Month: March 2014

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Hair Loss InformationSince I’m Terrified About What I Read Online, I’m Going to Take 0.25mg Propecia Twice a Week – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 22 year old male who has had thinning hair for almost 5 years and have got to a point where my quality of life has deteriorated, due to this I decided to take the plunge with propecia.I took my first dose of propecia yesterday at 0.25 mg and plan to take this twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, having read about success with this regime.

I know propecia only has a half life of 8-12 hours but it takes the body around a week to start creating the enzyme that creates DHT in the body and studies show that 0.25-0.5 mg has up to 80% success of 1.0 – 5.0mg. This is because I’m terrified of sides on propecia and also I would not be comfortable taking any medication every day of my life. I just wondered what you think of this regime?

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When the Propecia (finasteride) studies were performed that eventually led to the medication’s FDA approval, various doses were tried. The 1mg dose gave the most consistent results for treating hair loss. Above the 1mg daily dose, the results were no better than the 1mg daily dose; however, below the 1mg dose, it was found to be less effective. In your case with taking a 1/4 dose only twice a week, the medication will be out of your system for days at a time, so the benefits might be fairly limited.

The side effects you are concerned about may happen, but statistically it is a small risk; however, I have found that the risk of sexual side effects increases in those young men who obsess over the possibility of having side effects, somewhat talking themselves into it. It is your call, of course.

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Hair Loss InformationI’ve Been Bald for 15 Years, So Is Rogaine Still An Option to Try for Regrowth? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

All of my male relatives on both sides are bald, and I have been bald since I was 30 (currently 45). Is rogaine still an option for a head that has been basically dormant for 15 years? I have very little growth at all on top and in the back and I don’t know if it is a mid life crisis but I would like to have natural hair again. My brothers use toupees, but I refuse to go that way.

Please let me know if it would worthwile to try it, or if there would be little likelihood for success. Thank you.

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NW7I would want to see you to determine just how bald you are and to figure out if these medications could help; however, if you have a full Norwood class 7 pattern of balding, you most likely will not have much of a benefit from Rogaine (minoxidil). Even if there is hair regrowth, it will be scant growth and not enough to make a notifiable difference.

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Hair Loss InformationSMP for Treating Traction Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Do you have any cases where SMP was used to treat traction alopecia ? Is it feasible ?

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Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) may work for treating traction alopecia, though it likely depends on the style you plan on having. It could look just fine if the hair is kept short. Hair transplantation is a good treatment for traction alopecia, providing that the cause of the traction is gone.

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Hair Loss InformationI Lost 50% of My Hair in 1 Year, Then It Just Stopped Falling Out and Hasn’t Changed in Years – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,
When I was 18, I started losing massive amounts of hair follicles. The funny thing was that the hair loss was uniform throughout the entire scalp, even the permanent zone. I probably lost 50% of my fullness in one year. Then mysteriously the hair just stopped falling out. I’m 30 now and my hair hasn’t changed since then at all. What was happening?

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What you’ve described is highly unusual, particularly with the hair loss being uniform and in the permanent zone. Without examining you, I can not tell what happened to you. Since it happened a dozen years ago, I would say that the loss doesn’t seem to be telogen effluvium or some other temporary loss (though I suppose that is obvious by now).

If you are not alright with your hair fullness, then I would be happy to see you and provide an opinion about what your options might be. But at this point without an exam, I would just be doing you a disservice by guessing as to what happened.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Hair Growth Supplements Are A Hoax – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

According to the National Institutes of Health hair loss in women can occur for a number of different reasons, including the levels of androgen (male hormone) changing, aging, and a previous family history of male or female pattern baldness. Other reasons can include: autoimmune diseases, too little iron, hormone problems, pregnancy, certain skin diseases that lead to the scarring of hair follicles, and syphilis. The problem is not very obvious at first, but signs of a receding hairline or a hair part get more apparent as the hair loss progresses. This might lead some women to become desperate and try over-the-counter vitamins and treatments in hopes of gaining back their lost hair — but they are often left disappointed.

There are no specific vitamins that grow hair,” Dr. Zoe Diana Draelos, a consulting professor of dermatology at the Duke University School of Medicine told The New York Times. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 30 million women in this country have hereditary hair loss.

But still, many Americans spend millions of dollars on hair loss supplements — $176 million annually — despite the fact it hasn’t really done much for their overall health or for aesthetics. The only approved treatment by the Food and Drug Administration for hair loss is minoxidil; a two percent concentration is recommended for women and five percent for men.

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Read the rest — Hair Growth Supplements Are A Hoax: Save Your Money — Using Pills Doesn’t Lengthen Or Thicken Your Hair

I’ve been saying this for years on this site, but since people still spend so much annually to be fooled by the power of suggestion or expectation, I felt it was important to post the above snippet and link to the full article.

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Hair Loss InformationAfter My FUE Procedure, I Can See My Thin Donor and Recipient Areas When My Hair is Cut Short – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,
I have been following your blog closely & am really grateful to you for all your help. I had a FUE surgery done 2 years ago but now I wish I hadn’t. Basically I have a big bald spot & after reading the articles should have had strip. Now my problem is I dont like to have my hair long as its thin & doesn’t look good. Wearing them short as I do now exposes the donor & the recipient areas..By short I mean buzz. I dont shave my head.

What do you suggest i should do? Please help as I am losing my self confidence & getting depressed.

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When there are large follicular unit extraction (FUE) sessions done on a patient with low density hair, it will show thinning in the donor area and a leave the patient with a more see-through back of the head. We have treated many FUE patients with Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) in the donor area to add some contrast to the skin. It also works wonders on the recipient area, making the hair look fuller in both locations.

Take a look at the site SMP site and see the many patients who have been treated with this modality. Particularly, look at this patient below, which shows a before and after treatment for FUE scars. This patient and many more can be found in our SMP gallery.

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Hair Loss InformationSome Hair is Regrowing After a Chemical Burn, But Can I Have a Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(male)
i have african amercan hair. My former stylist’s last chemical relaxer burned me serverly at the hair line that the next day my scalp had swollen in the hair line area. The hair hadnt fallen out but after a month i noticed it had thinned drastically. Its been 5 months since the burn and i noticed that some of the hair is growing back…Is hair restoration an option for me?

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You should wait at least a year following the hair loss from chemical damage before considering hair transplantation. A year will give you enough recovery time to see what was not killed off in the chemical burn. Hopefully the thinning isn’t permanent and you won’t need a surgical solution to your hair loss problem.

Just be patient and keep your fingers crossed.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – UCLA is Testing Cold Cap to Prevent Hair Loss in Chemo Patients – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

For many cancer patients, losing hair during chemotherapy can be especially hard during an already tough time. A new device is being tested on breast cancer patients at UCLA Medical Center and it may save their hair.

DigniCap is a cold cap that cools the patient’s scalp during and after chemotherapy, which researchers say restricts blood flow and reduces hair loss.

“I think the hardest thing for them is losing their hair, because they lose part of their identity,” said Dr. Sara Hurvitz, director of UCLA’s breast oncology department. “If you can keep your hair, look in the mirror and don’t look sick, it’s very important for feeling better.”

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Read the rest — UCLA Tests New Device That May Save Patient’s Hair During Chemotherapy

We’ve written about cold cap therapy quite a few times, and have even posted a patient’s wife’s experience with using it.

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Is My Female Hair Loss from Ulcerative Colitis? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
i have been losing hair for about 7 years now. i think it has to do with my ulcerative colitis. i started to take biotin and a multi vitamin. my hair is white flakes, itchy but im thinking my hair might be growing back. could this happen? when i was pregnant my hair grew back then after nursing my baby it fell out again. i have seen several doctors and they all say it’s hereditary.

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Hair loss in women can be difficult to manage, because there are often many factors involved that could cause the loss (including hereditary factors). Have you had any blood tests done to see if there is any other underlying medical conditions? There is a partial list of those tests here.

The stress from ulcerative colitis could cause hair loss in women who have a hereditary predisposition for hair loss, but there are doctors who specialize in this (I’m not sure if you went to a GP or a UC specialist) that would know more about this than I do. If the hair loss is stress related, it could take up to a year to regrow. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America site can point you to a specialist that will hopefully be of more help.

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Are Scalp Pimples and Redness a Normal Part of Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello!

I’m a 23 year old male experiencing a thinning hairline, specifically down the centre of my scalp and the front 2 inches of my hairline. My scalp is generally more red than the rest of my skin, and I constantly feel bumps that remind of pimples on my scalp. My doctor told me that this is just alopecia, but I don’t believe the redness of the skin and the pimple like bumps are indicative of alopecia. What could be wrong with my scalp and how can I treat it?

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Chronic folliculitis can cause hair loss, and the bumps you are describing sounds like it could be folliculitis. Redness and pimples are not a normal part of genetic hair loss. I would see another doctor and get a second opinion. This may have to get treated.