Month: January 2023

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Wearing a Hat After a Hair Transplant

So, I’m getting a hair transplant over in India, which is about a 20-30 hour series of flights, and would like to know if it’s okay to wear a hat afterwards? Like even if it’s just a light bandana, would it be okay for it to touch the grafts lightly for the trip at 6 days post op?

Wearing a hat should be fine. Just make sure that the hat does not rub against the grafts. We give out standard trucker’s hats after the hair transplant procedures we do. You can also double check with your surgeon to find out what he/she recommends.

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Weaning Off Propecia?

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I had a question for you regarding the cessation of Propecia, which I don’t believe has ever been answered on your blog. You’ve made it quite clear that stopping Propecia will lead to the state a patient’s hair would have been had they not taken Propecia at all; they would lose all hair gained or maintained while on Propecia within 12 months of stopping the medication. Suppose one wants to stop Propecia for any given reason. Is there a way to wean oneself off of it over an extended period of time (even years?) to avoid this sudden loss?

Thanks

I do not have a specific recommendation. I suppose you can slowly decrease your dose over the course of a few months. but you will still lose all the hairs that Propecia was sustaining. It may not be quite as “sudden”, but it will still be a loss.

Before starting or stopping or changing any medications, you need to discuss these issues with your prescribing doctor.


2008-06-17 13:40:41Weaning Off Propecia?

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Weak Results 6 Months After Transplant

Hello. i’m 23 and had a 2000 graft procedure in new york on july 1st 2005. its been about 6 months and some weeks and i havent seen the dramatic results i thought i was suppose to see. I asked the doctor and he says its early and everyone is different, just wait and be patient. What do you think? I “feel” some hairs growing in different spots but not everywhere, and i have some slight cobblestoning, does that go away?
Thanks so much

I always tell my patients to wait a full 8 months before judging what the results look like. At 8 months, 80-90% of the transplants should have grown and much of them at styling length of 2 inches or so.

Be patient and wait it out. Significant changes will probably be evident in the next few months.

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Weak Family History of MPB — Will Propecia Work Better for Me?

I saw Dr. Bernstein in July and he confirmed MPB and I been on Propecia ever since (a little over 4 months) with no results yet but Bernstein told me I gotta wait at least 6 months then the hair should start popping up. Currently I’m a NW2 and have early frontal hair loss and turned 22 years old in September. My question is, is it very likely that Propecia could work for many years for me because I have a weak MPB family history? The only men in my family out of the whole bunch are my father who is a NW5 at age 64 he didn’t start to lose till his 30s and my mom’s brother has a NW3 at age 41 he got that way in his early 30s and stayed that way. I know as far as great-grandfathers had great hair, nobody in my family (both sides) went past NW2.

Dr Bernstein is a good friend of mine and a very good doctor as well. You have been on Propecia for 4 months. The results can take as long as 6 to 12 months to show. Also keep in mind the benefits from the medication does not necessarily mean you will grow new hair, and it could just help to retain what you have (thus stabilizing your hair loss).

In the end it doesn’t matter if you have a strong or weak family history. If you have it, you have it! If you are looking for some sort of reassurance of if Propecia will work for your specific case, I can’t give it to you. Only time will tell. I don’t want to play guessing games and risk giving you false hope. You’ll just have to wait and see.


2008-12-05 15:00:49Weak Family History of MPB — Will Propecia Work Better for Me?

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We Have Toxic Aspergillus Mold in Our House and We’re Losing Most of Our Hair!

(female)
I have lost a ton of hair in the last few years and I know for sure it is due to a long exposure to high levels of toxic Aspergillus mold in my house. My husband has the same problem. I have very little hair left and although we have been out of the house for a month and a half, my hair is STILL falling out quite rapidly. Can you tell me how long after leaving the toxic home before my hair will stop falling out and re-grow? Months? Years? Will we need anti-fungal medication or will hair re-grow just because we are gone from that home? Any info you can give would be greatly appreciated by us.

I doubt your hair loss issues are due to Aspergillus mold in the house, as that would be very rare. If it is (just for the sake of reasoning), the hairs should grow back in about a one year time frame. Please see your doctor for any treatment issues pertaining to mold. Antifungal medications for hair growth do not work.

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Watery Semen on Finasteride

Been on it for 8 days and the last couple of days I noticed my semen is really watery. I have no side effects other than that. I did some research and notice it’s a really common side effect, I’m just wondering if it will keep happening for as long as I take Finasteride or if you have heard of it resolving itself in patients who continue to take it? Thanks for your time!

It usually remains. A few people told me it got less watery, but that is the exception to the rule.


2021-03-03 07:52:10Watery Semen on Finasteride

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Watery semen on finasteride

I started taking FIN one year ago. Within a few days I noticed my semen was basically the consistency of water. I read that it tends to go back to normal after a while, but that hasn’t been the case for me. I haven’t noticed an improvement in my hair, although it doesn’t seem to have gotten much worse either, so maybe that’s good and i’d have less hair if i’d never touched fin? who knows. I’m curious about the semen thing, though. Anyone else had water semen the whole time they’ve been on it? Will it go back to normal if I decide to quit fin at some point? Are there any health/fertility implications to this watery semen?

Water semen is a common side effect of finasteride. You are still capable of getting someone pregnant with it so be careful still. If you stopped the finasteride, your semen would return to its normal consistency in a month or two


2019-04-11 08:28:42Watery semen on finasteride

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Water Quality Causing My Hair Loss?

i recently moved to new york, and i noticed a difference in the water quality when showering. the water seems to take longer to rinse of soap and shampoo. after a few days, i notice my hair was much more prone to breaking and falling out. when it falls out, i notice even the root of the hair has fallen. i am 19 years old and have very good genetics for a thick head of hair. i have already switched to a thickening shampoo (l’oreal) and plan on gettinga shower filter.

whats happening and how can i resolve it?

Some parts of the country have hard water, which contains a high mineral content and impacts the way soap suds. Water softeners are commonly sold in those parts of the country where the water is hard. For more on hard water, see Wikipedia.

Don’t jump to conclusions about the water, but you may be correct to change your shampoo and probably use a conditioner.


2007-03-20 12:17:21Water Quality Causing My Hair Loss?

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Water Never Touched My Head for 2 Weeks

Hi,
i recently left my hair unwashed for about 2 weeks, plz dont ask me why, when i say unwashed i mean i never even used water. eventually when did wash i had a lot of hair loss, probably aboyt 200-300 hairs and my hair was very oily too. is this normal? i also wanted to ask you, do you if someone living in the uk can ask their GP to write prescription for proscar.

Are you asking if not washing yourself for 2 weeks is normal? I’d have to say no. The hair loss you have seen is probably just shed hair (about 100 per day is normal or 1400 per 2 week period) and these are from the normal hair cycling which were trapped amongst other hairs. Hairs that get entangled on your scalp are normal if you did not wash, but washing your hair will free them up and it might look like a massive loss all at once. I’m speculating, of course, as I haven’t seen you or the loss you describe.

The oiliness isn’t surprising, as you hadn’t washed your hair or scalp in some time and the glands around each and every hair follicle secrets sebum (an oily substance) every minute of every day.

Finasteride is available in the UK, so I don’t see why you couldn’t ask your doctor for a prescription. If you don’t have genetic hair loss though, I doubt you’d get the prescription.

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Water and Hair Loss

I am curious to know whether water would be an issue in hair loss. I am currently in Spain. I have been here since September and am not coming back to the states till August. I recently started taking generic finasteride at the beggining of this month should I be concerned about water and its pertinence towards hair loss, as well would the 5mg generic finasteride have exactly the same ingredients as the propecia?

Unless there is something I do not know about the water in Spain, it should not be a cause of hair loss.

Generic finasteride in 5mg strength is FIVE times more potent than Propecia, which contain 1mg of finasteride. Thus, if you are using finasteride in 5mg strength you should cut it (ideally in 5 pieces, but realistically in 4 pieces) to make 1mg of finasteride. Taking 5mg finasteride at once is NOT more effective than taking 1mg of finasteride for treating hair loss. In fact, you may have an increase in the incidence of side effects.