Month: October 2012

Posted on

I’ve Been Losing Hair All Over My Scalp for Almost 2 Years – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Almost bald at aged 19.

Not only have I had serious thinning on the crown and the temple receding, the sides and the back also seem to be affected. I am down to a shaver #1 and unless I can quickly change things I could be completely bald very soon. Is help available? My scalp has been visible for almost 2 years. Everyone knows I am going bald because my hair is that thin allover the place.

I will not be able to have a hair transplant even if I could afford it. Is there a chance I could respond well to Minoxidil or Propecia or Proscar with my hair being so short? I seriously do not think my hair has much life left in it.

Short not by choice. Short because my hair growth follicles are really small and thin allover my head.

Block Quote

If you’re thinning all over the scalp, including the sides and back of your head, a hair transplant probably wouldn’t be an option even if you wanted it. If the donor area is thinning, you are likely not a surgical candidate.

You need to see a doctor to find out what you’re dealing with. You might have some form of alopecia areata, which does not respond to minoxidil or finasteride. I wouldn’t know what kind of help is available just based on your email, but an examination with a good doctor will be able to determine what is causing your loss (genetics, disease, etc). You need to know what you have before you can look into options to treat it.

Posted on

In the News – Doctor in India Arrested for Stealing Hair Transplant Machine Designs – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

In a first of its kind case, Surat police arrested a doctor for allegedly stealing another doctor’s patented design of a hair transplant machine. The complaint was filed against the accused by another doctor under IPC sections 380, 196 and 120(B). The accused was allowed to go after his statement was recorded as he already had been given anticipatory bail by a local court.

Plastic surgeon Dr Pradipsinh Atodariya claims to have developed and designed a hair transplant machine through which multiple hair transplant is possible at a time.

Block Quote

Read the rest — Doctor held for theft of hair transplant machine’s design

Just when I think I’ve heard it all…

It sounds like one doctor is taking credit for another doctor’s invention. I’m not familiar with any of these doctors, nor am I familiar with the machine in question.

Posted on

How Can You Distinguish Between a Maturing Hairline and Early Balding? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doc,

in a former post you said that you saw several young men with mpb, who just had some temple recession and that was it.

As this early but limited loss could look similar to a mature hairline and assumed that the miniaturization would not go further than its supposed leading edge (let’s say of a v-shaped hairline that sits 1 inch at the sides and 1/2 inch at the center above the highest wrinkle) how would you distinguish between maturing and balding then?

It can’t be the presence of miniaturization alone, since some doctors claim that if it drops sharply after the first 1 or 2cm, it is likely to be part of maturation. Is that correct?

Thank you

Block Quote

Have you read our post about the mature hairline? A good doctor will tell you the answer to your question. Tests for miniaturization and bulk measurements will tell you if you have genetic male patterned baldness. These are done in the doctor’s office.

Posted on

Lowering My Dosage – 1mg Finasteride Every Other Day or 0.5mg Daily? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor, I was on 1mg Fin for 4 months, was very happy with my hair results, however I have developed anxiety and slight depression.

I asked my doctor whether I could lower the dosage and she said I could do 1.0mg pill every other day. She did not explain why.

Are there any studies that show that 1mg every other day is better than 0.5 mg every day? thank you!

Block Quote

I don’t know of a study that compares 1mg every other day to 0.5mg daily.

Logically speaking, Propecia’s half life is about 4 to 6 hours. So by the next day the medication is almost all gone from your blood stream. Thus, the medication is intended for daily use. Taking 0.5mg daily would seem more of a steady state than taking 1mg every other day. Practically speaking, I would think 0.5mg daily is easier to remember as a routine in your compliance than taking it every other day.

Your doctor may have her own reasons behind the recommendation, and after all this is a “practice” of medicine. I would speak to your prescribing doctor on this issue and make sure both of you are on the same page before making any changes to your medication. She might not have explained why she suggested the every other day dosing, but it doesn’t hurt to ask her.

Posted on

Not Hair Loss News – Green Tea May Inhibit Prostate Cancer Growth – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the non-hair-loss article:

Men with prostate cancer who consumed green tea prior to undergoing prostatectomy had reductions in markers of inflammation, according to data presented at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held in Anaheim, Calif., Oct. 16-19, 2012.

“Our study showed that drinking six cups of green tea affected biomarkers in prostate tissue at the time of surgery,” said Susanne M. Henning, Ph.D., R.D., adjunct professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. “This research offers new insights into the mechanisms by which green tea consumption may reduce the risk for prostate cancer by opposing processes such as inflammation, which are associated with prostate cancer growth.”

Block Quote

Read the rest – Green Tea Reduced Inflammation, May Inhibit Prostate Cancer Tumor Growth, Research Finds

This small study of 67 men with known prostate cancer showed a significant reduction in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate tissue PSA protein expression in those that consumed green tea. It seems to build upon an earlier study from 2009.

It’s too early to suggest that green tea can prevent cancer, and further research will be necessary to evaluate the connection.

Posted on

I’m Female and Want to Grow a Beard – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a girl. I want to grow a beard. Could I do this with rogaine foam for men? This is serious.

Block Quote

It is known that minoxidil could cause hair growth, and if you were to use this on your face, a beard might become a side effect.

Of course, I would ask why you want to do this and have you consulted your family and/or doctor about it? It’s not every day that we get emails from women wanting to grow facial hair.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationRogaine Caused Shedding Almost Immediately and It’s Not Stopping – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I have 2 questions I am hoping you can answer.

Is hair loss on benzodiazepine, specifically xanax or ativan rare or common side effect? IF so, would taking it several times a month really impact hair loss?

Also, I am using Rogaine 5% (i am a female) for 10 weeks and I have been shedding from it almost immediately. I am still shedding and it is not letting up. I lose about 150-200 hairs a day. Based on what I read, the shed should not last this long. I am mostly concerned because I am losing most of my long thick hairs. Could I possibly be having an adverse reaction to the Rogaine?

Thanks

Block Quote

Hair loss from benzodiazepines are usually uncommon, though it is known to occur.

You need a specialist on female hair loss to assess what is happening to you. Minoxidil can cause a short term shed (1-3 months) usually reversing with the benefits progress from that point forward.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationPatient Results – Restored Crown After 1870 Grafts (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This patient stopped by to show me the results from his crown transplant a couple years ago. He is completely thrilled with the results, which are from the 1870 grafts he received in one session.

He liked the results so much that he started considering having surgery in an early mature hairline (he is 32 years old). I suggested that he hold off on any surgery to his hairline for a while, since it’s not bothering him much yet. Chasing a maturing hairline with transplants is never a good idea because in my opinion, this is a normal hairline for a man who is not balding.

But in any case, his crown looks much fuller now and he couldn’t be more pleased! Click the photos to enlarge.

Before (on left)  //  After (on right)

 

Update: A reader pointed out that we previously posted this patient last year (oops) — here. I corrected some info about the patient’s age and graft count. The after photo is more current on this post though.

Posted on

If I Pluck My Grey Hairs, Will They Disappear For Good? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,Dr. Rassman

i have 5-6 grey hairs at the side of my hairs. if i pluck out my hairs, Can i solve this problem? or you have any solution for grey hairs?

im very young and This grey hairs makes me feel old.

Thanks in advance.

Block Quote

If you continuously pluck out your grey hairs, it might cause them to eventually stop growing… but it’s not going to make them regrow as your regular hair color. In other words, I wouldn’t recommend going that route. I don’t know how old you are, but some people just go grey at a younger age than you might expect.

At this point, the way to solve the problem of grey hair is by using hair dye. There’s talk about a pill to prevent grey hair, but it’s apparently still years away (see here).

Posted on

In the News – Rare Scalp Condition Diagnosed as Cutis Verticis Gyrata – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

A 21-year-old man has been diagnosed with cutis verticis gyrata, a rare condition that forms folds and furrows in the scalp.

The unidentified man first began noticing the changes 2 years ago.

That’s when his skin started to grow into thick, soft folds, resembling the ridges of the brain, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Block Quote

Read the rest — Rare Condition Causes ‘Brainy’ Scalp

Click to the link to see a photo of this, too. And for the curious, we wrote about this condition about 5 years ago here.