Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Hair Loss Information17 Year Old Concerned About His Hairline (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

I am a 17 year old male concerned about hairloss. I have not noticed any receding or thinning or extreme shedding or any typical symptoms of hairloss. However, I have always had a very high hairline ever since I was 2. And from the front my hairline looks like a U shape when I pull my hair back. However, as you can see from the pictures my hairline lines up perfectly even with the side of my hair and does not go farther back like the diagram of the “receding” hairline does. I just want you to tell me if my hairline is a receding one or if it is the normal mature hairline that 95% of all caucasians get. What do you think? I have always and still do have a very thick head of hair, I just need to know if you think my hairline is abnormal or balding, or does there appear to be nothing to worry about. PLEASE Respond. YOU MAY USE MY PICTURES ON YOUR SITE!

Thank YOU SO Much!

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Thank you for your permission to post your photos.

A high hairline at your age is most likely genetic and not a sign of hair recession or balding, particularly since you’ve had it since childhood. If you look back at your family tree, you could probably find someone in the family (either side) with a similar hairline. If you are happy with your hairline and there is no sign of hair loss in the area immediately behind it you don’t need to do anything. If you are unhappy with having a high forehead or you think the appearance of recession make you look older, you can treat it with either a hairline lowering procedure or hair transplants — but these solutions are not for a 19 year old male who may bald as he matures. This restriction does not include women.

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Hair Loss InformationDid Propecia Effect My Liver? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 25 year old male experiencing signs of thinning in my temples and hairline region.

I took propecia for about 6 months with no noticeable side effects. After 6 months I had to have a minor surgery, and they had me do a routine pre op exam with my doctor. My blood work came back with elevated liver enzymes (the were elevated to a level that made my doctor cancel my surgery date.) I have no history of liver disease, or any past issues with my liver at all. They tested me for all the usual liver problems and they all came back negative.

The only medication I was on was Propecia, so my doctor told me to stop taking it, and they would redo my blood work in a couple of weeks. Over the next month and a half (after discontinuing Propecia) my doctor monitored my liver enzymes on a weekly basis as they slowly returned to normal.

My doctor told me not to take propecia any longer because it obviously was the cause of the elevated liver enzymes…and that was very dangerous to have them that high.

I was wondering, is this a common occurrence? Are there any reported cases of this? If so, how come it is not listed as a possible side effect to propecia?

Since propecia seems out of the question for me, what other options are there for long term goals of maintaining the hair I have now (In both the temples/hairline and the vertex? ) Perhaps another form of dht inhibitor that does not metabolize in the liver (if such a thing even exists)?

Thank you

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I cannot be sure if Propecia (finasteride 1mg) was the cause of your elevated liver enzymes. Propecia is not associated with liver problems, but this has been addressed in the past on this site a couple of times:

There are may other causes of elevated liver problems, including lab error, alcohol, genetic liver disease (which you may not be aware of), recent viral illness, hepatitis, gall stones, etc. I am sure your doctor considered these and other factors. In the end you should confer and follow your doctors recommendations.

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I Stopped Washing My Hair Because I’m Worried About Losing It! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I started receding about a year ago and recently its getting worse, everytime i go in the shower and wash my hair there is about fifty or so hairs on my hands which didnt happen about three months ago, my scalp also itches but i dont want to wash it too hard because more and more hair will fall out, i need help bad, im avoiding washing it at the moment, there is also some white stuff on my scalp in some places which i can scrap off with my nail and doesnt smell too good. can you give me some advice please. thanks

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You need to see a dermatologist soon. Several conditions could be causing your hair loss. Having extensive dandruff and scalp itching is a sign of inflammation of the scalp and seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is an inflammatory disease that can involve scalp skin and other areas. Although seborrheic dermatitis does not generally cause hair loss, if you are genetically predisposed to baldness, inflammation can accelerate your patterned hair loss. Some other inflammatory conditions, such as infectious disorders of the scalp, can do the same to the follicles. Find a good physician who can diagnose and treat the condition so that you can limit your hair loss or even regrow your hair. For an accurate diagnosis of genetic hair loss, if that is what you have, you need to get your scalp mapped out for miniaturization.

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Within a Year, My Widow’s Peak Disappeared – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Something VERY weird has happened to my hairline the last year! I have searched many many forums and blogs like this but I haven’t found the answer.

This is my problem:
I always had a widows peak till my 17, one year later my widows peak has almost completely dissappeared..? I can see small hairs but that’s it. The left side of my hairline is still perfectly intact while the right side has receded for 1 or 2 mm.

the rest of my hair is extremely thick and healthy. my father has a full head of hear and he is almost 50, my mother too.

Thx in advance

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Have you considered the possibility that you may have early signs of male pattern balding? It is also possible that the widow’s peak you had may have a different genetic code, and as such, came out because it had genes that were expressed at that time. Male pattern baldness (MPB) is genetic, so even if your father or grandparents (both from mother’s or father’s side) has a full head of hair, it can skip generations and it can also be from your mother’s side. There is really nothing “VERY weird” about it. Hair loss to a certain degree occurs in more than 50% of men.

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My Doctor Has Never Seen Shock Loss Following a Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

a month ago i went thru hair transplant and had my healthy hair fall out. i went to my doctor and he said he has never seen that before. is this normal and does the hair regrow. also do most of the transplanted hair grow?? if they don’t, what would be the reasons

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If you are a young man and had hair loss following a transplant and have not been treated with Propecia, then the hair loss probably will be permanent. I don’t understand why your doctor has not seen it before. Does he do many hair transplants?

When a hair transplant is done properly by an experienced hair transplant team, over 90% of the grafts should grow.

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Red, Dry Patch on Scalp – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a really dry patch on skin on my head and now it is really red. It is about the size of a penny. What could this be????

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It could be one of a dozen potential things, such as ringworm, psoriasis, dermatitis, infection, etc….

I hope you get the picture. Without at least a photo, I couldn’t begin to even guess. The internet is fun, educational and a great communicating tool, but it is not a place to get your medical care. You should see a dermatologist for your skin issue.

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Ergonomic Pillow and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor

The question will sound strange (or silly): A few weeks ago i bought an anatomisch pilow and slept on it for a few nights. Every morning i used to find some fallen hair on the pillowcase. This pillow is harder than the old one and the pillowcase not smooth. Of course i washed it before using it I changed the pillow a few nights ago and use my old one again ( very soft with smooth plilowcase ). NO fallen hair in the pillowcase in the morning!!! What could be going on?

Thank you

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The hard pillow may be rubbing your scalp as you move around in your sleep and putting traction on the hair. We lose 100-150 hairs per day and this may be some of those hairs that will fall out anyway. I would not expect you to lose hair that is not due to fall out in the next day or so, though this is just an educated guess!

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Hair Loss InformationHappy New Year from BaldingBlog! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Happy New Year
We’re taking a couple days off for the New Year celebration, but will be back on Wednesday, January 2nd with more hair loss questions and answers!

2007 was a very good year for BaldingBlog, as the site saw substantial growth in visitor traffic and number of questions answered. I’m pleased that I was able to help so many this year. I believe we published somewhere around 1700-1800 posts in the past 12 months! It’ll be hard to top 2007, but here’s to a great 2008!

Happy New Year!

 

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Hair Loss InformationWoman Wants Chest Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a woman who once had lots of chest hair. I still have belly hair and lower back hair. This may sound odd, but my hairy chest did wonders for my sex life. My chest hairs disappeard at 38. I really want my chest hair back. Is there a prescription that I can get from my doctor to regrow it? Is there any OTC that works? Thank you.

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I don’t know why you had chest hair to start with or why you eventually lost it. This condition is called hirsutism. Many hormonal imbalances can increase hair in the female body. There are a wide range of medications and disorders that can cause this condition, including:

  • Obesity
  • Exogenous androgens
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) — most common
  • Congenital or delayed-onset adrenal hyperplasia
  • Cushing syndrome
  • Hyperinsulinemia
  • Hyperprolactinemia
  • Excess growth hormone
  • Hypothyroidism

Since you lost your body hair, it seems that whatever had been giving you a hairy chest is not in the picture anymore, so I don’t know whether or not an internist or an endocrinologist can help you figure out what gave you your hairy body. Also, there is no OTC that can give you your chest hair back.

We have transplanted hair in the chest area, although I can’t recall a case where this was performed on a woman. I might consider doing a procedure of this type if that is what you want, if I find you reasonable and mentally stable, and if a good patient/doctor relationship exists.

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Hair Loss InformationFormer Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Had a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Nawaz Sharif had a hair transplant? As the news channels are showing him every hour after the unfortunate killing of Ms Bhutto, I noticed how drastically un-bald he is compared to just a year ago!

Here’s him a couple of years ago – ForumPakistan

Here’s this month’s photo – ABC Australia

Digging around a bit, I found media has already gotten the clue. Pakistan’s top newspaper Dawn reports
“They share one inexplicable self-indulgence; both have had hair transplants that make them look younger in the eyes of every beholder except their electorate.”

I know ex Prime Minister of Italy Berlusconi had had a transplant. Does that make Mr Sharif the second state leader? Seeing Berlusconi lose the election so badly and Mr Sharif’s general
lack of mass support, HT may not yet be that “effective” for our leaders :)

Thanks

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Interesting comments and photo research. Thanks for sending this in. To answer your question, I really don’t keep track of which state leaders have had hair transplant procedures, but if any readers have examples, feel free to leave a comment. It would certainly seem that Nawaz Sharif had some form of hair restoration. I do not know for sure though, until he publicly acknowledges it. The photos speak for themselves, however.

I’ve put the photos you sent side by side for easier comparison below:

Nawaz Sharif