Dr. William Rassman – Page 1406

September 30, 2008

How Many Hair Cycles In the Life of a Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi doctor and a big thanks to you and your team. Im very interested to know at least to tell me how many hair cycles there are. i read somewhere there are 14 in another place there are 25-30 and i like to know not the exact number but for something close. where is the truth because i have been doing a little experiment. i had a single hair divided from the others, i mean theres not another hairs around this one and it keeps falling and falling and it has surpassed the number 20 of cycle and it keeps showing after some months before being full mature it will fall off again and im so confused. pls help. i will be glad for ur response and thank before very very much

The answer is not so simple. If you average 4 years for a cycle and there are 30 cycles per human (as an example) that would mean that your hair will last 120 years. Unfortunately, our cycles get shorter as we get older. How much shorter depends upon your genetics, so you see, nothing I just said is solid enough to hang your hat on. We tend to preach that hair has a 3 year cycle, but how do we really know that? The answers are illusive. Sorry!

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September 30, 2008

My Wife is Pregnant — Can I Still Use Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Recently my wife became pregnant. I currently take minoxidil and am wondering if I am putting her (and the baby) at risk by sharing the same bed, incidental contact, etc.

Thanks for your help.

Twin beds You can use minoxidil even if your wife is pregnant. So go ahead and push those beds together and be near your wife.

Your wife (or any woman) should not use minoxidil directly while pregnant, though. See Minoxidil and Pregnancy for more on that.

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September 30, 2008

Propecia and Breast Milk – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,

You are an impressive personality, I have been reading and making my decisions about my hair loss through the research on your website.

My wife is pregnant and and I want to start taking propecia, I am thinking about start taking it after the baby is born which is due on mid Nov. But I would like to know if breast feeding and propecia can create complications to the baby or wife. I think I am a norwood class 4 and have almost good coverage, I am 25 year old male.

Your reply would be a great help.

Keep up the great work.

Nope. Unless you have found a way to create milk from your own breast and are breastfeeding your baby, there is no danger to your wife and your baby as Propecia does not come over to the woman from sexual intercourse. It is not known if Propecia can be found in the breast milk of mothers that are taking Propecia themselves, but Propecia is not approved for use in women anyway. It will not affect your wife or unborn child even if you are having intercourse with your wife while she is pregnant. The pharmaceutical company Merck’s statement on this is, “Available data indicate that the level of PROPECIA in the semen of a man taking PROPECIA does not pose a risk to an unborn child. Accordingly, a man can take PROPECIA while conceiving a child with his partner, or have sexual intercourse with his partner if she is already pregnant.”

If you are still worried, use a condom.

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September 30, 2008

Repairing a Dent in the Scalp at the Hairline – Balding Blog

I have a severe scar beginning at my ( receding ) hairline. It is a prominent scar, probably 1 1/2″x 1/2 inch. Obviously no hair grows there and I cannot completely cover it. The injury that caused the scar also took a little “tissue,” meaning there is a slight indentation.

My question is this: Is there a procedure where someone could “reconstruct” the damage? Perhaps by taking a mold of the scar, a piece could be made and have hair implanted. And if so, could this “piece” be safely adhered to my head? I am open to suggestion as well. Thanks.

It would be best for me to see what you look like by sending photos of your hairline and the scar (reference this page). Scars at or just behind the hairline are relatively easy to fix with hair transplants. Sometimes the scar can be partly excised as well (though unusual), but without seeing it you have tied my hands. I have repaired many frontal hairline scars.

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September 29, 2008

Hair Loss InformationHigh-Fat Diet and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello doc,

I found this text on a website recently “If you look at Japan, male pattern baldness was almost unheard of prior to World War II. The Japanese diet is now far more fatty and Westernized, and Japanese men are going bald everywhere. It’s clear that a high-fat, meat-based diet raises testosterone levels, and that may adversely affect hair follicles.”

– Do you have any information about this? Could this be true?

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Cheeseburger While it is true to some degree that we are what we eat, hair loss comes about because of four components. Our food intake (if normal nutrients are ingested) is not one of those four. They are:

Genetic elements for balding
The male hormone in adequate quantities for healthy men
The time the hormones and the genetic defect interact
The amount of stress in the life of the person

I have a problem when someone is comparing early 20th century assessments of hair loss and modern 21st century assessments of hair loss. I also have a problem with the comment that ties healthy diets to hair loss in any way. The “authority” seems to originate from a talented man and nutritionist, Michael A. Klaper, M.D. He does not cite any evidence for his opinions and uses the term “may” when commenting on the connection between meat in the diet, testosterone, and hair loss. In my opinion, a statement like, “male pattern baldness was almost unheard of prior to World War II,” really can not be based upon any reasonable scientific observation and if I am wrong, I would want to see it. Who would be making such an assessment in a closed, almost feudal society like pre-war Japan? Balding is big business in modern Japan, which supports the largest hair wig manufacturer in the world. Many of the people of Japan still maintain the more traditional diets (they are not hamburger freaks) yet they lose hair. Studies have shown that there is little difference in balding statistics between races.

The website which originated these comments appears to be MotherNature.com and it does not show any convincing evidence to support the posted statement. Show me the science and I would be willing to change my mind.

However, it is documented that daily vigorous exercise (like endurance training) and lower fat/total calorie intake will decrease the free testosterone and DHT levels, and you can assume that this can decrease hair loss (see Relationship between stress hormones and testosterone with prolonged endurance exercise). Does a low fat diet alone decrease the levels of testosterone and DHT? That is not clear.

September 29, 2008

Hair Loss InformationSexual Stimulants and Finasteride – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctor,
Does taking sexual stimulant tablet or testosterone booster, prevents finasteride to work full?

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Ask the doctor that is providing you sexual stimulants or testosterone boosters before starting or stopping any medication (including finasteride). Generally, what do you mean by a sexual stimulant? Viagra? Or some pill you buy from the back of a men’s magazine? There are many items that could qualify as a sexual stimulant.

Testosterone is an anabolic steroid that is generally illegal to use without the supervision of a prescribing doctor due to many side effects, such as liver damage. It can also cause increased androgenic alopecia (AGA) so if you are taking testosterone (or boosters), clearly that will ‘pull’ in the opposite direction of finasteride on your hair loss, thus defeating the purpose of using finasteride at all.

September 29, 2008

Hair Loss InformationShame On You for Recommending Rogaine – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

dr rassman,,, shame on you as a medial professional to encouge people to use rogaine,, a drug only desighned for for high blood pressure… even the FDA banned minoxidil for all its sideeffects,, rogaine,,, ie ,, minoxidil is certainly absorbed into blood stream, from topical solution, which can cause heart enlargment amounst many other side effects,, rogaine itself admits they dont event known to how this drug reacts,, therfore cannot say for certain all the posiable sideffects,,what is ceratin that many people have complaine about the side effect ,, even to your site,, why take the parachical evidence and not the prof of the people,,

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Thank you for your concern, but where are you getting your information?

It is true that minoxidil is a high blood pressure medicine when taken orally. Some of it may even be absorbed through the skin. When minoxidil is applied topically (Rogaine) it can also have many side effects when absorbed by the skin including a light head feeling, irritation to the skin, etc, but is not banned by the FDA and some patients have good results with their hair loss. In fact, it is only one of two FDA approved medications for genetic hair loss in men, and the only medication that is FDA approved for treating genetic hair loss in women.

September 29, 2008

Hair Loss InformationAfter a Hair Transplant, When Can I Stop Being Careful with My Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it possible say after 4 months of the procedure to damage the hair grafts if you are kinda compulsive and don’t really like to even show that you are losing hair as in my case i didn’t have to much hair loss in the first place but don’t like to show that i am losing any at all by styling the hair downwards. spending like 10-20 minutes doing so basically what I am saying is that if the hairs are inplanted after the immediate post op 1-3 months is ok to be less careful after this period and is there any adverse way to affect the growth. Also when is ok to buzz ones head after the FUE technique is performed.

thank you very much

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Your hair transplant doctor should have told you this. Hair that was transplanted is considered permanent after a week or two.

Either you are an obsessive compulsive or have not been told the right information. You do not have to be so careful 4 months out from surgery. The point of the surgery is to have your own natural hair. Treat it as such.

September 29, 2008

Hair Loss InformationDUPA and Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In earlier posts you mention that half of men with DUPA receive benefits from propecia, but in more recent posts you seem less certain. In the past few years have you seen DUPA patients receive worse results with propecia, causing your optimism to diminish?

Also, you mention that propecia MAY have a better chance if the underlying cause of DUPA is genetic-what does this mean? In your experience, does the presentation of DUPA differ when “the underlying cause is genetic”?

(My brother, only two years older than me, is losing his hair in a traditional MPB fashion, while I am experiencing DUPA in a presentation similar to FPB). Any insight, at all, would be helpful. Thank you.

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With more and more exposure to diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) patients, I am less convinced that Propecia works for them. If there are no side effects seen though, maybe there is value in taking it. Other industry experts tend to have adopted that view as well.

September 29, 2008

I Have Female Hair Loss and Was Told to Wash My Hair Every 3 Days – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

Recently at age 31 I have been diagnosed with female pattern baldness, although both of my parents have a lot of hair. I was told to wash my hair every 3 days because i lose a lot in the shower and then brushing it. My scalps starts to get really itchy after 2 days and then i shed a lot of hair, why is that so? I do not have psorasis and scalp seems to be in good condition. Is it cause I have too much dht? Also have you heard of any good results with laser hair treatments?

I have not heard of or seen any good results with laser hair treatments. In my opinion laser hair treatments do not work.

Washing your hair less will not cause you to lose less hair unless you are rough in the wash. There is no relationship between washing hair and hair loss. You can wash your hair as you like. Your itchy scalp might be looked at by a local dermatologist.

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