Month: May 2014

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Not Hair Loss News – Predicting Middle Age Mortality Risk – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Three measures of physical capability in middle age could predict subsequent mortality risk, and light activity reduces disability, according to 2 studies published online April 29 in the BMJ.

The first study, by Rachel Cooper, PhD, from the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London, United Kingdom, and colleagues looked at 3 measures of physical capability (grip strength, chair rise time, and standing balance time) and their association with all-cause mortality from 1999 to 2012 in a prospective cohort study. The team also tested a composite measure of the 3 tasks for association with mortality.

The researchers used data from the Medical Research Council National Survey, the longest-running British birth cohort, which includes 1355 men and 1411 women. Physical capability had been assessed at age 53 years by a trained nurse during home visits. The researchers gathered mortality data from the National Health Service central register.

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Read the rest at Medscape (free account may be required) — Simple Measures May Predict Mortality in Middle Age

“Our study shows robust associations of standing balance time, chair rise speed, and grip strength at age 53 with all-cause mortality rates over 13 years of follow-up,” the authors conclude.

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Hair Loss InformationCould the Topical Steroid Prescribed for a Skin Infection on My Finger Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,

Just writing to get a professional opinion. I was prescribed a topical steroid, specifically mometasone ointment 0.1% for skin on my fingers that’s swollen/opened up from a skin infection I had. My question is: do you think that application of this could cause hair loss? Perhaps I am being irrational but with no medical background I don’t know what to think. Doing some of my own research, I cannot seem to find a link between the two, but I am just wondering what you think?

Thanks.

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I recall a woman that consulted me for a scar on her knee. I told her that I’m a doctor who treats men and women dealing with hair loss, but I think she just came to my office because the consult was free. She didn’t like my honesty, so she posted a bad review online. To this day her irrationality baffles me.

In a similar way, I don’t understand why you would think a topical steroid applied to an infection on your finger would affect hair loss on your scalp. There is no connection here. Most hair loss in men is genetic and should be addressed with medications like finasteride (Propecia) or minoxidil (Rogaine). I don’t know anything about your hair loss pattern, age, medical history, family history, etc. If your hair loss continues to be a concern, you should see a doctor about possible treatments.

If the ointment’s potential side effects are a concern, you should follow up with the doctor who prescribed it to you, though perhaps you have already answered your own question when you wrote “I am being irrational…”

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Woman Commits Suicide Because of Depression Brought on By Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Overwrought with worry over hair fall, a 47-year-old woman allegedly hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her flat in Bhayander late on Wednesday. The family of the deceased informed the police that the woman had been experiencing excessive hair fall over the past few months, and was worried about it. The Navghar police have registered an accidental death report in the case.

The deceased has been identified as Suparna Das, a resident of Krishna Park in Bhayender (East). Madhusudan, her husband said, “My wife used to look beautiful as she had long hair. A few months ago, she started suffering from excessive hair loss. We got her blood tests done to identify the cause. Since then, she had been very quiet. But I never thought that she would do something like this.”

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Read the rest — Mumbai: Fed up of severe hair loss, woman commits suicide

This is a very sad story, but suicide is not uncommon in those with severe depression. When balding occurs in an unstable person who can not manage the added stress on their lives, this could be the end result. I am aware of two other such cases over the past 23 years.

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Should I Be Concerned About My Hairline? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I am a 25 year male. For the last 3-4 years I’ve been experiencing temple hair loss, as exhibited in the attached photos. As far as genetics are concerned, my father at 55 is a thinning NW3 since his mid-thirties (his father a NW7 though, and on granny’s side no hair loss) and my mother is solid NW2(father’s side NW3 – turned NW4 in his 80s, and granny’s brothers NW2s). Judging by these photos, should I be concerned about my hair loss at this moment? Feel free to post my photos.

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Click the photos to enlarge:

 

The temple peaks may have receded (I have no earlier photos to compare to), and your hairline appears to be maturing at the corners. I don’t consider that balding and you probably have no cause for concern, but there’s only so much I can tell from photos. The corners might have gone a little beyond the maturing hairline, but the photos aren’t much help in this case.

If you do have concerns, you can consider measuring the bulk of hair in specific areas of your scalp and comparing it to other parts of your scalp. More importantly, following up one year after the measurement to see if there is a change. Just one bulk measurement in time will not give you much information, so following up is a must. You can also consider a miniaturization assessment to see if the hairs have different morphology (miniaturization) around certain areas on your scalp.

In any case, you don’t appear to be balding to me, but we can let the readers comment.

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Hair Loss InformationIs DHT Topical and Can It Be Cleaned Off? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor(s),

My question is simple: Is DHT topical? In other words, is DHT a residue or some other topical “film” that builds up on the scalp? Many hair loss magic shampoos and creams claim to remove daily toxins and buildup including DHT. Regardless of the validity of their claims (I know there is little good science in most of these products), is DHT topical and cleansable whatsoever and if so in theory would a topical cleanser help against MPB?

Many thanks for the time and energies devoted to providing such invaluable information! Cheers

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DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is found throughout the body, as it is a breakdown product from testosterone. It can not be cleaned off of the skin or hair to stop hair loss.

I know there are shampoos and creams sold that claim to remove DHT from the scalp, but I haven’t seen any good proof that these do anything to actually treat hair loss.

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In the News – Woman Living with Alopecia Totalis – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Prom night sends most teen girls on a dizzying quest for the perfect dress, accessories and hairstyle to make their ensemble complete. On her prom night, Jennifer DeFreece was harried by one simple detail: “I just wanted eyebrows for my prom pictures.”

When she was just a baby, DeFreece was diagnosed with alopecia totalis, an autoimmune disease that results in the total loss of scalp hair. By her 1st birthday, she’d lost all of her hair.

“I was like Charlie Brown,” says DeFreece, now 33 and living in Northridge, California.

Alopecia is nondiscriminatory. It can occur in men and women at any age and is a strictly physical disease, but sufferers say it’s also a disease of the spirit, exacting a devastating emotional toll in this world of silky shampoo commercials and Rapunzel fairy tales.

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Read the rest at CNN — How it feels to be a bald woman

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One Doctor Said I Had MPB, Another One Said I Have Alopecia Areata – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman

I am a 22 year old male with no family history of MPB. About 2 months ago I saw a dermatologist that diagnosed me with MPB and wrote be a script for Propecia. His exam wasn’t as thorough as I would have liked (No Pull test or tests for minimization). So I decided to seek a second opinion from another dermatologist in town. She preformed a multitude of tests and determined that under my circumstances I most likely had Alopecia Areata, and then proceeded to give me a cortisone injection. Now I understand that Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder but my question to you is:

1) Can a blood test be used to accurately determine whether I have Alopecia?
2) Would the cortisone injection have a negative effect on my hair loss if I do in fact have MPB?
3) Can I still take propecia, while receiving the cortisone treatment?
4) If I was misdiagnosed, what would be the appropriate measures to take to find out the real cause of my hair loss?

Thanks

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Aside from a good history and physical exam, one way to diagnose alopecia areata is a biopsy of the scalp. More importantly, I would need to know more of how you present and what your hair loss looks like.

  1. Blood tests cannot diagnose alopecia areata (AA) or androgenic alopecia (also known as male pattern baldness/MPB). Note the word “alopecia” is just a scientific term for hair loss and is not a diagnosis.
  2. Cortisone injections do not work for treating MPB or AA in all cases. I realize some doctors use cortisone injections for AA, but it is not a cure and doesn’t work to treat everyone with this condition.
  3. Propecia is for treating MPB and you should not be taking it if you don’t have MPB.
  4. You need to seek out a doctor who can explain these things to you in person, and give you a diagnosis and a treatment plan with your options laid out.

Taking Propecia (finasteride) without a confirmed diagnosis is not a good approach to your problem. I have written many times about having a microscopic exam of the hairs in different areas of the scalp (miniaturization study) and having your hair bulk analyzed. This system can determine if your hair on one part of your scalp has less fullness than another part of the scalp. In young men, this is the best way to make the diagnosis of male pattern baldness.

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My Crown Has Hair in the Middle, But Thinning In a Circle Around It – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

I’m not sure if my crown is thinning or not…. but its a strange shape…around 2inches circle in diameter with a bit of hair in the middle. The hair around it is quite dense, especially when wet, although when dry because it parts in all different directions it looks thinner.

Is this a normal crown pattern (to have hair in the middle and a circular thinner area around it)? I’ve had it for at least the last 5 years and i dont think its changed. But i also do have a slightly thinned hairline…maybe nw2-3.

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I have seen this type of “donuting” in men who have had transplants in the crown years ago, and then had to face balding around the transplanted hair. The progression of their hair loss causes the crown to continue thinning, besides the permanently transplanted hair in the middle.

I do not recall seeing it in a natural balding pattern, though.

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Hair Loss InformationMinoxidil Foam Without Glycerin – Wouldn’t It Just Dry Out The Scalp? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Kirkland FoamKirkland brand Minoxidil foam has no glycerin like Rogaine Foam, but seems to just have extra alcohol. Wouldn’t this just dry out the scalp and hair defeating the purpose of using the foam?

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Glycerin is an alcohol. I really don’t know if there will be a difference in scalp dryness from Kirkland Foam or Rogaine Foam. The ingredients in each medication are similar enough, but the differences might cause someone to see dryness or other irritation. If you don’t like one, try the other.