Month: January 2023

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I Want to Get My Wife Pregnant, Should I Stop Taking Finasteride?

The following summary seems to address this issue: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2164/jandrol.109.009381. The conclusion written by the drug company (Merck) is as follows:

In summary, a 1-mg dose of finasteride does not appear to adversely affect spermatogenesis. In addition, the level present in the ejaculate of patients taking 1 mg appears to be negligible. Thus, there does not appear to be any need to stop 1 mg of finasteride in those patients trying to conceive or in those whose partners are pregnant.


2018-07-20 09:30:48I Want to Get My Wife Pregnant, Should I Stop Taking Finasteride?

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I want to have an FUE and save money. What about going to Mexico or Turkey, is it safe?

Going out of the country for an FUE is not a great idea. The results may not be predictable, there is no accountability for the doctor and the risks of anesthesia may be significant in the wrong hands. Deaths have even happened, even in the US. We have been doing FUE longer than anyone in the world, having invented the FUE procedure and the hair transplant robot. Experience counts. Would you to to the cheapest heart surgeon or brain surgery to save a buck? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sisfX3XBmOw

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I Want a FUE Hair Transplant. Is 1200 Grafts Enough? Here is My Photo.

I have been on Finasteride for 4 years and my hair didn’t really change much. I did, however stop the drug for the past two months, but am back on now. 1) could my hair have changed in those two months? 2) what pattern do I appear to be? 3) a reputable IAHRS surgeon consulted me and recommended 1200 graft FUE , what are your opinions on that?

FUE 1200 grafts recommended by one doctor

If you trust your doctor then go with it!
The Internet is not a place to receive a second opinion.
If you would like a second opinion it is best to consult with another doctor in person.

Photo(s) are not a good way to determine if you are balding or if you “need” surgery for the following reasons:

1) There is no way to know your history in detail. This involves a dialogue between a doctor and patient. A consultation usually involves 30 minutes or more.
2) There is no way to examine your hair under a microscope to understand how much miniaturization you may have (to plan for a possible surgery). What will you do if you have further recession or balding after the surgery? Are you prepared to have another surgery to fill in the gaps? You need a Master Plan.
3) Photos do not convey your understanding or expectation of a hair transplant surgery. Someone with your hair loss may be happy with 1200 grafts. Another person with the exact same hair loss may not be happy with 1200 grafts.
4) Photos do not convey your goals. Someone with your hair loss may want a drastically low hair line where 1200 may not be enough. Another person with the exact same hair loss may want a very conservative hair line where 1200 may be too much.
5) FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction is just a harvesting technique. It has nothing to do with the end result. In fact FUE may give you a suboptimal result over a FUT (Strip) surgery. Did your doctor tell you this?
6) etc

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I Want a Very Dense Hairline. How Dense Should I Tell My Surgeon to Make It?

The question of density by itself makes sense as the size of the balding area dictates the planning. However, density is only one of the considerations. Your donor density relates to the size of your balding area, so a skilled doctor needs to plan the reconstruction of these parameters as well as other factors such as hair thickness, the waviness of your hair, and the color contrast between your hair color and your skin color.

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I want to be an actor and I think that I am balding (photo)

Money is not a problem if I need a hair transplant. Can you transplant me so that I can keep my youthful look which is critical to my acting career if my balding keeps going?

Money may be your greatest enemy as some doctors will want to take your money and not look to your future welfare. What you need is a Master Plan with a good doctor. You can expect to develop a mature hairline in the next few years and this is not balding. I generally recommend that you start off with HAIRCHECK instrument test that will tell you if there is ANY early balding. If the test is positive for early balding that the eye can not see, then you will need a medication protocol to slow or stop the balding. Hair transplants are NOT an option for men of your age as the future balding pattern, if you are balding, does not show up until you get into your 20s and can’t really be predicted until you are at least 25, so a Master Plan for the balding person must take into account the progressive nature of hair loss and how far the balding will go because for hair transplant treatments, the donor supply is finite (limited) and it must be used judiciously so that you never have a half finished look (like running out of paint if you painted your car so that the car will never be normal looking).

18 - am I balding

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Wall Street Journal Looks at Hair Laser Efficacy

There was a wallstreet journal article talking about the efficacy of the laser comb. It said that it works. Do you think there’s any evidence to support this? Here is the link.

By the way your site has been a big help. I’ve been balding since senior year in high school and am now twenty years old. Your site is the only site I have found that doesn’t seem to be pushing or selling anything, thank you.

The Wall Street Journal really didn’t conduct any research on their own to determine efficacy, but just quotes the study provided by Lexington (makers of the LaserComb). I guess if you took a vote from experts in the field, you could count my vote as thumbs down towards these hair lasers. I conducted a study on some of my patients for over a year when I had the large hair laser machines in my office (and offered their use free of charge to my surgical patients). I did not see any value on those using the hair laser, and honestly, it seemed like a waste of time for patients that don’t have time to waste.

Thanks for your kind words about this site. We work hard to make it what it is.


2009-11-05 10:22:10Wall Street Journal Looks at Hair Laser Efficacy

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Waking up dormant hair follicles with Vixarelimab

Researchers have found that a molecule called «oncostatin m» is what keeps the hair follicles in a dormant stage.

Vixarelimab is a drug that is supposed to be used for a skin condition called Prurigo nodularis. It is a oncostatin m receptor blocker. My theory is that this drug can block the oncostatin m molecule which comes from JAK-stat5 signalling. And thus it may «wake up» the dormant hair follicles.

Oncostatin M blockade with vixarelimab were supposedly well tolerated and no adverse effects were found under clinical trials.

When a hair follicle ‘wakes up’ from its normal sleep cycle (teolgen), it requires certain signaling molecules to kick start the stem cells that create the anagen hair growth. Many researchers believe that the absence of an important signaling molecule that is genetic, is what causes genetic patterned hair loss. This is clearly a different explanation than you have proposed. Your idea would have to be tested in animal models and human clinical trials if indicated after the animal studies are done successfully.


2020-10-07 08:13:05Waking up dormant hair follicles with Vixarelimab

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Viviscal for Women?

Hello,I am a 31 years old female and a mother of one child. I am currently losing hair on the top of my head, you can actually see scalp. My hair has become very thin. I have always had fine hair but it is curly so I can cover it up very easily. I have been looking around for something to help me and came across Viviscal. Would you recommend this for a woman who has excessive body hair? If not what do you recomend? I thought of Rogaine but I hate the idea of having to take it forever.

Thank you

ViviscalI don’t recommend Viviscal, as it hasn’t been proven to my satisfaction to treat hair loss. It also isn’t FDA approved, as it is just regarded as an over the counter supplement. The key ingredient appears to be a marine protein extract, so if you’ve got a fish allergy you should steer clear. Another key ingredient is vitamin C. While the product might help nourish your hair, I don’t know that it would treat hair loss, particularly if it is genetic in nature. Otherwise if you wish to use it, that is your choice to make.

For women, your options for treating hair loss are unfortunately rather limited. Have you seen a doctor to find out what the possible cause of your hair loss is? We compiled a partial list of female hair loss causes here.


2011-01-27 08:36:33Viviscal for Women?

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Vitamins and hair loss

John Bell, M.S Business Marketing, University of Toronto (2005)
Answered Nov 12

Yes, it does. Your hair thrives on vitamins, but it can be hard to maintain optimum levels. The reason for that is because the sources for all of these vitamins can be so varied. It’s hard for most people to fit all the different foods in which all of these vitamins are found. Also, if you are lacking a significant amount of any single vitamin, your hair can be affected severely. Here is what each vitamin does for your hair.

vitamin A

Vitamin A is a natural vitamin that grows every cell in your body. Therefore it’s also one of the natural vitamins essential for hair growth. It is also responsible for allowing your scalp to moisturize itself by producing this oil called sebum. Without having sufficient amounts of it you’re sure to face hair loss. It can be found in foods like milk, eggs, and yogurt.

Vitamin B

Biotin, also known as Vitamin B, is one of the best vitamins for hair growth. It’s so essential to hair growth that it is also used to treat hair loss. Being deficient in vitamin B is nearly impossible because of how abundant it is in nature. It’s found in whole grains, almonds

Vitamin C

Out of all food vitamins for hair growth, this one is special because it essentially works as an anti-aging serum. That might be overselling it a bit, but essentially you get the point. Vitamin C produces collagen, which then prevents hair from aging. Great sources for this vitamin C include peppers, strawberries, and citrus fruits.

Vitamin D & E

Vitamin D isn’t really for hair growth, rather it’s to prevent hair loss. See, many of the food vitamins for hair growth are very straightforward, however, the role played by vitamin D in hair growth is not yet understood. All we know is low levels of vitamin D is also linked to hair loss. Vitamin E helps prevent the same kind of stress that vitamin C does. Sunflower seeds, almonds, avocados, and spinach are all great sources for vitamin E. Though it’s similar to C, it does not prevent aging.


2019-12-05 06:12:22Vitamins and hair loss