Dr. William Rassman – Page 1521

January 16, 2008

Chin Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

There are no scars in the area but on the left side of my chin about 3 months ago I developed a bald spot about the size of a quarter. there are some very light hairs but not growing. Also I have developed smaller spots under the chin line. I am on no medication and my hair is a very dark brown.

These balding spots may be a sign of alopecia areata. This is NOT a diagnosis, just a possibility. You need to see a doctor (dermatologist) to get a real diagnosis.

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January 16, 2008

Crinagen – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

what’s up with Crinagen- does it work? well?

Crinagen is not a medication and it is applied topically. It contains: Distilled water; Polysorbate 20; Azelaic Acid; Gamma Linolenic acid, Zinc acetate hydrate; Niacin; Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxal-5-phosphate); Saw palmetto extract (serenoa repens); Ginkgo biloba, Oleic acid, tea tree oil, Ribofalvin, Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol) and Proanthocyanidins from grape seed extract.

Despite its claims, there are no clinical or medical studies that indicate any of these ingredients work for treating male pattern hair loss. Even if it is “scientific” it does not necessarily correlate with real human trials / results.

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January 16, 2008

Female Hair Loss After MRIs – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) Recently I underwent a series of MRI’s 6 in total, for diagnosis of MS, which i didn’t have. The thing is my hair is falling out now, to the point I can comb my hair and bunches of it will come out, my hair was always thin on top, so to have all this hair fall out, and on the sides and back is really depressing, I know that my age (62) may have something to do with the thinning hair line, but this extreme hair loss started just after the MRI’s. Do you have any idea what it may be?

thank you

I doubt magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would cause the hair loss. If I was a betting man, I would think more along the lines of the multiple sclerosis or stress as the cause of your hair loss… or even some of the medications that you use to treat the MS. You should ask these questions to your treating doctor. As always, do not stop or start any medications without first consulting your doctor.

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January 16, 2008

If I Restart Finasteride After Stopping for 6 Months, Will Side Effects Occur Again? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have taken finasteride for about 18 months. after noticing a decrease in semen quantity (by about 40%) i stopped taking it for about 6 months. After stopping it. i have lost much more hair than what i had before starting the medecine. I can now almost see a big bald patch on the crown. I am thinking of restarting the medication. I would like to know if i will get any more side effects if i restart taking finasteride, i.e will my semen quantity reduce even further than what it has reduced earlier? or could i get any other side effects now considering that i had tolerated finasteride quite well earlier??

Your experience with finasteride and your semen quantity are probably the most cost common side effects reported. If you restart the finasteride, it will probably happen again. Despite the reduced quantity, you should be alright with fertility.

The really bad news is that you experienced “catch up” hair loss when you stopped taking the drug and that will not likely reverse, retaining much of the balding that you developed over the past 6 months. Your doctor should have told you about this, as I stress with my patients that stopping the drug will have the hair loss problems you experienced.

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January 15, 2008

Hair Loss InformationWhy Is Dr Bernstein Bald? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Why is Dr. Bernstein bald? He is practically a Norwood Class 6/7. Does he suffer from DUPA or is he just adamant about not getting transplanted?

Block Quote

Some say bald is beautiful! Dr. Bernstein is comfortable with his looks and understands the burden of balding. When he was younger, had the transplant solution been as good as it is today, he might have gone for it. Hair transplantation is a personal decision and not for everyone.

January 15, 2008

Finasteride Lotion? – Balding Blog

I don’t think topical finasteride is regularly available at a pharmacy, but there’s a doctor that I’ve seen offering it. Why doesn’t Merck offer this and is it as good as the pill?

According to the website of one doctor that sells it, “Topically applied finasteride is reserved for use by those who wish to block only 5-10% of the DHT activity in the scalp, which is a lower level than typically achieved from ingesting tablets.” So why would you want to use a messy cream on your scalp and not block as much DHT as a single daily pill can?

If it doesn’t work as well as the 1mg finasteride pill in treating hair loss (if it works at all), this is probably why Merck doesn’t offer it. I really don’t know what Merck’s reasons are, but I doubt that there is real data to support the doctor’s declaration and I would insist on seeing where the “block only 5-10% of the DHT activity in the scalp” comes from. I am skeptical and I wouldn’t have a way to validate such claims.

Note: Bottle is for illustration purposes.

January 15, 2008

Hair Loss After Taking Prednisone for a Week? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My son is 31 – he took prednisone for 7 days. He experienced hair loss which never got better only worse. Could this medication, for such a short time, trigger this.?? He blames himself and is very depressed. I am so concerned not only about his hair loss but on how down on himself he is. Thanking you in advance.

I highly doubt a very short course of a medication such a prednisone would cause hair loss, although it is possible. Actually, we routinely prescribe prednisone to our hair transplant patients after surgery to reduce inflammation and swelling. Your son may have a component of genetic male pattern hair loss and needs to be examined. He should get his hair mapped out for miniaturization to see if he has genetic hair loss.

January 15, 2008

I Think I’d Be a Good Candidate for Hair Transplantation at Age 19! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman, Im a 19 year old male who has been losing his hair quite quickly since the age of 18. I honestly had VERY thick curly hair all through my life honestly had a huge curly afro like the guy from american idol when i was about 16. And now my hair on the top of my head and my crown has thinned and a bald spot is coming in. my question is, even at 19, could you get a successful hair transplant? You honestly can plainly see the balding pattern that im getting by visual and its the same pattern as my grandpas who im almost positive had more hair than me still at 30 but he is now completely bald. I was just wondering if at 19, it is virtually impossible to rethicken the hair. My hair loss is not insane but you can see the Horseshoe balding pattern and easily notice my thin crown spot. Please any positive advice, this is really really depressing me in such a horrible way. i would think since you can so easily see my balding pattern id be a good candidate for HT. always my back and side hair is still extremely thick and in good condition

If you have genetic male pattern balding as you describe, you may be a great candidate for Propecia (finasteride 1mg), but hair transplantation would likely accelerate further balding. I realize that in your urgency to regrow your hair, you’re wanting to do whatever it takes. But unless you are completely bald already, I would generally advise against a hair transplant for someone your age. This is a decision that will stick with you for the rest of your life, and is not something you should be rushing into. You need to see a doctor and have a good physical exam and educate yourself on hair loss options and then develop a good Master Plan for your hair loss management. Hair transplants can be part of a Master Plan if indicated and done at the appropriate time.

January 15, 2008

I Was Hit in the Head With a Wrench – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have 2 small bald spots on my head where somebody hit me in the head with a wrench several times. It just happened 2 days ago but im wondering if it will grow back, it didnt just bleed it’s just red and i can still see the holes where the hair grows out of but my question is do you think it will grow back and if so how long

You were hit with a metal wrench not once, but SEVERAL times? Forget about the hair for a second — what about your brain? You should see a doctor to make sure you don’t have any lasting trauma or a concussion. Sometimes brain bleeding occurs slowly and may not be evident for days or weeks, so seeing a doctor is a good idea.

If you can try to not get hit on your head (particularly with wrenches) for several more months, you will know if your hair will grow back or not. At this point though, there is no way to tell.

January 15, 2008

Number of Hair Transplant Procedures Done in the US Annually? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

How many hair transplants is done every year in the U.S? How many of these are fue operations?

Money For the numbers of hair transplants done in the United States, the answers vary depending upon the source. I have read that the estimates are now around 100,000+ procedures annually. The dollar value for surgery runs somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion annually. You can find some stats at this article from the NY Sun — The $1.2B Growth of Scalp Restoration Surgery.

More complete statistics can be found at the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery 2007 Census Report (PDF file).

There are no figures on Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedures that I know of. I suspect that the numbers are very low (less than 1,000 patients per year), as most doctors do not want to do this type of procedure due to the required skills and patience that are not most of the doctors’ forte.

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