After using regaine foam extra strength for few years, am now told at over 49 years old i cant anymore. Any problems if carry on?
I do not know of any age limit for using Rogaine (minoxidil). The packaging may include information about studies being done on people aged 18-49, which just means that it wasn’t studied as a hair loss treatment for those 50+ (not that you necessarily have to stop at that age).
I‘m from Germany and I suffer from hairloss. I was prescribed fin around 2 years ago. Recently it got worse and I went to a another dermatologist, since I moved places. He told me that he doesnt recommend taking fin and instead take Alfatradiol (apparently it has the same effect as fin but its topical?). Have you heard of this? The product is called Ell-Cranell. I cant seem to find a lot of studies.
Alfatradiol is a weak estrogen and 5-reductase inhibitor medication which is used topically in the treatment of pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia or pattern baldness) in men and women. You might be better off with topical finasteride plus minoxidil as these are stronger medications.
2020-09-07 03:29:342020-09-01 09:50:11Alfatradiol for hair loss, does it work?
I have had two procedures in the past at Dr. Rassman’s NHI facility. The first about 8 years ago, the second about 6 years ago. I have used Propecia, or Finasteride as a substitute, religiously since before the first procedure.
About a year ago I started to notice substantial thinning in the areas that had become filled in from the procedures. I have assumed this to be loss of original hair. Is it common for Propecia/Finasteride to stop working at some point? Does substituting Finasteride have a negative effect?
Last, I have read that Propecia (Finasteride) dosage can be reduced from 1 mg a day to .2 mg per day with no negative effect, and that it may be possible to take the med every other day. True?
Hair transplants are permanent and lifelong, but those remaining hairs you had in the balding areas (not the transplanted grafts) will continue to fall out. When you have surgery, we transplant the hairs in between any existing hair to blend it in so that if the existing hairs fall out years down the line, you will still have the transplanted hairs to keep things looking natural without an abrupt demarcation.
Propecia is just a brand name for the finasteride (in 1mg dose). There should be no difference between generic and brand name other than possibly the strength in dose of the active ingredient. It’s possible that there are different fillers. Propecia/finasteride does help hold on to the existing thinning hair as long as possible, but eventually your genetic predisposition catches up with you. This does not mean it just stopped working, but rather, you are getting older and your predestined hair loss fate is winning the battle.
The medication is about 70 to 80 percent as effective at half the dose of the recommended 1mg daily, so you can theoretically cut the pill in half (0.5mg) and still see some benefits. There have been some patients who have seen side effects, and cutting the dose in half has allowed them to experience good results without the side effects.
2011-10-25 14:58:462011-10-25 12:45:38After Taking Propecia Daily for Years After My Transplant, I Think I’m Losing Hair Again
(female)
I have always had yearly autumn hair shedding but since I had chemo 2 years ago this has stopped, do you have any ideas why this might be? Thanks.
Sorry, I’m not familiar with a possible reason for what you’re experiencing.
Just so I’m clear, you’re saying that your hair grew back after chemotherapy, but the seasonal shedding you normally experienced in the past has stopped, right? Have you talked with your oncologist about this?
2010-11-04 08:46:382010-10-29 15:47:20After Chemo, My Yearly Shedding Has Stopped
I read some comments around here on posts from people who are 17, 18 years old. Many say that there is not much that can be done in those cases, and that one should simply accept that all is lost. I’m 18 and I think my baldness is aggressive. My hairline has always been high, but at 16 I saw it was receding a bit. Two years later, I have a nw2.5-ish hairline, and it turns out that my alopecia is retrograde. However, my hair is very thick on top. On the sides and back, not much, due to the fact that it is retrograde.
One year ago, I realized that things were getting a lot worse. From May to December, I can say that I went from quite-good-hair to obviously balding. I started topical minoxidil in November, and I’ve been using it to this day. Finasteride only started being part of my regimen three months ago (almost four), at the end of January. I’m losing about 100 hairs a day in the shower, but I can say that my hair is still the same as it was at the beginning of the year. Considering how aggressive the progression was, I don’t know what my hair would look like now if I hadn’t done anything to combat the baldness.
I’ve heard reports of guys saying that they started going bald around the time I did, that they had started treatment, but at 24-27 years old ended up losing all their hair. Therefore, I would like to know if it is true that attempting to combat aggressive baldness at a young age is in vain.
I have seen men 17-18 whose fathers had a Class 7 pattern by the age of 22 and they are now looking just like their dads. I am not sure that today’s medications can stop this balding process, but it is worth a try. Most men can get a hair transplant and prevent the balding appearance; however, most reputable hair surgeons will not tackle a 17-year-old even with parental consent because of maturity and financial issues. Too many young men can’t handle the decisions on hair transplants at 18.
Hair loss classification was created to discuss the end stage of hair loss. Many people will thin their hair as they get to their end stage. Of interest, Class 7 pattern, the most advanced pattern, usually is present by the time a man reaches his late 20’s because the genes for hair loss are very strong. Young men who have a Class 3 pattern of hair loss, when checked with the HAIRCHECK instrument, often show thinning elsewhere on their scalp that they can’t see and may not see for years because it can be a slow process. A good doctor who sees a young man under 25 develops a MASTER PLAN for him that will follow the changes I just discussed above, offering transplants only after the man is 25 or 26 if it fits. Medications, like Finasteride, as well as topical or oral Minoxidil, work to stop or reverse the hair loss. Therefore, a good relationship with a doctor who has built a Master Plan for you is essential to your future well-being. The use of the HAIRCHECK instrument has great value in reporting the degree to which your hair loss exists that may not be obvious to the naked eye.
Hi Doc, I am about 3.5 weeks removed from a 1400 Strip Hair Transplant. Alot of my hairs have “shed” and some have “broken”. When I say broken, it appears that stubs are left in my head and I have alot of stubs, and sometimes the hair (with the black bulb at the end) comes out of my head (“shed”)… Is this normal for transplanted hairs to break, is it because they die early on? The broken hairs look like hair you would see from a haircut (no bulb ends), and the remaining part looks like stubble in the head.
These are questions that you should discuss with the doctor who did your transplant and something that you should have been made aware of. From your brief description, it seems you are shedding your transplanted hair. This is normal. If you still feel there is something else going on, you should follow up with your doctor. I am assuming that these broken hairs reflect the transplanted hairs, not the natural hair in the general area where the transplant was done.
2006-10-26 12:33:362006-10-26 09:00:31Almost a Month After Hair Transplant, My Hairs Look Broken
Hi doc,
First I appreciate you on providing expert level suggestions to people all around the world. I think it is really helpful for many patients. I am on Finax (Dr Reddys) for the past month taking daily 1mg at night. I have two questions:1. I am very much tempted to take alcohol on weekend nights and skip the pills for those days to be on the safer side, and continue on the weekdays. I want to know whether I will get the benefit of the medication or it will slow down the effects?
2. Can I take the pills in the morning during breakfast even if I am on drinks in the nights, does it also effect the medication?Please help me in understanding my concerns. Thanks in Advance!
I think you’re under the impression that alcohol cancels out the effects of finasteride, but that simply isn’t the case. There’s no adverse reaction to taking alcohol and taking finasteride on the same day. If you want to give in to your temptation of drinking alcohol on the weekend nights, it is not for me to judge or to advise you on. I wouldn’t down a bottle of booze with Propecia (or the generic Finax), but having both on the same day won’t make the finasteride ineffective.
I prefer to take the medication in the morning, but you can take the medication at any time of the day or night. Just take it every day.
2010-03-16 12:34:142010-03-16 08:38:49Alcohol and Finasteride?
My wife passed away early last year and I just started to date on the internet. There are a lot of ladies out there, but my bald head makes me look too old, more like someone’s great grandfather. I want to be a lover and to be that, I got to look like that. Is there an age limit to get a transplant? I am essentially totally bald (except for my sides and back and scattered hairs in the front that seem to be holding on for dear life). Can hair transplants work for me at 84 years old?
Your question brought a smile to my face. I have done hair transplants on many men in their 80s and they were driven to have a hair transplant after either divorce or the death of their spouse. Men of all ages want to look young and looking young makes you feel young, so why not get your hair back and get your youth back? I have done surgery on many people with the most advanced hair loss pattern. Clearly, we are not all equal and some balding men just don’t have the supply, while others do. I always start by suggesting that you come in to the office to be evaluated. Rather than overwhelm you with lots of text, I thought I would point you to two patients who allow me to use their photographs. The first is a very bald man in his late 60s (happily married), before and after a hair transplant and the second is a man now in his 80s, that had one transplant procedure and started dating in his late 70s. The photos show his hair loss progression since the 1940s.
Dr.Rassman, you’ve written much about dermatitis and hair loss. It seems that in your opinion even the worst case of sebhorrheic dermatitis (excessive plaque, high levels of sebum, chronic flaking, bleeding etc.) doesn’t contribute directly to hair loss – especially of the patterned kind. However many people out there believe the two to be linked, including many physicians. I just came across an article from a non-profit organization called the American Hair Loss Association detailing various hair fungi and scalp conditions.
In their discussion of dermatitis they claim that, and I quote, “Although all this inflammation is not specifically directed at the hair follicle, if hair follicles are in the vicinity of the inflammatory cells then they can still be adversely affected. Hair follicles find inflamed skin an unhealthy environment in which to grow. Thus seborrheic dermatitis may non-specifically cause diffuse hair loss.” Is this a reputable source and how would you respond to this claim?
*The full article can be found here: AHLA – Infectious Agents
Flaking of the skin from seborrheic dermatitis itself does not cause hair loss, but if the scalp is picked and the flakes are pulled off, then hair loss can be a result of that process (meaning the hair will come off with the plaque). If a person picks on it regularly, that person can develop traction alopecia or even a condition called dermatillomania, a form of OCD.
I usually point out to our readers that the most common cause of hair loss (in men) is related to genetics. The differentiating factor for male pattern (genetic) hair loss from other types of hair loss is the “pattern” of the loss… but there are other causes of hair loss aside from genetics. Hair loss can be from fungus, psoriasis, anemia, immunologic, infections, stress, etc and many of these conditions may appear like a form of dermatitis. These types of hair loss can be diffuse or patchy, but there is not necessarily a cause and effect between the skin condition and the hair loss.
The American Hair Loss Association is a good, well meaning organization. I just do not agree with the opinion that they expressed connecting seborrhea to hair loss directly. I’m not sure where they got their information about that.
2010-05-13 15:01:352010-05-13 17:28:37AHLA Says Seborrheic Dermatitis Causes Hair Loss
