Dr. William Rassman – Page 1031

February 13, 2012

In the News – Doctors Not Always Honest with Patients – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Trust your doctor? A survey finds that some doctors aren’t always completely honest with their patients.

More than half admitted describing someone’s prognosis in a way they knew was too rosy. Nearly 20 percent said they hadn’t fully disclosed a medical mistake for fear of being sued. And 1 in 10 of those surveyed said they’d told a patient something that wasn’t true in the past year.

The survey, by Massachusetts researchers and published in this month’s Health Affairs, doesn’t explain why, or what wasn’t true.

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Read the rest — Study finds MDs not always honest with patients

The results are based on a survey of over 1800 doctors across the US from 2009, “to see if they agree with and follow certain standards medical professionalism issued in 2002″. In another study, doctors suggested that they color the truth with presenting issues on the seriousness of illnesses more positive than it is.

In a recent symposium I (Rassman) attended, the doctors in the audience were asked how many of them would not discuss dying with their patients. More than half raised their hands. When probed why, the doctors cited issues like (a) the time it takes to manage a dying patient is significantly more than they can allot, and (b) they are uncomfortable in dealing with death and dying.

February 13, 2012

Hair Loss InformationWhat Kind of Doctor Specializes in Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I know you are primarily a hair transplant specialist, but who would you recommend as someone who only specializes in hair loss? It seems most doctors a visit are more knowledable about transplants than they are with hairloss.

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Some people see a dermatologist, but hair transplant doctors are generally the most knowledgeable when it comes to hair loss, because they specialize in hair. Just don’t get pushed into surgery, but use their expertise to help determine a treatment plan (or rather, a Master Plan).

February 10, 2012

Calculating Baldness? – Balding Blog

Dr Pak/ Dr Rassman,

I asked you about your baldness calculator over a year ago in this post. That post referenced the original post from 2007.

Any further progress on that baldness calculator? Sorry if I am persistent but you Doctors seem to be the only ones out there challenging the status quo and giving us new options for hair loss. One can’t help but be a little curious.

By the way, have a great New Year!

The US Patent was just awarded (but not published by the USPTO yet) a couple of months ago. Now Dr. Pak and I have the challenge to think through the design and engineering issues, which is not an easy process.

Don’t hold your breath for us to complete this process quickly, as it isn’t a high priority right now. But I do appreciate your continued interest!

February 10, 2012

In the News – Men with ED Should Check Their Eye Pressure – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Men with erectile dysfunction (ED) have a nearly 3-fold greater risk for also having open-angle glaucoma (OAG) than men with normal erectile function, report researchers from Taiwan in an article published in the January issue of Ophthalmology.

A case–control study matching 4605 men with ED with 5 control patients each showed that after controlling for potential confounding factors, men with ED had an odds ratio (OR) for a prior diagnosis of OAG of 2.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.10 – 4.07), write Shiu-Dong Chung, MD, from the Division of Urology at the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, and colleagues.

“Our findings suggest that prospective studies should be undertaken to develop the appropriate clinical guidelines for evaluating concurrent or subsequent ED in OAG patients,” they write.

Read the rest at Medscape — Do Glaucoma, Erectile Dysfunction Have a Common Cause?

This isn’t hair loss related, but I’m sure there is a percentage of this site’s readers that are interested in ED-related studies.

February 10, 2012

Hair Loss Information » Understanding Catch-up Hair Loss After Stopping Finateride – Balding Blog

My question is to do with ‘catch-up hairloss’ after quitting finasteride.

If DHT gradually destroys the hair follicle and finasteride protects the follicle by reducing DHT, then why would there be such a fast ‘catch-up’ hairloss after quitting finasteride?

My thinking is, say your follicles have 3 yrs left before DHT finally destroys them. Then you go on finasteride for 5 yrs before quitting, surely your follicles would then still have 3yrs left, much like weather proofing a wooden fence?

Good thought, but finasteride does not block 100% of DHT… and DHT may not be the only factor here. More importantly, as much as your logic may seem true or make sense, in the real world catch-up hair loss from cessation of finasteride does not work that way based on many patients we have observed. We all have an internal clock, and your follicles are still on that clock (call it the apoptosis clock) so that the clock’s time advances regardless of whether you are on finasteride.

We’re just observers to a body process we barely understand.

February 9, 2012

Lycopene and Treating Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve read online that Lycopene is A 5 Alpha Reductase Inhibitor. Can it be used to halt hair loss or even help. If so could it interfere with finasteride and would it cause an initial shed?

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I have little doubt that there are many 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors in the various foods we eat, or in herbs and plants (examples here). The issues that I believe should be the focus is the effectiveness of these substances and their side effects. With Propecia, the drug has been extensively studied for these two issues and the recommended dose is the most effective with the least side effects of anything that I know of. As shown in the paper referenced below, the inability to scientifically document the effective dose is critical.

Do you want to take lycopene? If so what does does it require? Will it really work as well as Propecia? Are you willing to put your hair loss at risk to gamble on the dose or in experimenting on yourself? If hair loss is what you’re wanting to treat, then stick to what we know works.

See: Serum lycopene concentration and prostate cancer risk: results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

February 9, 2012

Hair Loss InformationWhat Size FUE Punch Was Used? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr Rassman.

I was just browsing through your SMP site. Great work!

This particular client caught my eye: ScalpMicropigment.com

What sized mm punch was used to extract his grafts? He wasn’t an NHI client, correct? Thanks for your time!

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Actually, he wasn’t our surgical patient. I believe 1mm to 1.5mm punch was used, though I would guess more on the 1mm side.

I should point out that even while he wasn’t our FUE patient, he could have had the same punch scars produced if we did the surgery. What I mean is, FUE is NOT a scar-less surgery that many clinics claim it to be. Even 1mm punch will leave a scar. Even 0.8mm punch will leave a scar. Not everyone will develop scars to this degree, but as you can see in the photo, it’s a possibility.

February 9, 2012

Workplace Stress Caused My Alopecia Areata – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctors

A while ago I wrote in with this question – Pea-Sized Bald Spot on Crown with Small Hairs in the Center

After visiting my doctor it turned out to be alopecia areata that was triggered by workplace stress I was going through at the time. The stress was relieved and the area grew back within a month.

My next question is unrelated though – when you look at a hair that has been shed, is there any difference between a white hair bulb and a dark hair bulb?

Thank you

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In my humble opinion, alopecia areata is an auto-immune issue where your body attacks its own hair follicles (to put it simply) and it has been occasionally linked to stress as a precipitating factor. It may have been a triggering factor. Hair loss from alopecia areata often will grow back with time (with or without any intervention), but it may come unexpectedly at any time in the future.

Finally, there is no difference between white and black hair bulbs.

February 9, 2012

Traction Alopecia from Pushing Down on Hair? – Balding Blog

Could a head band cause hair loss? I know the answer will probably be “if it pulls on the hair it may cause traction loss” which I understand, but I honestly don’t know if something like this has potential to pull on the hair.

Here is a photo of the item in question, it would be good to hear your thoughts on the possibility of traction loss: Photo

I guess another question is, since something like this pushes down on the hair, is traction possible from something pushing down on your head like this would? Thanks.

The band you are using does not appear tight. If that is correct, I would doubt that this would be a problem.

February 8, 2012

Hair Loss InformationWhy Would Celebrities Wear Toupees? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Why would Elton John and William Shatner wear toupees when hair restoration is easily available?

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Elton John Surgery is a personal decision, so I can’t speak for everyone… but I can make an educated guess. Hair restoration or hair transplant surgery is in essence about moving your existing hairs around. If you don’t have lots to move around you cannot cover a huge area of balding or achieve the look of a 16 year old fullness.

Moreover, many older celebrities with their financial success have had a hair transplant surgery 10, 20, 30 years ago when hair transplant surgery results were not the best. So with their fortune they depleted their donor hair supply and do not have enough donor to fix the problem. As a result, their only option is a wig and or toupee.