Dr. William Rassman – Page 1315

May 5, 2009

Graves’ Disease and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello, I was wondering if you could help me understand a little bit about what Im going thru. At the current moment, The only thing I know is that I have hyperthyroidism. I dont know whats causing it yet, but soon I will find out. It could very well be Graves Disease. Well, because I have this its making my hair real thin and fall out. I was wondering if propecia could help me keep my hair? Is it safe while having a thyroid problem? Also would I have to go to a dermatologist to find out if my hair is falling out for another reason besides my Thyroid or what kind of Doc should I seek? Do you know of any Docs in the Houston area that you would highly recommend I should go see. Perhaps one that has knowledge of propecia/proscar? Thank you so much for any help/advice you could give me. Oh yea Im 29 years old if that makes any difference. Less than a year ago I swear it seemed like I was in perfect health hair or not. Now…well. Sorry this was so long. Thanks again.

Thyroid problems can cause hair loss and hair texture changes (as well as many other medical problems). You need to see your doctor and ask him/her these questions. Thyroid might be the cause of your hair loss, or it could be something else entirely. I cannot give you medical advice this way… not because I do not want to help, but because I have not examined you and taken a good medical history with you. I do not even know if you are a male or female! If you are female you should not be taking Propecia, but with Graves’ disease, I would not expect Propecia to work regardless if you are male or female.

I don’t have any physician recommendations in the Houston area, but About.com has some tips here. For more on hyperthyroidism, see thyroid-info.com.

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May 5, 2009

I’ve Been Pulling My Hair for 6 Years — Will It Grow Back? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello. I’ve had trichotillomania for about 6 years now. I’ve pulled non-stop because it is REALLY hard to quit, but I haven’t pulled any hair out in a week now. I have a large bald spot on the top of my skull and there are several others scattered elsewhere. I am seventeen years-old. I can’t even go to the hair dresser’s to get my hair done because I’m so ashamed and I always worry someone might say something. I’ve adopted the name ‘bald spots’. I was wondering if my hair was going to grow back if I let it and if not, if there were any options available for me. Thank you.

If the hair loss has been there for around 6 years, I doubt that the hair will come back. First, you must get control of the pulling (not just for a week) and you may seek help from your doctor for medications that will help you through this. Once you have gone a year or more with no further hair plucking, then you might consider hair transplantation, assuming that your donor supply is adequate. But if you should start pulling again, then any transplanted hair can be lost by the exact same mechanism.

There’s a great reference site you should visit to read more — Trichotillomania Learning Center.

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May 5, 2009

Propecia is Thinning My Arm Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Just a quick note. I’ve been an avid reader of your site for some time now, so, firstly, I’d like to congratulate you on your blog, to thank you for taking the subject of male pattern baldness so seriously and for answering the questions readers have posed over the years so professionally.

I’m 30 years old, I’ve been taking Propecia for 16 months now and while my hairline has continued to mature (which can only be expected), I have found that with the help of Propecia my hair loss has stabilised. However, one side effect that I wasn’t expecting is the thinning of my arm hair! Can I take this as proof that Propecia is indeed blocking DHT (and therefore working)!?

Many thanks in advance

Yes, loss of body hair is a known rare side effect with finasteride. Hair on various parts of the body does seem to be dependent upon the presence of DHT (more in some individuals than others). I wish it had that impact on my body hair also.

I’d say that if your hair loss stabilized that the Propecia is indeed working.

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May 4, 2009

How Much Donor Hair I Have Left After 2 Hair Transplants? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor. I’m 30 years old and have had two HT procedures. Approximately 1200 grafts each, to the frontal 3rd hairline/middle front. I’m taking proscar daily and though still noticing some thinning in the middle of my head, I feel I’ve “bought myself some time” until further work is needed. I can’t really tell if the proscar is working great for me, since I can’t tell what I’d look like if I hadn’t used it for the last 5+ years. Realizing that this is a progressive condition, I’m assuming (unless one of the many possible breakthroughs we hear about becomes a reality) I’ll need another procedure at some point. How many grafts can I expect to have remaining in my donor area? In 5-10 years, maybe cloning or another regeneration technique could be available, but for now, I’m wondering how much I’ll have left to give myself. Thank you.

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Without examining your donor hair under a microscope and assessing how elastic your scalp is or what your hair density is, it is difficult to tell. This is a question you should ask your doctor. If your hair is not that dense and you have a tight scalp, you may have depleted your donor hair. Or if your hair is dense and you have a very loose scalp, then you may have thousands more grafts that can be moved. It varies from person to person, so it’s not something I can just guess on without an exam. Get the point?

May 4, 2009

Can an Infant Have Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Can a 20 month old child have Alopecia?

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This is unlikely. Most children without much hair are just delayed growing their hair. Assuming the the hair is patchy, one would look to your pediatrician for the diagnosis of ringworm, alopecia areata (rare). Complete absence of hair on the head and eyebrows could reflect other types of alopecias, but I do not want to write a book on the subject without knowing more about what your concerns are.

May 4, 2009

Scraping Off Minoxidil Residue – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

I recently started minoxidil topical (3 months ago) and have considerable dry residue on my scalp. I’ve been using a comb to scrap the residue off before washing with Nizoral. Am I doing any damage to my hair by scraping my scalp with the comb?

I’ve considered trying the foam, but changed my mind because of the bad feedback Ive been reading on the internet.

Thankyou for your help.

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A good set of washes should remove all residue from your hair. The foam has alcohol in it and may not leave residue, but I do not have any other suggestions other than trying the foam. I am not sure what bad feedback you are getting over the internet, but if you try it and don’t like it, let it go.

May 4, 2009

Hair Loss InformationThe Pros and Cons of Hairpieces? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Can you tell me some of the pro’s and con’s of hairpieces and weaves?

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I’m sorry if this sounds like a cop-out, but I wrote a couple of chapters about this very topic in my new book, Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies, and really can’t rewrite those chapters here. If you come and visit me, I will give you a copy of the book as I do all visitors to my office… or you can order it online.

May 4, 2009

Dr. Farjo Answers More Intercytex Questions – Balding Blog

Thank you very much for answering our questions and for having this site. Thank you Dr. Farjo for joining. These questions are for Dr. Farjo re: hair multiplication/intercytex study:

Is Intercytex going to phase 3 trials with the procedure they currently have?

Is the current product marketable given the current results, if it does go into phase 3? (It sounds like it is not, but that it created an enterance into another idea that may be marketable)

How long do you think it will be before a marketable product exists?

You mention that further studies are planned. When do you think this new Photo-hair technology will be tested on humans?

Will Intercytex be doing these studies? It sounds like they are waiting for someone else to buy them out. If not Intercytex, who will be doing these studies?

Intercytex has mentioned they have given Bosley the option of purchasing them or parterning. Bosley has their own theory on how to make this work, so why would Bosley buy them? (Speculating of course)

Who else besides Intercytex and Bosley/Aderans seems to be doing hair multiplication testing/research?

Thank you for any or all all answers to the above questions.

The following response is by UK-based physician Dr. Bessam Farjo:

Response by:

Dr Bessam Farjo
United Kingdom

A decision has not been made yet on timing. One reason is that we are still waiting on the analysis of the global photos concerning the larger of the injected areas. A second reason is the more promising finding of growing hairs out of the multiplied cells in the lab in the mouse, which will hopefully lead to a new clinical trial. Finally there are financial restrictions at the moment due to the global economic situation that is affecting most biotech companies.
See Q1. A product goes into market only after successful phase III.
Due to all what I mentioned it would be foolish of me to predict that with any accuracy.
A clinical trial should take place once the lab studies on human hair produce results reliably and predictably. We’re not at that point yet.
No, that is not the case. They said they are looking for funding from outside the company for this project. Given the funds, Intercytex will continue with these studies.
Bosley has an option to market Intercytex’s product should they succeed ahead of Bosley (or more accurately Aderans). I take this opportunity to confirm that I am neither a director nor a shareholder with Intercytex plc.
I am not aware of anyone else.

You’re very welcome.

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Learn more about the author of this article, Dr. Bessam Farjo, on his BaldingBlog profile or at his website.

May 4, 2009

I Think I Had Shock Loss Even Though I’ve Been Taking Finasteride – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr,

Thanks for providing all the information you are providing to hair loss sufferers. I have a question. I had a Transplant a 7 weeks ago(Strip method) on my crown area. I was on (and still on) Finasteride prior to my Transplant. Lately I lost my native hair and I am seeing that I have less hair on my top now compared to hair that I had before the transplant. I learnt that this is because of the shock loss. But I was on finasteride before the HT. So, do you think this is temporary and can expect m native hair back. If so how much time does it take?

I try to educate my patients and readers everyday… and this must be one of the top ten things I want the public to understand.

Taking Propecia (finasteride) does not protect you 100% from experiencing shock loss — it only lowers the risk. If you have shock loss, there’s not much you can do (actually, nothing you can do)… and if it is in miniaturized hairs, it may very well be permanent! Statistics do not matter to those who have shock loss even while on Propecia. This is one of the risks of a hair transplant and you must always balance the benefits of surgery with the risks of surgery.

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May 1, 2009

Why Isn’t Dr Rassman in the IAHRS? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

why arent you (Dr Rassman) a member of http://www.iahrs.org/

Is this alliance/organisation credible? The reason i ask is because i am thinking of a Hair transplant and want to find the best surgeon for that. thanks for your time.

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I look at IAHRS as a marketing organization for some of the best doctors in the industry. One of the requirements of the IAHRS is that the represented doctors perform only follicular unit transplantation, which I strongly agree with. I had been a member for years and my decision to withdraw was a business decision alone. I fully respect the IAHRS in that they play no industry politics and react with integrity as a consumer advocacy group.

I am fortunate in that I publish BaldingBlog daily, which has become my main means of educating the consumer public. With the many thousands of unique visitors per day, I have achieved my own marketing presence with a substantial educational backbone. In addition, I am able to use my name recognition (at least within the industry) to not necessarily need to pay to be included in every hair organization that will allow me. Most of the original work on follicular unit transplantation and follicular unit extraction (FUE) was pioneered by the New Hair Institute, and you can review my contributions on my CV.

Also, I should point out that some people confuse the IAHRS with the ISHRS, but they are unrelated.