Dr. William Rassman – Page 1312

May 12, 2009

Are Rogaine or Propecia Herbal Medications? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

are rogaine and propecia chemical based or herbal? will long term exposure to these oils have drastic effect on one’s kidneys? kindly let me know if these oils will stop hairfall or enhance growth,or the efeect will be only as long as one continues its use? i am just 24 years old, and a male. i am afraid i am shedding hair.i just want to be forearmed. that is all. thank you in advance for your advice.

Nope. Neither minoxidil nor Propecia are herbal medications, although finasteride (Propecia) was discovered in the Amazon rainforest amongst natives who showed problems with penis development and hermaphroditism. Yes, strange but true.

I don’t know of any link between Rogaine (minoxidil), Propecia (finasteride), and kidney problems. The benefits of either medication will disappear if you discontinue use. The reports of shedding are highly overrated by a small number of individuals on the internet and the shedding is not reported to last more than a couple of months. It should not produce any significant balding (just increased cycling of the hair).

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May 12, 2009

If I Cut Proscar Pills, Will That Cause Shedding? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Greetings
I’m a bit confused as I’m planning to start using Proscar ( cut into 4 parts) to treat my male pattern hairloss. I’ve read that some people cuz they can’t cut the pill in the same size let’s say (1.25, 1.50…etc) so there’s no stability in the size of the pills, they said they faced shedding… is that right? and what to do in that case

There is no real scientific way to answer this question. My opinion is that the small daily variations should not make a difference if you cut a 5mg finasteride pill (Proscar) into 4 parts compared to the 1mg pre-made finasteride pill (Propecia).

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May 12, 2009

If I Stop Propecia, Will My Body Hair Return? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Just a quick question. I read on a previous post that a rare known side effect of Propecia is the reduction of body hair. Will this hair grow back after Propecia has been stopped?

If Propecia caused a loss of body hair, when you stop the medication the body hair should return.

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May 12, 2009

In the News – New Hair Loss Reality Show – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Snippet from the article:

Robb Greve has always been a handsome man but when it comes to his hair he is very sensitive. He wore his hat everywhere and if he was asked to take off his hat in a public place he would take his family and leave.

This man avoided the national anthem at a Cardinals football game and stayed away from church because he did not want to take off his hat. Situations like this limited the fun that his family has had together.

His wife Anne has agonized over the burden of his hat. So she got her family together and unknown to him they nominated him for the new reality show ‘Hair Loss Confidential’

Full article at AZ Central – Valley man in hair loss reality show

Sounds interesting, but no information is given as to whether the show has been picked up by a network to actually air on television (network or cable). It might just wind up on the web. But if you read the full article, it alludes to this man being shocked at how he suddenly had a full head of hair immediately after the procedure. What it fails to mention is that those hairs will likely fall out and he won’t see any growth for months. That’s entertainment…

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May 11, 2009

Could Propecia Shedding Be Cosmetically Significant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i’m a norwood 2ish 28yr old wondering is propecia would work for me. i’m perfectly ok with where my hairline is at currently, but don’t want my widows peak going any deeper. my dermatologist gave a script for propecia without much of an examination. i’ve read several things about shedding, and propecia not working on the hairline that have scared me away from actually getting my script filled. i guess my two questions are, can propecia keep my hairline where it is at if i’m a good responder? and if i experience a shed, is it something that can be cosmetically significant?

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Propecia is not known to work on the hairline or reverse hair loss on the hairline (it happens in extremely rare cases). Without an examination (especially a miniaturization study) I really cannot tell you that if you are even a candidate for Propecia, as we need a diagnosis. You may not be balding! Do not let your fear of balding dictate your treatment.

With regard to Propecia shedding, I have only rarely seen or heard about this, mostly on comments here on the BaldingBlog and on other hair forums. I am virtually certain that this phenomenon is blown out of proportion and I would doubt that when it appears, it would be cosmetically significant.

May 11, 2009

How Long Can I Cheat Mother Nature with Propecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Your blog has been an absolutely indispensable resource for me in the last month, and I can’t thank you enough!

I am a 30 year-old male, and I recently noticed that my hairline in the front and sides has receded about a centimeter or two past what is considered the normal hairline (according to one of your previous posts). I went to a dermatologist and she confirmed that there was in fact some slight recession at the temples (beyond what is the mature hairline), and also some very slight thinning on top. She did this all by sight, and did not have a densitometer in her office (nor did she claim to use one). She then prescribed Propecia, and I have been taking it religiously for the past month.

I also had my hair mapped out during a free consultation at the Philadelphia Hair Club. The woman who examined my scalp pointed out that I had some very early miniaturization at different points on my head (top, crown), and even some in the permanent zone on the back of my head (which she said was probably due to stress). I honestly can’t remember if she noticed any miniaturization beyond my front hairline and temple prominences.

My father is 60 years old and is somewhere between a 5 & 6 on the Norwood scale. (Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about my paternal grandfather as my father was adopted.) My maternal grandfather was somewhere between a Norwood 6/7 when he passed away at age 85, and my maternal uncle is currently at about a Norwood 3 (vertex) at the age of 50. I don’t know if this is important, but I do resemble my uncle quite a bit in terms of appearance and body type.

If I am a good responder to Propecia, how long do you think I will be able to cheat mother nature and keep most of what I have right now (which is still a hell of a lot)?

Thank you.

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If you’re a good responder, Propecia (or perhaps a future medication somewhere down the line) could help retain the hair you have for as long as you take it. The potential is there. Some men report seeing their hair loss pick up around the 5 year mark, but I’ve got patients that have taken it for well beyond that and their hair still looks great. It’s really not something I could guess about, but if you keep your fingers crossed…

May 11, 2009

Hairs Never Grew Almost a Year After My Transplant! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi I had a hair transplant in Mid July of 2008, it has now been close to 10 months since my hair transplant. I have been keeping track of the transplant with pictures it has gotten a little better in the front, still not the kinda of results I was hoping, but in the crown area there has been absolutely no growth. In fact the small hairs that were inserted never fell off nor did they grow, they are still there I can actually feel them when I run my fingers through. Is this normal that the hair sometimes doesn’t grow?

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A hair transplant failure in the crown is something you need to discuss with your hair transplant surgeon. What you described should not be normal.

May 11, 2009

I Want to Shave My Head After My Recent Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m just wondering how long after a transplant can I shave my head? My hairline is fairly uneven, and I want to conceal the asymmetry by doing some shaping (the doctor didn’t seem to help this problem). How long after a surgery do I have to wait to do this?

Also, I had some scabs rub off in the middle of the night while sleeping at about 6 days post op. I woke up, and had half the scabs I had before bed. What are the chances that I have damaged the grafts?

You can easily shave your head once the scabs are gone. At 6 days, some people have the scabs normally fall out so I would doubt that you lost hair grafts unless you scratched them at night while you slept.

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May 11, 2009

My Doctor Doesn’t Know Why I’m Losing Hair In the Crown – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Recently I noticed that I have a slightly thinning crown. I went to the dermatologist and he said hes not really sure what is happening but said that it might be male pattern baldness. My father (an internest, who happens to be bald) looked at it, as did my pediatrician and they both said the follicles look healthy, and my pediatrician said hes not sure, could be alopecia areata or male pattern baldness. He didnt know. My pediatrician told me to use 5% monoxidil once a day for about 2 months and to come back to him. However i heard that if you do not know the reason of your hairloss you can cause permanent damage. Im really confused and dont know what to do

I am 18 years old. Is it true that if you use Rogaine on existing hair you can destroy that hair? I put it on my hairline, (norwood class 2. My oldest brother (26 years old) has the same hairline as i do and he doesnt show signs of balding, my other brother (23 years old) has a norwood class 1 hairline, but he has grey hairs – my mother started getting grey hair around that age, which is making me worry i have my fathers genes b/c i dont have grey hairs) and im worried that i might damage the hair. I also notice that when i put it on my head im coming back with alot of hair in my hand.

I went through a very stressful time and i also wasnt eating very well (im studying overseas now for the year…). I limited most of the food they gave us and mainly ate salads, and even then i would work out about an hour later to work it all off. – at first i thought might be telogen effluvium but its just in my crown so im a little worried. Thank you

Rogaine (minoxidil) should not destroy existing hair, but I don’t know that Rogaine would do much good at the hairline anyway. It might work, but I can’t say for sure one way or the other. If you’re experiencing hair loss in the crown, that should be where you’re using the Rogaine. Or even better, talk to your physician about a prescription for Propecia (which works wonders in the crown) if you’ve got genetic hair loss. I don’t want to guess if you’re experiencing hair loss due to genetic causes or stress or what… but if your primary care physician isn’t too sure, I’d try to seek out a dermatologist or even a hair transplant doctor (only because they know hair well, not because you should even consider a surgical procedure at your age). With early thinning in the crown, it certainly doesn’t sound like alopecia areata. If you saw bald spots all over your scalp, that would be a different story.

The hair loss gene can come from either side of the family and can even skip generations, so just because you lack grey hairs doesn’t mean you’re not going to inherit a hair pattern that someone else in your family had. There is no substitute for an expert who can examine your hair and tell you if you have genetic balding. There is even a genetic test for the balding gene that is available today for about $250.

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May 11, 2009

Vitamin E Might Reverse MPB? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

Any comments? any advice? about this article? please!! nutraingredients.com

Kind Regards

Here’s the first couple lines from the article, which basically sum up the points I want to make:
“Daily supplements of a patented tocotrienol (vitamin E) complex may increase hair growth in people with male pattern baldness by 42 per cent, suggests a new study from Carotech. The eight month randomized, placebo-controlled trial involved 28 volunteers with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness), and was performed at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Science Malaysia.”

The study is limited because it was done with only 28 people participating. So I would think about 14 people got the actual vitamin E and the other 14 got the placebo. You don’t have to be a doctor to make your own assessment on this one, as this is poor science. In fact, one of the volunteers that was taking the placebo even saw hair growth!

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