Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Bilateral Varicocele and Propecia

Yes, another Propecia question for you. Sorry 🙂 I am 37 and have a bi-lateral varocele, grade 2 on the left and grade 1 on the right. If I started on propecia, could its side effects be more potent or affect my condition? From what I remember, the Merck studies did not get into the issue of results or drawbacks of people with Varocle.

This is a question you must ask the doctor who is following your problem. There is no obvious answer, other than you cannot just correlate any medical issue with a side effect. I am not a urologist nor do I treat varicoceles, so I am probably not the one to answer the question.

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The Best View of Mr. Trumps Balding Problem

Donald Trump had a Scalp Reduction surgery in the early 1990s (the surgical removal of his balding area), and may have had hair transplants producing a depleted donor area, strongly suggested by what we see in the video. The back of his head now appears bald which is most likely the result of many hair transplants procedures. The fact that he dyes his hair platinum blonde, again, strongly suggests that he had the old fashioned plugs, which is heavily softened by the blonde color. At the time his hair was worked on, few doctors were doing the surgery that we do today. I have been performing today’s technique since 1991 at about the same time as when he had his scalp reduction surgery. He has to keep his hair sprayed to keep it together, but obviously, the wind was worse than anticipated.

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Beta Blockers, Shampoo and Female Hair Loss

(female) Hi my question relates to the previous question you received regarding hair loss and the use of head and shoulders shampoo. I have used this product for about 10 years now and have over the last month or so noticed my hair thinning. I have switched to the Loreal Elvive Anti Dandruff shampoo now but the volume i once had to my hair does not seem to be returning. My hair used to be very thick and wavy now it is limp and lacks volume. I also am currently taking the medication beta blockers, would these be contributing to what is happening, rather than the shampoo?

I clearly can not tell you what, if anything, will help you. Too many changes at the same time confuses the issues. Go back to do what you were originally doing and then after some months, make one change at a time to see if there is an effect and note what that effect is.

Be sure that you have a medical work-up for the diseases that impact women (first choice) before jumping to conclusions that this is a simple matter just involving shampoos. Hair loss in women can sometimes be caused by underlying medical conditions, so it is important for you to be evaluated by your own physician. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions and emotional stress. It is also important to review the use of medications that can cause hair loss, such as oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin and prednisone. The following laboratory tests are often useful if underlying problems are suspected: Estradiol, FSH, LH, SHBG, Prolactin, T4, TSH, ANA, Iron, TIBC, Ferritin, Free and Total Testosterone. It might help to print this page out and show this to your family physician.

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Billionaire with Bad Hair Transplant (Reddit)

I have found that many of the rich and famous don’t do their research when it comes to getting a hair transplant, as I have had to fix many of them. Donald Trump is a good example of a botched job (scalp reductions, and now he is stuck with a terrible scar down the middle of his head with balding around it). This man that you referenced should have had his donor supply quantified and a proper plan built. Maybe he was a bad candidate for a hair transplant, but now that he has it, he can do something about it, like possibly another transplant to thicken the frontal leading edge, and getting scalp micropigmentation for the rest of his head, and he might look much better (see https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/bold-shaved-look/). After a bad transplant, he either will learn to live with what he has, or he will find a doctor like myself who specializes in repairs.

A billionaire diamond businessman’s hair transplant from tressless

 


2018-05-22 10:13:26Billionaire with Bad Hair Transplant (Reddit)

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How to better grow your hair?

One of my patients did this search in Medical News Today. This is a kick off place for you to search further on the various subject below. The links are active below and many of these remedies have been addressed in previous balding blog posts over the years.

Apple cider vinegar for hair growth: Does it work?13 Sep 2017 What is apple cider vinegar and can apple cider vinegar boost hair growth? Learn if it is safe to use and what the proven health benefits of vinegar are.

Hair growth stimulated using stem cells14 Aug 2017 Using 3-D organoids made from stem cells, scientists managed to uncover a six-step process by which hair grows and stimulated hair growth.

Study provides new insights into male pattern baldness13 Jul 2017 New research maps hair growth patterns across the entire body, providing new insights into male pattern baldness and excessive hair growth.

Can I use vitamins for hair growth?12 Jul 2017 Health experts agree that eating a well-balanced diet that contains the 13 essential vitamins can help maintain the health of your hair.

Alopecia: Hair growth restored with new drug26 Sep 2016 Clinical trials conducted by Columbia University Medical Center find that JAK inhibitors may trigger hair regrowth in people with alopecia areata.

Drug promises robust new hair growth23 Oct 2015 Researchers have found that two drugs already approved by the FDA for other conditions can help strengthen hair growth, offering hope for people with baldness and alopecia.

Researchers generate new hair growth using human pluripotent stem cells 28 Jan 2015A new treatment for hair loss could be on the horizon; researchers have found a way to generate new hair growth using human pluripotent stem cells.

Mouse study finds immune system could promote hair growth 24 Dec 2014Cancer researchers have found an unexpected association between the macrophages of the immune system and regenerative skin stem cells.

Arthritis drug helps bald man grow full head of hair 20 Jun 2014Using an arthritis drug, doctors have restored hair growth in a 25-year-old man left bare of body hair from the uncommon disease alopecia universalis.

Signals That Prompt Hair Growth Discovered, May Pave Way For Baldness Treatment 05 Sep 2011Molecular signals that trigger hair growth have been discovered by scientists from Yale University, according to an article published in Cell.

Reversing Baldness – Clue May Lie In Stem Cell Signals That Trigger Hair Growth 02 Sep 2011By studying mice, researchers found that stem cells in the fatty layer of the skin send signals that trigger hair growth, and suggest the discovery could lead to new treatments for…

Adverse effects of common prostate enlargement and hair growth drugs: A review 26 Aug 2015Twenty-five percent of men currently taking Finasteride or Dutasteride, popularly known as Proscar and Avodart, for the treatment of benign prostate enlargement (BPH), appear not to benefit from…

To boldly go where few mice have gone before…27 May 2015Prolonged exposure to space conditions may induce skin thinning and cause profound alterations in the hair growth cycle according to a study in three mice published online in the first issue..

Positive clinical study results for Cellmid’s hair growth product using novel FGF5 inhibitor 17 Apr 2015Cellmid Limited has received strong positive results in all measured areas of its independently conducted, randomized, blinded and placebo controlled human clinical study of the évolis ONE…

Hair growth in mice promoted by honeybee hive sealant 16 Dec 2014Hair loss can be devastating for the millions of men and women who experience it.

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Biotin

Hi Dr. How much biotin should I take a day for hair loss???

Biotin deficiencies can cause hair loss, so many people may include biotin in their vitamin regimen. However in healthy people it is almost impossible to have a deficiency of biotin. A biotin deficiency is therefore extremely rare in the United States. When it does occur, it may be associated with disease conditions of the gastro-intestinal digestive tract. An adequate daily dosage for biotin is 30-100 mcg for the adult male.

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Better for Treating Hair Loss — Eating Dietary Staples or Herbal Supplements?

There is an herb called black cohosh in my DHT blocker blend. I researched it and it seems to increase blood flow in the pelvic region, but no one has pinpointed exactly the mechanism of action is or what the hell it really does, or if there are side effects. I saw a study that it might block DHT. My question is this, if we’re going the natural route for hair loss, would we be better served eating foods that are considered staples in our diets (fish, rice, potato, chickpeas, vegetables, fruits, soy, and so forth) or consuming supplementary herbs? Would these herbs REALLY make a difference?

The best natural treatment for hair loss is take what you want (dietary staples or herbs) and then, assuming you have genetic hair loss, watch as the hair loss continues. In other words, there are no natural cures for hair loss, but there are a lot of places that will try to sell them to you anyway. No amount of vitamins or herbs will bring your hair back.


2009-03-26 14:39:31Better for Treating Hair Loss — Eating Dietary Staples or Herbal Supplements?

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Biofiber (artificial hair – photos)

Biofibers, a type of artificial hair that is inserted deep into the scalp, causes long term infections that are common. These have been banned in most countries in the world. I hope that this reaches people who are considering this type of treatment and learn from this post not to do it.


2020-11-09 17:17:08Biofiber (artificial hair – photos)

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Birth Control Pills Causing Hair Loss?

Hi! I’m 21 years old and female. In feb 2004 I started taking birth control pills, and 3 months after starting them, i started losing hair. Then after 7 months of using them i stopped, because my hair was falling out in clumps. No I have been off more than a year and i still dont see any improvement. Doctors have made bloodtests, and they were OK! Hair loss is diffuse all over and they have a little white tip at the end. In my family no one has hair problems, not even my two grandfathers or my father! Is it normal to lose hair for such a long time ? i truly believe i am going to bald soon 🙁
Thank you for your time!

Please see my previous post about Depo-Provera which answers the question about birth control pills and hair loss. Unfortunately, some women with hormone changes can precipitate female genetic hair loss and once it has started, it may not be reversed ‘if it was to be in her cards’. About 30% of women over 50 are affected by this genetic process. Although we can reasonably accept hair loss as normal in men, women have a unique type of suffering because it is another ‘attack’ on their feminity in a society that is heavily hair conscious and weighted to beauty and youth. When a young women get genetic hair loss prematurely (I fully realize that it is always premature for a woman of any age), then it is the worst type of insult that flaunts aging very painfully. What the male and female genetic hair loss is, is the ‘miniaturization’ of the hair (the thin hair that becomes even thinner as the process advances), but the location of this miniaturization is different in women than in men. Men have it develop in patterns (front to back) while women generally have it all over the head: front, top, back and sides. Some women will retain the frontal 1/2 inch of hair as healthy, even with the process of miniaturization everywhere else.

When you discussed that your tests are completely normal, I would raise the issues of Thyroid and pituitary function, as well as the absence of circulating angrogens, amongst other causes. Some doctors talk about chronic effluviums or the presence of diffuse alopecia areata (you need to have a dermatologist evaluate this).

Minoxidil does work on some women, often better than men. Some men have a diffuse patterned hair loss like women (about 1-2% of men) but some of these men are helped by Propecia (about half) while that drug has not been determined to be safe for women and even when experimentally given to women by a handful of doctors, few if any benefits were observed.

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I had biofiber implants from Italy and now my scalp is inflamed (photo)

A year ago, I got my synthetic hair implant in another country clinic, since they really persuaded me to try out their biofiber synthetic hair implant made from Italy. Now I started having inflammation and redness and itching, I visited a dermatologists who recommended that I get these removed immediately.

I have seen such patients and their entire scalp becomes very infected and scarred, even after the removal of the synthetic implants. This takes a long time and many visits as some of the implants get burried in the scalp. Fortunately, these have been outlawed in the US and many countries, but a few clinics remain in Europe and elsewhere offering it and some people think it is a great idea and may pay heavily for the decision to get them.


2020-02-26 09:52:25I had biofiber implants from Italy and now my scalp is inflamed (photo)