im 18 years old and i have a bald spot since birth. i was wondering if anything could be done about it if so what . my mom told me the part of my hair was damaged because of where the doctor put the heart monitor.
It is highly probable that you could have hair transplanted into the bald spot. I would need to examine you or at the least see some good pictures of the bald spot with a ruler next to it so I can get perspective on the size of the area.
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There was a study done by a Cornell University professor named T. Collin Campbell in conjunction with Oxford University entitled “The China Study”. It’s an entire book, but basically he says genes are expressed by nutrition, and many of his arguments revolve around animal based protein v. plant based protein and cholesterol, cancer, heart disease — not necessarily balding. But this peaked my curiosity. Can male pattern baldness not be genetic at all but instead the balding aspect is expressed by some type of diet balding men eat whether that diet is heavy in red meat or whatever?
I have been aware of this thesis for some time and one has to give it credibility. There is no doubt that diet does play an important role in one’s health. It is classic “nature versus nurture” type of argument, but things are not so simple. I did not read The China Study book, so I really cannot comment on that, but with respect to balding, although it is genetic, diet may very well influence the ‘expression’ of the process. Some people ascribe diet as a cause of the racial differences in balding when comparing Asians (in Asia) with Caucasians in America, but the science for this is clearly not available.
Dr. Rassman,
I have read all the relavent posts on this topic. From what I can see, it wouldn’t appear that there is a significant interaction between finasteride and breast cancer – partcularly when one takes into account that out of the 4 men in the 3047 sample, they were probably not the only ones with close relatives who had breast cancer. Add to this, the fact that this study was based on 5 times the finasteride dose of propecia and I am tempted to think it may not be an issue.
I’m not sure if you can comment on this but i don’t think that I will be carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes for susceptability considering that there is not a strong family history of the disease and My Mum has told me that her type of breast cancer was not genestically linked (’estrogen receptive’).
Considering all these points and the benefits I feel propecia will bring to me, I think that I will be proceeding with the drug. I am meeting with my trichologist in a few weeks so I will discuss the issues with them. I will probably follow this up with a doctors consultation afterwards but I can’t be sure that will provide me with much re-assurance.
This is currently the only issue stopping me taking the drug at present. I was rather happy to read the latest news about propecia and prostate cancer in this news link and others like it (ref; – CancerConsultants.com)
If I decide to take the drug I’ll check back on the blog every now and again and follow news reports to keep abreast of any new developments in this area. Then, should there be an issue, one can take appropriate action.
Thank you for reading. In your opinion, do you think I am approaching this from the right angle? Is my thinking sensible?
Many thanks for your time
If there were any statistical information linking breast cancer with Propecia (finasteride 1mg), I would think that it would have already come forward in our information-heavy society. You know the theory of safety in numbers? With over a million men on Propecia for almost a decade now, any reasonable connection with male breast cancer would be public by now.
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Hi Doc! this is an excellent site and I am a regular visitor. I really require your professional help as regards to Propecia and increased sex drive. I have searched through your site but couldn’t find an answer suitable for my situation.
I am a 25 year old male and been on Propecia for 2 years, 5% Rogaine Foam and Procerin for 6 months. It has stopped/slowed my hair loss without any noticeable hair growth. My problem is these drugs have increased my sex drive, so much so that I have to regularly masturbate which is destroying my social life, sometimes 6 times a day.
My question is maybe Propecia has increased my sex drive as research has shown that to be possible. I only noticed a high sex drive after starting Propecia, at first it was good, but to be honest with you it is destroying my social life. Would it be advisable to increase my dosage of Propecia to 2 tablets each day (2mg) or move to Proscar 5mg, or even move to 0.5 Avodart? As they have been shown to block more DHT and in order will lower sexual urges?
Dr. I am really confused and my high sex drive is making me depressed and constant masturbation to fulfill my sexual urges is making life a nightmare. I don’t speak to anyone about this because I feel ashamed and I am extremely shy when it comes to discussing these matters.
Sorry for the long message, and I look forward to reply and valuable advice.
I suppose too much of anything can be a bad thing to some people. In our experience, a high sex drive is a common side effect of Propecia (more than a low sex drive), but a high sex drive is a very common “problem” for young men in their 20’s as well, medication or not. I once heard 99% of men masturbate and the other 1% lie. There is nothing wrong with a healthy sex drive.
Would increasing the finasteride dosage lower your sex drive? Doubtful. When the decreased sex drive is seen, a higher dose of the medication tends to make it worse. I do not have experience with increasing the dose in those who report an increased sex drive from the drug. You shouldn’t assume that Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is causing your problem and see a doctor if it is bothersome. Speak with your doctor about what to do about this. Are there other (non-sexual) hobbies you can focus on?
I had a hair transplant of 1200 grafts about 6 to 7 months ago and I am not really noticing any hair growing in yet other than what i already have is this normal? and does it take longer to grow in for some people than others? I am currently taking Propecia with Minoxidil and the EXT Extreme Hair Therapy From Hair Club.
A hair transplant can take as long as a year to completely grow. It is not unusual to observe growth at 6-8 months. I usually tell patients that by the 8th month, 80-90% of the new hair is usually 1+ inch in length and you should see the value by that time. In 1 out of about 20 patients, the hair grows immediately without going through the sleep phase that delays the growth normally. Different parts of the scalp may produce hair at different growth rates initially (e.g the crown may grow faster than the front or visa versa). If you have specific issues or concerns regarding your particular transplant, I would follow up with your doctor who performed your surgery.
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Hello Doctor.
I can’t recall I have ever seen a picture of a balding man from the amazon natives. I can recall I have watched a long time ago a documentary film, in which I have seen an amazon native delousing louses or other insects from another amazon native’s head and then eating the insects. Are they balding-proof thanks to this insects diet?
To my knowledge, balding afflicts all men with no discrimination to race, ethnicity, social class, and even insect diets — with the exceptions being the Native American with ancestry from the Alaskan Bridge, and Aboriginal Australians. I’ve written before about the possibility that there is an isolated gene pool in an isolated area that doesn’t have the hair loss gene, although it is just a what-if until someone studies it.
I just found some wonderful images of Amazon natives at this site, Amazon-Indians.org… and this photo (contains nudity) in particular appears to show hair loss in a native to the rainforest. I don’t know what kind of bugs he eats, if any.
With that said, do you know where I can get some of those insects? They might be worth selling on on this site (don’t take me too seriously here, we’re just before a long weekend).
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Hi Dr Rassman,
If one was to take the information on this article below which you have probably read and any of the other articles online in reference to ketoconazole and hairloss would you consider the following? Nizoral (PDF file)
Compounding minoxidil and ketoconazole? I have seen solutions being compounded of 5-6% minoxidil and 0.3% ketoconazole. Or using a product like extina?
Keep up the good work
I read the article with interest, but I don’t really have any comments on it. The study mentions, “The clinical significance of the results awaits further controlled study in a larger group of subjects.” — and I agree with that comment. If someone will produce good data that shows us that when put together in the concentrations proposed is safe and effective, I would vote for it.
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I’ve read on this blog mixed answers as to whether working out with weights (which increases testosterone leves apparently) can accelerate MPB. I thought in one blog answer you said working out does not contrbute to MPB but in another you said the presence of increased testosterone may be a risk factor for faster MPB development. What’s the story here?
Exercise (working out) does not accelerate male pattern baldness. Genetics cause male pattern baldness. I am sorry for any confusion.
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On June 2nd i had my procedure done, a total of 3000 grafts divided between the frontal area and back. My question is after day 14 i started to use minoxidil, and every time i use it and rub it into the scalp a large amount of hair falls out into my hand as i am rubbing it in. Is this normal? Can the minoxidil be doing more harm than good?
The other question i have is the fact that i am a smoker has me worried sick that the grafts will not grow because of this. My doctor never asked me if i was a smoker, or warned me not to smoke because it may harm grafts. However after doing some research it seems like i should have stopped prior to surgery and at least 10 days after, is this true? I am now 3 weeks post op and trying to quit, i definatly have cut down, is it to late?
If rubbing minoxidil on your transplants causes hair to fall out, stop the rubbing process. Although it is usually safe to use minoxidil two weeks after a hair transplant, in your case it may not be good. Minoxidil is a known irritant in some people.
With regard to smoking and transplants, it is thought that there is a connection between hair growth from transplants being less for smokers than for non-smokers. The scientific evidence on this is not substantially strong, however. I do have patients that refused to cease their nicotine habit before or after their procedures and the results still turned out great. I’m certainly not suggesting you continue on with smoking as normal though (not to be preachy, but quitting should be something to consider with or without a hair transplant).
Hey doctor, thanks for keeping this blog.
I was just curious about genetics and hair loss… I’ve read multiple blog posts, but still confused.
About seven months ago I realized that my hairline had changed some. Since then, it hasn’t changed at all. Looking at a picture when I just turned 18 (I’m a 20 y/o male), my hairline looks similar in the front but not quite as high on the sides (I also have a naturally large forehead). However, as I said, for at least seven months my hairline has not changed at all.
My question for you is this: My father, mother, grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, cousins… all have full heads of hair. I’ve even asked my parents about their great grandparents, their cousins and uncles and aunts, and they all had full heads of hair as well. So, basically, in my entire family tree-both vertically across 4+ generations and laterally along each generation-there was no hair loss. I still have very thick hair on both the hairline and all around the scalp…people just tell me that I’m paranoid. Can I safely presume that my hairline is just maturing with my large forehead, and that I am not genetically predisposed? (Many in my mother’s family have large foreheads).
Thanks for your continued assistance.
I haven’t seen what you’re talking about, so I couldn’t tell you whether anything is safe to assume about your hair loss (or lack thereof). As you are in Beverly Hills, you could come by my office (no charge) and let me determine if you are really balding or just developing a mature male hairline. I will also perform a miniaturization mapping of your scalp hair to determine any possibility of early balding behind that frontal hairline.
Even if you were across the country… or across the planet, I would still suggest that you get such an opinion. If not from me, then from any competent doctor that is willing to examine your scalp.
