Dr Rassman
If i take 1/4 proscar with breakfast will it get absorbed in my blood streem or is the tablet just too small after it is mixed with food? Do you think it is better to take it on a empty stomach? Thanks
I’ve often said that in my opinion, it is best to take it before breakfast. I generally think that it is best taken on an empty stomach although it probably makes no difference on the absorption issue.
Hi Dr. Rassman,I have been to two dermatologists about my recent diffuse shedding which I believed to be telogen effluvium and they did very little to help because they said “you look like you have hair”. One dermatologist took some of the shed hairs and said he could not really tell if there was clubs on them because they were somewhat clubbed but had a tail too. When i look at them i can clearly see a white bulb at the end about twice the diameter of the hair but at the end of the bulb there is a very short hair like structure that is much thinner that the hair itself, the hair is very different from the ones i would say “pluck out”. So my question that I and my dermatologist was stumped on is whether they were telogen hairs because they had a tail at the end of the bulb.
Thank You
The telogen effluvium hair often has a white bulb and a mucus debris at the end so this could be the correct diagnosis. Also, the ‘hair pull test’ will show more than 10% of the hairs that are pulled, and will come out between the fingers that pull it. If you do this test, be gentle when the hair is pulled.
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Dear Dr. Rassman,
In one of your previous posts, you said that a scar from a strip surgery will be at about 80% of healing after 6 weeks. From that logic, I wonder if keeping the staples longer after a strip surgery (for 6-8 weeks, rather than the usual 14 days for instance) would help in getting a better scar…
I know that for practical and cosmetic reasons, keeping the staples longer can be problematic for many people, but in special cases where there is more tightness due to past surgeries (or a history of enlarged strip scar) wouldn’t this be a good solution to help getting a finer scar?
Or, would this in return create other problems such as:
1-skin growth around the staples?
2-Train marks?
3-Shock loss around the scar?Thanks for your help
Scar formation and wound healing is not that simple. Aside from the technical aspect, everyone heals differently and scars differently. Leaving staples in for about 10 to 14 days is what we generally do. We leave the staples in for up to 21 days in some patients. Sometimes leaving staples in longer will cause the familiar Frankenstein or train track marks (as you state).
In the end there is no universal solution to closing a tight scalp. One solution does not fit all patients and it is up to the physician to address it on his/her individual basis. I know this may not be what you are looking for, but it points to the fact that sometimes there is just no specific answer. Leaving the staples in for 6-8 weeks will cause undo pain in most patients.
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Can Regaine cause hair growth all over even if i don’t put it on that part of the skin? I think I read something about this happening, but i can’t find the source. thanx
A patient reported last week that when he used minoxidil regularly (also known as Rogaine/Regaine) some years ago, he eventually saw hair grow over the entire face and forehead, giving him a Wolf-Man type look. I wish I had photos, but it was just a story he told me. After stopping the medication, he said the abnormal facial hair disappeared. This might sound ridiculous to some people, but I believed him. There have been similar reports posted before.
I asked some other prominent hair doctors (part of an email group of physicians I am in) about this, and some reported seeing this rare phenomenon in patients as well. We do see facial hair growth in some people that can be substantial, and it’s a particularly rare problem for some women on this medication as well. And when I do have photos, I’ll do my best to get permission to publish them…
I am someone who currently is probably not the best candidate for a hair transplant but may be interested in the future if my pattern of loss continues. While the FUE procedure looks like a desirable option it is expensive for someone on my salary/budget. I’m curious about how much the cost of hair transplantation has gone down or up in the past and what that could mean for the affordability of hair transplants in the future. Also, I understand that the costs of hair transplants vary based upon the quality as well as other factors but Im wondering more from the perspective of the hair transplant industry as a whole. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hair transplant pricing follow the rules of supply and demand. There are discounters who sell it for less and many of these discounters will not provide the same quality. Quality is defined by the percentage of grafts that really grow and the art of the distribution of the hair. Price ranges from follicular unit transplants range between $15 and $2/graft depending on where you live. FUE (follicular unit extraction), on the other hand, seem to have a slightly higher rate ranging from $20/graft to $7/graft. Because of the recession, prices have dropped. We have dropped our FUT (strip method) pricing by 20% to reflect the hard financial times in the economy. See our fees here.
Hey Doc – I emailed you a while back and wanted to thank you for your response on the blog. I recently upped my dosage of finastride to 2.5 mg proscar after a 10 yrs of propecia (1mg), based on my HT surgeons advice. My hairloss had really progressed so this was a clear course of action. I intially had great results on proetica in my early 20s.
- My first question was related to dosing – I lift weights/workout intensely 6 days per week (often twice per day) and wondered if it would behoove me to split this dosage – 1.25 prior to weight lifting in the early evenings and 1.25 first thing in the morning, as recommended in your book.
- My second question was, does taking Finastride with a multivitamin, a vitamin C, a vitamin E, vitamin D, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium – all in seperate pills, and a protein shake (organic from non hormone cows) in the morning before I do some intense cardio (I eat no real food till I come back from the gym) have any impact on Finastride absorbtion/effectiveness?
I have read your book and realize it is ok to take Finastride with food but this may be a tad different.
Thanks in advance
Some reports shown that propecia is not suitable for women as it may cause birth defects.Therefore, I want to know if a man is taking propecia continuosly, then will the contents of the propecia transmitted to women during having sex with his partner(which is transmitted via kissing or sperm) and indirectly will it affect women’s health?
thanks for your reply. I do appreciate it.
From a practical perspective Propecia is NOT carried via sperm/ejaculate, when kissing, or having intercourse or oral sex.
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Snippet from the article:
Researchers in Japan have identified a gene that appears to determine cyclical hair loss in mice and believe it may also be responsible for hair loss, or alopecia, in people.
In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists described how they generated a line of mice that were lacking in the Sox21 gene.
Read the full article: Scientists identify gene that may explain hair loss
I’m sure there will be much more information announced about this, as hair loss is a billion dollar industry and companies will be trying to figure out ways to use this new find to their advantage. So far though, this has only been shown to be valid in mice and “could” be the case for humans, as well.
Here’s some past hair loss genetics news:
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Hi Doctor. I recently went to my doctor regarding an acne problem I have had for years, and he prescribed me to take propecia for it. He said that acne is caused my the same hormone that causes hairloss. Something called DHT. And that the ingridient in propecia inhibts DHT and thus eliminating acne. What do you thik about this, it seems kind of wierd to me. Please inform me soon because you seem to be an expert on propecia. I wanted to ask him more questions, but he is one of those doctors thats always in a hurry.
He was pretty condfident that propecia treats acne really well
I haven’t heard of Propecia (finasteride) being prescribed for treating acne. Acne is generally caused by bacteria on your skin and certain hormones in conjunctions with a high sebum production. I recently wrote about acne and DHT here.
So while Propecia does inhibit some of these androgens (such as DHT), Propecia is not prescribed for acne as a treatment. I would consider seeking another physician for a second opinion (mine does not count as I am not your doctor) since you are clearly not comfortable with your treatment plan nor your doctor.
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I had a transplant in August, 2007. Needless to say it has been over a year and a half, and to my sadness and distress, I have yet to see ANY results. I had a full head of hair going into the surgery, and I went to Mexico with the doctors of a medical institute there, maybe that was my first mistake.. I was 21, and I am a female, and now I find I might not even have been a good candidate to begin with. The doctor just looked at me and told me that I was a good candidate. My hair had a diffuse thinning, but still there was quite a bit of hair stil left, something I wish I would have appreciated before. After the surgery, my hair fell out. I was patient, thinking it was shock loss and it would be temporary, but it has been more than a YEAR and the hair never came back. Fortunately I can use powders like Topikk all over my head to fake a full head of hair, something not necessary before, and my hair is much thinner than before. Does this seem like shock loss and is it permanent? I am upset over this and stressed out, but I would like to know what the future holds for me. Any help given would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
This is quite unfortunate. Hair transplantation on a 21 year old woman is usually performed by doctors who want the money and do not care about the patient’s welfare. Indeed, about 80% of women with hair loss are not candidates for hair transplants and may suffer the same outcome that you did. You should have had a full medical work-up to include many blood tests for medical conditions that could cause female hair loss. There is even a genetic test for the inherited form of genetic hair loss. This remains a buyer beware market.
It might be worthwhile visiting me in my Los Angeles office. I could then confirm for you what may be going on and possibly give you some insights into what may happen to you in the future. I may even be able to suggest treatments for your hair loss. As your surgery was over 20 months ago, you should’ve seen some growth by now if the surgery was successful.
