Snippet from the article:
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad joked about his son Datuk Mukhriz who is balding, saying it was a sign that he was a deep thinker.
Many of our follicularly challenged men will appreciate and identify with this news item out of Malaysia.
Full text — Dr M: Balding son a thinker
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can MRI or x-rays cause hair loss? i had four mri and two x-rays and full body scan with dye in the last 10 months. thanks
Nope, I don’t believe that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-rays, or even CAT scans can impact your hair and produce hair loss.
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i know from reading your other entries that proscar doesn’t “cure” balding but i’m noticing some serious hairloss lately and i read something in the blog about a guy that “doubled” his dose to a half pill a day…. do meds work that way? will it help? could it help?
also i am thinking about getting a hair transplant. couple things i’d like to know
– i’m not really bald but my crown is thin, is it possible to just thicken it up and kind of blend it into my hairline. in otherwords anticipate the loss most likely to come.
– i keep the top of my hair longer but shave the sides to about 1/4 inch. would the scar be visible provided the job is done well.
– approximately how many graphs would i need to fill in a thin crown? I know it’s hard without seeing a pic, but just an idea..Thanks a million your site is amazing!
Firstly, Proscar is 5mg of finasteride, Propecia is 1mg of finasteride. The recommended dosage for treating hair loss is 1mg. I would seriously consider not taking more than the 1mg dosage… 1.25mg at most. And I only say 1.25mg because some people will buy the 5mg pill and cut it into 4 parts (easier than cutting it into 5 equal pieces) to take 1.25mg daily. Taking two 5mg Proscar will likely produce substantial side effects and have no more value than the 1mg dose.
You don’t want to have hair transplant surgery without determining where your hair loss is likely to go. You have a limited donor area to harvest hair from and if you use it all up early on and continue to bald in more visible areas (such as the frontal region) then you’ll be out of luck. Miniaturization mapping over time will give a likely path to where your hair loss is at and where it is going to end up. Age plays a role as well.
If you had a FUE (follicular unit extraction) transplant, there would be small dot scars on the back of the head and keeping the hair short would not show any significant scarring. If you had a FUT (follicular unit transplant) strip procedure, you may see a linear scar in the back of the head if your hair was very short, but to what degree really depends on how you heal, skill of the surgeon, etc. Without seeing the area, I couldn’t estimate the amount of grafts; I’d need to know your hair color, hair characteristics (wavy, straight, fine, etc), and whether you’re even a candidate for hair transplantation.
Transplants should never, ever be used to build up what you may lose in the future. Plus, I need to point out that finasteride works quite well in early hair loss, particularly in the crown. It is very possible that you can avoid surgery and just take a daily pill — you will know in about 8 months if it is working. I would look into this by seeing a doctor. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is available by prescription only.
Is it possible that the side effects from Propecia are just in my head? I was prescribed Propecia in December of 07′ and within two weeks of taking it, I began to feel a loss of libido. I decided to push on and take the medication for another month and see if the side effects. Within a month, I no longer had an erection in the morning (which was something I would experience every day prior to taking the medication) and intercourse became somewhat boring. All the while, the only information I could find was negative information about men complaining about their sexual side effects.
I stopped taking the medication, and within a week, I began to regain my libido. I did not notice any increased hair loss from stopping the medication either.
Do you think its possible that these sexual side effects were caused by my self-conscious or does that sound like the typical event of the sexual side effect one receives from Propecia.
Thanks!
The power of suggestion and the placebo effect are well documented phenomenon. If you think it is going to happen or are worried it may happen, it just might. Propecia does have a side effect of decreasing libido by 1 to 2% and increasing libido by as high as 10%. If you need to focus on something, worry about a high libido and see what happens. I can’t say for sure whether you experienced side effects form Propecia, but if you only stopped the medical for a week you will likely not see any increased hair loss just yet. With some significant time being off the medication every day, you’ll surely see the benefits disappear.
please take a moment to reply? i would very much appreciate it! i had a ht and it is 3 weeks later and the area above the donor area is still devoid of ANY feeling for about 6 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches upward! i am worried that the surgeon cut too deeply or incorrectly and has damaged nerves. i can’t find anything about this on the internet which tells me i am dealing with something unusual. have you heard of this? and if so, how long before i regain feeling back there? thank you so much for your reply!..
I would think that you either have some nerve swelling or some nerve damage. Nerve swelling usually resolves in weeks and on occasion within months. Upon examination, the doctor may not be able to tell the difference, but several examinations are probably indicated. Definitely ask your operating doctor about this.
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Good site…I had a strip procedure(5080) Feb./06…Pretty good results…I recently went back for a Fue procedure(1050) to touch up the middle, temple and on a part of the scar from the previous strip…
- How long should I wait before working out and running?
- How long does it take for the newly implanted grafts to settle in their new home?
Thanks and keep up the great work in helping others..
Thank you for the compliment. Where is your doctor? He/she should’ve supplied the answers to your questions as a matter of routine. These are the most basic of questions that should have been explained to you before your surgery.
To answer your questions:
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Hello,
I have heard of a hair conditioner that is good to use after hair transplant procedure. It contains 2% minoxidil along with wheat germ and jojoba oil along with other ingredients. Are you
familiar with this product and where to obtain it?thank you
No, I am not familiar with the product. The use of minoxidil with conditioner means that much of the minoxidil will be washed away. I would suggest using a 5% minoxidil after the shower to get the best value from it.
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Read your blog questioning the LaserComb. I have been using it for a year and have had substantial regrowth. I can understand why you want to sow doubt in peoples’ minds. This $575 device is a direct threat to your practice where you charge each patient thousands of dollars. Why don’t you also note that there is a 20 week return privilege?
That’s great for you! I am publishing your comments since you claim the LaserComb had value and I believe that sharing your experience with others is important. I wish I would receive more such positive comments about this type of technology and maybe your “insightful” note will get others to write about their experiences. I don’t think that you should be angry with me for voicing my opinion, as I am not angry or threatened by yours. I find it funny that some anonymous people feel they need to attack me for voicing an opinion on my own website. Unless you’re an employee with the manufacturer or investor in the product, I don’t understand why you’d be so personally connected that you think you need to defend it.
I’m trying to keep an open mind that it may work, and if I see good firsthand scientific proof that it works, my attitude can change. I have two lasers in my Los Angeles office for patient use and I’m unfortunately just not seeing any substantial growth in those patients that use it. I am not so ready to believe in a cure that may not be there and I don’t want to produce hope that is hollow. That is why I allow my surgical patients to use the laser at no charge so I can get their feedback on its value. We take photos of some laser patients periodically to note whether it is effective or not over time. Most people are ‘iffy’ about its value as they report it to me, and the pictures I have viewed are not showing much change over time. Do you know many doctors who have a $50,000 laser in their office and do not charge for its use?
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Hello,
What do you think of Revivogen and this recent study, comparing it to Finasteride and Dutasteride: study (PDF File)
The science looks interesting, but it is not clear from this study that there will be actual hair growth. If you want a known DHT blocker, finasteride is safe and proven to work. Nonetheless, I appreciate the link and thanks for sending.
Dear Dr. Rassman,
Thank you very much for maintaining this very informative and detailed website. I would sincerely appreciate your advice regarding my propecia therapy. I am 21 years old and have been taking propecia since July 2007. After the first 6 weeks on the drug, I noticed a complete cessation of hair loss. I subsequently discontinued the drug on the very poor advice of my father, an internist with little experience with finasteride treatments for MPB. I then restarted the drug about 2 months later, and again noticed complete cessation of hair loss within several weeks. I stopped taking propecia a second time, again on the advice of my father. Once again the hair loss returned within a few weeks.I went back on propecia in late December, and have been taking it for the past 8 weeks. Unfortunately I have not noticed any change in the amount of hair I am losing. I am wondering if you would kindly explain the mechanism of this phenomenon. Have I induced resistance or tolerance to propecia in my hair follicles? Have I upregulated the expression of DHT receptors on the follicles? Is it possible that my estrogen levels or testoterone levels are relatively higher than they were when I started treatment several months ago?
I realize that I have committed a very grave error in discontinuing my propecia on two separate occasions. Have I irrevocably lost my responsiveness to the drug, or will it likely prevent further hair loss? Fortunately my hair loss is still not noticeable, and I would be happy simply to retain what I have.
With best wishes,
A stressed-out medical student.
It is often surprising how little doctors tend to understand about hair loss and its treatment. If you are playing with this drug, you allow the hair loss to continue its downhill course each time you stop taking it. The hair that you lose when you stop taking it may be lost forever, so stopping the Propecia intermittently may just set you up to a progressive lower hair count over time. Perhaps you were just in a rapid state of hair loss. Whatever is the cause of your situation, from a mechanistic point of view, you MUST continue on this drug for life. Stopping it allows you to play catch-up hair loss and eventually you will just progress further down the balding road.
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