Dr. William Rassman – Page 1410

September 22, 2008

If Medication Causes Hair Loss, Why Won’t Stopping the Medication Regrow the Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In a previous post a man had asked if off Nexium, will the hair grow back that was lost as a side effect and this site’s response was that it probably wouldn’t. My question is why? If a medication contributes to it and you get off that med and allow enough time for the body to fully release it from the bloodstream and wherever else, shouldn’t the side effects reverse? For instance when patients are on chemo and lose their hair. It grows back afteward.

I just wanted some clarification on this issue since I’ve been dealing with hair loss from Nexium after months of usuage and am now off it for about 2 weeks now (which I know is too soon anyways to see progress).

Thanks

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We really do not understand the mechanisms that cause hair loss with drugs and some diseases. It is like pulling the trigger of a gun — once the bullet leaves the barrel, the bullet will do its damage. This is like a switch that is flipped and we know little as to why it does not reverse when the insulting drug is removed.

Actually, in some lucky people hair does regrow, so cross your fingers that you are one of the lucky ones.

September 22, 2008

From Rogaine to Generic Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

About a year ago I started using Rogaine to battle my thinning hair. The results were outstanding. 2 1/2 months ago I was on vacation and had run out of my Rogaine. At the local pharmacy all I could find was a 3 month pack of the house-brand generic Rogaine. It had the same concentration and I was in a pinch so I bought it. For the last couple weeks, I have noticed a lot of hair falling out when I shampoo and such, much like it did prior to my use of Rogaine. Is this a result of the switch to the generic product, something that normally happens, or is there something else at play here?

Thanks

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The difference between generic and brand name drug content is controlled by the FDA, so in theory, the two are the same. My initial thought was that you got different strengths, but you said the concentrations were the same, so I’m stumped. Maybe the house-brand was fake? If it was purchased at a reputable pharmacy or store, it’s probably fine — but I don’t have all the details so I’m just speculating wildly. You might want to check with your doctor to see what is going on with your head.

September 22, 2008

Hair Loss InformationCan Nizoral Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor Rassman!

Thanks for your great and informative site.

I am an 18 year old male with no signs of hair loss and a very thick head of hair. However I recently have noticed that I may have a very mild case of dandruff. I want to begin treating it right away in order to catch it before it gets worse and I have heard the great effects of Nizoral 1% on treating dandruff and even speculation that it may actually help with hair loss.

I just want to know if there is any chance that using the recommended dose of Nizoral 1% for my dandruff will ACTUALLY CAUSE HAIRLOSS? because of the chemical ketoconazole in it? Or is it perfectly fine to use for the recommended period of time?

Thank you I value your opinion and look forward to your response!

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I would doubt that Nizoral would cause hair loss. I’ve not heard/read any reports of actual loss from this shampoo. Some believe that ketoconazole, the active ingredient in Nizoral, helps stimulate hair growth, but I’m not convinced until I can find more scientific studies on this.

September 22, 2008

Only the Frontal Hairline of My Transplant is Growing In After 4 Months – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Dr. Rassman. Just a quick question that maybe you can help me with regarding my recent hair transplant. I also will be making an appointment to see my doctor. I had 1200 grafts done mostly in temple area 4 months ago. At around month three I first noticed some regrowth now a month later I have longer hairs in that area, which I expect to become fuller as I get closer to the year mark. However, hair has only grown along the front line of what was transplanted. So I have a thin line of hairs connecting the front of my hair line to the sides, yet have a large gap between that and my regular growing hair. My question is, is this normal? Can hair grafts first grow in the front and take more time to grow in behind it? Is it possible that only the hairs in the front “survived” and the others aren’t coming in? I know at four months it is still too early to tell, but I thought it was odd nonetheless. Thanks so much.

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The most likely answer is that by the 8th month fully 80-90% of the hair should have grown or started to grow. I never draw conclusions at the 4th month and you are correct, some parts may grow faster than other parts of the scalp. Be patient and wait another 4 months or so to see the results.

September 22, 2008

Woman with Hair Loss After Taking Prednisone – When Will it Stop?! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
I have been on prednisone for seven months for eustacian tube dysfunction. My hair started falling out when I weaned down to 5 mg of prednisone. I have been off the pred for four weeks and my hair is still falling out a lot. I have no other medical conditions and my primary checked my blood for anemia, thyroid etc. All very normal. My hair is so then only a few weeks away from a wig. Is there any way to stop this and will my hair grow back?

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You may have a telogen effluvium and this may reverse in time with hair regrowth in 6-18 months. The use of minoxidil may help, but better do this under the direction of a good doctor.

September 19, 2008

Hair Loss InformationCan a Class 8 Person be Transplanted? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Many of you hopefully know (or at least have read) about the Norwood Classifications for male pattern baldness. I wrote the question in the title of this post, because there is no such thing as a Class 8 patient. Norwood Class 7 is the highest balding pattern defined, but I want to discuss a patient that has an extremely advanced Class 7, so to get my point across I’ve defined the Class 8 term here. He has white skin and black hair with a very, very fine hair character. I had great trepidations when he came to me three years ago to get a transplant, because he had no good quality hair and the worst color contrast possible. One thing running in his favor was a donor density 25% higher than normal. He’s had three procedures with me over the years. First one was 3908 grafts, then 3177 grafts, then 1525 grafts… for a total of 8610 grafts, and as the density dropped with each procedure, the yield also dropped. Of interest, his scar was minimal and the rest of the donor fringe area maintained its height to reflect the dropping density of the fringe hair with each successive hair transplant. He is tickled over the results and could not be happier. The fine hair is see-through, but he loves to comb it and keep it styled.

Click the photos below to enlarge.

Before:

After 8610 grafts:

A few weeks ago he came in and we tried an experiment. We applied concealers (Toppik) to try to manage the see-through hair. The results of this experiment can be seen in 3rd set of photos below. What we concluded was that the concealers made him appear too thick and if he dyed his hair a light brown and then used Toppik, his overall look might be better. His eyebrows are light brown, so that would fit.

After 8610 grafts (and Toppik):

This is a very important piece for BaldingBlog and the first time this patient has agreed to show his results on the Internet. In my opinion, this is one of the best “miracles” we have pulled off in this practice. It took courage for him (see his before picture) to trust me to make this happen and I was honored with his faith in me. With good doctor/patient communication, almost anything is possible. This man is soft spoken and often comes to our open house events to speak with patients and show off his results in person.

Here’s the side-by-side of his before and after (8610 grafts over 3 hair transplant procedures and Toppik), and you can see the results are just amazing!

September 19, 2008

After 6 Weeks, The Transplanted Hairs Didn’t Fall Out But Also Didn’t Grow – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman,
It has been exactly 6 weeks today post off, for a FEU of 2000graphs. Now I had experienced a some shock loss after my operation for a while, still have but has been minimized a little, but with that being said most of the hairs that were transplanted have no ’shed’. Infact they are still in tract but the only problem is that they are not growing. I was told by my doctor that all the transplanted hair would fall off within the first month. Should I be worried? Does this mean the procedure is working slower on me?

Thanks

Your doctor advised you correctly — they will shed sooner or later. I have seen some hairs remain up to a year and the hair transplants grew around them. If you pull on those short hairs, they usually come right out with no traction on them, because they are not attached to a bulb or to the underlying tissue, and have no muscle attachment on them. The shock loss you are talking about is independent of the short hairs that remain.

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September 19, 2008

Finasteride and Type I Collagen – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman
Please tell me what is the effect of Finasteride on type I collagen (I think its the same which is found in skin) as stated in this study in simplified manner

Perifollicular Fibrosis: Pathogenetic Role in Androgenetic Alopecia (PDF file)

thanks!

That is quite an article. I am not sure that I can extract the answer to your question from reading the article quickly. Those individuals with miniaturization seem to develop a thicker capsule to the follicular unit, but the effects of finasteride on this finding are not clearly stated in the article. The impact of DHT appears to be about 5 times more sensitive on the androgen receptor than with testosterone alone.

The study requires an astute understanding of the biochemistry of androgen receptor activity on the collagen in the dermis. I recommend the reading of this article for those scientists in the audience. I’m the wrong person to simplify this study, but if anyone else wants to contribute, please feel free to post a comment.

September 19, 2008

Gray Hair in a 7 Year Old – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, My son is 7 years old and I noticed a strand of grey hair on his head. Please let me know as to how this is happening and what can I do to prevent it further.

This is a genetic process, so my initial thought was that genetics would be the likely cause. Something has probably triggered the premature graying. Some people feel that this is an errant gene, like a chimerism in your son. There are a series of vitamin deficiencies that could also cause it, including vitamin B-12, although these are found in many foods. Some disease syndromes can be associated with it as well. See DrGreene.com for more information.

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September 19, 2008

I Have Dense Body Hair — Experiment on Me! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

This is for Dr.Rassman. You have done a great job having this blog for awareness and information but I was hoping if you could help me out or advise me regarding hair transplantation. I have already mentioned this a while ago to you that I didn’t see the 100% growth on my crown area because the Doctor i had done it from was just making money out of me. He didn’t inform me that my donor area is not sufficient to provide good follicles. Anyhow, i have seen your replies on BHT. As an east Asian (Pakistan) I have the genes of being hairy, my back,chest,abdominal areas are just hairy. And they are pretty dense. I guess this is my last chance because cloning is not even near. I am going to be married next year but i have told every one that my hairs are back because i didn’t want to be embarrassed. My only question to you is How much is BHT and please Dr. is there any way I can be your object,trial,experiment? i am student and facing the worst time of my life. Thought you may have something for me.

In my opinion, results of body hair transplants are not well documented. I appreciate your desperate cry for some solution, but sometimes the best advice a doctor can give is just by making the patient aware of limitations in medicine. Moreover, I don’t like to experiment on patients when I know the the technology and the results may well be very poor.