Month: November 2011

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Hair Loss InformationShould I Transplant Behind the Balding Area Where I Might Lose Hair Later? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve been looking around on internet to try to learn as much as I can about hair transplants, and I know quite a bit now, but there is one question that I can’t seem to get answered. I have a slowly receeding hairline, not very bad but definitley too much for 27 years old. I have healthy hair on the back and sides of my head but on top it’s a little thin and I think I may eventually loose it all on the top like my grandfather. I’ve tried rogaine and propecia but no dice.

My question is, would it not be a good idea to get a transplant seeing as I might lose hair behind the transplant later? Or is it possible to progressively do other transplants?

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I do not believe that a Norwood class 2 pattern is worth transplanting. If you are evolving to a mature hairline, stay on Propecia and see what happens. If the hairline is actually moved up beyond the mature hairline into a class 3, you can transplant it.

I wouldn’t allow any doctor to transplant into an area that has not fallen out under the excuse that there’s anticipated hair loss (behind the leading edge of your loss), as this will only accelerate the thinning. Some doctors do this, and it isn’t in your best interest, only serving to put your money in his pocket.

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Safe Hair Extensions? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Can i use the real hair to do the knotting as cyber hair? Is there a safe hair extension method in the market?

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I am not an expert in hair extensions, so I cannot comment if one is safer or better than the other. In general, if there is a constant pulling on your native hair (which you will feel), it may cause traction alopecia over a period of time. The extensions that are fixed in place have more traction alopecia than those that you place and move around by yourself.

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Could a Beanie Cause Traction Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a few questions about traction alopecia. Firstly, I understand that it comes from pulling on the hair.

However, my questions are:
1) In which cases can traction alopecia arise from wearing a hat/beanie? Suppose the beanie/hat isn’t tight, but it is placed on your head in a way that holds long hair back (sort of like in a pony tail without actually tying the hair back)? I am not sure if this causes pulling, I do not think it does, but the main concern is with the fact that the hair is being held back.

2) Sometimes when I wear a beanie for a long time, I feel that the area around the nape of my neck is getting a bit sore or irritated. I think this is because the hat begins to “ride up” and it causes my skin to get irritated. Is this cause for concern when it comes to hair loss?

Thanks.

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A beanie can theoretically cause traction alopecia if you wear it all the time and the beanie is either too tight or fixed with a set of clips at the same location each time it is used. This is all within reasonable limits. If you notice the irritation then it isn’t a good sign. You don’t need me to tell you this, do you?

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Tone Down the Humor – There Is Nothing Funny About Hair Loss!! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This blog is very informative, but I really think you should tone the humor down. I notice you make a lot of jokes about balding. There is nothing funny about it!! Especially not today, when there is quite a strong stigma about receding hairlines & thinning hair…i.e. (the creepy old man stigma). People kill themselves every day because of hair loss and I truly believe that there is a strong correlation between suicidal behavior and hair loss.

I think people who are affected by the disfigurement of hair loss, may also suffer from other health problems due to how the extreme stress of the condition affects their entire body and their activity levels. I for one, have experienced major health problems since I started losing hair. I guarantee you most people who commit suicide have some type of hair loss.

If the person losing hair feels disfigured because of the condition, it is one of the most serious medical issues one can suffer from because of how it wreaks absolute havoc on everything and tends to cause a “domino effect” where other organ systems get affected and fail over time (perhaps prematurely) due to the extreme stress hair loss causes. 2% of the male population doesn’t bald….that’s 40,000 people out of a city with 2,000,000. If you think about it, in today’s society..that’s not really that rare; plus, those are the people that are more likely to get the good jobs, be treated favorably, etc.

It’s survival of the fittest at it’s worst! I’ve noticed it is EXTREMELY hard (almost impossible) to get hired for a new job or get a supervisory position if you have any thinning/balding. These are all reasons why there is nothing funny about hair loss and why I hope every day that there is a treatment that can truly halt progressive hair loss.

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I never make fun of people who are balding. With close to 10,000 posts on this blog, there are times we feel the need to inject some light-hearted humor. If I have offended anyone here with a particular post, please let me know! In the end, I have great respect for them and empathy for their experience. Only about half of the male population will experience some type of balding, but every part of us is connected. Our overall health reflects many organ systems and our mental health influences our body functions.

Hair loss is one of those things that men have no control over. For some men who take charge of their destiny, they exercise for better body health, eat well to prevent various diseases from impacting their body, don’t smoke, and educate themselves to shape their professional lives; however, other than taking a pill that may or may not control their hair loss, balding is a process that undermines a man’s self esteem. For some men, it even gives them the sense of hopelessness. I believe that is what you are talking about. This is why I love my hair restoration medical practice — I can help men manage their hair loss process, in turn giving them back their self esteem.

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I Found a Lump Under My Nipple After Taking Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I was on Propecia for a year after about 9 months I got a lump under my left nipple. I also had to work really hard to get an erection. I stopped taking the drug and all sides went back to normal and I have just become a father so no damage done. I was taking 1 pill per day I would like to start taking the drug again as I was having good results. is it possible for me to lower the dosage and will this reduce the sides. I look forward to hearing from you thank you and keep up the good work

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If you have or had breast lumps, this can be a serious issue and you need to have a physical exam. Your doctor needs to be aware of it. If you have erectile dysfunction you need to at least see a doctor to make sure there are no other medical issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or other medical conditions that may contribute to the issue. I realize this site is for discussing hair loss issues and Propecia is a medication that may cause the side effects you are describing, but nevertheless you still need to see your doctor about these issues.

I am glad to hear that your side effects all went away. If you want to restart Propecia, talk to your doctor regarding a possible dosage change that may diminish or ameliorate the side effects. Remember that 1/2 of a Propecia (0.5mg finasteride) is considered 70 to 80% as effective as the full 1mg dose in treating genetic MPB.

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Hair Loss InformationPimples in the Donor Area 7 Weeks Post-Op – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I will ask the question again. I am a NW3. I had a hair transplant of 3650 grafts, about 8500 hairs into an area about 50cm2 in the frontal area. This was a FUE procedure. I am having small bumps, nodules, pimples? in the DONOR, NOT recipient area. I am exactly 7 weeks post op. What are these bumps and what caused them? thanks

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When FUE transection occurs, remnants of hair are left in the donor scalp and they become a foreign body causing pimples and abscesses. You should see the doctor who did this and get his expertise in treating it. If you do not get the infections under control, they may just get worse and worse.

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I Have Swollen Glands in Jaw and Thinning All Over the Top of My Head – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I am very curious about the hair loss I have been experiencing. I’m 22 years old with no family history of male pattern baldness. Over the last 4 months my hair has been falling out at an alarming rate. You can now see my scalp through my hair. It is not at the rear of my head like most men, but all over the top of my head. I also have swollen glands on the inside of my jaws, however, I have no idea if that means anything. Do you think it could be male pattern baldness, or am I dealing with something else. Thanks for your time.

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This appears to be two separate problems. The swollen jaw and swollen glands need medical attention. If you are balding, then it is best to see an expert on that as well. Male pattern baldness might be something you’re experiencing, but the swollen glands are unrelated.

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Do I Need to Worry or Is It Just My OCD? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor,

I’ve sent a few blog questions through, so I do apologise for the influx of emails you’ve probably received from me.

I’m 21. I suffer from OCD, and I’ve recently been extremely worried about my hair. I’ve posted numerous pictures on various different forums to try and get an analysis of my hair, and I’ve been told my hair is fine. However, I’m still worried, but am unable to afford an appointment to go to a trichologist. So, I was wondering if you could take a look at my album of photo’s. There’s a fair few in here to get a decent look at my hair.

At first I was worried about my crown area/top of my hair, but was told that I’ve got a natural parting coming from my crown. Then I was, and am worried about my hairline, but was told I have a ‘mature’ hairline. Still, I was wondering if you could take a look for me and tell me how you think my hair and hairline is? What Norwood do you think I am. I also have seborrhoeic dermatitis so my scalp is quite inflamed/red.

Basically, do I need to worry, or is it just my OCD?

Oh, and feel free to post the picture album of my hair if this question get’s published. I don’t mind. Thanks.

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Click the photos to enlarge:

 

Nothing I can say online is a substitute for a medical exam or seeing your doctor in person. As you state you suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), I think you need to have that under control. Since you’ve posted these pictures on numerous forums and have gotten a reply that your hair is “fine”, I do not know how much more I can add. Your hair looks very good to me, but there’s only so much I can tell based on photos. Base don the pictures, the hairline looks strong and thick, as does the crown.

If you are still worried and your OCD is under control, make an appointment with a doctor you trust, especially one who can perform a HairCheck bulk analysis which gives a metric for the presence of hair loss. I’m not going to be able to assuage your OCD and hair loss paranoia, but I do thank you for letting us use your photos.

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Hair Loss InformationI’ve Had No Hair Loss Over the Past Year and a Half – Is Now the Time for a Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctors,

I have been taking proscar, religiously, cutting it up into quarters for the past 5 years. I have had moderate success in keeping what I have, but not any new hair growth. My temples have still receded and a little bit of the front part of my hairline has receded. However, in the past year and a half there hasn’t been any hair loss whatsoever. I am 29 years old, if I haven’t seen any hair loss in the amount of time I mentioned does that mean I have reached my final hair loss pattern and I will no longer experience hair loss, and I can go for a transplant procedure?

The last thing I want to do, go for a procedure and then all my native hair falls out and I am left with only transplanted hair. That is why I am sometimes confused as to how long one should wait to get a transplant and how would one know what the “final” pattern is at such a young age like mine.

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The real question is: Is this your final hair loss pattern? You can guess at this, but at 29 years old, that might be difficult. Well-delineated patterns often show the final pattern. That means if you are (for example) a Norwood class 3 pattern, the area where the hair is should not have any miniaturization when looked at under a video microscope, and the hair behind it should not have bulk reductions as measured by a HairCheck instrument.

If you had clean borders and no loss of hair bulk behind your existing pattern then you could assume (not 100%) that for the moment, the hair loss should have stopped. The problem is that many people who see it stop may find that it picks up again years later. With the combination of what I discussed here with the continuation of the finasteride treatment, you may be one of the lucky few. If you are in Southern California, I would be happy to do these tests for you in my Los Angeles office.

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Hair Loss InformationSMP with a Hairpiece? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had the idea of combining SMP with the occasional use of hairpieces to basically give me the hair style options of any non balding man (at a much higher price of course.) This way, each would get rid of suspicion of the other; being able to grow hair and being able to shave it. My question is, would the glue used to bond the hairpiece to the head ever damage the SMP? I’d never excessively use hair pieces- just now and then for special occasions.

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Wearing a hair piece or hair system will not damage the Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) pigment. If the glue does not damage your skin it should not damage the micropigment under your skin.