Month: June 2013

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I Started Shedding 9 Days After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctor,

After 9 days I’ve begun shedding. Is this too early? I’m really worried.. All I can say is I’ve been relaxing in my hotel with air conditioning would that of helped ‘dry up’ and speed the process up?

10 days after my hair transplant, the scabs have formed and are flaking off, however, I’m noticing some hair inside the flake! I thought shedding occurred 2 weeks after op?

Thank you doctor great website!

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I am not sure what you mean by shedding. If you are talking about the grafts falling out with hair in them at 9 days, that is typical and should be of no concern. Although we call this a hair transplant, it is really a stem cell transplant and that the stem cells shed off of the graft into the recipient site. At the point when the grafts are routinely shed, the stem cells already are secure in the recipient area, even though most of the grafts have fallen out. Then comes the dormant phase, followed by hair growth some months down the line.

If you are saying that the native hair around the transplanted grafts in the recipient area are shedding, then I would be concerned. I routinely put my young male surgical patients on finasteride (as well as anyone actively losing hair) prior to the hair transplant to prevent this type of shedding, also referred to as shock loss.

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Propecia Has Halted My Hair Loss for 2 Years, so Is it Time to Stop Taking It? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been on Propecia now for about 2.5 years (I am 22 now) and I noticed a receding hairline back when I was 18/19, so I decided to act on my hair loss quickly. Ever since being on Propecia I havent noticed any further hair loss. I was wondering is there a time where I should think about stopping Propecia?

I’ve heard that it can affect fertility (I know that you have said that many people do complain and the ones with positive experiences don’t) but I was just
wondering is it safe to continue? should I consider stopping? thank you in advance

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These are decisions that you should speak with your doctor about. If you stop it, you will lose all of the hair that benefited from the drug from the day you started to where the progression should have taken you.

There are extensive risks and you should have read all about them from your doctor at the time you started the process. It is uncertain if fertility is one of those risks. For my own son, I have kept him on this drug as it completely stopped and reversed his frontal hair loss.

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Deciding When the Best Time Is to Get a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 27 years old and have diffuse hair-loss on the top of my head with my crown being the worst. I have been on Finasteride for around 5 years and I think I am slowly losing ground. It definitely helped me maintain but lately I am noticing a lot of hairs falling out which leads me to believe Fin will no longer be effective. I think I the next step for me would be to get a hair transplant but I have a few questions:

Is it possible to get a hair transplant when you are diffusely thinning all over the top? I am afraid that a hair transplant will cause shock loss and I will lose my remaining hair. Is there any way to get good results?

At 27 years old, is it still to early to get a transplant? Should I wait until my hair-loss gets much worse? How do you decide when is the best time to get a transplant?

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These are personal decisions. Like the stock market which is losing ground, when is a good time to sell your stocks? Is it when the stocks drop another 50% (i.e. you lose 50% of your existing hair) or do you wait out the possibility of the stock going up (like waiting for Propecia and/or Rogaine to kick in and reverse some of the loss)? The analogy falls short here, because the stock market in the long term does well, but your hair loss in the long term is progressive, leading to a greater degree of balding.

In your case, have you been back to your prescribing doctor to see if you are losing ground after 5 years on finasteride?

I would need to see your photographs to really answer your question, so if you’d like me to take a look, you can send them to the address on the Contact page and I can get back to you privately. Reference this post when you send the photos.

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I’m Wondering if the Humidity Here Has Made My Finasteride Less Effective? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman;

Thank you for this blog and the excellent information you and your team provide. I have one quick question – does the temperature at which Finasteride is stored change its effectiveness?

I’m a 23 year old male, and I’ve been taking 1mg Finasteride for 2 years and 9 months (when I first noticed my hairloss), and my hairline has remained fairly stable until recently. But over the last few months I’ve noticed it move noticeably from about Norwood II to Norwood III, and my upper scalp has begun to thin. I assume this is the result of my genetics gradually beating out the drug’s effects. But as I’m a Peace Corps volunteer living in a southern, tropical country without access to air conditioning, I was wondering if the heat and humidity could have somehow broken down the Finasteride?

What do you recommend for storing Finasteride? Would it be better to store it in a refrigerator or to risk the sometimes 100+ degree heat? Or would you say that the temperature probably doesn’t make a difference, and that my genetics are slowly winning over the drug?

Thanks for your response!

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We are told not to let the medication heat up, and you should realize that humidity could negatively effect its potency. The balance between the drug and the normal course of the hair loss process is very difficult to analyze; however, effective drugs of all types do depend upon low humidity and no increase in temperature over 100 degrees F.

As for storing in it a refrigerator, I’ve answered that before here.

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In the News – Hair Science International Claims Hair Loss Cure, But Actually Just Selling Wigs – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

A ”CUTTING EDGE” hair loss clinic that says it can cure baldness in fact hands out cheap wigs to cover bald spots. Hair Science International was fined $100,000 after Consumer Affairs Victoria exposed scores of false claims made by the Melbourne-based company that advertises to have “20 years in Hair-loss research across the globe”. The business even starred footballers Brent Guerra and David Hale on their website.

Consumer Affairs Victoria took the company, former director Steve Sindiris and ”senior hair loss specialist” Joseph Zwaigoft to Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after unhappy customers spoke out. Customers claimed they paid $6,000 to $8,000 for poor-quality hairpieces which were glued on to their head. Hairpieces also needed to be reattached every five to six weeks for an additional fee.

Consumer Affairs Victoria alleged that the company claimed it could grow hair on synthetic liquid skin and then attach this hair to the client’s scalp.

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Read the rest — Hair loss clinic fined over wig claims

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DHT and Genetics – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

If you say DHT is produced in all men, then how is it genetic? And why some get bald and some have a full head of hair even if they also produce DHT?

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Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is produced by all men and women. Testosterone made in the bodies of men and women is metabolized by the liver, and DHT is a byproduct of this process. When a person inherits the genes for balding, this hormone causes the hair to be lost in a pattern that is genetically determined. There are a number of balding patterns that were charted, and Dr. O’Tar Norwood standardized these patterns found in men back in the 1970s.

The treatment for balding is to try to block the action of the DHT at the hair level. Fortunately, the hair follicle is very sensitive to this hormone, which is easily blocked. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is not a complete block of the actions of DHT on the hair follicle, but about 70% of it is blocked and this reduces the impact of the DHT on the balding process.

So everyone makes DHT, but only the genetic markers in some people will result in the DHT causing hair loss.

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I Was Born with an Undescended Testicle – Is That Why I Have Diffuse Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I believe I am suffering from diffuse patterned alopecia aka DPA. I was born with an undescended testicle causing a hormonal imbalance in my body. I am now 24 and have been experiencing diffusing hair loss for over 5 years. Ive been scared to take the next step and obtain treatment until now.

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There is no connection between the testicle that did not descend and your hair loss. I hope you had the testicle addressed by now with a good doctor, as these testicles that are kept in the abdomen have a higher risk of testicular cancer.

The hair loss sounds like it’s probably typical genetic male pattern balding, for which you should be evaluated by a competent doctor.

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I Went Off Propecia After 14 years and Lost My Hair! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I started taking Propecia when the drug first hit the market. There was some early hairloss when I started the medication. I stayed on it faithfully for about 14 years and last year I decided I did not need it anymore and would try to be off of it. I had no side effects, but I wanted to be free of taking drugs. About 1 month later, the hair loss started and got really bad by the third month. I am not sure why I did not go back on the medication, but I was scared. My hair loss was worse than when I started on the drug.

After almost a year I made the decision to go back on the drug and saw the hair loss stop again and some hair started to grow back. Will I get it all back?

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As you were off the drug for almost a year, I would not be surprised to see little regrowth. Only time will tell, and this time stay on the drug as it is a lifetime commitment.