Dr. William Rassman – Page 1230

January 7, 2010

Hair Loss InformationTwo Clinics Just Tried to Sell Me Shampoos and Scalp Massages! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I went to two clinics for hair loss consultation and both places are selling things such as overpriced shampoo’s, scalp massages to help blood circulation to regrow hair. They also try and sell packages that analyze your scalp to determine if the condition is suitable for hair growth and come up with a plan for regrowth, wigs/hairpieces, hair transplants. Or special hair dressers that style your hair a certain way to cover hair loss. Is this common for most clinics to offer all these options? Or are these clinics which I feel are complete BS or operate in a grey area and try to rip people off. What it seems to me is these “clinics” seem to milk money from poor unsuspecting people and when all their hair is gone they charge them for hair transplants? My understanding is the only way your hair can comeback is either medication or transplants. I guess what I want to do is warn people of these things IF these clinics are truly scamming you! Thanks

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Your warning is appreciated and you are expressing many of my opinions as well.

In my practice, I only sell hair transplants and Propecia (at cost). We do sell DermMatch (camouflaging agent), but suggest that this can be purchased through the internet without the small fee that we charge just to keep it in stock. I sell no shampoos, wigs, hair lasers, or any other hair aids.

January 7, 2010

Hair Loss InformationFasting and Propecia Side Effects? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

From your medical point of view, if someone had side effects from a year’s worth of Propecia, could fasting help speed up the side effects going away? I’ve read that water fasting or juice fasting accelerates recovery because energy usually spent on digestion is now used for healing and returning the body back to a baseline level.

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I don’t advocate fasting and I really don’t know that water or juice fasting would speed up recovery or increase the speed of side effect disappearance. It’s an interesting idea, but to be completely honest, what you are saying makes no sense to me.

January 7, 2010

Can Shock Loss be Temporary? – Balding Blog

Great SITE. Useful info and look forward to my next transplant if I have 1 to be done by you…

A few questions. I been reading about shock loss. In your opinion do most shock loss come back?? If so how long after. If NOT with propecia bring it back?

I did my transplant about a month ago around my hairline and hairs are growing but it’s kind of itchy and a little red still where the graphs where placed. Is this normal cause hair is coming out now?

Last question. I’m 33, dirty blond hair and got graphs in my crown. i can feel hair everythere like a brushcut, and I know it TAKES months to see results BUT what are the chances that the density will cover that crown. Given I have light hair and very fair skinned.. Thx in advance…

Shock loss in the men who are actively losing hair from genetic hair loss is more often semi-permanent or permanent. Some hair may come back, but in my experience it is not common. The use of finasteride (Propecia) will protect the hair in most young men from shock loss and I always insist that the patient go on the medication prior to the surgery for that very reason.

Men with blond hair will often take less hair to cover any area when compared to a man with dark hair and light skin. To be more specific, I would want to know how many grafts you received, what was the hair count, what is the size of the area covered, and what is the weight of your hair shafts (fine, medium or coarse) before I would want to venture a guess about your crown coverage.

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January 7, 2010

Extenze and Hair Loss? – Balding Blog

Does Extenze cause hair loss? If you’re on Propecia would that combat any hair loss potential by Extenze?

Extenze I know very little about herbals like ExtenZe that claim to increase the size of a man’s penis, which is what Extenze seems to promote. I have seen the commercials for this product advertising it on CNN and frankly it is unbelievable for me to imagine that it can do what it claims to do. If someone out there has actually used the product (hold the spam, please), feel free to post a comment to let our large group of male readers know. I tried to do some actual research online, but its difficult due to the amount of advertising spam hidden as articles about this product. They really have a large marketing campaign going on the web (and television, obviously).

I did manage to look up the ingredients for ExtenZe and it lists DHEA, which can cause hair loss in some men. I haven’t seen any reports of hair loss from the pill, though. Connecting it with Propecia is well beyond anything my imagination can muster.

January 6, 2010

If the Hair on the Sides of My Head Are Thinning, Is It Stress Related? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, my basic question is about stress and hair loss.

I do have alopecia, but when I started rogaine/propecia it was only on my temples. However, for the last two years, I have experience severe psychological stress. I used to have extremely thick hair on the back of my head. However, most of it has fallen out, along with the sides of my head.

I read that this could be Telogen Effluvium. When the stress is over, the hair is suppose to come back. In my case, my hair isn’t growing back at all, and it has been about seven months. One note, before I went through my stress period, the rogaine regrew hair. Now that’s not the case.

I’m wondering if my severe stress, along with alopecia, has permanently killed my hair follicles, even in the back and sides of my head.

Thanks

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If we were to assume it was from stress causing a telogen effluvium, then the hair should grow back in a year or so once you managed the stress, but it takes a long time and patience. In men, however, the hair loss is most likely from genetic causes and a good doctor would connect the dots and find out what is a telogen effluvium or what is MPB. I can not do this remotely from just what you reported here, particularly since you mentioned hair falling out from the back and sides of the head (which is not generally part of the balding pattern).

You should meet with a doctor that specializes in the field and get an examination of your scalp and loss, and you can find such a doctor by using the physician search at ISHRS.org.

January 6, 2010

I’m Noticing Small Hair Growth at the Hairline After 3 Months on Finasteride – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I am a 22 year old male, most likely a Norwood Class 2. I have recently begun taking 1.25 mg generic Proscar, which I started about 3 months ago. I have recently noticed there appear to be some new very small, light, and almost invisible hairs growing at the corners of my hair line. When I say these hairs are almost invisible, I mean that they are very, very hard to see, but in the right light they do show up.

Could these hairs be growth from Proscar? Does initial regrowth usually begin as very fine, light hairs, and later grow in as thicker hairs? Finally, I have noticed that a small number of my thicker hairs are not always uniform in width, one end of a hair my be extremely thick, while the other is thin, and even a different shade of color.

Thanks for your time, and keep up the excellent work!

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Let’s not check this out hair-by-hair. If you wait out the full 8 months to 1 year you will see just what you are getting. Patience is a virtue in this business. Do you ever actually see grass grow in real-time? I mean, to see it you need to take a step back and wait to see the change over a few weeks for the grass (and months for the hair).

It would be a very rare thing for you to see growth at the hairline, particularly after just 3 months. But I suppose it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities…

January 6, 2010

Transplanting Hair Into a Cleft Lip Scar – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi I have a keloid scar from a failed surgery in the past. My keloid scar is located from my left nostril to the bottom of my upper lip. (cleft lip) Is it possible to transplant hairs on the keloid scar? has such a procedure ever been done before? I know you transplant hairs on lips not sure about on top of a keloid scar.

If this is a cleft lip scar, it is rarely a keloid. These scars make good transplant recipient sites and many people have grown transplanted mustaches to cover the cleft lip scar.

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January 6, 2010

Zinc Deficiency and Hair Loss in Men? – Balding Blog

Does zinc deficiency cause hair loss in men? If so, how long after taking extra zinc will the hair go bak to normal? How much extra zinc is recommended? Thank you for answering my questions.

It is rare to have a zinc deficiency. Babies, people who are malnourished, and people with bowel disease are the ones that will generally have such a deficiency. Best to look up the extensive write up on zinc at Office of Dietary Supplements.

I have not seen any patients with zinc deficiency, so I can not tell you if the hair loss that comes about from it in an adult will reverse with treatment, but there seems to be optimism in some of the reports I have read.

January 5, 2010

My Dermatologist Sees Hair Loss But Wants to Wait to Prescribe Propecia Later – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Is it always best to start Finasteride sooner than later? I’ve read some information suggesting that finasteride only works for a certain period before losing its effectiveness. Should it be started at the first sign of balding, or should one wait a bit until it is absolutely necessary?

I am 26 male and have started to thin in the front. Dermatologist confirms male pattern baldness by inspection only, no mapping. He is hesitant to prescribe me finasteride for life, considering that we don’t know its long term effects and he’s considering that it might cause more aggressive forms of prostate cancer (though it lowers prostate cancer risk overall). But reading your archives it seems that you think finasteride is the best treatment option for young men who are starting to bald.

Do you have any concerns about its long term safety? Say usage for 10 years plus?

Thanks!

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I think that your dermatologist is off base. The medical facts do not support him and the earlier you start Propecia, the less hair you will lose. Propecia should be started at the early onset of hair loss. Hair loss is a one way street, progressing only to more balding when it is caused by genetics in the male. I haven’t seen you, so if your dermatologist says you are experiencing early genetic loss, you may consider getting a second opinion for the Propecia.

Propecia has been available on the market since early 1998 (FDA approved in 1997), but I’m unaware of any recent studies on patients that have been taking it for that long. I do have my own patients that have been taking it for over a dozen years with great success. Some have experienced a perceived reduction in benefits after 5-10 years, but the medication is still working to some degree. If the medication were to be discontinued at that time, more hair loss will be seen (catch-up hair loss). It’s the tug-of-war between the medication and your genetics.

January 5, 2010

NSAIDs and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) I have been experiencing hair loss for about 2 months now. It is just beginning to be noticable when I lift up sections of my hair. The hair loss is now accompanied by an itchy scalp but that may be due to the fact that I have had a problem with winter dandruff my whole life. I am wondering if the hair loss could be due to NSAID use.

I have been taking 4-8 200 mg ibuprofen almost every day for the past few months. There has been no major stresses in my life but I was told that I had low iron after giving birth to my son 2.5 yrs ago. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

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Just to clarify for those readers that may not be familiar with “NSAIDS”, it stands for “Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” and you likely have them in your medicine cabinet. Some common NSAIDs are aspirin and ibuprofen.

Back to your question — as I am not your doctor, it is difficult to answer this. Low iron can cause hair loss, and even ibuprofen has been reported as a cause of hair loss in some. As I’ve said many times before, causes for female hair loss are difficult to nail down and could be from a variety of possible issues. I’d run some tests with your doctor.