Month: October 2012

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Hair Loss InformationI’m 17 and Balding in a NW 7 Pattern – Can I Take Propecia Now?! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr Rassman would you please kindly help me. I am a 17 year who has very strong hair loss. My hairloss started when I was 15. Am losing hair in a NW 7 pattern. Hairloss runs strong in my family but not at this age.

I have spoken to my doctor about propecia he said its upto me if I want to take. I honestly want to take it but I don’t know how it will affect my body development.

So my question is to you is will you prescribe propecia to a 17 year old (if one came to your office) and what are the risk

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Propecia is an elective medication. If you do not want to take it, then do not take it. This decision is ultimately yours. If someone under 18 years old comes to see me at my office, they need to be accompanied by their legal guardian or parent before I see them or recommend any treatments.

You need a diagnosis by a physician before starting on any medical regimen. You need a doctor who knows the science of balding and there are many of us from around the world. Since you noted in your email that you’re in the UK, there is a first class doctor there — Dr. Bessam Farjo — and I would suggest that you arrange to see him.

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Equate (Minoxidil) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Costco has stopped selling it’s 5 percent Kirkland brand of Minoxidil liquid, and only the foam is offered now. I want to still use a liquid instead of the foam and have found that Walmart carries a brand call Equate from Israel. any feed back on the product?

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I wasn’t aware that Costco stopped selling their Kirkland Minoxidil liquid, but Equate appears to be just another name that generic minoxidil is sold as. In other words, though I don’t have specific experience with Equate, I’d expect it would be the same as the Kirkland, Rogaine, and other products that contain 5% minoxidil as the active ingredient.

There are some short reviews of Equate on the Walmart site.

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Is Density Up Top Normally Lower than the Back of the Head? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it normal for hair volume to be less dense on top of your head than the lower back of head / neck area if you still have a full hair line up front above your face?

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On a non-balding person the hair density is similar throughout the scalp, but there are areas where the density may be lower, like the sides of the head (above the ears).

Only the area in the back of the head (a 2 1/2 inch area) is considered permanent, as shown in the hair that remains in the Norwood class 7 pattern.

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Finasteride Was Great for the First Few Months, Then I Started Shedding – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

Dr. Rassman, i am on Finasteride treatment since 1 year. However im not happy with the result. Firstly, i saw that my hairs were darking so quickly in the first 3-4 months. i was happy and i was getting results from Finasteride. My hairs was really good and i was feeling that it gets better day by day. Then i had a shedding phase, i was shedding like crazy, then my hairs was less thicker after this shedding phase.

Then, My hairs came back until 8th month. yet i had another shedding phase during 8th month and i lost my hair density again. Then my hairs come back later but i shedded crazy again. i had my hairs shedding during shower,on my pillow, on my laptop. (1 cm or less length hairs)

i just finished my 12th month, with the shedding phase, (or shedding period) My hairs are worse than ever, after the last shedding phase which occured 1 month ago.

Should i give up on treatment or will my hairs will come back? or when they will come back? Thanks in advance Dr. Rassman.

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You need to follow up with the doctor who prescribed you the medication. What you describe is very strange and I would hope the doctor you saw has some good objective notes, measurements, or photographs that he/she can use to validate your complaints.

The decision to stop or start Propecia (other any other medication) should be between you and your doctor.

In general, Propecia (finasteride) does not work the way you are describing. It usually takes 6 months to a year before you notice any effects. It does not “darken” your hair. The medication should not start and stop the shedding of hair in cycles like you’re describing. Many patients continue to lose some hair while taking Propecia, but the key point is that they lose a lot less hair than if they were not taking the medication at all.

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I Have an Undefined Hair Loss Pattern – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I wanted to know, if you have an undefined hair loss pattern, for example thinning in ur frontal hairline in one corner then some in the middle and none on the right hand side. Would propecia be effective in treating that, and would the hairloss be aggressive since it has an undefined pattern or would it not be aggressive?

Thank you.

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It sounds like you do not have a clear diagnosis of your hair loss. Propecia is for the treatment of male pattern baldness (MPB), but if you indeed have diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) then Propecia would not likely help. Some patients mistake MPB for DUPA when hair loss is worse on one side.

Eventually (especially under the microscope) the hair loss pattern may emerge, thus a good examination and diagnosis is important. The status of the hair in the very back of your head will tell the doctor if you have DUPA or not.