Month: February 2014

Posted on

The Sides of My Head Are Thinning – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

dear doc, what could possibly be a cause for my rapid thinning of hair on the side of my head? In fact, its the first place to thin.

Isn’t the sides supposed to be MPB resistant? what i mean by side is the entire area above the ears and above sideburns. Please help! thanks in advance

Block Quote

You are correct that the sides of the head (above the ears) should not be affected by male pattern baldness (MPB), but I do not know what you are experiencing. Unfortunately, I can’t just diagnose someone’s hair loss cause based on a couple sentence description. It could be an allergy, infection, or disease. I would see a doctor to have an examination and get a diagnosis.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationIs There Any Benefit from Homemade Hair Loss Remedies? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I am writing to you from Turkey. As you know, in the eastern traditions and to a certain degree in the western traditions, homemade hair loss remedies such as oils, onion juice, vinegars etc. are used. Although it is clear that all these are not based on scientific grounds, is there any beneficent aspect of these?

Thank you

Block Quote

Short answer — no. If these home “remedies” had any truth to them, you wouldn’t see too many balding men. Smearing your scalp with onions, vinegar, oils, lotions and potions are not going to regrow your hair.

Posted on

What Kind of Stress Can Trigger Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Two questions.

1. I know that stress can cause or “jump start” hair loss. But is it like normal girlfriend left me stress or only extreme stress over prolonged periods of time?

2. When you say there’s about a 51 percent chance of inheriting mpb from your mother’s side and 49 percent from your father, does it mean your mother’s father and only your father, with some variation or is it the entire side of the family with some variation? Or is it far far more complex?

Block Quote

1. I would say extreme stress would be more likely to cause hair loss, though the amount of stress different people can handle will vary. Medical illness is also a stress, and some will even see hair loss following sickness. Most people who have stress induced hair loss will have some genetic factors that are present, though that isn’t always the case.

2. The majority of hair loss cases are from genetic causes. I have seen it coming from both sides of the family. Many young men, particularly with early advanced hair loss, can identify someone in their family that told them of the connections. Fathers, in particular, identify with their sons if they have MPB.

Posted on

I’m Feeling More Scalp Sensation In the Recipient Area Months After Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i had a hair transplant about 3 months ago. is it normal to feel a sensation when you had goose bumps especially on your scalp (recipient area)? as if you could feel that the hairs are erected? i didnt feel this prior to my surgery at all. thank you doctor.

Block Quote

I’m not sure what you may be experiencing. If you have hair in a spot you never had hair prior to surgery, maybe you’re feeling your small nerves recovering from the surgery. Ask your doctor to examine you and give you a better assessment.

Posted on

Oral Minoxidil and Wrinkles? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I posted an email from a reader a couple days ago regarding topical minoxidil and facial wrinkles, and received some feedback worth posting.

Dr. Damkerng Pathomvanich from Thailand reached out to me to speak of his experience in treating hair loss patients with oral minoxidil. He states:

“There were no complaints in my 22 years of practice regarding wrinkles after taking oral minoxidil low dose. Most common side effects are puffy eyelids and leg swelling. Minoxidil might inhibit collagen synthesis but there is no proof of facial wrinkles.”

Block Quote

The use of oral minoxidil for treating hair loss is more common in Asia, as it is less expensive than the topical. Oral minoxidil was originally used to treat high blood pressure and the growth of hair was a noted side effect of the drug. Topical minoxidil is FDA approved for treating hair loss, but the oral pill is not. I do not recommend oral minoxidil as a hair loss treatment, but just wanted to share another doctor’s experience.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationWhat Will Happen to Surgeons If There’s a New Baldness Cure That Actually Works? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What will happen to the hair transplant industry if this new “jab” is a cure and how will HT surgeons survive?

Link: Bald? Now there’s a jab to make hair grow back

Block Quote

This is something that they’ve been trying for a decade or more (hair cloning, stem cells, etc), though perhaps with different methods. If it eventually is proven to be safe and effective in humans, I’m sure hair transplant surgeons will adapt. After all, someone will need to produce these hypothetical “jabs”.

I would love to see the results from the Taiwan study the article mentions, but it will likely be a while before we see published results (if any). Until then, it’s still just early research in mice.

Posted on

How Often Should I Comb My Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My hairline is very up from my childhood. my father/uncles have baldness but my grandpa doesnt. Now I am 25 and suffering from dandruff and hair loss..

My question is, does combing hair have any good effect on hair or not? because nowadays i dont comb hair a lot, fearing it will cause much hair loss. When should I comb hair and how many times a day?

Block Quote

You can comb your hair anytime and as much as you please. Combing your hair has nothing to do with hair loss, unless you’re really aggressive with it and causing your hair to be pulled out. If you have genetic hair loss, combing isn’t going to change your genetics.

Posted on

10 Months After My 5th Transplant, I’m Not Seeing Any New Growth – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a transplant about 10 months ago. I can feel the stubbles since back then but it doesn’t seem to grow. It’s now 10 months later and it’s still the same. I had transplants before and almost very quickly, i would notice the thickening and darkening from the previous procedures.

This last procedure was my fifth and don’t seem to see a good result at 10 months. By this time my the transplanted hair should be maturing, correct? I now have about less than 3000 grafts done. Each procedure done in the past, the doctor could never extract enough donor. Perhaps it’s my donor area. Any thoughts?

Block Quote

At 10 months following your hair transplant, you should definitely see growth. Unless I am misreading your question, if you had five procedures that totaled under 3000 grafts, that is not today’s standard of care… however, I can not judge what your doctor was doing.

I’m not even sure what kind of surgery you had — strip or FUE. Plus, I don’t know if he was chasing your hair loss, if you were on finasteride, what your scalp laxity was, etc.

Have you talked to your surgeon about why there’s been no growth after 10 months? If you need a second opinion, you can either schedule a visit in my office or see another good doctor if I’m not local to you.

Posted on

I Worry That My Anxiety and Depression Will Cause My Transplanted Hairs to Fall Out – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman,

I am a male, 45 years of age. My question is – I have had two transplants and the results are not that great because I have fine hair, which was very thick in the past. I have been suffering from anxiety and depression for 20 years plus and I am currently taking prozac. Will my illness cause my transplanted hair to fall out? there is history of family hair loss.

Block Quote

There are many variables that can impact hair growth, including the drug Prozac (fluoxetine) that you’re taking. Depression can also cause hair loss, as you’re aware. Usually though, transplanted hairs are more resistant to hair loss than the genetically impacted hair which will more readily die off with stress in some people.

In other words, as long as your transplanted hair was taken from the permanent donor area, I would not expect it to fall out.