June 2011 – Page 7 – Balding Blog

June 7, 2011

Hair Loss InformationCan You Prevent SMP From Turning Into a Blurry Mess? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

The SMP procedure looks very promising and I’m sure you are getting tons of questions regarding it. Here is another one. On the HTN forums, a representative for Dr. Rahal said he had been impressed with SMP but did in fact see a patient whose pigment turned into a blurry grey mass. He didn’t know which clinic did the pigmentation. I was wondering if you have come across this at all and what NHI does to prevent this kind of outcome.

Much thanks!

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The key to preventing the blending of the pigment dots into a blurry mess relates to:

The depth the pigment is placed
The size of the pigment dots
The angle used in the placement of the pigment
The instrument used

I hope that NHI has all of this well controlled, as we recognized this early in beginning the business.

June 7, 2011

Hair Loss InformationScalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) and Color Options – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a few procedures to the front and temple areas. I wear my hair about 1″ 1/2 – 2″ long. Do you do S.M.P.in areas between hairs to give an illusion of more density. If the answer is yes with dark brown hair would you use different color inks.

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We would have to evaluate you to determine the best approach to your desire to thicken your hair… but yes, we have used Scalp MicroPigmentation in between existing hairs to create a denser look.

Varying shades of brown can be achieved, though your candidacy is an individualized decision between you and us. We have very successfully used SMP in patients who wanted more fullness and in those who had previous hair transplants.

June 7, 2011

Hair Loss Information » In the News – There’s an Average of 70 Side Effects Per Prescription Drug – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Lists of the side effects for prescription medications on drug labels, packaging and advertisements have mushroomed up to an average of 70 per medication, a new study reports.

Cautions about side effects were designed to inform doctors and consumers of potential hazards, but this expansion may have more to do with worries about litigation rather than actual health concerns, say the study authors, who argue the information could be presented much more efficiently.

“Having a high number of side effects on a drug’s label should not suggest that the drug is unsafe. In fact, much of this labeling has less to do with true toxicity than with protecting manufacturers from potential lawsuits,” the study’s lead author Dr. Jon Duke, Regenstrief Institute investigator and assistant professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

Read the full text — Lists of Prescription Meds’ Side Effects Keep Growing

Although the article isn’t about hair loss, in light of the recent hubbub about Merck, finasteride, and side effects, I thought this was an interesting study worth sharing.

June 6, 2011

RepliCel – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Greetings from a loyal reader! I did a quick search, and saw that this topic hasn’t been covered on your blog. I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of Replicel? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

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I haven’t heard about it before, but I’ve looked into it since your email. RepliCel recently completed the acquisition of TrichoScience, a company that worked with hair multiplication. This sounds like more of the same. From the FAQ: “With RepliCel’s treatment a very small punch biopsy is taken and new hair cells are replicated eliminating the need for a large hair donor site to be moved to the bald area.”

Their site says that they’re currently conducting a clinical trial with data expected to become available in the first quarter of 2012. So there’s really not much to know yet, as they’re still testing things and have months of work yet to go.

I would want to know if the investigators obtained an approval from an Institutional Review Board for the research on humans. That might make them credible as these boards are very tight giving approvals on anything less than solid evidence.

June 6, 2011

Hair Loss InformationCan SMP Be Recolored? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,
In regards to SMP, can this be re-done or re-coloured in the future? If someone was to get black or brown SMP then as they aged their hair turned grey/white, can the original SMP work be ‘re-coloured’ or is it a one off, permanent solution?

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For all realistic purposes, Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) is permanent. You can’t change the color of it, but you can have a touch up to enhance areas which may fade over the years. If your hair turns grey/white, SMP color will remain the same… but if you shave your hair or dye your hair after a SMP procedure is done, this should not make a difference.

June 6, 2011

Could Steroids Trigger Extreme Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it possible that supplementation of androgens (steroids) can trigger and miniaturize all your DHT sensitive follicles at once?

I am currently in my 30s. Lets say I were to be destined a Norwood 7 at 80 years of age, but after steroids, all of my follicles “switched” on at the same time (did not follow the Norwood progression).

Is it safe to say within a year or two it would be possible to jump right to a Norwood 7? Have you seen patients with this kind of radical hair loss?

Thanks

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Anabolic steroids can accelerate androgenic alopecia (AGA). Most people who are Norwood 7 will start to lose their hair in while in their 20s and 30s (not in their 80s).

I have seen rapid hair loss from anabolic steroid use, but I have also seen rapid hair loss without anabolic steroid use.

June 6, 2011

Do Hair Loss Meds Work Better for Certain Ethnicities? – Balding Blog

Thanks for your blog. From your internet advice I’ve been on finasteride for 1 year and Rogaine for 1 month. I’m 25 years old and have had fairly aggressive hairloss in the last 2 years. The treatment above has drastically slowed the process, and my girlfriend claims after one year on finasteride, my hair looks much healthier.

My question for you is, based on the variety of patients you’ve encountered, has finasteride and / or rogaine shown to be more effective for certain ethnicities than others?

Thanks again!

From my experience I haven’t noticed ethnic variations in the efficacy of Propecia.

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June 3, 2011

Hair Loss Information » In the News – Actor Jude Law’s Hair Loss Progressed? – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

He’s long been accused of being follicularly challenged – and Jude Law’s hair line definitely appeared to be all at sea on a beach break in Cannes yesterday.

The 38-year-old Sherlock Holmes star is having some time off on a well-earned break after being a judge at the city’s legendary film festival – but it appears that his hair has done a bunk too.

It appears his locks have receded all the way back to his crown with just a small tufty island marooned on the front half of his scalp.

Read the rest — Jude Law reveals dramatic bald patch on the beach at Cannes

We’ve written before about Jude Law’s forelock, but I have no way to really know if his hair has continued to recede or someone just happened to take a photo of him when his hair wasn’t styled to hide the existing loss.

June 3, 2011

Hypopigmentation and FUE – Balding Blog

Hello Ive noticed that after looking at dozens of FUE donor scars that Beard FUE scars have significantly less hypopigmentations that scalp FUE scars?

Is there a reason for this? Thanks

That’s a good question. Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer for sure.

On the scalp, I have seen patients with great (practically unnoticeable) FUE scars, as well as some not-so-great FUE scars. Of the few patients I’ve seen that had follicular unit extraction using beard hair, I’d agree that the FUE scars have been less detectable by way of discoloration when the graft is removed from the beard. I think the degree of scarring is based on the individual and their healing potential.

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June 2, 2011

Hair Loss InformationPropecia Test for Women – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 26 year old woman. My friend mentioned there’s a test to see if medication would work for treating my hair loss and said you wrote about it a while ago on balding blog. Can you point me to the article since I can’t seem to find it. Thank you

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Hair DX Sure thing. We wrote about it last October — here.

One of the HairDX genetic tests will screen women for the connection between their hair loss with respect to an androgenic cause and the treatment options available to them. Women who show a high sensitivity to androgens could benefit from drugs like finasteride (Propecia), although this would be prescribed off-label as this drug has not been FDA approved for use in women. The use of these medications in women is dependent upon the doctor who prescribes it, but more and more doctors are now adopting this test.

Women who may be pregnant should never take finasteride, because of the risk associated with sexual malformations in children if the medication is taken during pregnancy.