If my balding is due to one of these: (braiding (dreadlocks), hypothyroidism, iron deficiency, malnutrition, stress, hormone imbalance) can I really be helped without having a hair transplant?
In your case, probably not — but you should correct the medical conditions. You seem to have a lot going on. See a doctor, because an in-person, face-to-face meeting would be miles ahead of internet advice.
2006-08-01 09:34:022006-07-31 22:19:02Can I Be Helped Without Having a Hair Transplant?
Thanks in advance for taking time to answer my question. I am 18 years old and have been noticing hair loss on the back of my head (in the crown area) for about 10 months. I guess it has gotten worse with time, I am still getting the same comments/questions from friends, “Are you going bald?” It’s not the best question to be asked at 18 years old. I am having trouble accepting the fact that I am loosing my hair because I would venture to say that I am physical-look-conscious. haha. I have an appointment with the dermatologist in about 2 weeks. The hair I have lost isn’t all that great, but when looking specifically at the area you can tell 2 thinning patches, one on both sides of my head. Will I be able to grow my hair back to normal or will I be able to stop the hair loss? What can I do on my own to help myself either grow hair, reduce the loss, or make it look as though I am not loosing hair? I was under a lot of stress over the past year, but I don’t believe that hair loss would just happen in those areas if I lost my hair due to stress, or could it? Thanks again for reading and answering!
Stress can induce hair loss. The place where the hair loss occurs is usually the weakest hairs first, then the less weak hairs in the ‘patterned’ hair loss that men experience. Where it is lost is genetically programmed in each and every man. If you are losing hair in the front, then if you get stressed, the frontal hair may experience accelerated hair loss. If you are losing it in the crown and not the front, then the crown may experience accelerated hair loss before the front is impacted. What I just said reflects genetic balding, not some other condition causing hair loss. Women do not have patterned hair loss, so they can lose hair anywhere with stress.
First off I would like to say thank you for answering people’s questions on this site. I’ve learned more here on the subject of hair loss than anywhere else. I have a few questions that I would appreciate some clarification on. I’m a 17 year old white male. My family tree doesn’t have much of a history of hair loss. My father is Norwood 2 at 50, and both of my grandfathers had full heads of hair, and so does my mom’s brother. The last bald person in the family was my maternal great grandfather. My hairline is probably identical to my fathers.
You spoke before of people having the balding gene but not expressing it – I’m wondering if that could be the case with any of these people and that I could have possibly inherited it. If it were, are there any triggers that could trigger it that I could avoid? For example, you said malnutrition can activate the gene. Specifically does that mean not getting enough calories, vitamins and minerals, or eating too much salt, fat, sugar, etc.
I’m also considering starting urine therapy for something completely unrelated to hair loss, but I read that male urine contains DHEA, which is supposedly another trigger of the gene. Do you think the amount of DHEA in urine would be sufficient to have any negative affect on hair loss?
I am assuming that you plan on ingesting the urine, as opposed to applying it on your scalp. I don’t think drinking it would be a negative on your hair (nor would applying it to the scalp — though I don’t know why you’d do that), but I have to admit that I don’t know a lot about urine therapy. Anyone with more experience in this area would be welcome to add a comment.
I do know that avoiding potential hair loss triggers really isn’t a great way to prevent hair loss, so long as you have functioning testicles. In other words, anything can potentially trigger it and there’s no perfect checklist to guarantee you’re safe from genetic hair loss.
Hi, I has some questions about Propecia.
1. From what I understand, if you take Propecia it might not last (meaning after anywhere from 5 to 12 years, you go start balding again) is this ture?
2. I read someones post saying that he took Propecia for one year, stopped, started to bald and then his hair grew back again. Can this really happen? Is this possible?
I’ve had some patients on Propecia for over a decade with continued benefits, and I’ve had some on Propecia that saw their hair loss slowly start again after a few years. Each person is different, so I have no way to know how you’ll respond.
Your hair may not be dependent upon Propecia so if you stop it, depending upon the value you got from the drug, your hair may continue to grow. Once you lose your hair from genetic balding, it is usually a permanent effect. Propecia may just slow the process down.
2012-01-16 11:17:062012-01-15 11:00:33Can Hair Continue to Regrow If You Take Propecia and Then Stop?
Hello Doctor,
I know there have been various posts on this topic and please feel free to ignore the question given that you have already provided comments. Also, I wanted to thank you for the blog as it has really allowed my to expand my knowledge of hair loss and related topics which is greatly appreciated.
I had what I though was a thick head of hair on the top of my head and historically my worries over thinning was limited to a receding hair line. Recently I got a short hair cut (borderline buzz-cut) and seemed to notice that in certain house lights I can see some of my scalp. That being said other lighting I cannot see through at all including when I am outdoors. I am not sure if this is a function of how my hair is parting, the use of hair products which I read can ‘clump’ hair together giving a thinner look or whether there are legitimate concerns to be had.
My question(s) relate to the miniaturization process and the speed to which it can occur. I recall from a previous blog that hair will grow at a rate of about ½ inch per month and would it be possible to have ‘normal’ hair on the top-half of a follicle and a miniaturized bottom? Is the process of miniaturization more gradual or can you go from thicker to thin in a matter of a few weeks?
I can sympathize that people are different and will go through the process at different paces but I am looking for some general comments based on your experience. For further information, my hair tends to be quite straight and sticks up when short and could this growth pattern contribute to a thinning look i.e. sits in such a position that gives a thin look? I should note that I am 33, currently taking Propecia but nothing else in the way of medication.
Regards
I am not sure how fast miniaturization occurs. I would think it happens over weeks to months (not days). It is a gradual process. I do not know of any documented studies on how fast miniaturization occurs. Usually we follow patients on a yearly basis (not monthly).
If you would like to conduct your own research, you can buy a handheld video microscope and take pictures of a specific area over a period of time and document the results. We wrote a 3-part tutorial on doing this a few years ago — Mapping Your Own Scalp for Miniaturization.
Hi,I m 46 years old and a norwood class 6/7.I have atrial fibrillation and take a beta blocker and warfarin,is it possible to have a hair transplant(if a good candidate)with this condition or is it not an option?many thanks.
It depends on the individual patient as well as the the individual doctor who may or may not consider surgery. You would likely need clearance from your cardiologist as well. In other words each patient and case is different. We have performed surgery on patients with atrial fibrillation that is controlled as well as patients who are on warfarin.
Can frequent, obssesive pulling back of the hair cause traction alopecia at the hairline? I’m a 20 year old male who cannot go past a mirror without pulling my hair up to look at my hairline. If there is a comb available, I use that as well. I do this to the point where the left side of my hairline in particular feels sore. Would you have any pictures to illustrate this sort of traction alopecia?
If you have an obsessive compulsive disorder to constantly pull on your hair, that may cause permanent hair loss to the area (depending on the severity and length of the offending habit)… but just looking at yourself in the mirror and combing your hair back will likely not cause traction alopecia.
It may seem like a chicken/egg conundrum (which came first…), but most men who have frontal recession are likely experiencing male pattern baldness. Particularly men around your age, which is when it wouldn’t be uncommon for genetic hair loss to begin.
If you are indeed worried about your possible hair loss or an obsessive compulsive disorder, you would establish a diagnosis with your doctor.
Hello doctors,
I’m a black male with very early stage thinning in a 3v pattern. I’ve been on finasteride for about two years, and am basically satisfied with the results.
I’ve talked to friends and family who might have similar patterns of thinning, and in discussing the options, several of them are skeptical about the effect transplants would have.
My question is this: what is the authoritative opinion on how well transplanting can cover up balding (specifically, can It be made to look like I have virtually no thinning?)
Your question isn’t really fair. You are asking a hair transplant surgeon who thinks about hair transplant surgery as a matter of livelihood. It’s like asking a chef if you should eat their food.
My point is you should be asking these questions to the patients who had hair transplants. You should meet them face-to-face to judge what the value has been based upon the change you see. Looking at some before and after photos has some minimum value, but face-to-face meetings like we have at our monthly Open House events in San Jose and Los Angeles give you the opportunity to see for yourself!
Hair transplants all depend on the supply of donor hair and the size of the balding area. Setting patient expectations is critical to what we do. You will never look like when you were 16 years old with regard to hair fullness. Maybe you can come close, but that depends on the number of grafts, hair color, hair texture, hair style, and skin color. For example, curly black hair on dark skin gives great coverage and fullness over thin straight black hair on while skin.
2010-08-04 15:00:292010-08-03 10:39:04Can Hair Transplants Completely Cover Up Balding?
2019-01-08 05:40:572019-02-14 06:16:17What Can I Do About My Hair? (Photo)
is there any way to speed up mpb???? if mpb is caused by adrogens, would using any product that may otherwise cause some form of hairloss speed it up??? acelerate it????
also do you recomend any recomended sleep patterns for men loosing their hair?
Good question. Although the mechanism of hair loss in men is known to be hormone related, there are many other factors that can accelerate your hair loss, including:
Having said that, most of those conditions never cause permanent hair loss if you don’t have the genetic susceptibility for it.
2007-10-08 15:33:422007-10-08 15:33:50Can I Accelerate Male Pattern Baldness?
