Author: Dr. William Rassman

Posted on

Sex After a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,

I recently received a transplant of 2500 graphs. The day after the transplant I had sex and was wondering if the increase in blood pressure to the head may have dislodged any of my graphs.

There was no unusual bleeding nor was my transplant area touched.

As with all your first time hair transplantation-ees, I am concerned that I may have adversely impacted the recover process.

Comments?

Block Quote

I doubt that any problems were produced. I generally tell my patients if they must undergo sex right after a hair transplant, try to be a bit more passive in the process. Full active sex is safe after about 3 days.

Posted on

Long Term 1mg Finasteride Study Shows Good Results – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the abstract:

Finasteride 1 mg is indicated for the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, more than 5 years efficacy and safety has not been previously reported. To assess the efficacy over 10 years in different age groups of men with AGA. 118 men, between 20 and 61 years, with AGA receiving finasteride (1 mg/day), were enrolled in this uncontrolled study.

Block Quote

Read the rest from the July/August 2011 issue of Dermatologic Therapy

I don’t remember if we posted about this before (it was first published last summer), but this is the longest study on the effectiveness of finasteride over a 10 year period of time. Side effects included reduced libido in 5.1%, reduced ejaculate of semen volume in 1.7%, and erection problems in 3.4%. Gynecomastia and depression were not among the reported side effects.

Of those individuals who had a good initial result and long term use, the overall results were better. This may be a predictor of long term benefits. Better hair growth in the long term was reported in men over 30 and in men over 40, as the drug remained effective (unlike what had been reported — that men who took the drug for long periods of time experienced reduced effectiveness). What was most impressive was that in 110 men who took the drug for 10 years, there was only significant degree of hair loss in 14% of the men studied.

Posted on

If Nikola Tesla Castrated Himself, Is That Why He Didn’t Bald? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

TeslaI’ve read in a hairloss forum that Nikola Tesla castrated himself so he doesn’t get distracted from his research. Maybe that’s the reason he didn’t go bald. I’m amazed from what you can read today in the internet.

Block Quote

If one is castrated, they will stop their balding process where it was at the time of castration. Taking testosterone can reverse that, producing balding in men with the genetic traits for hair loss (even without testicles).

If Nikola Tesla was castrated (I am not sure about that), then he will not be balding… as shown in these photos at Neatorama. The man was a genius, but he looked like hell with considerable weight loss as he aged (as seen here). He did seem to maintain his hair pattern, even with the weight loss.

Posted on

Female Hair Loss After Lap Band Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Great blog, Dr. Rassman! Quick question. My Cousin had the Lap-Band surgery in August 2011. Since then she has lost almost 60 lbs. She has also lost almost all of the hair in the front half of her scalp. Does this hair have a chance to return if she supplements with a vitamin or has her Lap-Band loosened so that she can eat more? She never had hair loss before the surgery. Thanks!

Block Quote

Women who lose hair from rapid weight loss may have accelerated a genetic pattern for hair loss that is present. These women may never return to their preoperative hair thickness, but some of it may reverse. If there is no genetic pattern present, then the hair loss may reverse upon balancing her diet.

Posted on

Is Scarring Common at the Recipient Sites? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Thank you for the time and effort you put into answering all of our questions. My question regards scarring. I have heard some people say that scar tissue forms where the hairs are implanted during a transplant, and that this can result in bumps or raised spots on the hairline. Is this true? If so, is it common? If not, why don’t scars form where the hairs are implanted? After all, a wound of sorts must be made to implant the hair, so how would do you prevent hundreds or thousands of scars from forming after a hair transplant?

Block Quote

With the technique we pioneered, we do two things that minimize recipient site scarring —

  1. We make very small wounds in the skin, essentially slits that approximate the size of the grafts. These heal very fast.
  2. When preparing the grafts for implantation, we cut off the skin disk at the skin level. To minimize the skin disk, we remove the top layer of the graft skin from the surface of the graft. This prevents the skin from surviving the transplant which could, in some individuals, produce the bump seen in recipient areas. The same process is done with grafts taken from strip surgery.

When doctors use grafts that have a larger surface area than what I described above, the bumps you referenced get more prominent. We have seen from the old days when plugs were done and the graft sizes ranged from 3-5 mm across, the skin always was deformed. Clearly the more skin that survives at the top of the graft, the more detectable will be the existence of the transplanted graft.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationThe Older You Get, Is The Risk of Hair Loss Lower? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear doctor how are you? In terms of demographics, I have read on this site the older you become the more hair loss you see. For example, when somebody hits their 30’s, 30% of the people are bald when somebody hits their 40’s, 40% of the people are bald etc. etc.

Could there also be a reversal of those statistics? For example, once a person hits their 30’s and they are not bald or only have minor thinning, 30% chance that they will not go bald and once in their 40’s, 40% chance they will not go bald etc. etc. I know its really hard to judge because everybody is different, but I just wanted your input and wanted to share it with the rest of the readers.

Thank you for a wonderful website site. Take care.

Block Quote

Most balding occurs in men when they’re in their 20s, especially if they are destined for a more advanced hair loss pattern (Class 5 and higher). I can try to predict your pattern during an office visit by measuring your hair bulk and comparing it throughout the scalp. Early patterns that can not be seen with the naked eye can be measured and followed as you get older.

It is important to make your question personal, as none of us fall in any particular percentile, as it is just a statistical process.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationDoes Rogaine Lower Sperm Quality? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My fiance and I are planning on trying to start a family in a few months (after the wedding). I’ve read in some places that Rogaine can lower sperm quality or affect an unborn fetus somehow, but I can’t find it anywhere that looks official. Is there any truth to this? If I do stop using it, will a large portion of my hair fall out within weeks? I’ve never gone more than a day without using it.

I’ve been on Rogaine for about three years now and it appears to have slowed my hair loss. If the choice is between keeping my hair and the health of my unborn child, obviously I’ll pick the latter. But I’d rather not have to choose. Thank you!

Block Quote

Rogaine (minoxidil) should have no effect on your sperm, nor have I have read anything supporting what you read about it affecting the fetus. Of course, if you’re concerned you should talk to your doctor.

Perhaps you’re confusing it with Propecia (finasteride), which has rare side effects related to ejaculate and fertility (but not change sperm count).

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationMy Hair Knots Up and Pulls Out When Applying Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor

I’m a 27yo male with a full head of hair yet. I comb my hair a couple of times a day after my minoxidil application with a wide tooth comb. As I have medium length hair sometimes knots are formed and even if I’m gentle sometimes I feel little painful pulls.

Should I be worried about those? I doubt any hairs are being pulled out by the root because I try to be gentle, but if some hair does, will it grow back?

Thank you very much.

Block Quote

If you’re being gentle, I don’t know what to tell you. You could try switching to the foam instead of the liquid solution and see if it helps.

Posted on

Spicy Food, Itchy Scalp, and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,

Nice blog.

My question is kinda odd, but please humor me. I can tell there’s some sort of relationship of importance between cause-driven itchy scalp and hair loss.

I really think someone in the hair loss research field, such as yourself, should look further into what I’m saying. I am a statistician by background; I have a PhD in my field, and I am by no means bringing up a crazy idea here. It’s a theory. We all want a cure for baldness, and the best bet is to hear out every conceptual idea or theory. If you could learn the connection here, I believe you would not only make a lot of money, but you’d also help a lot of people.

So, here goes… I noticed about a year or two ago – when I eat something spicy, my head itches. Ok, big deal. Sometimes when I workout, my head also itched. However, the spice aspect, is more noticeable, regular and I can even predict it. When I eat something spicy, I know I’ll have an itch shortly “only in the area of my head that’s thinning or balding”. It’s really strange, and my statistics background tells me there’s got to be a connection there.

The questions I think need answering are:

-Why do humans feel itching?
-What in a spice could cause itching at distant location?
-Could it be something from the spice goes into the bloodstream right away and effects DHT?

I seriously think a dermatologist should be able to answer this. I know I’m not the only one to bring this up.

Block Quote

Hot peppersI am not a dermatologist, so I will try to answer to the best of my capacity. I do know from personal experience that one of the consequence of eating spicy foods is sweating on the scalp, which can make your scalp itch. It also makes my nose run and sometimes my eyes water depending on the heat level. This may be due to a histamine reaction from the capsaicin, the chemical which makes it spicy. But I do not see how this is related to hair loss.

Most male hair loss is due to genetic causes, which is known as androgenic alopecia (AGA) or male pattern baldness (MPB). It is really not a DHT issue in and of itself. In other words, if you do NOT have the genes for hair loss, you will not go bald no matter how much DHT you have.

As far as why humans have to feel the sensation of itching, that is like asking why humans have to feel the sensation of pain. I think that is a bit beyond the scope of BaldingBlog. Sorry.