Dr. William Rassman – Page 1262

September 25, 2009

Hair Loss InformationI’m 22 Years Old and Showing Norwood Class 4 Already! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi dr. william rassman.

i am a 22 year man suffering from male baldness pattern near to stage 4. at this young age i have lost most of my front hair and from front i am almost completely bald. i want to have hair transplant surgery within next a year or two. what is your suggestion? thanks and waiting for your reply soon.

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Norwood 4 Without an examination, I can’t tell you whether you are a candidate for transplantation or not. You should have your scalp mapped for miniaturization, which will help determine how advanced your hair loss pattern will get. For example, you wouldn’t want to rush into a surgery at 22 years old only to lose more hair as the years pass, leaving you with an unnatural looking pattern. At your age with class 4 hair loss, your pattern may continue to recede further. You should meet with a doctor that can help you form a Master Plan (an outline of your surgical requirements and plans for the future). The use of Propecia (finasteride) should be an absolute in slowing or stopping the hair loss in its tracks. Don’t get me wrong, even at 22 years old you still might be a candidate for a hair transplant, but you need to have a good doctor focus on building your Master Plan that will protect you for years to come.

September 25, 2009

Hair Loss InformationGrowth After Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a hair transplant of 2010 grafts almost going on 5 months ago. My hair stylist tells me that the transplanted hair goes through a cycle and will fall out approx 3-4 months after the procedure then grows back in. Is this true? And why does it look really good in some light then in different light? When I go to work, the lights that are on there make me look like I had nothing done! I’ve been feeling very frustrated at this point.

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Light Any hair (even non-transplanted hair) looks thinner under bright light or certain lighting conditions.

In general, transplanted hair falls out within the first month or so and new hairs start growing in 3 to 4 months later. I tell every patient to wait 7-8 months before judging the results. Patience is a virtue! I can’t tell you if your surgery was a success or not. You need to go back to your doctor and ask to see your before photos to compare for yourself. Also, ask your doctor his/her professional opinion on the matter. Whatever you decide to do, you will not know the results until 7-8 months after the transplant was done.

September 25, 2009

Hair Loss InformationIn the News – FDA Warns Allergan About Latisse Website – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

The Web site of Allergan Inc.’s Latisse is misleading because it suggests the company’s eyelash thickener is more safe than proven, federal regulators said.

In a letter to Allergan dated Sept. 10, the Food and Drug Administration said the company’s Web site omits information about how people using Latisse are at risk for contracting bacterial keratitis, which can be blinding. The letter was posted on the FDA’s Web site Wednesday.

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Read the full text at Wall Street Journal.

This problem shows the value of the FDA in protecting our interests. You would not want to go blind and without proper informed consent on drugs, you may not know what you are getting yourself into. Cheers to the FDA.

September 25, 2009

Hair Loss InformationCopper Peptides and Hair Growth – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

I’ve been here for a few years and have found many of your explanations to the various articles useful. I would like to share this link that was highlighted to me by a friend and to seek your advice on how true it is. SkinBiology.com

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There was some push to use copper peptides in the hair restoration field, but there has been little proven in terms of value. That being said, there’s an interesting article about copper peptides from a couple years ago over at the Regrowhair.com blog.

September 25, 2009

Search Results for “copper peptides” | WRassman,M.D. BaldingBlog

1. In my practice, I use a copper peptide shampoo for the first week as an option for hair transplant patients. My practice and thoughts on copper peptides is not new or different. 2. It does not promote hair growth nor does it provide much soothing effect on itchy scalp. I do know that minoxidil […]

2013-12-13 12:00:482013-12-12 12:52:09Copper Peptides For My Itchy Transplant Scar?

September 24, 2009

Temple Reconstruction Results (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

The patient elects to wear a hair system, which explains why it appears that he has a full head of hair in the After photos. The system, however, doesn’t extend to the sides of the head / temple peak area, which was the targeted transplant area. He had exploited his donor area with many transplant procedures and the available donor hair was limited. The areas which were circled were plugs that came down below the leading edge of the hair system and these were removed at the time of the transplant. These are very difficult reconstructions and your surgeon and his team must be experienced when balancing risks and rewards. Harvesting a tight donor area in particular, has wound risks. This patient has extremely fine hair and the density of his donor area was poor. These two issues (hair thickness and donor density) produce a great challenge and in this patient required two surgeries to achieve his goals. Click the photos below to enlarge.

After (two procedures totaling 2151 grafts):

Before:

September 24, 2009

50% Miniaturization and Losing Hair When You’re Young – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

dr rassman
in your experience is it always evident that the earlier the balding process begins the more advanced the pattern will be? or can an individual simply be limited to losing only his crown at 20 years old then have the hairloss stabilize?

also when someone is diagnosed as having 50 % miniaturization does that refer to their entire scalp or a specific area (ie the crown is 50% miniturized)

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It is possible that you could start losing hair early and have it stabilize. When Dr. Norwood did the original study for classifying hair loss, he did note that of those men who progressed to a Class 6, the hair loss started in their early 20s. But, your hair loss pattern is decided by your genetics. Or in other words, if you lose your crown hair at 20 years old it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be a Norwood 7 by the time you’re 30.

But in your case with 50% miniaturization, I assume whoever did that test was talking about the entire scalp, not just the crown. I don’t know how the measurements were taken, though. If you have 50% miniaturization throughout the top of your head, you’re likely going to have a large balding area. I generally measure each area in the balding patterns so that I can predict where the patient might go as they lose their hair. From these numbers, i will re-look at the patient in a year and see if there were benefits from medication and assess what the value of the drug was in modifying the hair loss pattern and rate of appearance.

September 24, 2009

What If I Want a Hair Transplant Without Taking Propecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I have been following your blog for over two years. I appreciate the work you do.

I had a question about hair transplant procedure. I understand that before or during hair transplantation, patients are prescribed propecia to help with the results. How would the results be affected if someone opts to get into hair transplantation but does not take propecia.

Your input will be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

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Some of my patients do not take Propecia (finasteride 1mg) by their personal choice. It is your choice as well. The risk is that you may have increased shock hair loss without taking Propecia before surgery. Shock hair loss is common in men under 30 years old or those who are losing their hair actively when they have a hair transplant. Propecia will prevent this complication in most men.

My personal opinion is that you are investing a lot of money in a surgery to have hair so why not try to maximize your return by taking Propecia?

September 24, 2009

12 Days After My Hair Transplant, I Massaged the Scabs Away – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a very important question?

After my surgery, i started getting scabs (crust- normal), which lasted about 10- 12 days. After the 12th day, i decided to massage the scabs with oil. I did that for two days and further massaged it with my hands in the shower, used shampoo to wash it up. Now, i feel like i have made a mistake. massaging the scabs away? does it mean that my hair follicles are also damages and my hair transplant is a failure? I am scared and confused. please reply ASAP

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We performed a study on grafts being secure after a hair transplant by pulling our grafts on successive days. We found that at 12 days, the grafts are secure. If you were gentle on the washing technique, usually the scabs that remain will loosen easily with soap and water. I don’t think you did anything to be concerned about.

You can read the article in PDF format here — Graft Anchoring in Hair Transplantation

September 24, 2009

Any Way to Prevent Hair Loss from Pregnancy? – Balding Blog

I understand that you have answered questions about pregnancy and hair loss but I was wondering what preventive measure I can take to avoid prolonged hair loss or hair thinning as I already have thin hair.

I am 23 years old and nine months pregnant and I have wonderfully thick hair right now, due mostly to the lack of hair loss that pregnancy can cause and also, I think, to the daily prenatal vitamins I have taken, since I never used any before. My older sister started her family at age 29 and after each of her four children experienced about 6 months of hair thinning and loss. Our family has thin hair already, so I’d like to avoid this as much as possible.

I plan on breastfeeding which is supposed to help limit hair loss. Are there any vitamins, minerals, treatments, foods or natural methods to encourage hair growth or prevent hair loss in the year following pregnancy? [Note: I’m not going to ‘stop having kids’ so I’ll use your advice after future pregnancies too :)]

There is little that can be done to prevent pregnancy related hair loss. Fortunately, it does not happen to most women. It is normal, though. You can learn more at the American Pregnancy Association.

Unrelated to your question though, I wish you good luck and hope everyone is happy and healthy.