Day: January 1, 2023

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Have All the Hair Loss Questions Been Answered?

There are so many questions and answers here as well as that forum. I think you’ve covered most if not all questions that need to be asked. If people would take the time to look through them, I’m sure their questions would be answered. There comes a point where all the information becomes too overwhelming, and becomes information overload. Maybe it’s time to relax a bit, ay?

What is this “relax” you speak of? Actually, I stopped writing the blog around 3 years ago when I hired woodland elves to respond to your questions (they needed something to do after a long day of baking cookies in a tree). It seems to be working out well, even though they do have a tough time spelling “finasteride” correctly.

But seriously, it does sometimes seem like I answer a lot of the same questions from time to time, but maybe just worded in a different way… and although I’d prefer not to get repeats, I don’t necessarily mind as long as it’ll help someone out. I can’t get to every question and I know many people think their question is deserving (and it probably is), but I just kinda pick some emails that look neat and roll with it. Plus, from time to time I really get some fantastic questions that keep me on my toes. Look, for example, at the previous post which is probably real to some of those who believe in Balayam Yoga. Who am I to say that it does or does not work? As a reader, you are entitled to learn about different approaches to the balding problem and weigh the evidence of others for yourself.

Content is king, and after 7000+ posts here, I do feel that this site is one of the best sources for hair loss info on the web. I’m really proud of that.


2009-05-16 16:12:49Have All the Hair Loss Questions Been Answered?

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Hats, Hot Showers, and Other Hair Loss Myths

I am a teenager of 15 years old that is experincing hair loss in the front of my hair(hair line). i have become woried and obssesed with finding a solution so i have made an apointment to get medical attention. i think the reason for my hair loss is using too many hats, taking showers with hot water, and shampoing everyday. now i learned this was wrong so i stoped.

Question: is there anything natural and healthy for the hair that you can recommend for me to use?

I heard that aloe vera plant, boiled cinammon glove is good treatment to restore the health of the hair. is this true?

CapWearing hats, taking showers with hot water, and shampoing everyday will not damage your hair unless you are pulling on it or picking it. I strongly doubt that among the values claimed for the aloe vera plant, that hair growth is one of them. On the internet, I did find suggestions that boiled cinnamon sticks in solution will help increase hair health, but I would suggest that if you use this, you might let it cool down first. Sounds like you are obsessing over your hair. See a good dermatologist and find out what is happening to you now, before you worry more and let this impact your life.


2006-06-30 13:44:43Hats, Hot Showers, and Other Hair Loss Myths

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Hats and Hair Loss

Does wearing a baseball cap every day or using a wig increase a man’s chances of going bald?

No, balding comes from within the scalp, from the genes that initiate each hair to grow. Even wearing a baseball hat for years and never taking it off and all you will have is a scaling, dirty full head of hair if your genetics are not ‘balding genetics’.

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I Hate My Widows Peak

i shave my widows peak every other day i really do not like it. what will happen to me in the future and is it fine if i keep shaving it everyday? what should i do help. also if i try growing it back it looks very ugly what should i do?

If you don’t like your widows peak, I suppose you can shave it (as you are doing now). In the long term, you will have to continue to shave it since shaving is not permanent. I have seen some patients laser off the widows peak. I have also seen someone who lasered off the widows peak and regretting their decision later on in life. That person came to see me for a hair transplant to get their widows peak back. My wife had a widow’s peak and she hated it and she was thinning in the corners. We transplanted her corners and lowered the hairline enough to incorporate the widow’s peak. She is now very happy with a lower, more rounded hairline as she had when she was younger. No more widow’s peak.

The widow’s peak is never present in very young children. As aging starts, at any age above 5 or 6, if the hairline rises, it may leave behind a midline, pointed tuft of hair which is what we call the widow’s peak. The point on the widow’s peak is always located at the highest wrinkle of the furrowed brow. So the presence of a widow’s peak (a poor term) reflect the point where the hairline was, and the area around it reflects a faded youthful hairline. 83% of women over the age of 40, have a widow’s peak which means that their overall hairline has moved upward, enlarging their forehead, something that most women dislike. When I tried to find famous women who kept their juvnile hairline, it was not east considering that 83% have hairline loss; however, Catherine Zeta Jones was more the exception, see here: I believe that this hairline is exactly where it was when she was 8 years old.
Catherine-Zeta-Jones-Wallpaper _99_

Another beautiful actress who shows her widow’s peak along with the evident recession of the hairline on the sides of the widow’s peak, leaving the widow’s peak as the last remnant of where the midline hairline was. The hair is combed over the right side only showing the left.
kaley-cuoco-ipad-wallpaper02a

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Hashimoto’s Disease in Women

I am a woman, 40 years of age, and having a hair loss problem for over 18 years. I used to have very straight and thick hair, but now very thin and fluffy. I tried too many kind of shampoos, vitamins and programs. One of them, 101product, was no help. I have had an autoimmune disease called HASHIMOTO for 16 years. I’m taking medication and everything is under control. My doctor told me after he did all kinds of tests that i don’t have any physical problem causing my hair loss. My question is what do you think could help me? My sister has the same problem and she doesn’t suffer from anything physically.Your replying back will be appreciated.
Thank you

You may have both female genetic hair loss plus Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and your sister may have the genetic element, which tends to run in the female line in particular families. The existence of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or any auto-immune disease can precipitate hair loss. Medications that treat these autoimmune problems often have hair loss as a side effect. Woman’s hair loss is extensively discussed here and I suggest that you and your sister read my many answers to questions which will contain many bits of insights for you here.


2006-11-16 16:21:16Hashimoto’s Disease in Women

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It is now 4 months, has the transplant failed? (photo)

Just be patient. By the 8th month you can expect to see 90 percent of the growth from your hair transplant. Some people don’t start growing until the 4th or 5th month. When it starts, it grows out at a rate of about 1/2 inch per month. You are hopefully, one of these later bloomers.

?


2020-08-18 06:58:20It is now 4 months, has the transplant failed? (photo)

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Has Rogaine Caused DUPA?

After using rogaine and the quitting i discovered a mix between thick and thin hairs. Have I created DUPA because my hair is worse now then before. Also the colour of those hairs are gone..same thing happening to my pubic area and facial hair. Do you think rogaine has created DUPA on me. I used it for a month and haven’t used it for two months now

Having thick and thin hair does not mean you have diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA). You need to be evaluated by a good dermatologist or a hair transplant surgeon to find out if your diagnosis is DUPA. The changes in hair color in different parts of your body indicate that you are undergoing some preprogrammed change, probably not related to Rogaine (minoxidil).

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Has Propecia Turned My Semen Brown?

Dear Dr Rassman

Your site is a fantastic resource for men suffering from ongoing hair loss. Based on your advice and other research I have conducted, I have been using a combination regimen of Propecia and Minoxidil with some success over the last year, and as yet have noticed no significant side effects.

But recently I have experienced two instances of discoloured semen on Propecia. Rather than the usual milky white colour, on two occasions in the last 6 months my semen has turned a dark brown colour. On both occasions I stopped the Propecia and the colour returned to normal after about 2 weeks. I then started the regimen again but the same thing happened after around 6 months. Again I stopped the medication and the discoloration stopped.

Could you give me some advice on this? It would seem that the Propecia is having some effect on the prostate and causing bleeding of some kind to discolor the semen. Is this a common side-effect of Propecia or Finasteride, and most importantly, is it safe for me to continue taking the drug?

Many thanks

I do not know why your semen is changing colors. You need to go to your doctor or a urologist for a good history and examination. The issues is not about how safe it is to take Propecia. The issue is about finding an underlying, undiagnosed medical problem you are now aware of. Please see your doctor.


2008-05-19 09:00:12Has Propecia Turned My Semen Brown?

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Has Miniaturization Mapping Been Written About in Peer-Reviewed Publications?

Dr. Rassman,
First, let me thank you for the valuable resource your blog provides. I understand that it is in men’s nature to become concerned about hair loss as we age. I also understand that you have answered this question, or at least very similar questions many times. I’ll ask anyway, because you seem like a good guy.

I am a 27 year old white man. I have severe depression and OCD. I recently (past couple of months) started obsessing about my hair. I’ve always been overly concerned about the way I look, and I’ve always been severely lacking in self confidence. When I tilt my head back and look up at the front of my hair line in under direct light from a couple inches away, I can see scalp going back about two inches. When I tilt my head forward, I see no scalp and my hair looks the same as it always has. There are a few long hairs growing below my hairline. I dont notice a change in my hairline when compared with photos taken when I was in my early 20’s. If I pull hard on my hair around my hairline, nothing comes out. Same with the crown. My mom’s dad died with a full head of hair in his 90’s. My dad thinned over the course of his life, but didn’t really go “bald” until he was in his early 50’s. He’s now maybe a norwood 3v or 4. His dad had the same pattern, except it didn’t kick in until later in life. My mom’s brother went bald young. My maternal great grandfather had Homer Simpson’s hair by the time he was 30 or so. My dad’s brother still has a good head of hair in his 50’s. What do you think (and I know you can’t really tell without a miniaturization study)… which leads me to my next question.

Is a miniaturization mapping something that is common among dermatologists? Do most of them (in your experience) properly perform and understand the procedure? Is this something that has been written about in peer-reviewed publications? Will a dermatologist that does not specialize in hair loss be able to correctly diagnose what is going on with my hair (if anything)? Thank you very much for your time.

If you know you have OCD and are starting to obsess about your hair, I think you answered your own question about what my thoughts are. You’re seeing possible thinning when your head is tilted and you’re under direct light. The hair will generally appear thinner under harsh lighting.

I wrote about this when I applied for a US patent in 1992. I published it in various articles, not suggesting mapping the head, but showing the connection between balding patterns and miniaturization. The rest is not rocket science. It is not exciting to map out the scalp for miniaturization and actually if the doctor is knowledgeable, then a good sweep of the scalp will give the needed information for a well trained physician.

Many doctors now have video imaging systems in their office, like slightly more expensive versions of the USB video microscope mentioned in the Mapping Your Own Scalp series. For around $100, you can buy this microscope for yourself and get the mapping started. One of the biggest reasons that I created BaldingForum.com was because of comments like yours — that forum gives site visitors the chance to empower themselves by mapping their own hair and making their own diagnosis, following the process over time with aging, drugs, etc. You can share your results with others and get feedback from other site members, not just from me (time is always a problem for me, because I can’t just get to everyone). I believe that the real power will be in the hands of people like you — those who just want to know what is happening to them.

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Has GSK Abandoned Plans to Market Avodart for Hair Loss?

Doctor Rassman/Pak

I recently contacted Glaxosmithkline regarding avodart and hair loss, and this is what they said.

    “Thank you for contacting GlaxoSmithKline about AVODART® (dutasteride).

    GSK will not be pursuing further studies on the use of dutasteride for AGA (alopecia – male pattern hair loss). This decision is based on market research analyses and not for any safety or efficacy reasons.

    A copy of the prescribing information for this product is available at https://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_avodart.pdf for review and discussion with an appropriate healthcare provider.

    We appreciate the opportunity to serve you. If you have further questions concerning GlaxoSmithKline or our products, please contact our Response Center at 1-888-825-5249 during our normal business hours, Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. (Eastern Time).

    This is a send only email address. Please do not reply to this email.”

–

what does it mean that they won’t pursue further studies because of market research analysis?

Some doctors in the know have told me for some time that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) had no real intention to get into the hair business with Avodart, but their recent study may have reflected their playing the options for the future. According to the ClinicalTrials.gov site, GSK is still recruiting participants in a study of Korean patients to be concluded in July 2013… so I really don’t know what they’re doing.

As I am not an insider, I really can only speculate like everyone else.


2012-05-05 12:14:38Has GSK Abandoned Plans to Market Avodart for Hair Loss?