Month: January 2023

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Does Diffuse Loss Eventually Stop?

Hi. I wonder if diffuse thinning stops or if you’re losing it diffusely, are you’re sure to end up a NW 5/6? I mean some people’s hair loss stabilize at one certain point like NW3 (like my dad who’s been a NW3 for about 20 years). But if you’re a diffuser, does the same thing happen?

Thanks.

You need to be examined by someone with competence in genetic hair loss and who can predict the hair loss based upon miniaturization and bulk analysis. Without an examination, I couldn’t say one way or the other if your diffuse loss would cause you to finalize to a Norwood 5 or 6 pattern.


2011-12-08 17:01:20Does Diffuse Loss Eventually Stop?

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Does DHT Type I Cause Hair Loss?

Finasteride lowers type II DHT while Avodart lowers both type I and II. Does the amount of type I DHT have any effect on hair or it is only type II that may cause hair loss?

Thanks.

We answered this years back here. Short answer — it’s been proven that type II is linked to MPB, but type I hasn’t been linked.

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Does Cutting a Month of Proscar Really Lose Effectiveness?

Does cutting Proscar a month’s in advance really reduce its effectiveness?

Cutting a month of Proscar pills (5mg finasteride) in advance could reduce the effectiveness like any pill would if exposed to air and humidity for a prolonged period of time. I don’t know what the exact point is that the medication starts to degrade, but that’s why I suggest splitting one pill at a time. The protective coating on the outside is what extends the life of the medication, and a cut pill obviously loses some of that.


2010-10-05 08:51:18Does Cutting a Month of Proscar Really Lose Effectiveness?

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Does Couvre Cause Hair Loss?

Hi Dr. Rassman
Great site…thanks for helping out so many concerned men and women. I am a 42 year old male, with Norwood class III hair loss. I had 2 hair transplants about 10 years ago at the temples, and was happy with the results(they have taken me back to a norwood class I or II look). Now my hair is thinning more in the centre. I use a scalp covering paste (couvre) applied with a sponge, that does a great job of helping to cover the thinning area…but I am wondering if using this will cause my hair to fall out even more? Also, I read that most men slow down or stop their hair loss in their mid 40’s..my hair loss is starting to pick up again over the last year. Can I use products like minoxidil with products that colour the scalp?
Thanks for your help.

CouvreI highly doubt Couvre causes hair loss. You can use minoxidil with scalp coloring agents. For more on Couvre, see their site here.

I suspect you are losing hair due to general male pattern hair loss as it is a progressive process (something we do not like to admit). Hair loss should slow down as we age, but it still happens in men at all ages. There is no rule or exception if it is happening to you. You may consider seeing a doctor for a good diagnosis and you may be a good candidate for finasteride (Propecia/Proscar).


2007-08-31 13:33:50Does Couvre Cause Hair Loss?

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Does Closing a Strip Scar Cause the Crown to Be More Visible?

Does the crown stretch when closing a FUT scar?

Hi there – First off I would just like to thank you for providing this excellent resource. I just have two short questions related to FUT scars:

1) Firstly, I know you have answered this in the past with hairlines, however since the crown is within inches of the incision site above the prominent bone, does it slightly move/stretch downwards towards the incision site once the scar is closed?. For example… I have some thinning in my crown but im lucky in the fact that it doesnt dip low at the back so its not very visible unless looking from above my head. If I had a strip procedure would this thinning crown be more visible from the back because the skin has been pulled down to close the strip wound?

2) Secondly, I believe avoiding strenuous exercise is recommended for about a month after the procedure to avoid scar widening, but is general head tilting and looking downwards in the weeks after surgery ok in terms of putting stress on the scar?

I would be most grateful for any response you have for the above questions. Kind regards.

Strip scars placed in the true donor area in the back of the head should not impact the location or the size of the crown area. Strip surgery takes up laxity that is there at the time of the surgery. Bending your head should also not impact the crown area.

I have never been sure why we tell the patients not to lift heavy weights. If there is a pull from the muscles, it comes from the trapezius muscle, which inserts below the scar at the base of the skull. I still tell the patients not to lift heavy objects, but I am not certain there is any value to the advice.

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Does Bulk Measurement Depend on Hair Length?

A question about the hair bulk measurement tool – surely it’s dependent on the person measuring having exactly the same length hair every time a measurement is taken otherwise it’s going to produce inaccurate results?

I mean, great if you know your hairdresser can cut your hair the same length perfectly each time you want to do a measurement but realistically that’s not going to happen unless you use clippers which most of us don’t want to do.

Or does it not work this way? Am I missing something?

If not, then I’d think that a camera would be a better way of judging hair loss.

For the bulk analysis, you need to have an adequate length of hair (maybe 2 inches in length) so that the hairs can be bundled up and the bulk can be measured. Any adequate hair length will work the same, even if it is 3 feet long, because the measurement is made at about one to one and a half inches from the scalp. Think of a person bundling up a long pony tail. If you have more hair, the bulk of the pony tail will be much greater. As the measurement is limited to a point about one inch from the scalp, the longer hair will not impact the measurement.

We take a baseline measurement at the same coordinates of the scalp each and every time you return (12 months). If you cut your hair with clippers with a buzzcut style, you cannot do a bulk measurement. If you have gel or other products on your hair it will give a higher bulk reading, so we ask that there are no hair products on your hair when you come in for the analysis.

If your hair is very short, then we can always use a miniaturization study, looking at hair diameters at a microscopic level. Bulk measurement is doing it at a macroscopic level. These are all our attempts to measure an objective (not subjective) value of your hair status. The subjective measurement can be a simple before after picture of your head/face. The picture can be highly variable depending on lighting and angles. At NHI, we try to keep the angles and the lighting and the camera model, lenses, aperture, and external flash location as constant as possible.

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Does Body Hair Relate to MPB?

Hi Doc!

Does male body hair, like chest hair and/or back hair, have anything in common with MPB? In other words, have you ever seen a bald/balding person without this kind of male body hair? (assuming he is not shaved)

I also wonder if a maturing hairline should be as thick as a juvenile hairline, or if it is common that it is a little bit thinner at the very front of the hairline.

I would really appreciate your expertise on these matters.

It seems at times that the bald men have bodies covered in hair, somewhat like a gorilla, but it is simply not the case. There is no connection between body hair and the loss of head hair, except to state that those with lots of body hair probably have good testosterone production.

The maturing hairline is as thick as the juvenile hairline, as long as there is no genetic hair loss in the actual hairline (no miniaturization). Sometimes, the mature hairline is thinner (at least it seems that way to me as I look at my mature hairline), but that is just a feeling. No facts on that subject to back up my ‘feelings’.


2007-01-29 13:49:41Does Body Hair Relate to MPB?

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Does Body Hair Know When It Has Been Cut Short?

Hey Doctor R,
I was just wondering about growth cycles of hair. In terms of non-scalp hair, or body hair, which tends to have a shorter growth phase – what happens here? Like do the genes which navigate hair growth just shut off after the hair reaches a particular length? Like I began to get curious about this when I trimmed some body hair – but did not shave it completely off. After, it is trimmed the hair begins to grow again and stops at the same length.

How does the hair “know” its been cut? Do the genes controlling hair growth become active again when body hair is trimmed or shaved? I know this is kind of a weird question, but I thought you may be able to provide me with some kind of explanation. Thank you!’

Body hair grows to a certain length and also has a different growth / rest cycle than scalp hair. Scalp hair has a longer growth cycle, which is why you can have your scalp hair grow very long. When it is cut short, the impact of gravity is lessened, and its character is more evident. People with crew cuts have a bristly feel of the scalp, but when the hair is very long, its weight impacts they way it looks. The characteristics of the hair is genetic.

Hair is not sentimental, does not feel pain and holds no grudge when it is cut short.

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Does Blow-Drying Accelerate Hair Loss?

Dr. Rassman,
Does blow-drying your hair accelerate hair loss? If so, is it worse if you use a brush attachment? Can you blow-dry transplanted hair?
If the plan is to transplant, say, 1200 follicles, how does the patient know that many were actually transplanted? Thanks, Doctor.

Blow drying does not accelerate the hair loss, but as the hair becomes miniaturized, the hair is more fragile and if one pulls too much or handles the hair roughly, then the hair may break off, giving the illusion that the hair loss is accelerating.

I really do not believe that you need to worry about the number of grafts you are paying for in our office. My finance office reconciles the patient accounting daily and routinely refunds money to patients who did not receive the targeted number of grafts. One of my patients, a well known actor, paid for 2500 grafts at my personal rate of $10/graft. When the accounting was finalized that day, he only got 1400 grafts, so we sent him a refund check for $11,000. After he got the check, he called me and argued with me, telling me that he did not care about the money and that I should keep the money. I refused to do so, saying that if he did not care about the money, he should give it to a charity, but that I had not earned it, so it was not mine to keep. He did make a donation of $11,000 to his favorite charity with my name on the donation. Integrity is either in a person or it is not and I was raised to believe that you can often tell the integrity of a man by his business dealings.