I have started to see tiny hairs sprout up all around my hairline and I am hoping for minor regrowth and at least stabilization of my hair.

Finally, the “itching” a lot of people with MPB seem to have has went away completely within the last two weeks. It has been very a very plesant month for me on finasteride and I do not regret taking it at all!

Thanks for telling people to take it. It really does seem to be a safe medication.

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As I’ve said before, when finasteride/Propecia works well for a patient, he isn’t likely to bombard internet forums with his positive results (they just go about their daily lives)… but if he feels like he’s been wronged or cheated, he might have no problem going out of his way to let everyone know on every website he can find. That’s why the complaints can be more in your face than the positive messages and can give a skewed impression of the actual statistics. So it’s good to have a balance.

What I’m trying to say is, thanks for writing about your experience and I’m glad the medication has worked out. I always like reading good news.

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Hair Loss InformationI Think I’m Destined to Be a Norwood 7 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr Rassman,

After reading through your blog posts I noticed something you mentioned a few times, about young men in their 20’s who show signs of an early Norwood 7, and how Finasteride may not help them.

This has alarmed me somewhat as I am approaching 23 and have been noticing my hair loss for 2 years now. For the majority of that time my crown area was unaffected, however I now have thinning there which extends down the back of my head, seemingly to the point where a Norwood 7 donor area would be at it’s highest.

I realise this is hard to envision so I have included a picture which I’m happy for you to publish. Aside from this area of my head, my hairline has moved back (it would look similar to that of a Norwood 2 hairline) and is thin, although not disastrously so.

Given that it seems (at least to me) that I am set to be a Norwood 7, am I wasting my time on finasteride, or any treatment for that matter?

Also if you could shed (pun not intended) some light on the thinning I seem to be experiencing at the nape of my neck (which is accompanied by thinning in the sideburn/ear area) I’d be appreciative.

Thank you.

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First things first, thanks for allowing us to post your photo! Click it to enlarge.

I’m pretty sure we’ve never said finasteride wouldn’t help a young man with early signs of Norwood class 7. In fact, we strongly advocate finasteride over surgery for early thinning in young men.

You’re 22 years old with what sounds like a mature hairline, but with respect to your photo, I have a hard time seeing that you will become a Norwood 7. Did a doctor tell you this or is this just what you’re assuming based on what you’ve read? Did you get your scalp and hair mapped for miniaturization? If not, you should have it done and it should be repeated every 6-12 months to see what is happening to you.

Finasteride should be part of your treatment if you’re losing hair, but it’s most important to find a good, caring doctor to manage your hair loss. You should also want that doctor to be able to create your Master Plan, which will help you make the right decisions and help understand what is happening to you.

At this point though, I’m going to have to take your word on it that you see hair loss, because just based on the photo you sent, I’m not seeing what you’re seeing.

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Would 4 or 5 Months Off Propecia Make a Big Impact on My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had to stop taking propecia last year because i couldn’t afford it. 4 or 5 months went by before i could afford to start taking it again. Will i grow back the hair i lost in this 4/5 month period? Would this have had a big impact on my hairloss?

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Any hair you lost in those 4 or 5 months would not be regained by getting back on Propecia. That thinning is sometimes referred to as “catch-up” hair loss, which is the loss that would have occurred if you never took the Propecia in the first place. You didn’t lose more hair than you would have, but you lost all the benefits of Propecia. If you restart Propecia it is as if you started from day one… which is why we advocate that you continue taking it.

If you cannot afford Propecia (1mg finasteride), there is generic 5mg finasteride for sale at a cost of around $60 a year. Yes, a year. Any pharmacy will have this 5mg generic. You just need a doctor that will prescribe this higher dose to treat hair loss (it’s a prostate medication otherwise), and you’ll need to cut the pill into 4 pieces (easier than cutting into 5 parts).

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What’s With the Itchy Scalp I Feel As My Hair Falls Out? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I am female and have been dealing with diffuse hair loss for over 10 years. My hair seems to get more fragile and difficult to deal with every year and medical science has been useless in helping me. The thing that is bothering me though is that as my hair gets thinner it becomes “prickly” causing an itchy/crawly feeling over my whole head that is seriously annoying me. I have tried tar based shampoos to stop the itchy/crawly feeling and it does give a temporary relief but it also increases the amount of hair I lose and gives it a horrible dried out texture. Is this a common theme with hair loss and how does one deal with it? I do not have any scalp conditions that I know of or any Psoriasis. Thank you.

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I really do not know what you have other than hair falling out and an itchy scalp. Perhaps you need to see a dermatologist for a good examination. We hear itchy dry scalp and hair loss as a common theme, but it is such a vague symptom it is often hard to pinpoint the exact cause. The two issues could be unrelated.

There is a theory that hair loss in women reflects an autoimmune problem. An itchy scalp can be caused by an autoimmune process.

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Do Doctors Know to Even Look for Body Dysmorphic Disorder? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman
I truly believe that HT surgeons like yourself offering good and honest advice to the general public, are few and far between. As we both know hairloss can be a devastating condition for any man. My severe worry is, that given this invaluable tool we call the internet, alot of misplaced paranoia is given to very young people (17-25) who should be enjoying their youth and the best years of their lives. It is of major concern to me, given the easily accessed nature of the internet, how (a minority) of young men (and women) may be posting pictures of their hair when there really is nothing wrong with their appearance.

I only mention this as i myself am a long term sufferer of a mental disorder know as “Body Dismorphic Disorder” and although there is nothing wrong with my hair, i have severe BDD. I know BBD sufferers are a minority but i believe especially when it comes to cosmetic procedures, sadly for alot of sufferers (especially the young) it is often overlooked.

My main question is, do professionals as yourself check for such (sometimes severe) disorders when assessing a patient and given the devastation they can cause among sufferers, how do surgeons like yourself deal with, what can be life or death situations for sufferers of this chronic condition?

Thank you for your time

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I obviously can’t speak for all doctors, but we do occasionally see men and women with body dysmorphic disorder in our clinic, and for some of those patients much of the consult time is spent on counseling them.

Most of the time these patients are already under care for BDD when we see them, but otherwise we refer them to psychiatrists.