Fluocinonide Topical Prescribed for Female Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr.(40 year old African American female) I was told on the 8th of Jan 08 by a Dermatologist in a county hospital that I have scaring in the crown of my head and very few follicles left because of the way African-American women process their hair, and then as he exits the room he says, there’s nothing we can do. A more sympathetic intern stayed behind and offered to prescribe Fluocinonide Topical Solution USP,0.05% 60ml,will this have any benefit at all? and am I a candidate for anything else transplant or otherwise. P.S., know any good specialist in Houston, TX.?

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Fluocinonide is a potent steroid medication and I do not like to second guess another doctor’s recommendation. You should probe your doctor’s opinion on just what benefit he expects to see and over what period of time. My personal feeling is that it is sometimes more difficult for a doctor to do nothing — and sometimes when a doctor feels compelled to do something, medications prescribed may have little or no value. I do not have recommendations in TX at this time.

Scalp Indentations After Cortizone Shots – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What causes the indentations to the scalp after the cortizone shots?

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Anything injected into your body can potentially cause a reaction and scarring (scalp indentations). When steroids are injected into the dermis, it may cause loss of dermal fat, which could cause the indentations you are talking about. I have seen such indentations in people who have had scalp injections by doctors who believe that steroids have value for balding patients.

Does Warm Water Followed by Ice Cold Water Shock Hair Growth? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

2 questions:

  1. when showering using warm water and finishing off with ice cold, will the cold water stun/stock hair growth or enhance it?
  2. Can pimples where one has had a transplant be popped?

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Water

  1. No, but I suspect it would stun / or shock your body. It will not contribute to hair growth, though.
  2. Yes, but use care. Warm compresses will speed up the process. See Scalp Pimples Weeks After Hair Transplants for more.

Could Applying Minoxidil Cause Traction Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I use minoxidil twice a day, and was wondering if the rubbing in of the product using my fingers could cause traction alopecia. Sometimes the areas I rub become a bit sensitive, and while
I dont think I am rubbing too hard, I was wondering if this constant, twice a day rubbing could contribute to hair loss.

Thanks.

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No. Traction alopecia does not occur from rubbing product into your hair; it occurs from constant pull on the hair for many weeks or months.

I’m Going In for Knee Surgery – Do I Need to Tell My Doctor I’m Taking Finasteride? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,
Thanks for offering such an objective viewpoint on the subject of hairloss where many others seem to offer empty promises and such skewed opinion. I may require surgery on an ACL injury in about 6 months as that is most convenient time for me to have the surgery. I am 22 and started taking propecia about 3 months ago, but I did not go through my doctor and just did my own research and bought off a reputable website. I don’t want to damage the relationship between my doctor and tell him that I did not even consult him before starting with propecia, but I was concerned that I might have to tell him I was taking this medication for my own safety given the ACL operation. Is it necessary he knows this information if I have surgery. Also, you talk alot about young men obtaining better results with propecia, but I couldn’t find any statistics apart from the study for men between 18-41. What is the exact benefit for under 25 compared to 30 year plus.

Thanks for your help

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PropeciaThank you for your kind words.

I would recommend that you come clean with your doctor and tell him everything about your health and medications that you are taking. After all, if you are trusting your doctor to perform surgery on you, I am sure you would want your doctor to trust you. It makes for a good doctor-patient relationship.

With respect to Propecia statistics, the scientific data comparing one age man with another is not available. From the extensive experience by many physicians in the field, Propecia works best when hair loss is more recent and that implies younger men. The practical answer is that it is never too late and I have seen it work in men from 18 years old to 70 years old. And all the research and statistics go out the window when YOU are the one taking the medication, because if it works… it works! You should only worry about statistics if you have a wager on how well it will work on you, because even if the statistics are low, I am sure you will take it since you have nothing to lose (but hair).

Giraffe Poop Decreases Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This sounds like an urban legend. Thoughts?

“Scientists at the University of Sydney have discovered that giraffe shit will decrease hair loss and at the same time increase existing hair on balding men. The study was carried out over a two year period with 50 balding men. Group A, the control group consisting of 25 men, were given falafel to apply on their head and group B…”

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GiraffeHa! If you want to rub animal droppings on your scalp, that is entirely up to you, but if you’re trying to stop your hair loss with these droppings, you’re going to wind up pretty disappointed (and smelly).

There is nothing published from the University of Sydney, and the only reference I can find about this oh-so-scientific study is the source article. I can say with certainty that it’s just a joke. If you prefer, you can even call it a hoax, a satire, or even a fake. Plus, if you stop and consider that the source is a website called Turd On A Stick and the article was written by “Bill O’Turdly”…

The full article can be found at TurdOnAStick.com

Evolutionary Reason for Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I know this may sound ridiculous and maybe hypothetical, however i find it reasonable to ask. Hypothetically speaking, who ever the first person was on the planet to go bald, what scientific REASON did he? I know you may answer by saying they would have had DHT-sensitive cells,but that isnt really explaining what chemically or otherwise is making the follicles sensitive to DHT. People have DHT yet dont go bald, so what makes the cell sensitive to it? The usual answer i get given to why am bald is because the balding ‘Gene’ has been passed down. Well who ever was the first person to bald, What specific reason did his cells become sensitive to DHT?

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Sex, Time and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human EvolutionThis is a great question. For those readers who believe in evolution and not intelligent design, I gave one reasonable answer to why hair loss occurs in a previous post — Why Does the Back and Sides of the Head Not Lose Hair?

After having read Sex, Time and Power: How Women’s Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution by Leonard Shlain (referenced in the above link), I became a believer, as it was the only explanation for balding I’ve ever found.

The book is available at Amazon.com.

After Stopping Propecia, I Feel Very Depressed – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi – i have been on propecia since it was first introduced (fall of 1998) – so about 10 years now – i stopped taking it abruptly about 6 weeks ago because i just decided to stop taking a chronic medication and wasn’t sure what kind of potential side effects there were – a few weeks after stopping, i started feeling very depressed and anxiety ridden – something i’ve never felt before – a few stressors WERE present in my life at the time but nothing more than what i’ve experienced before – any chance this is linked to my abrupt termination of taking propecia? – i’ve restarted it recently in the hopes of mitigating my mood but has anyone heard of this?

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It is very difficult to answer your question. There have been reports of finasteride causing mood changes. You need to see your doctor for help. Were you also taking other medications that you abruptly stopped? Are there other stressors in your life (independent of stopping Propecia)? Could this be coincidental? There are many unknowns here and BaldingBlog is not the appropriate venue to discuss all of your issues. The only thing I can tell you is that after a few months of stopping Propecia you may find that your hair loss will accelerate and this may add to your depression.

Do All Transplanted Hairs Grow At the Same Time? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,
what is the maximum time that it takes for hair to grow after a hair transplant surgery? 6-14 months? please give me a range.

do all the transplanted hair grow the same time?

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It generally take 6-8 months for 80-90% of the hair to grow. About 95% of the growth should be seen in 12 (rarely 18) months.

The transplanted hair do not grow at the same time. They grow out in waves. I have personally seen complete hair growth as early as 2 months (in less than 5% of patients) and as late as 18 months for complete growth. Most fall within the 6 to 12 month range. This variability has to do with the individual and not the surgeon or technique itself.

Does Niaspan (Niacin) Contribute to Hair Growth? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

have you ever heard of the cholesterol drug niaspan helping with hair growth. It is prescription niacin which helps increase blood flow thus the flush in the skin you get from it. In theory could it be positive? I love your site. Thanks for all the good info.

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Niacin is a supplement and not a drug. I don’t think that it will help hair loss or promote hair growth in a normal individual. With that said, I will refer you to a site which references a source on the value of niacin for hair loss — TheBeautyBrains.com.