March 2013 – Page 6 – Balding Blog

March 7, 2013

My Shiny Blonde Hair is Regrowing Dark Brown and Dull After 3 Months of Minoxidil Use – Balding Blog

Hi doctor,
I am a 21 year old male. I began using minoxodil about 3 months ago as a last resort since I could not handle any amount of finasteride. Since I started using it I am seeing some regrowth, yet my hair, which is usually shiny and blonde in different tones, is coming in almost dark brown and dull. Friends have even commented on the colour change and said it looks very strange and doesnt match my complexion. I guess I can not complain as I am not rapidly balding like many others, yet is this a normal change to occur or should I go and see my doctor?

Thank you so much for your blog.

Minoxidil can, at times, cause a change in hair color and texture. I don’t have an explanation for the color change, and it doesn’t happen in most cases that I’m aware of. I guess there is a choice to be made — hold on to your new brown hair or stop the treatment and lose your newly regrown hair. You can go to lighten your hair going back to blonde if you decide to dye it (just be careful to not cause any chemical damage).

My three sons had blonde hair as children, but as they aged their hair color started to change. My oldest son was a platinum blonde and today he has the darkest brown hair of the three. Maybe your hair was changing color already and you’re just now so focused on your hair that you’re noticing it?

March 6, 2013

Hair Loss InformationI Noticed Regrowth In My Hairline 2 Months After Taking Melanotan! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Melanotan and hairloss

some background info: Male, mid twenties, taking propecia for about 1.5 years.

Some time ago I stumbled across this thread

I thought it’s just an illusion, because the drug makes your hair a few shades darker. But recently, I’ve also noticed some regrowth in my hairline after 2 months of taking melanotan. It’s not dramatic, just a few follicles at the corners, but clearly visible. I doubt it’s finasteride since I’m taking it for 1.5yrs now (not taking any additional drugs).

Hope you find this interesting

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It is interesting. Thanks for sharing. You should have taken before and after pictures to have some visual comparison at the very least, otherwise it is just one of many anecdotal observations that get reported about a variety of treatments.

March 6, 2013

I Switched From Finasteride to Dutasteride And Now Have Shedding All Over the Scalp – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman. First, a huge thank you for this great site. It is an island of real medical information amidst the sea of misinformation of hais loss.

I have a question I believe has not been asked before. Can the switch from finasteride to dutasteride cause catch up loss?

After 4 years on 1.25mg of finasteride, 3 months ago I added 2.5g of avodart daily for two months, lowering the dosage to 0,5g daily after that. I mantained finasteride for the first month of avodart and stopped taking it since about two months ago.

As of now I am experiencing massive shedding all over the scalp (including the sides and donor area), with the characteristic white bulb of a telogen effluvium. Could this shedding be catch up loss from not taking finasteride, causing permanent damage, or does avodart “picks up” that protection and is just normal shedding from switching medication? Is it reasonable to expect my hair to grow back? I discussed this with my doctor, but he simply does not have your knowledge. I returned with my daily 1,25 of finasteride a few days ago, just in case, and will maintain a low dose of avodart for extra dht suppression.

Thanks for your time!

Changing many factors makes an analysis extremely difficult. I haven’t heard of a switch between medications causing catch-up loss, but I’m not sure why you were taking both medications and changing doses so much. Did your doctor prescribe this method?

Since you’re going back to your finasteride routine that worked for you before, I’d give it some time to see what happens. I’m not sure why you experienced a massive shed, and it’s particularly troubling that it occurred in the back and sides of your scalp. If your doctor isn’t knowledgeable about treating hair loss, you should try to find one that does. You should have your scalp examined and baselines measured so that you can know for sure what any treatment is doing (good or bad).

I said this many times, and it may not be something you want to hear, but in the end your genetic predisposition will win out. It is really not about total DHT suppression.

March 5, 2013

Could a Traumatic Experience Cause My Transplanted Hair To Fall Out? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Have you ever had or known in your experience of a man having a hair transplant and everything was going wonderful for the first six or seven months and then a traumatic event reversing things? My age is 62 and I was doing well until I started having severe stomach pain at about 6 months after the procedure.

I guess I passed out and was taken to the hospital unconscious. I had to have a transfusion of a small amount of blood. I had a stomach aneurism and almost died. I had to have some metal clips placed in my stomach so I had to have general anesthetic. Could this event have caused me to lose a lot of my transplanted hair? I seem to be losing more all the time.

I’ve been taking iron pills because I’ve been told that I’m anemic. Is it possible that the implanted hair could be coming out due to this incident? If that is true do you think my transplanted hair will ever grow back again once I regain my full health again? I have asked my surgeon these questions but feel like I’m gettin the “run around”. My surgeon has recommended that i start taking propecia or rogaine. I did take propecia for at least a couple months before my surgery and about 5 months afterwards. I did have some sexual side effects with the drug so was told that I had taken it long enough.

It has been 10 months since my surgery and I am feeling like I went through all this and may not end up with all the hair I had after about 5 months after the HT. Could you give me your thoughts and feelings on my story because I read your column frequently and I do respect your opinion. I would be willing to have another HT if you think that would be the answer to this mess. I had 2400 implants the first time. Thanks for your opinion.

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It sounds like you are lucky to be alive. We do know that stress can cause hair loss and I guess it could delay the growth of your new hair for 10-12 months, so all may not be lost.

Most people who lose hair after a traumatic event, will lose their non-transplanted native hair, but I have heard and have seen some patients lose their transplanted hair some 3-5 years after the transplant was done. We say that transplanted hair is permanent, but that is a general rule… and all rules can be broken.

Your hair growth is clearly delayed, so I would wait out another few months and see if the Rogaine helps. I am assuming that your transplant doctor knows what we/she is doing and generally gets good responses from the transplants he/she performs.

March 4, 2013

Hair Loss InformationScalp Micropigmentation (SMP) and Anesthesia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I called a few clinics doing SMP and there seems to be various approach in terms of anesthesia for SMP into a scar. Some don’t give anything, others say they apply an anesthetizing cream an other give injections. Which is the best approach to reduce any discomfort to a minimum ? I would not do it without any anesthesia and I am not sure applying a cream is enough. Can you comment ?

Thanks

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A topical cream anesthetic might work on other parts of the body where skin absorbs the medication (like your mouth), but it does not necessarily work as well on thick skin and scalp. Many tattoo parlors use numbing cream, but I do not believe it would work well on the scalp.

Some places that offer SMP do not provide any medication, because they are non-medical clinics, and do not have a licensed physician that can administer the medication.

In our practice, we use local anesthesia so there is no pain or discomfort. We also offer light sedation and laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to minimize any discomfort or anxiety.

March 4, 2013

Hair Loss InformationI Have Below Average Density and Great Laxity – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman

What is your advise for patients with below average density and great laxity ? I got a hair transplant a month ago but it turns out my density of hairs is 60 hair per square cm and above the ears it was only 40 hair per centimeters. Am I still an acceptable candidate for a hair transplant ?

The Dr managed to cut a strip which went over the ears yet it only gave a total over 2660 grafts in the end. Since my hair is thick and wavy it appears like I have more hair than I really do. I come from an Indian background, but my density is even lower than Indian and in fact its lower in comparison to the Chinese society as well. The Doctor then transplant 30 grafts per centimetres per square using the FUT method.

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The magic formula is balancing the supply that is available with the demand for hair (Norwood Class). A Norwood class 3 patient will not be impacted by low donor density, while a class 6 or 7 patient may not be able to meet his goals. Good laxity helps offset the lower density in donor yield, but the eventual supply will be restricted.

Did you ask your doctor for an estimate on how many hair transplants you would need to achieve your goals?

March 4, 2013

Hair Loss InformationCan Happiness Levels Have Anything to Do with Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman

I am a 19 year old who has had temple recession since the age of 17. I am a norwood 3 with a strong window peak (My right temple has a larger bald surface area than the left). I have the following questions.

1) Do happiness and relaxation levels have anything to do with triggering hair loss?

2) I am very conscious of my hair thinning, and sometimes have slight sensations in my head when I think my hair line is receding, is this possible or could this all be triggered by anxiety?

3) My hair line is definitely not symmetrical. If someones balding is only a norwood 3 and not higher, does it have to be symmetrical, or can people stabilize at norwood 3 have unsymmetrical hair lines for the rest of their lives?

thank you for your help

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Stress is a cause of hair loss. So if you’re stressed, you’re not going to be relaxed. In that sense, they are related. As for the sensations you feel at your hairline, I’d guess it was probably anxiety.

The fact that your hairline is asymmetrical indicates that the lower side will rise to the level of the higher side eventually. The higher side may also rise.

March 1, 2013

Minoxidil Has Regrown Some Hair, But The Rest of My Hair Is Very Fine Now! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)

I’ve been using Minoxidil for about a year. It seemed to stop my hair from falling out, with new regrowth. But, my hair is so fine now; the strands are very thin, that gains seem to have been replaced with thin fragile hairs. Is this typical? If I stop using it, will the strands that grow back stay fine, or thicker as they were before? Any comments on weight gain, as a small percentage side effect? Thank you so much!

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If you stop using it and if your hair is minoxidil dependent, then you will lose hair along with whatever benefits you’ve gotten since you started the medication. I don’t know how much regrowth you saw since I don’t have before and after photos of your hair, but you need to continue using the minoxidil for life in order to maintain the gains you made.

Fine hair is fine hair, but minoxidil did not cause that. Minoxidil doesn’t change the character of hair. Fragile hair occurs in some people, but you might check with your hair stylist for a solution to this one. Remember the hair that you are treating with minoxidil is fragile by its nature if it is miniaturized due to the genetic balding, so I would imagine that your minoxidil treated hair will be easily broken if you are rough in handling it.

Female hair loss is tricky, and there are many possible reasons for the loss you see. If you were diagnosed with genetic loss by a doctor, that’s one thing, but if you are just treating yourself, there are common blood tests you can have done to see if there is another potential cause (see here).

March 1, 2013

Could Propecia or Rogaine Help Me To Grow a Goatee? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Im a male of 20yrs but i hardly have any facial hair. i’ve always wanted a thick Goatie beard but i dont have any hair there. is it good to use Rogaine or Propecia?? plz help.

Thanks for the help 🙂

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Rogaine has been known to grow hair in the skin and it might help facial hair, but the hair will probably not be strong like a real beard. You’re 20 years old, so your best bet would be to just wait a little longer to see if the facial hair starts to come in on its own. Some men just have very little facial hair in general, though.

Propecia won’t grow a goatee.

March 1, 2013

In the News – What Makes Hair Curly? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Why a strand of hair bends or falls the way it does may sound like a simple question, but the answer is rather convoluted. On one level, the texture of a person’s hair derives from his or her genes. A 2009 study looked at the genetics of waves and curls and reported a heritability of between 85 and 95 percent. (That means about nine tenths of the variation in hair texture within the sample could be ascribed to DNA.) How does this play out at the level of a single hair? Research shows that the curvature of a strand depends on the nature of its follicle. When a follicle is asymmetrical, the hair that it produces is oval in shape and tends to curl. When it’s symmetrical, the strand that emerges grows round and straight.

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Read the rest — FYI: What Makes Hair Curly? (via Neatorama)