Month: October 2013

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Rogaine Regrew My Hairline! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc

Just want to share a success story. I had my hair mapped for miniturisation, it was apparent that i was thinning in the temple region and starting in the crown area. I have been using 5% minoxidil ever since for about a year now and I have experience exceptional regrowth in the temple region(although the regrown hair is shorter than the rest of my hair-2cm long, the rest of my hair is 5cm long in the front). I heard that minoxidil does not grow hair there!

The regrown hair has covered the receding hairline making my hairline appear more full, I now have a mature hairline, could even be a lower than a mature hairline. I have just started propecia 40 days ago to maintain what I got on my head, at the moment i’m very happy!! By the way i’m 20 years old..

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Your results are terrific by your own description; however, at your age the pull of the balding process will be great, so the minoxidil and the Propecia you just started on may not hold the hair there forever (particularly lower than a mature hairline).

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Shady Hair Transplant Centers Require Research to Identify – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Where can I turn to if I feel like I was ripped off by my hair transplant doc? After looking him up on the web I am now not even sure he is a legit doctor.

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I’m not sure where this doctor (or fake doctor) is located, but if he is in California, then I would contact the Medical Board of California. They are looking for victims who have been harmed through unauthorized treatments, to come forward so that they can investigate and if appropriate prosecute doctors and clinics that break the law. Some people pass themselves as licensed doctors and their victims are reluctant to go to the medical board in many situations.

Here’s an example of a fake doctor that we’ve reported on before —

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Could I Develop Traction Alopecia From Touching My Hair Over and Over? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it possible to develop mild traction alopecia from constant touching/feeling of the hair with your hands? Ive been touching my hair for over a year and I think it is thinner in certain areas where I touch it the most than it was a year ago. I cant seem to stop touching it. I really want to. The hair loss is only noticeable to me so I think if i stop touching now the hair might grow back in a few months. What do you think?

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I guess it depends on how much and how hard you are pulling on your hair. Touching your hair shouldn’t be an issue. If you have an issue where you cannot get yourself to stop touching your hair, it may be some form of an obsessive compulsive act and you should follow up with a doctor. In general, hair loss in men is mostly due to genetic androgenic alopecia (not traction alopecia).

Without an exam and medical history, I have no way to tell you what you have or if your hairs will grow back.

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I’m a Diffuse Norwood 6/7 at 21 Years Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I started losing my hair when I was only 13 years old and now at 21, I’m a very diffused NW 6/7. My permanent zone is also not as thick what it was used to be. My father and grandfather both have good density in their permanent zone but they both started losing their hair after mid twenties.

Does permanent zone of young MPB sufferer thin out too?

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You need to see a doctor and get a good diagnosis of your hair loss and its cause. You may have diffuse thinning (including your donor area) or you may just be a Norwood 6/7 with fine hair. I do not know this. Permanent zones do not undergo thinning with typical male pattern baldness.

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I’ve Colored My Hair for Years, But I’m Noticing It Has Less Volume and Thinner At the Ends – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
After two years of coloring my hair every 3 to 4 months I noticed that my hair is half the volume and is very thin at the ends. Also i have curly hair and now the ends are almost straight. I went to the dermatologist who made the test for hormones and everything is fine. My scalp itches a lot and is kind of oily. My hair is not oily, but if I massage my scalp my fingertips feel oily. The last six months my hair is not looking good, its very thin at the ends. And today is so itchy. Even itches my face and neck. Please, any advice? Thank you

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If your scalp is itching and your hair is thin, there is possible allergy or chemical damage from the coloring. But otherwise, hair changes in volume for many reasons, including age, abuse (coloring can be a type of abuse), nutritional causes, hormone changes, various skin problems and diseases. As well, drying or oily conditions may impact the hair quality.

I do not have the expertise in the area of skin conditions, so I am not the one to ask about that. It sounds like a possible allergy, but that’s something your dermatologist should’ve been able to determine. As you have already seen a dermatologist, your next step might be to see a good stylist who knows about programs to maintain your hair bulk better than I do.

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Hair Loss InformationTransplanting a Patient with a History of Keloids? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

If I am prone to forming keloids is it still possible to safely undergo hair transplant surgery w/out forming additional keloids? And have you ever done a hair transplant on someone who has a history of keloids?

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Many patients undergo hair transplantation despite a history of keloids, and most of them do well. Keloids can appear on the frontal hairline, but that is relatively rare. Keloid scarring is more likely to form on the donor scar, but the surrounding hairs will cover it so that it’s generally not a problem.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Histogen Merging with Stratus Media, Will Be Renamed to Restorgenex Corp – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the press release —

Stratus Media Group, Inc. (OTCQB:SMDI) announced today that it was planning to expand its entrance into the biotechnology industry with the execution of a letter of intent between the Company and Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing innovative therapies for conditions including hair loss and cancer.

The non-binding letter of intent outlines the primary terms of a merger of San Diego-based Histogen into Stratus, to be renamed Restorgenex Corporation. The letter of intent has been approved by the board of directors of both companies, and the parties are engaged in completing a formal merger agreement.

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Read the rest — Stratus Media Group and Histogen Execute Letter of Intent for Biotechnology Merger

We’ve written about Histogen many times in the past. It appears that Stratus Media is getting into biopharmaceuticals lately by also announcing a merger with Canterbury Laboratories, LLC, and Hygeia Therapeutics, Inc last month.

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Can I Bring the Temple Peaks In with Surgery Without Filling in the Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

I am 26 y/o, I have a very high hairline with uneven and very receded temple points. I do have some thinning on top and a family history of hair loss, but I believe that medication has been very beneficial for me. I take it every three days and have had almost the same benefit as everyday but without the side effects.

My question is regarding the temples (or sides) of my hairline. With a very high AND wide hairline, I feel its making me especially conscious of my hair loss. I’m wary about having anything done to the top of my hairline because I’m sure I don’t want to be stuck coming back for multiple surgeries if/when my hair continues to fall out.

If I were to have something done to bring the sides (temples) of my hairline in to better frame my face and add symmetry to my hairline, would I be right in thinking that this can be done and could achieve a natural looking result without lowering my hairline? and in the case that I do continue to lose hair on the top, it wouldn’t require that I come back for additional surgeries?

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This is an individual decision between doctor and patient. What is best for you will depend on many factors — for us, these factors can be analyzed and recommendations given.

Yes, a good hair transplant surgeon can replace the temple peaks. An experienced surgeon is critical for making sure it is done right and for making the proper analysis of what to do. You never want to have a cosmetic surgery with results that look unnatural, so an experienced surgeon with a good eye will be able to tell you what’s achievable for your particular case.

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Should Stress Management Be the First Step in Treating Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I see a lot of people today and on this blog amassing countless posts on what shampoo cures hairloss and especially which diet/food group. How eating broccoli or taking super-duper multivitamins may cause those dormant hairs on your head to flourish! Whatever the magic cure-of-the-day is or which study proves what, there’s still scientific error present.

What people forget is if any of there magic diets/supplements in fact did work they may never know. Why? They forgot to be scientific and take all factors into consideration. Stress levels have a large impact on nutrient absorption, meaning many of these diets/supplements may not be utilized to their full potential. This may be why we see 6 out of 10 people cured in some study as the other 4 may have completely different diet/lifestyles.

Do you agree that the 1st step in anyone’s hairloss agenda is stress management?

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No, I do not agree. The first step is to make sure that the diagnosis of genetic hair loss is correct. Stress induced hair loss is different. A doctor’s visit to make the diagnosis early is clearly in your best interest, and whatever the cost, it will be less than the time it takes for you to try every conceivable cure on the internet (of which most of them do not work).

In my office, I can measure your hair bulk, which is as good a diagnostic tool that there is. Then you get my years of experience in managing hair loss.

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Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) and Finasteride – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman, have you seen the latest findings on the prostate cancer prevention trials? The current info seems like good new for finasteride users.

see link — Finasteride Reduces the Risk of Low-Grade Prostate Cancer in Men 55 and Older

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Yes, this is a consistent finding by the government sponsored studies.

Here’s the summary:

“Long-term follow-up results from a phase III trial called the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) continue to show that regular use of finasteride (Proscar®) for up to 7 years decreased the risk of low-grade prostate cancer in men age 55 and older compared with that in men who received a placebo. Although high-grade cancers were more common in the finasteride group, the finasteride and placebo groups had similar 15-year overall survival rates.”