Month: August 2012

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Hair Loss InformationWill Propecia Protect My Hair from Loss Following Underbite Correction Surgery? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassmann,

I am 21 year old male and I recently had surgery to correct an underbite. I started propecia shortly after my surgery. Will the propecia protect against possible shock loss after the surgery? I’m concerned because I saw in earlier posts that in balding men with shock hair loss, the hair does not usually return.

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Propecia is taken for treating androgenic alopecia, not for shock loss following underbite correction surgery. Hair loss after general anesthesia or medical issues is not related to androgenic alopecia.

If you were prescribed Propecia to treat your genetic hair loss, it might protect you… but I wouldn’t recommend the medication solely for protecting from a temporary shock loss.

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Hair Loss InformationMy Hair Has Become Thin, And I Wonder If It Is From Cigarettes – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

some time ago i’ve noticed my hair becoming thin, i also have a bad habit of smoking cigs which ive been smoking for 2 years. so i figured if i stop smoking my hair might grow back thicker and fuller.well i just recently stopped smoking cigs for about a week.

not enough time has gone by to see if my hair would grow back, but i wanted to see if i could save my hair and whether or not cigs have anything to do with it

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I don’t know anything about you other than you’re losing hair and smoked for 2 years. Smoking might contribute indirectly in some way, but I doubt that it is the reason your hair is thinning. In the great majority of cases, it is your genetics that causes hair loss. Of course I recommend that you stop smoking for your overall health, but I wouldn’t expect that quitting smoking would make your hair regrow.

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I’m Scared of What I Read About Propecia AND Minoxidil’s Libido Issues – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Listen guys, I am sure you get this question a lot, but I’m 18 years old. Within the last year, my hairline has receded noticeable and on the crown of my head there is definitely thinning.

The side-effects of propecia (loss of libido, impotence, etc) turned me off to the product, so I first considered minoxodil (aka rogaine), well upon further research it seems that rogaine has a very rare and similar side-effects such as loss of libido and impotence which is long-lasting affecting the youthful and the more elderly.

Can anyone clear the air on this matter, please if you use/used rogaine explain if those horror stories hold any water. The company does not list it as a possible side-effect, but the amount of scenarios ive read on the internet (i know not very reliable) has implanted an idea that this may somehow be correlated with sexual side-effects.

I appreciate all of the help, I would really like to retain what I have, family does not have a good history with balding, yet speaking with them all, I am very young to have already begun experiencing this, most of them began in their late 20’s early 30’s, so I’m crossing my fingers because i like wearing my hair long.

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All medications have side effect potential. Growing old also has a side effect of loss of libido, as well. Thinking about a side effect and growing scared to take a medication due to possible side effect after reading (as you state) “unreliable” information on the Internet, can cause that side effect to manifest itself.

I am sure you will find people who used Rogaine (minoxidil) claiming loss of libido, but it’s not a known side effect in the literature as far as I’m aware. Many of the people on forums that talk about various side effects they get from any medication diagnose themselves and look for the easiest answer to come up with as a source of their problems.

Get a clear diagnosis of your medication condition. Then find a doctor who can go over your treatment goals and come up with a Master Plan. After weighing out your risk and benefits, you can make the ultimate decision if you want to take the medication.

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Hair Loss InformationFemale Hair Loss After Hormone Replacement Therapy? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have lost more then 40% of my hair. My dermatologist said I am still actively shedding. I had hormone replacement. I was told in October of 2011 that my level was a 4. I have had a hysterectomy and am menopausal.

A pellet of testosterone was inserted sub-subcutaneously I February. I developed severe cystic acne, shortly after. My testosterone levels were three times the norm from my age (in the high 200s almost 300) and sex. My dermatologist advised me to not get implanted again- then three months later my hair began to fall out. My dermatologist said this also was a result of the drastic swing in my testosterone levels- they are still quite high.

The men in my family start to experience hair loss around age 20. I’ve never seen a female in my family lose hair,- they have it in their 90s. Shouldn’t women be warned that Hormone replacement therapy can cause hair loss? I have no other health issues, had no disease or took other medications that cause hair loss.

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I realize you are experiencing hair loss, but I cannot say if hormone replacement itself is the cause or if there should be a mandatory warning label associated with the therapy. Menopause itself could be the cause or there may be other medical issues, as well. I believe you are under the care of a physician and communications between patient and doctor is the most important element. My point is, before you start any medical treatment, side effects and treatment issues should always be explored.

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Hair Loss InformationI’ve Had Sexual Side Effects Since Switching to Generic Finasteride 2 Years Ago – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Dr. Rassman,

Have been taking propecia for approximately 4 years and for the past two switched to finasteride due to it being cheaper. Have had fantastic results with my hair (have more hair now at 30 than I did at 24!)

However, I have slowly been developing sexual side effects over the past 2 years which has come to a breaking point recently. It is now difficult for me to get and maintain an erection and my semen is watery/decreased volume. I am currently taking 1.25 mg of fin a day. I am seeing a doctor today to get my hormone levels checked. I have two questions for you:

1. Do you think these side effects may go away if I lower my dosage to 0.5 mg/day and do you even think that is worth doing? I would love to keep my hair but I am worried I am poisoning my body.

2. If I want a hair transplant in the future, will me being off finasteride significantly limit my options?

Thanks

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Lowering the dose of finasteride may lower the side effects, as I have seen this in my practice. Always discuss your medication changes with your prescribing doctor.

While it is advantageous to be on finasteride when considering a hair transplant surgery, it is not an absolute factor. Many patients undergo hair transplantation without taking finasteride.

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Hair Loss InformationHandfuls of Hair Come Out a Few Months After Giving Birth – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 26 years old, and I recently gave birth to my 2nd child (4 months old), and noticed a significant increase in hair loss. We are talking handfuls come out in the shower, or even just brushing my hair. In addition, my scalp has become incredibly itchy. Is it the stress? Are they related? What is causing it?

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Some women complain of hair loss after child birth. It may be due to hormonal changes your body goes through, but it is not well understood. There is no cure for this phenomenon, but the hair grows back usually after about one year.

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Another Hair Transplant Failure, This Time with Photos – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

We’ve written about hair transplant failures before (here and here), but this time we have some photos that we’ve been given permission to share.

This patient had 1000 grafts placed into the frontal area 10 years ago (not with us). Around 95% of the grafts have failed to grow either initially or since the surgery. In looking for a cause of the failure, I found that the donor area was taken from neck hair, not scalp hair. The incision high in the neck from a strip surgery healed better than most neck incisions, but below the incision the hair is significantly thinner than the area above it (see photos below).

The cause of the failure of the grafts could be from:

  1. The use of neck hair in the recipient area. It is well known that neck hair is not permanent and as this patient has thinning of the neck hair today (10 years after his transplant was done), it is possible that aptosis (cell death) was induced from the neck hair transplant.
  2. A failure of the quality control in the hair transplant process.
  3. A failure of the technique at the time of surgery.

Click the photos to enlarge.

 

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How Bad Would a Thin Strip Scar Really Look If I Shaved My Head? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, thank you Dr. Rassman and Dr. Pak, for maintaining this fantastic site.

You’ve explained that once transplant surgery has been performed, a patient cannot shave his head without scarring (either a FUT line or FUE dots) being visible.

My question is: If someone had a thin scar from FUT, would it really look so terrible if they shaved their head in the future (if Finasteride’s effectiveness waned and hair cloning treatments fail to emerge, and they become an advanced Norwood 6/7)?

Obviously, there are pictures of strip scars online, but it’s difficult to imagine what they would look like on a shaved head. Do you know of any patients who have done this?

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You can look at how bad strip scars may look on our ScalpMicropigment.com website (see some of the before photos of scalp scars). Unless you shave your head, even the wider scar is not visible with long hair. My scar, after three strip surgeries, can barely be seen; however, if I decided to shave my head, everyone would see the 1-2mm scar I have. Now unless you are wanting to completely shave your head, you should not have to worry about the strip scar.

In general, you can keep your hair cut as short with a number 2 to 3 guard on hair clippers without the scar being noticeable in most cases.

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Hair Loss InformationBill Gates Criticizes That More Money is Spent on Balding Cures than Polio and Malaria Vaccines – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Mr Rassman,

I have a question for you regarding Bill Gates. He’s always on TV talking about how there is less money being put into polio and malaria research than there is to balding cures. He criticizes this. I think more money should go to hair loss than polio and malaria combined. Hair loss causes so much grief and difficulty for men. I think he just doesn’t understand it and might change his tune if he were bald. What do you think?

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We wrote about Bill Gates’ quote years ago here.

I am in the business of hair restoration, and even I agree that polio and malaria treatments are more important than curing balding. Hair loss, while it causes grief and stress to men and women, is not a disease, but rather a heritable pattern of hair loss. It does not cause death like polio and malaria. Some may not agree with me, but hair loss is not a disease.

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I Saw Amazing Finasteride and Minoxidil Regrowth Photos, So Will My Hair Look Like That? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctor!

I was researching before and after pics for finasteride results when I stumbled on this link from Dr. Bernsteins website.

According to his site these are all patients who took finasteride or minoxidil or both ONLY. No surgical procedures on these patients. And I must say the results are pretty thumping good! I am 22 and recently was prescribed about a month ago for early hairloss. At this point i seem to be heading towards a Norwood 3 with a persistent forelock (as of now) no major recession or erosion of the hairline just many shorter hairs in the front that “appear” The same thickness but just aren’t getting as long as my “long hair”. My coarse dark hair however does look incredibly thin when wet but when dry it’s extremely thick appearing. I get compliments on how much hair I have. So there is no noticeable balding or thinning happening to the outside world yet.

My question is why do you say in many posts that finasteride and minoxidil do not work in the frontal scalp and hairline?

According to these patients almost EVERY person of all age ranges seem to have gotten a good bit of positive results from the medications alone including crown AND frontal regrowth. I only ask because I am hopeful that finasteride will produce similar results for me and if nothing else maintain what I have. I currently have no thinning in crown, that’s actually my thickest area of my hair.

I am 22 and given where I currently stand would you say that finasteride has a good chance of working for me? About what percentage of men see NO RESULTS from finasteride and continue to thin At the same pace? I am worried that I will be one of the patients that see no response from it :(

Thanks for your time and your informative site!

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The photos you saw on Dr. Bernstein’s site are amazing, and I have seen results like this for myself on occasion at my office. But regrowth at the front is rare (probably under 5%) compared to the results that are more common in the top/crown.

The photos show what is possible, but you have to remember that everyone will react differently to medication. Dr. Bernstein was not implying guaranteed results, but just showing some examples of positive growth. Medication might regrow your hairline, but you shouldn’t expect it to.

I have no way to know if finasteride will work for you, but you can have a HairDX finasteride response test done if you’re curious. If anything, I would expect to arrest your hair loss to give you more time with hair. If it regrows, that’s the icing on the cake.