Month: February 2014

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Hair Loss InformationFinasteride Didn’t Work for Me, But Minoxidil Did! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr I took finasteride for 3 years and 4 months, and during this period my hair continued to fall at the same rate when not used, many had itching and dandruff on the head (surely caused by MPB) I have to diffuse homogeneous nw6. So I decided to start with minoxidil and to my surprise, my head stopped itching, dandruff disappeared and stopped losing those hills wire miniaturized, felt the texture of hair greatly improved and increased volume. I’ve always heard that finasteride was the flagship of the treatment, but this seems not to apply in my case

Have you ever had a patient with a case similar to mine: Bad response to finasteride, but good response to minoxidil?

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Everyone responds to medication differently. I have seen many men with great results from topical minoxidil (Rogaine) alone, but in more cases I’ve seen even better results from finasteride (Propecia).

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Hair Loss InformationWhat Makes a Good Female Hair Transplant Candidate? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi,

i am a 17 year old female and my hair is thinning rapidly- to the point where i and others from a certain distance can see bits of my scalp at the top. I was just wondering about the procedure for hair transplants in female, what makes a good female candidate for a hair transplant, and the minimum age for doing so

thanks

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A good female hair transplant patient will have:

  1. healthy hair around the back and sides of the head
  2. limited area of thinning or balding (example: frontal hair loss)
  3. medium or heavier hair
  4. good hair densities
  5. good medical health without any diseases that cause hair loss
  6. no medications taken that cause hair loss
  7. tried medical treatments such as minoxidil without results
  8. enough maturity to understand a hair loss Master Plan developed with her doctor for her life’s projected hair loss

Most women have generalized thinning which is not a good condition for a hair transplant. Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) works well for treating thinning (see our SMP gallery).

All females should have an extensive medical work-up for hair thinning, as there are conditions such as thyroid disease that can cause the loss. First you need to be checked out to make sure that you do not have some identifiable cause of the hair loss (e.g. extreme fluctuations in your weight). Once your doctor determines a possible cause for your loss, then a treatment path can be developed to attack any identifiable cause (e.g. thyroid disease). Hair restoration procedures such as hair transplantation or SMP should really be last options, not first ones for a 17 year old female.

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Hair Loss InformationHydraCell – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I live in Denmark and just spotted this ad for “vaccination” against hairloss. They are doing trials of the product at a reduced price.

It’s is discussed here: Hairlosstalk.com

What your thoughts of this product “Hydracell” ?

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I found the website for the clinic that markets HydraCell, and while I can’t read Danish, I did find a press release from 2011 in English: Hair Restoration Pioneer Brings ACell and New Hydr-ACell Solution to Norway Study

I read up on the mixture of ACell and PRP, and this is mostly hype. There is no basis for any value for either PRP or ACell for growing hair or vaccination against hair loss. I’m not impressed.

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Hair Loss InformationNot Hair Loss News – Antioxidants Accelerate Lung Cancer in Mice – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Although some people spend countless dollars on antioxidant supplements to improve their health, many studies have found that these would-be panaceas could actually exacerbate the diseases they claim to prevent.

Now, a team of Swedish scientists has shown that two antioxidants—vitamin E and N-acetylcysteine (NAC)—can fuel the growth of lung cancers in mice. The team also worked out why.

Antioxidants protect cells from chemically unstable molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can easily react with DNA and cause damage that leads to cancer. But Martin Bergo’s team at the University of Gothenburg showed that antioxidants neutralize ROS in tumors as well as healthy cells. “If we give extra antioxidants in the diet, we’re helping the tumor to reduce radicals that would otherwise block its growth,” Bergo said. “Then it can speed up all it wants.”

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Read the rest — Antioxidants Speed Up Lung Cancer

This may bust the modern thought that antioxidants are good for everyone. Although this was discovered in mice, we need to pay attention to such publications.

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Hair Loss InformationPropecia or Minoxidil – Which Should I Try First to Treat My Receding Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I read that you don’t advise starting both minoxidil and propecia at the same time at the risk of not knowing which is helping, as well as addicting the hair to both types of treatment.

Here’s my question: As a 22-year-old male with about a 3-inch receding hairline (straight back, not up toward the crown), which should I try first? And how long should I stay on that first treatment before stopping and trying the second, or simply adding the second to the mix?

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If you’re trying to treat a receding hairline, either medication isn’t likely to regrow the frontal region, though it’s not impossible. Propecia is a prescription medication, so you should see a doctor to learn more about it. Minoxidil is available over the counter, but does most of it’s regrowth in the crown (which you said isn’t a problem).

I’m not your doctor and haven’t examined you though, so I really can’t say which medication you should try first… but I will say that Propecia can halt the hair loss from progressing further back, so that might be your best bet if your doctor agrees and prescribes it to you.

As for how long you should wait before starting a 2nd medication, that’s really a judgment call. If you stop either medication, you will lose any benefits they gave you.

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Hair Loss InformationThymosin Beta-4 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is there any truth that a peptide called TB-500 also know as Thymosin beta4 help with thinning hair?

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Not that I’m aware of. There was a mouse and rat study published years ago that got companies excited to start marketing Thymosin beta-4 as the next great “cure”, but such studies are a long way away from human proof.

I haven’t seen anything about it in recent years, which leads me to believe it went nowhere. If anyone has more current info, please feel free to send it in!

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I’m in High School and I’ve Gone Completely Bald – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

At the age of twelve my barber first noticed that I was starting to get small bald spots and that I should see a doctor about it being Alopecia. I went to a dermatologist and they confirmed it was Alopecia.

The spots progressively got bigger and not one treatment had any effect. My hair was tolerable through Junior High School because the spots were hardly noticeable, but my Sophomore year in high school I suddenly went completely bald. I have worn a hat everyday of my life for the last two to two and a half years and simply cannot get over it.

I am afraid that I am missing out on all the perks of a normal childhood. I am now a senior in high school and I have absolutely no signs of anything changing. Any input on a solution, even though that seems completely out of the question considering what I’ve tried, please feel free to respond. Thank You.

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The term “alopecia” just means hair loss, so if you went completely bald, I am going to assume your doctor diagnosed you with alopecia totalis (total scalp hair loss) or alopecia universalis (total scalp and body hair loss). I wish I had better news to give you, but unfortunately the treatments available for these types of alopecias are extremely limited — essentially just wigs and Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP). You can learn more about treatments at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

We’ve performed SMP on alopecia totalis patients in the past, with one such example found here.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Suave Hair Loss Lawsuit Reaches Settlement – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Hair loss from Suave product causes Unilever to settle for 10.2 million dollar lawsuit. Women reported having their hair become discolored, breaking off, falling out in clumps and suffering scalp burns after using Suave Keratin Infusion treatments.

According to a report by Law 360 which was published on Feb. 10, in United States District Court in Illinois late last week, Unilever settled a class action lawsuit filed by consumers concerning their hair care product, Suave Keratin Infusion treatments.

The company reportedly agreed to pay $10.2 million. The settlement will be split into two separate settlement funds, a $250,000 reimbursement fund and a $10 million injury fund. Plaintiffs who simply purchased the kits and did not use them will receive a $10 refund from the reimbursement fund.

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Read the rest — Unilever settles $10.2 million class action lawsuit