Of Those Patients Taking Avodart, How Often Do They Take It? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi dr,
I know you cannot endorse using Avodart, but I wonder if you can answer this question….

I’ve been using Avodart for several years along with Propecia. I take Avodart once a week because of the long half life. I’m curious to know since you probably hear from many people using Avodart, how often do they take it? I’m mostly curious about the ones who report seeing good results with it.

thanks

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AvodartNo one really knows how to take Avodart (dutasteride) for treating hair loss, but most doctors (for reasons I do not understand) recommend daily doses. The long half life is reason enough to take it less often than daily, but I am not an expert on it and the proper dose hasn’t been published yet. I must remind the casual readers that I’m not suggesting anyone should take Avodart to treat their hair loss at this point as it is not FDA approved for such use.

Off the top of my head, I know of one other patient that reported taking Avodart just once a week with good results, but the emails I get from patients that take Avodart don’t usually say how often they take it. For those that do take Avodart, feel free to post your dosing in the comments.

Receding Hairline from Hormone Imbalance or Thyroid Problem? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,
Can a hormone imbalance or a thyroid problem cause hair loss in the form of a severe receding hairline or would hair loss from a thyroid condition or a hormone imbalance cause loss throughout the scalp.

thank you

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Low thyroid levels can cause hair thinning and brittle, dry hair (plus other non-hair-related symptoms), but it does not necessarily cause a receding hairline. Receding hairlines are mainly a genetic presentation of androgenic alopecia seen in men.

Hormone imbalance in itself does not necessarily cause hair loss… and there are hundreds of hormones to pick from!

Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Bald Chimp Has Many Fans – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the story:

Bald chimpJambo baldly goes where few chimps in a Brit zoo have gone before – after losing all his hair.

The 28-year-old suffers from the hair-loss disease alopecia.

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Read the rest at The Sun UK

I’ve been reading about this bald chimpanzee for many years, so I’m glad to read that he’s still alive and popular with zoo visitors.

I found an article from 1997 about the same chimp that said he was regrowing his hair due because of a “secret cream made from goat’s milk and hedgerow plants” … but obviously that isn’t the case. I wish secret creams worked as well as advertised.

Hair Loss InformationIs a Cut Proscar as Effective as Propecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

If I would cut the 5mg into 5 different tablets, would it be as effective as taking 1 propecia pill daily? Also, which way would your recommend?

Thanks

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Pill cutterYes, but we generally recommend splitting the pill into 4 equal pieces, as it is easier to cut that way. That equates to 1.25mg a day, but unless you’re cutting the pill with the sharpest, most accurate blade around, you’re likely going to lose some crumbs here and there (bringing it down to closer to 1mg). A pill cutter should be available at your local pharmacy (see image) or you can use a knife to divide the pill if you’re comfortable with cutlery.

Only cut one pill at a time. If you were to cut a month’s supply at one time, then it becomes more likely that the pills will absorb moisture from the air… which you don’t want.

Also, your doctor needs to prescribe the 5mg dose, which is a prostate medication. Some doctors might have an issue with this, but if you let them know you want the 5mg for the cost savings and will cut the pill, they might be willing to prescribe it.

In the News – Hair Cloning Expected to Be the Future – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Cloning will represent a major advance in hair transplantation when it is ready for prime time. It remains elusive for now, but new clinical therapies — along with older standbys — are helping hair loss patients in the meantime, according to a leading specialist in hair transplantation.

One of the factors limiting hair transplantation is donor density. Individuals without good donor density can be less-than-ideal candidates for hair transplantation, notes Nicole Rogers, M.D., F.A.A.D., dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon and clinical professor, Tulane University, New Orleans. The potential for cloning leaves physicians hopeful for now.

“That would be the Holy Grail,” Dr. Rogers says. “It would be great if we could harvest a single hair from the back (of the head) and create thousands of copycat hairs from that. There is significant research ongoing in that area, but we are not there yet. It’s still going to be a while before it is ready for Food and Drug Administration approval.”

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Read the full text at Dermatology Times

Dermatology TimesI just wanted to post this to show that I’m not just some curmudgeon when it comes to advancements in hair cloning. I still get emails from some readers with an accusatory tone when it comes to my opinion on hair cloning, and I suppose they’d rather me post false hope instead of the actual truth. The article points out the same things I’ve been saying for years — hair cloning is not ready for prime time and although there are companies working on it, there’s no chance this will be ready for the public soon.

When hair cloning finally does become a reality, you can be sure that we’ll be writing about it here. Right now though, it’s still far too early to get overly excited.

Hair Loss InformationIs Rogaine Causing Me to Grow Forehead Hair?! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 36 year old female who has been using Rogaine 5% for about 4 months. About a week ago I noticed dark fine hair on my forehead and even a bit under my eyes. I’m fairly certain this is as a result of Rogaine. Will this facial hair growth go away or get worse with the use or Rogaine?

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If you are growing unwanted hair from Rogaine (minoxidil) use, the easiest solution would be to stop using the medication, as it is known that hair on the forehead can be produced. I don’t think the hair growth will go away on its own.

Otherwise, you should take care in washing your hands after using Rogaine and not rubbing your eyes or face or forehead, which you may be doing. I’ve even seen a patient with increased hair on the back of the hand he used to apply the minoxidil. This shows how powerful Rogaine can be in some people.

Hair Loss InformationI’ve Been Losing Hair Since I Was 12 Years Old! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, im 16 years old. I noticed hair loss since i was 12-13 and I really don´t know if it’s getting worst or not…

My brother, 14 years old. has the same problem, we both have small amounted hair. and for personally by my age its the worst nightmare ever. I really don’t know what to do! will it stop? how can i stop it? is it temporary? will I stay with this amount of hair? help!

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I would have hoped that once noticed, the hair loss would have been evaluated by a doctor. There are genetic causes of hair loss that could impact your hair status at puberty, but I can not tell you very much without examining you.

Get a parent/guardian involved… and then get a good, caring doctor to start off with making a diagnosis.

Hair Loss InformationIf the Average Person Has 10k Grafts Available, Why Are Most Patients Given Less? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve read time and time again the average person has 7000-10,000 grafts available to transplant. If this is true why isnt there anyone on your website (Newhair.com) who is even up tp 7000 grafts?? Obviously some of the patients dont need anymore grafts but i’ve found a few pictures of your patients that have had 2000 to 3000 grafts transplanted that still have somewhat of a see through look. Why don’t these patients get more grafts transplanted? Would you say a lot of these patients are content with what they have?

I also have a random question. After the grafts are extracted from the back of the head and ready to return to the top of the head. How many grafts do you think two technicians put in on average per half an hr? A couple hundred per Technician???

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Even if what you area reading is true about 7,000 to 10,000 grafts being available, it is up to the patient to want to have a hair transplant and use those grafts wisely. The Master Plan may include saving the remaining hairs for possible further hair loss. It may be a see-through look for you, but have you considered that the patient with 3000 grafts is happy with their results?

That being said, here’s a patient that has been presented on this site multiple times and had close to 10,000 grafts transplanted. He wasn’t going to be losing more hair, as his pattern was quite advanced already.

Patient ZU’s before and after (click to enlarge):

 

The speed of transplanting hair varies with each technician, along with the instruments and techniques used in the surgery. In other words, all clinics and doctors vary in technique (despite what they advertise). An average surgery of 2000 grafts can take 5 to 6 hours, so you can do the math backwards if you wish.

Hair Loss InformationDid My Tapeworm Cause More Hair Loss from Malnutrition? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,

I am currently in Brazil although I live in the United States. I already have male pattern baldness, but in the past few months things got much worse and I was very surprised.

Anyway, last week I found out I had a tapeworm. I got it removed, but I was thinking that the malnutrition of the tapeworm could have affected my hair loss. If it did, do you think the extra hair loss I had would be temporary? Or is that permanent because I already have male pattern baldness?

Thanks for any help you can give

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TapewormIn general, tapeworms or similar parasitic infections do not cause hair loss unless you had significant weight loss and malnutrition. I would think if there was enough stress put on to your body from the tapeworm, your male pattern genetic hair loss could be accelerated.

Unfortunately once your hair is lost, it is most likely not going to regrow on its own even with the malnutrition corrected. I guess it depends on where you’re losing the hair and whether you would’ve lost hair in the genetic progression. If you lost hair on the sides of your head due to stress, for example, that could regrow.

Hair Loss InformationFrom Propecia to Cut Proscar to Propecia – Now Side Effects? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve been taking Propecia for about a year now and recently stopped to take Proscar instead as the price was a lot cheaper. After breaking the pills into 1.25g and taking them for about a week I decided to switch back onto Propecia (I’d read that the Proscar was unhealthy for women to be around due to the powder residue from breaking the pills, and I was not sure if I was experiencing side effects).

I am now back on Propecia, but I feel like I may be experiencing side effects again, and it looks like I am losing more hair than before. Could a week on Proscar have changed the way I react to Propecia? Is it possible to start experiencing side effects all over again? Thank you!

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Both Propecia and Proscar have the exact same active medication: finasteride. The only difference is the dosage. You should not be seeing these drastic changes, especially after one week! It doesn’t make sense to me. Did you have your hair mapped for miniaturization before changing pills and again after making the change to see if there is indeed a significant difference?

Proscar is not radioactive, but women should not handle the cut pill if they’re pregnant or could become pregnant.