Month: November 2010

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Hair Loss InformationAidoo Aid? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am suffering from male pattern baldness and was recently surfing through the internet looking for some breakthroughs in the hair loss area. I came across a webpage of an interesting company called Aidoo International and they had posted some very compelling information and results on their website claiming to have achieved a breakthrough solution in this area way back in 1997. Just wanted to know if you are aware of this company and it would be nice to know your thoughts on their claim.

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AidooAidI’m not familiar with Aidoo products, but if they really achieved some great breakthrough over a decade ago, I expect I would’ve become familiar with it by now. Or I would’ve at least heard of it.

I found their site, and there’s really no substance to it. The product appears to be a kit containing shampoo, conditioner, and some kind of lotion. I can’t find the ingredients, but I do see a bunch of outrageous statements with no science to back it up. Aside from the basic hair loss treatment claims I see all the time from products sold online, this one even boasts about curing alopecia totalis! If that were true, it definitely would’ve made headlines.

Hope springs eternal. If you do end up trying it, feel free to let us know in the comments.

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Hair Loss InformationI Don’t Pay Attention to How Much Minoxidil I Use – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve tried searching for this question i’m asking now, but i felt like i wanna get more of a detailed answer to satisfy my curiosity.

how much minoxidil i should apply at a time ? i don’t feel like 1ml is enough at all especially for people like me who have diffuse thinning…

(1) is this 1ml for the entire head (crown) or for each bald-spot ?
(2) I also have some thinning on the sides can i use extra 1ml for the sides and back together ?

basically i use a dropper but i don’t count how much of the solution i pump out. i just let a drip fall over each gap to get my entire head covered with the liquid eventually. is this a sound way to apply minoxidil ? thanks much …

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1. Apply 1 mL total over the entire area twice daily, not 1 mL to each individual spot.

2. You can try, but using too much minoxidil could result in a drop in blood pressure, among other possible side effects. It’s a medication with potential side effects. You should be careful and read the instructions thoroughly before using it.

If you’ve got diffuse thinning all over your scalp (including the sides), perhaps you have something else going on. Typically, male pattern baldness does not result in hair loss on the sides of the head.

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Hair Loss InformationCan I Have MPB and Another Condition That Causes Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Dr Rassman
I was just wondering if a patient has MPB does that rule them out for other condition such as DUPA or alopecia areta/univeralis, and if not do those conditions have a genetic component? Like if no family members have them can they still occur?

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Anything is possible, but you must think of what is most probable. I have seen patients who had diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) as well as genetic hair loss that looked like male pattern baldness. I also also seen alopecia areata patients who had male pattern baldness. So one doesn’t automatically rule out the other.

I am not certain on the genetic component when comparing DUPA to male pattern baldness or alopecia areata, etc. We (the medical community) still do not understand male pattern baldness as we should.

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Hair Loss InformationHow Long Will NHI’s ACell Study Be? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Dr. Rassman, thanks a lot for taking the initiative to conduct a large-scale ACell study.

When can the general public expect an update regarding your progress? That is, how long do you think it will take for your team to determine whether or not autocloned hairs cycle regularly and whether or not the yield percentage is statistically significant?

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The cycling question will reflect the normal cycles in the individuals under the study. I would assume that the cycle will run about 3 years, but indications may become apparent if the hair count starts to drop after a year or so.

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Hair Loss InformationMy DHT Levels Dropped Significantly from 2 Weeks on Saw Palmetto – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Thank you for writing this blog, it is a wonderful resource for so many people. My question is regarding Saw Palmetto. I had my serum DHT levels checked, then began a regimen of Saw Palmetto extract for two weeks and had my DHT tested again. The results showed that my DHT dropped from 62 to 22 during that period.

This is a pretty significant drop in DHT but I am wondering if there is more to the story from a hair loss perspective. Does an overall drop in serum DHT mean that it should have a similar effect to Finasteride in stopping hair loss or is there something else to the equation?

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It is hard to believe only two weeks on a herb (saw palmetto) can have a significant decrease in DHT levels. I do not believe even finasteride can have that effect. I simply do not know the significance with respect to how it can be interpreted for hair loss treatment.

Please note that the human body and its functions are not as simple to just quantify with a blood test and hormone levels. For example, testosterone level may vary in your bloodstream throughout the day! It may be high in the morning and low at night, and this may even vary from individual to individual depending on their work habits, exercise habits, sleep habits, etc, etc. So DHT levels can vary as well. The conclusion or associations that you are trying to make is unclear.

DHT may be implicated in male pattern hair loss, but as we have said over and over again, just lowering your DHT level is not “THE” answer to MPB. Sorry to be a party pooper.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Guy Blames Hair Transplant for His Meth Addiction? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

MethA mechanic has been jailed for four years on drug charges although he claimed in court that he was only taking medication to stop the recurring headaches he had been suffering ever since a hair transplant procedure.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the 35-year-old Pakistani mechanic after convicting him of smuggling and possessing 0.06 grames of methamphetamine for personal consumption.

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Read the full story — Convict claims drug was only medicine

Blaming your meth use on a cosmetic surgery? Good one. Unless his dealer was his surgeon, I can’t see how the use of meth and a hair transplant can be connected.

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Hair Loss InformationBald Spots Are Growing After Chemical Relaxer – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
I received a relaxer almost three months ago and a wk later I washed my hair and noticed I had two bald spots the size of a quarter on the corners of my hairline at the neck. The hair seem to growing in the area where it started coming out, but it seems as if the bald spots are increasing in size and going further up the neckline. What can I do?

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I would not know where to begin. You need an examination and a diagnosis. It’s difficult (if not impossible) to tell what you have going on just based on two sentences. I’m good, but that that good! Go see a doctor — perhaps a dermatologist might be someone to make an appointment with. Otherwise, only time will tell if your hair grows or not.

If the hair loss was from a chemical trauma it may take several months to see some growth if the damage did not go too deep.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Around My Ears Just Falls Out from Touching It – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I am 25 and male.

I have for the past year or so been losing my hair round on the sides of my head to the point that you can now see the scalp through it. The hair round my ears falls out even if I gently touch it and the thinning is worst just above and behind my ears to the point there is almost a bald spot above/behind both.

Although I am in early stages of MPB (between II and III vertex) could you please advise whether this is anything more than MPB – as pretty soon I won’t even be able to shave my head without looking slightly odd? Thanks

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Hair loss around the ears is not from male pattern baldness (MPB), as that area of the scalp is considered the permanent fringe area. That doesn’t mean you do not have MPB, but it should not affect the hairs around your ears. It seems you need a diagnosis and I cannot provide that here.

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I Wish I Found Out About You Before I Got Hair Transplants Elsewhere – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc, I appreciate this site so very much and all you’ve done to help us guys going bald.

Even though my results from a hair transplant 2 years ago look fine to me, I’m still suspicious that I got all 2300 grafts so I can totally understand why people are skeptical about their doctors. I wish I found out about you before I had my surgery.

Anyways I just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks

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Thank you for your encouraging words. I also wish you had found out about us first. The purpose of this site isn’t to direct people to NHI for surgery (though if that happens, I won’t complain), but rather, to inform and assist the millions of people out there that are losing hair.

Some of the more common complaints I’ve received via email lately from folks regarding their surgery have been:

  1. The doctor did not do the surgery and only came into the room for 10 minutes or so
  2. I believe that he did not give me the number of grafts I paid for
  3. The hair never grew out and it is now almost a year after the surgery

I get comments from people questioning their doctors and looking to me for help, but I wasn’t in the room when your surgery took place and there’s only so much I can do via email without seeing you. Remember, don’t be afraid to question your doctor if you have any concerns. Some of these patients ultimately come in to see me, but they somehow never got our message on how to choose a good doctor. I realize any surgery can be a nerve-wracking experience, particularly an elective cosmetic procedure, but you should always do plenty of research and meet with the doctor before the surgery to feel some level of comfort and establish trust.

So for those of you thinking about hair transplantation, please check out this featured 3-part article about selecting a hair transplant doctor. It includes a checklist of sorts, along with a bunch of links for further reading. We’ve written nearly 9000 posts at this point, and that article is one of my favorites.