We’re off today to pay respect to the men and women who gave their lives for their country… also known as the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day. We’ll be back tomorrow!
Memorial Day!
We’re off today to pay respect to the men and women who gave their lives for their country… also known as the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day. We’ll be back tomorrow!
Melancor
Hey Dr. Rassman;
Concerning the subject of graying hair…I have look at about everything the internet has to offer on what causes it, and how to stop it, even reverse it. I would like to hear your take on the subject if I may. Do you know anything about Melancor or is it another “snake oil”? And what’s up with gray chest hair?….mine is 3 times as long, seems twice as thick and curlier than my dark brown chest hair. Why is that so? What is taking place here?
Always thankful for you time!
I know very little about Melancor, but based upon your question, I did research it. The claims appear to me as marketing hype without documented scientific evidence to back up claims of safety or effectiveness that satisfy my scientific mind. That concerns me. The substance is in a pill form and that concerns me even more. I would doubt that this passes FDA or FCC standards and without safety studies, I would not want to risk my health taking an unproven medication.
With regard to your long chest hairs, I can only tell you that this is exactly what I see on my hairy chest. At least there are two observant people watching their chest hair grow far too long for their particular likes.
Megasessions vs Regular Sessions
I was interested in getting a strip surgery in a couple of years. I was wondering if it better for a person to get a large session done at one time such as 4500 grafts? Or is it better for a person to get a smaller session such as 2500 grafts, and then wait for a few months and get additional 2000 grafts? Also, I have noticed that doctors provide a discount after 2500 grafts. Are they encouraging people get larger sessions done?
On the hair loss forums I have seen a person picture where he got 4000 grafts implanted through the FUE method. This man paid for 4000 grafts, but his surgery resulted in a failure. In the end he lost money, and had to live in embarrassment for the rest of this life. I was wondering if the strip surgery has similar risks for large sessions?
It is not all about numbers. You need a doctor who understands the progression of your hair loss — how to address future hair loss along with present hair loss. You need a plan rather than just thinking of short term goals. Each and every patient is different, with different needs and different hair loss degrees. To some it may be reasonable to have a 4000 graft surgery and be done with the entire ordeal. But with 4000 grafts at one time may come a large donor scar. My point is that your surgeon should discuss all of these factors and give you a Master Plan tailored to your genetic hair loss pattern and your social needs.
We are all born with a finite amount of hair. Some people have more donor hair and some people have less. The availability of hair is a demand (how much you need) / supply (how much you have) issue that must be understood by everyone who is going to have a hair transplant.
The cost of the surgery, while it is a factor, should not be the main factor in your decision making process. Hair transplant surgery is permanent and I am always flabbergasted at the patients who seek out the lowest bidder. This is not like buying a car. The surgeon and the medical group, no matter what they advertise, are ALL different in their techniques and results. Not all strip surgery is the same and not all FUE surgery is the same. As you clearly point out with the failure of the 4000 graft FUE surgery you saw on a forum, the results will be forever and any hair loss from failed or poorly done hair transplants can not be priced just by doing another transplant. The hair supply reduces with every transplant, so losing money can be replaced by more money, but if the hair is gone, then there is no solution. Valuable donor hair reflects more value than losing money.
Of note, at NHI we discount after 2500 grafts (on the 2501st graft and beyond). The first 2500 grafts are still charged at standard cost. We were the first to advocate the Megasession way back in 1992, when hardly any medical groups were doing them, but we have rarely performed strip surgery in the 4000 to 5000 graft range because not all patients have the donor density and scalp elasticity for such surgery in one session.
I do know that you, the consumer, may be disillusioned by the belief that more grafts may be better, but understand that some doctors treat hairs as grafts. You can cheat by cutting 2 or 3 or 4 hair grafts in to single hair graft and artificially come up with more grafts while paying for the same number of hairs. In other words, a 2000 graft session of 2-hair grafts is equal to 4000 graft made up of 1-hair grafts. I am not stipulating that this is a common practice, but it is a practice I am sure that occurs when money is an issue and the perception of more is a marketing strategy. It illustrates again that not all hair transplants, not all doctors, and not all medical clinics are the same. Do your homework.
Megadosing on Minoxidil ( 3x the Application Amount). Is There a Danger to This?
Megadosing minoxidil runs cardiac and blood pressure risks, so be careful.
2020-01-23 04:00:442019-11-22 15:36:08Megadosing on Minoxidil ( 3x the Application Amount). Is There a Danger to This?
Meet Jenny (Video)
This is the first video of a new showcase of interviews with everyday people (both men and women) about their experiences with thinning hair — whether just noticing random people, family members, or even losing hair themselves. Based on the response I get, more of these style videos will be added to the site. Please feel free to post a comment or email me privately with your thoughts about these.
So please meet Jenny. She’s in her mid-20s, born and raised in Southern California. These are her opinions.
2006-06-12 15:33:032006-06-12 20:16:59Meet Jenny (Video)
Medscape and Dr. F. Perry Wilson questions the value of stems cell treatments and relates it to doctors making money
Welcome to Impact Factor, your weekly dose of commentary on a new medical study. I’m Dr F. Perry Wilson.
I want to start with a compelling narrative being told to patients across the country. It goes like this: We physicians are going to use cutting-edge science to unlock the healing potential of your own cells to treat your chronic medical conditions. Sounds amazing, right? And it can all be yours for just about $5000 per treatment.
I’m talking about stem cell therapy. Stem cells are cells with the potential to differentiate into a variety of other cells or tissues. And to date, the FDA has approved their use in a number of hematologic malignancies and hematologic genetic conditions—and that’s it.
Stem cells are not FDA-approved for joint pain, cataracts, depression, autism, dementia, or heart disease, and yet hundreds of stem cell clinics around the country are offering them for these very conditions, as shown in this study appearing in Stem Cell Reports,[1] which documented the activities of 169 stem cell businesses in the United States.
These for-profit companies charge patients thousands of dollars for unproven treatments. Patients bear the brunt of the costs, as most insurance companies won’t cover the therapies.
Up until recently, this was basically unregulated, though the FDA has started to change that.
The Stem Cell Reports study characterized 169 stem cell clinics in the Southwestern United States to systematically measure just what they are selling and who is running them.
As you can see here, the range of conditions being treated is incredibly broad, with inflammatory and orthopedic conditions topping the list.
From Frow EK, et al. Stem Cell Reports. 2019;13:1-7.
Who’s running these places? The majority are run by MDs, though there is a smattering of other providers, as you can see here.
From Frow EK, et al. Stem Cell Reports. 2019;13:1-7.
What raises my hackles a bit are the clinics where the training of the provider doesn’t match up with the services offered. It’s one thing for an orthopedic surgeon to offer stem cell injections into arthritic knees, but the authors documented clinics run by cosmetic surgeons offering treatment for lung disease and autism.
Are these clinicians providing cutting-edge treatments or is it a shameless cash grab? Maybe both? These treatments are not entirely benign. In 2017, several patients went blindafter their own adipose-derived stem cells were injected into their eyes. Infection remains a risk as well, as the cells are removed from the body, processed, and reinjected.
There is a reason that we demand well-conducted, randomized clinical trials before we embrace new therapies. In no small part, it’s to ensure that we are abiding by our Hippocratic Oath to first do no harm. Can these providers honestly say that they are meeting that standard? Look, I’m not saying that stem cell therapies are modern-day snake oil. They really may work. But we don’t know if they work and we don’t fully understand the risks. Why are certain individuals — MDs — willing to expose patients to risks they don’t fully understand?
Well, I can think of about 5000 reasons.
2019-08-08 07:38:592019-08-08 07:38:59Medscape and Dr. F. Perry Wilson questions the value of stems cell treatments and relates it to doctors making money
Medium vs Medium Coarse Hair
Dear Docs,
is there any way to determine one’s hair shaft thickness (whether coarse or medium etc) without microscopic measurements? Some websites suggest that coarse hair needs more time to dry than normal, others claim that fine hair reflects more light and can’t be felt between thumb and index finger. Are these statements true? Sometimes I realize that even in my donor some hairs vary in colour and thickness, cant remember if this has always been the case. On top of that, whats the difference between medium and medium coarse?
Thanks
I suppose you can use a micrometer and caliper to measure the shaft diameter, but I wonder how this information will be helpful to you? If you have fine, medium, or coarse hair, that is just who you are. Hair can vary in thickness depending on what stage of the growth cycle they are in.
As for defining medium and medium coarse, it sounds pretty self-explanatory to me. Medium hair thickness is the middle of the spectrum, and medium coarse would be just between medium and coarse.
Medications That Prohibit You From Getting a Hair Transplant?
i am on coumadin. is hair transplant possible?
Coumadin (warfarin) is an anticoagulant, also known as a blood thinner. Blood thinners are on the top of the list of medications which must be addressed in a patient who is about to have a hair transplant. I have done transplants on people who are on such medications, but take many steps in the process to assure safety. Generally, one can cut back on the Coumadin and then step it up on the day of transplants. Your general health is really the issue and the reason you are on these medications may allow you to stop them for a week or so. The answer therefore is an individualized answer depending upon the patient, his/her medical condition causing the use of such a medication, and the general state of the patient’s health.
I take a thorough patient history and review all medications that a patient is taking prior to performing a hair transplant.
2008-06-18 15:32:482008-06-16 09:30:04Medications That Prohibit You From Getting a Hair Transplant?
Medications and Hair Loss. Can You Beat the Hair Loss with Medications for Years?
Thank you, Dr. Rassman. I know I am definitely thinning. Especially after shaving my hair. In certain lighting it looked like I had no hair in my corners and I could see straight through to the scalp. I have been using minoxidil with a bunch of hair sprouting along the hairline. And a great change in density. I did have a question for you though, how long would minoxidil keep my hairline? And if I start on finasteride, how long would that keep my hairline. I am being optimistic but I am hoping it extends my current density for the next decade if I use both together. I am also very hopeful that there will be better alternatives in the next decade, or quite possibly a cure.
I also would rather not consult my doctor as I know it is very obvious I am experiencing hair loss. I mean, I will have to when I go for finasteride. But I am someone who participates in homeopathy up to a point. So I would rather not alter my hormones unless it is my last resort.
Combining both minoxidil and finasteride will give you the best opportunity to hold on to your hair. I always tell my patients to look at hair loss as a ‘tug of war’, with treatment on one side and the hair loss process on the other side. As long as the pull from the medications is stronger than the genetic pull, you win. When the pull reverses, hair loss is the consequence.
2018-05-08 06:21:412018-06-19 10:16:31Medications and Hair Loss. Can You Beat the Hair Loss with Medications for Years?