February 2012 – Page 6

February 9, 2012

Lycopene and Treating Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve read online that Lycopene is A 5 Alpha Reductase Inhibitor. Can it be used to halt hair loss or even help. If so could it interfere with finasteride and would it cause an initial shed?

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I have little doubt that there are many 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors in the various foods we eat, or in herbs and plants (examples here). The issues that I believe should be the focus is the effectiveness of these substances and their side effects. With Propecia, the drug has been extensively studied for these two issues and the recommended dose is the most effective with the least side effects of anything that I know of. As shown in the paper referenced below, the inability to scientifically document the effective dose is critical.

Do you want to take lycopene? If so what does does it require? Will it really work as well as Propecia? Are you willing to put your hair loss at risk to gamble on the dose or in experimenting on yourself? If hair loss is what you’re wanting to treat, then stick to what we know works.

See: Serum lycopene concentration and prostate cancer risk: results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

February 9, 2012

Hair Loss InformationWhat Size FUE Punch Was Used? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr Rassman.

I was just browsing through your SMP site. Great work!

This particular client caught my eye: ScalpMicropigment.com

What sized mm punch was used to extract his grafts? He wasn’t an NHI client, correct? Thanks for your time!

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Actually, he wasn’t our surgical patient. I believe 1mm to 1.5mm punch was used, though I would guess more on the 1mm side.

I should point out that even while he wasn’t our FUE patient, he could have had the same punch scars produced if we did the surgery. What I mean is, FUE is NOT a scar-less surgery that many clinics claim it to be. Even 1mm punch will leave a scar. Even 0.8mm punch will leave a scar. Not everyone will develop scars to this degree, but as you can see in the photo, it’s a possibility.

February 9, 2012

Workplace Stress Caused My Alopecia Areata – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctors

A while ago I wrote in with this question – Pea-Sized Bald Spot on Crown with Small Hairs in the Center

After visiting my doctor it turned out to be alopecia areata that was triggered by workplace stress I was going through at the time. The stress was relieved and the area grew back within a month.

My next question is unrelated though – when you look at a hair that has been shed, is there any difference between a white hair bulb and a dark hair bulb?

Thank you

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In my humble opinion, alopecia areata is an auto-immune issue where your body attacks its own hair follicles (to put it simply) and it has been occasionally linked to stress as a precipitating factor. It may have been a triggering factor. Hair loss from alopecia areata often will grow back with time (with or without any intervention), but it may come unexpectedly at any time in the future.

Finally, there is no difference between white and black hair bulbs.

February 9, 2012

Traction Alopecia from Pushing Down on Hair? – Balding Blog

Could a head band cause hair loss? I know the answer will probably be “if it pulls on the hair it may cause traction loss” which I understand, but I honestly don’t know if something like this has potential to pull on the hair.

Here is a photo of the item in question, it would be good to hear your thoughts on the possibility of traction loss: Photo

I guess another question is, since something like this pushes down on the hair, is traction possible from something pushing down on your head like this would? Thanks.

The band you are using does not appear tight. If that is correct, I would doubt that this would be a problem.

February 8, 2012

Hair Loss InformationWhy Would Celebrities Wear Toupees? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Why would Elton John and William Shatner wear toupees when hair restoration is easily available?

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Elton John Surgery is a personal decision, so I can’t speak for everyone… but I can make an educated guess. Hair restoration or hair transplant surgery is in essence about moving your existing hairs around. If you don’t have lots to move around you cannot cover a huge area of balding or achieve the look of a 16 year old fullness.

Moreover, many older celebrities with their financial success have had a hair transplant surgery 10, 20, 30 years ago when hair transplant surgery results were not the best. So with their fortune they depleted their donor hair supply and do not have enough donor to fix the problem. As a result, their only option is a wig and or toupee.

February 8, 2012

I’m 18 and Finasteride Stopped My Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey
I’ve been taking finesteride since september of 2011 and my hair loss has seemed to either slowed down or stopped and i don’t seem be having sexual problems really. I’m only 18 so is this a good sign?

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Did you need me to answer this? I must be missing something here…

Your hair loss slowed down (possibly stopped) and you have no side effects after taking finasteride for 5 months… and you’re asking if that is a good sign? Um, yeah. I’d say that’s a good thing. The medication you’re taking to treat hair loss is working and as long as you stay on it, it will probably keep working.

February 8, 2012

My Mom Has Hair Loss After a Triple Bypass – Balding Blog

My Mother had triple bypass in August 22, 2011. She has had alot of hair loss. She has done well from the surgery but this bothering her. Can this be from the meds that she was given to put to sleep?

I’m not sure which medications she’s taking, but stressful surgeries can certainly cause hair loss. Most of the time this will reverse in a year or so. Just wait it out.

February 8, 2012

Is Minoxidil Only for Men? – Balding Blog

I am a 58yr old woman. My hair is falling. A hair doctor has put me on to MINOXIDIL TOPICAL SOLUTION USP 2% HAIROUSE-MX. 1ML 2 X DAILY along with multivitamin tablets. I have been on it since 45 days. But to know more about this solution i googled it. To my surprise i found out that this solution should only be used by men, not women. Secondly,when stopped hair falls again.

What should i do? i am worried. I dont want to use it for the rest of my life. How do i stop it and being a female using this, am i harming myself? Please help.

2% minoxidil is sold as Women’s Rogaine, 5% minoxidil is sold as Rogaine (for Men). It is the only medication that is FDA approved for treating female hair loss. Some doctors may prescribe the stronger minoxidil (5%) for women, but that is on an individual case by case basis. Besides, it looks like your doctor put you on the 2% anyway.

You do need to use it for life if you want to continue seeing the benefits, and stopping it will result in a disappearance of any benefits you saw from it. In 45 days, you probably didn’t notice too much of a difference, if any. You should talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Propecia (finasteride) is only for men, so perhaps you’re confusing the two medications.

February 7, 2012

Hair Loss InformationMoving All Donor Hair to the Top of the Scalp with FUE? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Sir,

Could one perform a complete FUE of all the donor hair from the back of the head to the top, i.e. create the exact opposite of MPB look? I think it’s just a matter of this encoded aging pattern in peoples heads that makes them think one is older than in reality. Just moving the hair around would confuse people enough to like that as a nice hairstyle. It’s basically the same thing as shaving the head completely bald – no hair, no pattern, monkey-brain has no recognition of aging. Different pattern is also just a big unknown to our monkey brains, so people would just get confused and interested rather than think ohhh this one looks old. It’s that obvious idiotic pattern that makes men look old. Am I not correct?

Just some illustrations to my message.

Now, Without hair: here
What it would look if I were healthy (i.e. not balding): here
My idea of solution (complete FUE MPB pattern inversion): here

Sorry for the quality, I’m not familiar with graphics software, but the idea is there, right?

Please, take it into consideration, Doctor(s)!

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What you may perceive as a good look may be different for others. With respect to what you are suggesting, we do something similar for hair transplant surgery, just not to the extreme you’d like. We move the donor hair to create a non-balding look.

But follicular unit extraction (FUE) will still create small dot scars, and if you had all the money in the world and had every hair extracted from the donor area and placed into the top of your scalp, you’d still be left with thousands of these tiny dots all over the donor area.

February 7, 2012

Press Release – RepliCel Provides Quarterly Update – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the press release:

RepliCel Life Sciences Inc. is pleased to report that the six-month post injection follow-up period of its TS001-2009 clinical trial is nearing completion.

To date, 17 of 19 subjects have had their six-month follow-up visit, during which time subjects had their overall health evaluated. This included subjective and objective assessment of verum and placebo injected sites and digital images were taken of the scalp and injection areas.

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Read the full text — RepliCel Provides Quarterly Update on First-In-Man Clinical Trials