Month: January 2023

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Low Iron and B12 Causing Miniaturization?

Hi,
First I would like to thank you for providing this site, it has help me a great deal. Here is my question. I am a 31 year old female suffering from hair loss, and as of yet I do not know the definite cause. My question is concerning all that I have read about the possibility of vitamin deficiency causing hair loss in women. My doctor runs routine bloodwork every year, and for approximately the past 10 years I have had low iron, low B12, and my last set of tests, last year, did show that I also have an overactive thyroid. Throughout this time I have never taken the supplements that were advised by my doctor, I am now regretting that, and have since started. Now to the question, with being low in iron and b12 for so long cause miniaturization? I have miniaturization hairs throught my entire head, and very thin on the crown, and this is why I am questioning the effects of vitamins and hair loss. From what I have read miniaturization and thinning at the crown usually indicates AGA, however I did read once that low iron could mimic AGA with miniaturization. And I am hoping that this hair loss that I have is from low vitamins for a long period of time, and not AGA.
Thank you so much in advance.

Yes, low iron and B12 can cause hair loss. Get a good doctor to take charge of you, as that is the best approach to the problem.


2006-01-11 22:42:49Low Iron and B12 Causing Miniaturization?

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Low Feritin Levels

I’ve had issues with hair loss cause my ferritin was very low. I know that you ferritin levels need to be around 70 for regrowth. I’ve been taking iron supplement and now my levels are currently at 66 and my question is how long does it take for for your hair to regrow again after raising your ferritin levels and what can I do to make sure my ferritin

It might take a year to see the value of correction

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Low Carb Diet and Hair Loss?

Will low carb diets (or no carb diets for that matter) cause hairloss in males with MPB?

Unless you are not meeting your daily nutritional needs, a low carb diet will likely cause weight loss, not hair loss.

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Low Blood Pressure from Finasteride?

I’m currently taking fin 1mg with great results of hair retention. Do you think cutting to 0.5 or 0.25 mg will still maintain efficacy? I am getting moderates amounts of hypotension and dizziness when I stand ok and wanted to see if reducing dose would help.

Finasteride doesn’t produce low blood pressure. I suggest that you see your doctor.


2019-12-05 15:58:15Low Blood Pressure from Finasteride?

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“I love the idea of wearing a laser hat and growing my hair, does it work”?

LLLT is an option that really does not do much although because so many people use it and are vested in the effort, the reports are not very accurate. I studied patients with LLLT treatments in two forms. The first was an expensive LLLT machine which I offered at no charge to my patients but required them to submit to photography follow-up. The second modality was a Laser Hat. I also required them to submit to photography follow-up. All of the follow-up showed me no a single result that was objective by good photography. Some patients thought that they were better, but things like hair length and products used on the hair change your view of your own hair.


2018-01-08 01:49:18“I love the idea of wearing a laser hat and growing my hair, does it work”?

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I love my hair transplant, but what about next year, will I?

The real issue is that hair loss is a progressive process in men. You need to find out what your eventual balding pattern is now and what it might be, how fast your hair loss is moving to more balding and then build a Master Plan with a doctor like me, who cares about you (not your money) and is willing to invest the time to follow you as your situation progresses, maybe to a hair transplant eventually. I turn down a lot of young men, because they are not ready yet (pattern not right or they are too young) and just work with them. That is why I am successful and have such a great relationship with my patients. I believe that I defined first class hair transplants as far back as 1991. You did not state your age, but if you are 21, then you may be in trouble because you could be chasing the hair loss every year with more and more hair transplants, not good

i love my transplant

 

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Loupe Magnification for Diagnosing Miniaturization

Dr. This is a quote from an e-mail I recived back from another doctor when asking about testing for minaturization. He said, “I use what is called ‘loupe’ magnification which can easily detect hairs which are ‘miniaturizing’.”

Is this the same as what you do or is this something different?

I use a densitometer apparatus or a magnifying video camera to map my patient’s head with magnification at 20-50 times normal. I believe this is important and easier to use with reasonable accuracy. However, if the hair doc which you mentioned used magnifying “loupe” to map his patient’s with accuracy and quantifies the degree of miniaturization by the location in the various areas of the scalp, then I will not argue the point. There are many correct roads to take.


2006-02-13 10:33:49Loupe Magnification for Diagnosing Miniaturization

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Lot’s of things wrong with this transplant

I saw this photo posted and decided to comment on it. There are many things wrong with this surgery, and as I don’t know the age of the patient nor the number of grafts he received, it is hard to complete my assessment; nevertheless, it is important for those of you who are considering a hair transplant to understand the difference between good and bad hair transplant techniques.
The transplant donor area was unusually focused above the donor area, and that hair may be lost if this man develops an advanced balding pattern with age. The surgeon did not confine his surgery to the permanent zone (a 3-inch high area around the side and back of the head). The surgeon created a picket fence to the leading edge of the hairline, which will show up if the hairline finally grows in. The patient needed to be instructed in proper washing techniques, as residual crusting increases the risk of infection. ‘Cleanliness is close to godliness‘, so proper early washing is critical (see here for my golden standard: https://baldingblog.com/one-day-post-op-2150-grafts-photos/). If this man was under 25, he shouldn’t have done this because the amount of hair transplanted may have been disproportionally high when compared to his donor supply.
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Lots of Questions About PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) and ACell Use

I am quite interested and for many years now have been following and consulting with numerous HT doctors around the world regarding their results of using injectable hair stimulation PRP (+/- ACell) for treatment of MPB as stand-alone non-surgical treatment. HT surgery is something I am not interested at this time due to myriad of factors (e.g., DNA genetic programming resulting in possible future progressive hair loss and miniaturization of existing hairs, accelerated loss of native hairs due to the trauma of surgery, depletion of donor hair, multiple transplant procedures / sessions over my lifetime, not every person knows if they will achieve 100% satisfied result, picking right doctor is not easy as HT doctors have varying egos/costs/skills/artistry/ethics, etc). So for now I am content with only non-surgical methods and not HT surgery.

Obviously, I am not a doctor, and just another 55 year old male suffering from MPB thinning and receding hairline….but from all these years this is the information I have been able to glean regarding PRP (+/- ACell) treatment for MPB without HT surgery:

• Currently there are no scientific studies to indicate PRP (+/- ACell) works to regrow hair. There are positive anecdotal results with some enthusiastic and cutting edge HT doctors (e.g., Dr. Jerry Cooley and Dr. Gary Hitzig) but nobody can tell me what success percentage I will achieve, and will it be significant or not. Unfortunately, there is no established, standardized, or proven protocol that has been shown to be superior to any other delivery method….and each doctor is trying something different on their own through a trial-error effort to get to the point where a proven protocol will provide consistent results.

• Some HT doctors are spinning their own PRP with cheaper equipment and injecting what they claim are optimal platelet concentrates at < 5x platelet concentrates….on the other hand there’s Dr. Cooley who claims optimal results using 5x or > platelet concentrates via the ANGEL system….and some HT doctors are now copying Dr. Cooley’s protocol after networking and sharing his notes @ various ISHRS meetings and conferences. Bottom line, it appears HT doctors are injecting differing platelet concentrate amounts in their practices depending on results….which again shows there is no established, standardized, or proven protocol for PRP (+/- ACell) hair injections.

• With HT surgery, as it is with PRP (+/- ACell) treatment by itself without HT surgery, it appears individual DNA genetic programming plays key role in determining overall treatment outcomes/success for each individual….and the ideal platelet concentration amount of PRP injected appears to have profound impact regarding how patients respond and their results….and presence of different cell types and growth factors also impact final results.

• Appears there is limited evidence to suggest lasting benefit with injection of PRP (+/- ACell) or growth factors, although there may be thickening of native hair follicles. It is unclear how long the benefits of treatment last and if the benefit will continue through subsequent hair growth cycles. However, all HT doctors agree on several factors regarding duration of treatment benefits: 1) underlying genetic balding pattern (e.g., PRP will last for a shorter time period for those who are DNA genetically prone to bald faster); AND 2) other maintenance treatments the patient is using (e.g., Propecia, Rogaine, LLLT or LaserCap, other topicals).

• Appears for many HT doctors/Dermatologists/Cosmetic Surgeons/Estheticians….especially in the United States….they charge excessive amount for PRP (+/- ACell) injections because they view as easy revenue steaming source due to desperation and gullibility of people with MPB issues buying into the HYPE for the next BIG THING or BALDNESS CURE….which it’s not.

With that in mind, I do have specific questions regarding personally using PRP (+/- ACell) for MPB without HT surgery. These questions may seem anal and more detailed than normal, but I have to ask because of the personal costs involved, and the fact there are still no established, standardized, or proven protocols to date for PRP (+/- ACell) hair injections for MPB without HT surgery .

• What specific protocols are you using that provide consistent results for PRP (+/- ACell) for MPB patients (without HT surgery)? Where did you receive and why did you determine to use these specific protocols?

• What centrifugal equipment are you using for PRP platelet concentrations? What PRP platelet concentration levels are you getting? What amount of PRP (+/- ACell) injections for individual patients? And how do you determine concentration level amounts of PRP (+/- ACell) injections for individual patients?

• How much do you charge for PRP (+/- ACell) injections?

• How many PRP (+/- ACell) injections per year do you recommend someone getting? Is PRP (+/- ACell) injections perfectly safe over the long haul many years from now due to stimulating cell growth? Obviously, cancers are concern for everyone and nobody wants to wake up or stimulate genetically predisposed cancer cells, etc.

• How many PRP (+/- ACell) injections for MPB (without HT surgery) have you performed to date? How long have you been performing these PRP (+/- ACell) injections in your practice?

• What is the success percentage of total PRP (+/- ACell) injection patients for MPB (without HT surgery) that actually grow more hair and increase diameter size of existing miniaturized native hairs? From these successful injections, can you measure or visually see the significant or appreciable percentage difference in overall hair growth and appearance for your patients? (e/g., 25% better stronger looking hair?/50% better stronger looking hair?/75% better stronger looking hair, etc)?

• Do you have portfolio of these patients before/after photos that I can see on-line? Even better if possible, can I contact these patients myself either via email or telephone to ask their overall impressions regarding their results?

The above text was written to my private email and is a good overview of the PRP topic, so I have included it in our blog.

I do not engage in using PRP and ACell for hair growth or in hair transplantation. We do use on occasion ACell with the patients permission for donor wound healing, but we do not charge the patient any money for this. We absorb the few hundred dollars for the ACell since we cannot positively claim its benefit. Once I see value, clinical proof, and scientific proof, I can change my mind about the offering.

I don’t believe that these treatments are anything more than human experimentation for profit, or just a profitable venture. Desperate people will spend lots of money chasing the pot of gold under a distant rainbow.