Month: January 2014

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Hair Loss InformationIf I’m 55 Years Old, Is There a Benefit in Taking Propecia Before a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 55 year old man considering a hair transplant. Is there a benefit in taking Propecia a few weeks before and after the procedure? Will it result in a greater success rate of transplanted grafts? Also since I have lost the hair I am going to lose already, would there be a benefit in continuing the Propecia long term? Thank you so much Dr R.

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You really should pose this question to your doctor (who has examined you and has a treatment plan for you). I don’t know enough about your hair loss history to be able to give you an idea about your possible successes, but in general, Propecia can be good for the crown and top areas with or without a hair transplant.

Propecia can diminish the risk of shock hair loss from a hair transplant surgery, but less so in a 55 year old. Everyone is different and every doctor has a different opinion, as there is no rule.

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Hair Loss InformationI’m Female to Male Transgender – Will Testosterone Cause MPB? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Female to male transgender question:

My dad’s family has male-pattern baldness. My mom’s family is unknown whether their side does or not. I think they do looking at my great-grandpa, but her father is in prison and I’ve never seen him.

Does taking testosterone make you have male pattern baldness?

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If you have a genetic makeup for balding, then I suppose taking testosterone, an androgen, can cause male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia).

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Hair Loss InformationIs Propecia Causing Gynecomastia After 2 Weeks – Or Am I Imagining Things? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 20-year-old male and I have asked a few questions before but this one is really bothering me. I began Propecia about two weeks ago. I think I am seeing some breast growth. I may be imagining things but I don’t know. I have read so many web forums that I know the side effects so I may just be freaking myself out. I have looked up gynecomastia online and see that it is actually breast tissue growth. Is the Propecia side effect increased breast tissue or just in increase in fat in the breast that could be fixed with exercise?

I would really appreciate a response. Thank you

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You need an examination of your breast tissue if you think you have gynecomastia. While it is a very rare potential side effect of Propecia, gynecomastia can even occur in young men who are NOT on Propecia. Having only taken the medication for a couple of weeks, it would seem even more unlikely.

That said… what you’re seeing might be real, but I would think it’s more possible that you’re just freaking yourself out after reading web forum horror stories, as you suggested. I’ve written before about the power of suggestion.

Still, if you’re concerned you should have a doctor examine you, or at least talk to your prescribing doctor about stopping the medication or lowering your dosage.

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Hair Loss InformationWill Castor Oil Treat My Eyebrow Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,

I am experiencing loss in hair on both my eyebrows. I’ve done a lot of research on the internet and it all leads to the “castor oil” solution. I was wondering if you think it is safe to try that solution or if you can recommend me any others. I’m becoming more conscious of my eyebrow problem and hope to find a solution.

Thank You

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You can try it, but I doubt it will work. I’m not sure why someone would think castor oil will grow hair on the eyebrows or scalp. With respect to safety, I would just point out some common sense stuff, like to not get the oil in your eyes. If you are going to try it, you should take some good before and after pictures… which, by the way, I don’t think anyone has.

One way for addressing eyebrow hair loss that works very well is hair transplantation to the eyebrows.

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Hair Loss InformationIs There a Safer Artificial Hair Implant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I want to know more about ‘artificial hair implants’. i read a few articles on the net, these claim that its much safer now to have artificial hair implants then it was a few years ago. what is your take on this?

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Artificial hair implants are not legal in the United States mostly due to safety reasons. I’ve seen horrible scarring from these procedures. I would not recommend having this done, even if new manufacturers claim to be “safer”.

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Hair Loss InformationI’m Treating HBP and High Cholestoral, But Now I See Female Hair Loss! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 56 years young woman with beautiful silver hair. I began taking Lisinopril 40MG for HBP & Pravastatin 20MG for cholesterol 1 1/2 years ago. Shortly thereafter, I noticed that I’m losing my hair at an alarming rate. I am afraid to comb my hair as I would lose hundreds of strand at each session. I am very concerned that if this continues, I will have lost all my hair within the next two years.

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PillsWhile the timing of your hair loss beginning may sync up with the start of your medications, I really cannot say for sure if the two are related. It’s possible that it was coincidental timing, and that there is another underlying issue. A partial list of causes for hair loss in women can be found here.

Pravastatin and lisinopril both list hair loss as a rare side effect, but the most common causes of hair loss in women is genetics or an underlying medical problem (not medication). Please see your doctor for your hair loss if it bothers you.

With respect to losing all of your hair within the next two years, that would be quite uncommon… especially if the loss was from medication.

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Hair Loss InformationAre My Nose Bleeds and Watering Eyes Due to Toppik? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello doctor. I’m upset because i’m wondering if there are side effects in using toppik (me for five years). Sometimes i have my nose bleeding and sometimes my eyes are weeping. i suspect the ammonium chloride including in the product. For the past 2 years i’ve used a mask to put it on.

Also when i get up in he morning my mouth is very dry. My doctor also discovered a nodule recently in the thyroids gland. do you think all these
events are related with toppik? Perhaps nanogen is less harmful.

i thank you for your response

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ToppikI would see a doctor about the nose bleeds and eye irritation. Certain substances can cause irritation to your eyes, but I cannot say if Toppik is the cause. If you’re getting Toppik in your eyes, perhaps another camouflage might do better for you, such as DermMatch.

I’m not sure why you would immediately point to Toppik as the source of dry mouth, nose bleeds, a thyroid nodule, and eye irritation. I’m not saying Toppik is not the cause. Perhaps it is, but there must be hundreds of other potential causes higher on the list than Toppik.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Man Has 6 Botched Hair Transplant Procedures – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

From Wayne Rooney to James Nesbitt, the list of celebrity men who have resorted to hair transplants to revitalise their balding manes is a long one. As a result, inquiries about the treatment have shot up by 260 per cent over the last 12 months while 59 per cent of men say they would consider the treatment if they started losing their hair.

But as Michael Avola, 49, an unemployed former martial arts champion from Northampton knows only too well, the fiddly surgery doesn’t always go to plan. After he began losing his hair – and his confidence – at the age of 23, he turned to surgery in a bid to fix the problem.

‘They promised me there would be a really good result,’ he reveals. ‘They said the scarring would be invisible and that there would be full coverage at the front.’

Instead, after a bungling surgeon botched the operation, Mr Avola was left with a small amount of wiry regrowth and a front section without any hair on it at all. But six operations and £7,000 later, Mr Avola was left badly scarred and still bald.

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Read the rest — Bungling surgeon leaves man scarred and hairless after botching operation SIX times

The article mentions that Dr. Bessam Farjo did a 7th surgery on this man, though it doesn’t say who did the first six botched procedures.

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Hair Loss InformationWhat is Scarring Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Are scarring alopecias the only forms of alopecia that result in permanent damage to the hair follicle? if so is Androgenetic Alopecia scarring or non-scarring? Also, is hair loss due to vitamin/iron deficiencies and/or hypothyroidism a scarring or non-scarring form of alopecia? If so then is it theoretically possible to regrow hair years after losing them to these conditions even if it is not yet known how to do so?

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Scarring alopecia (otherwise known as cicatricial alopecia) is a hair loss condition caused by an underlying medical issue that causes “scarring” of the hair follicles and the skin around it, as the name implies. It is is generally not treatable with a hair transplant procedure.

According to WebMD, some examples include “dissecting cellulitis, eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, follicular degeneration syndrome (previously called ‘hot comb’ alopecia), folliculitis decalvans, lichen planopilaris, and pseudopelade of Brocq, to name a few. Scarring alopecia may also be part of a much larger condition such as chronic lupus erythematosus, where many organs of the body can be affected.”

Androgenic alopecia is NOT scarring alopecia. Androgenic alopecia is genetic, where the follicles are genetically programmed to “die” after a certain period of time (no scarring).

Vitamin/iron deficiency or hypothyroidism can cause hair loss as a side effect from the underlying medical issues, but there is no scarring involved. In general, scarring alopecia is permanent; however, for many patients we have found a good cosmetic solution with Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP).

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Hair Loss InformationThe Right Side of My Body Has More Hair Than the Left – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, im a 18 year old lad, and was just curious if there is any reason why my left leg is much less harrier than my right? i dont think i have lost any hair but its also the same with my facial hair. i have much more hairs on my right side of my face than my left.

any ideas? thanks

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We are not completely symmetric. Some people have a longer arm, leg, or even a larger breast on one side. Hair is no exception. What you’re seeing is probably just your genetics.

It’s possible that your body hair will even out at some point if you’re still going through puberty at 18 years old.