Author: Dr. William Rassman

Posted on

Creatine and Hair Loss in 18 Year Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My son is 18 and was taking creatine on and off for 2 years. He is heavy into football and was weightlifting in preseason. LAst spring we noticed he was losing his hair. HE stopped the creatine in May.

We have been to his pediatrician in July and she thinks it will grow back. However itis now late Sept. and he is still losing some hair. I brought him to a dermatologist and he said use Rogaine and propecia. They are too expensive, plus the rogaine is not a routine I think he will use ona regular basis.

My question is this…Have you heard much about creatine and weight lifting in regards to hair loss? We are a pretty hairy family, but his Dad has a receding hairline.

Thanks

Block Quote

Hair loss has been reported with use of creatine as one of the rare side effects. There is not enough sophisticated research on its rate of occurrence, but every now and then I see patients on creatine with an increased rate of hair loss (see Creatine and Hair Loss).

I recommend starting any patient with proven male pattern hair loss on just one medication and follow it for at least 6 months before adding another one. We usually perform microscopic evaluation of the scalp to check for miniaturization of hair before starting any of these medications. After 6 to 8 months, patients need to be evaluated with another miniaturization study to determine if another medication should be added if the first one has not been helping to decrease the level of miniaturized hair.

Most of the patients don’t need to be on two medications (minoxidil and Propecia), especially if they are not willing to take multiple medications for the rest of their lives. While using both can sometimes be quite helpful, stopping either medication will result in the loss of any benefits you received from that stopped medication. It is a big commitment to stick to both, particularly if you get results from just the one.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationDermatologists Here Don’t Know What Miniaturization Mapping Is – What Can I Do? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman, with respect to the miniaturization mapping, it seems that many of the dermatologists I’ve visited in Canada don’t know what it is or if they have heard of it they think it’s hogwash. What’s a guy with MPB to do in this situation? I REALLY want to find out how much and where the miniaturization has occurred on my scalp! Is there another method beside using the densimeter to get an accurate assessment of my balding?

Thanks!

Block Quote

Hand-held microscopeI can’t force doctors to use microscopic evaluation of the scalp to determine degrees of miniaturization, but the mapping is certainly the best way to determine degrees of hair loss, rather than having your doctor essentially just eyeballing the problem. Perhaps you could/should print out our this page — Miniaturization and Hair Loss – More Than Meets the Eye — and give your dermatologist a copy of it.

You might even suggest your dermatologist buys a pocket hand-held microscope (see photo at right for an example) so that he/she can can make a diagnosis. Between the hand microscope suggestion (which runs about $8-15 and is sold at Radio Shack in the US or various online stores) and the sheet of paper you will bring your dermatologist, he/she should be appreciative.

Posted on

I Had 3 Procedures and Now I Want to Shave My Head – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have had 3 procedures over the past 9 years. My total transplant count was in the range of 5000 grafts. I have had very poor results in terms of density.

I am ready to shave my head and have seen photos showing what I should look like with ashaved head. I am happy with the look. I know that my donar scar will be visbible but I am ok with that. My question is regarding the liklihood that my recipient area will be detectable as having had grafts when shaved bald. I have no visible scarring there that I can see but am still concerned about this. Can you or anyone else offer some guidance/comfort so that I can proceed. This has been an enormous daily battle for me for many years. I have considered going to a hair transplant specialist and asking for some type of magnified examination of my recipient area, but other than than Im not sure how to know. I have hair up there but its too thin too really work with. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Block Quote

I really cannot give you much assurance, since I haven’t seen your hair transplant or your scars. Some hair transplants may leave some degree of scarring in the recipient area that may be detectable when you shave your head. To be honest, the only way to tell is to go for it — but before you do this, you should sit down for a face-to-face with a doctor who is experienced in this type of problem and examine your options in detail, one on one. I would be pleased to do this with you and it is may even be worthwhile for you to come to Los Angeles where I will personally evaluate your situation. Considering all of the money you paid for what you describe as poor results, the cost of such a trip is nominal.

Posted on

Any Long Term Finasteride Studies? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi D0c.

Lets say I’ve been using finasteride for 6 months and then quit do to sides.

  1. I have a tricky one for you, right here! Is it possible that the androgen receptor located inside the follicle might increase it’s binding activity if the synthetic enzyme inhibitation
    suddenly stops?
  2. Any long-term studies on finasteride soon to come?

Thanks Doc, always a pleasure.

Block Quote

Although I love hearing new theories, I don’t believe you are correct.

The drug finasteride at the 1mg dose has been on the market for nearly 10 years and there have not been problems reported other than the ones that I have discussed extensively on this blog and Merck has discussed in its publications on the drug. Whether new studies are currently being performed, I don’t have the answer to that.

Posted on

Is Dettol Decreasing My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi,
well doc,i just wanna say is dettol (chloroxylenol) good for hair or not…?i know its a cleansing agent but a few days back i mixed it with my shampoo(sunsilk) and washed my hair with it,i repeated it for several days and noticed quite a good decrease in my hair loss…is dettol safe for hair,i think it is because i havent faced any problems with using it rather a decrease in my hair loss but what do you say about it….?

Block Quote

DettolFrom Wikipedia: “Dettol (also called parachlorometaxylenol, or PCMX) is the name of a commercial liquid antiseptic belonging to a product line of household products”…

Although diluted dettol on the hair is reportedly a home remedy in some countries for getting rid of dandruff, I don’t see how it can possibly halt hair loss.

Posted on

Each Week, I Take Avodart for 2 Days and Propecia for 5 Days – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello doctors.

First let me thank you for the great consultations you’re providing. My question is regarding the use of Avodart and Propecia together. Do you think they would interact negatively if I use propecia 5 days and Avodart 2 days every week? (or any such arrangement)

Block Quote

That is not the recommended dose of Propecia (finasteride 1mg) or Avodart (dutasteride 0.5mg). You are really experimenting with this regimen and I do not know what positive or negative effects that would have. I think that you are overtreating your hair loss and with the Avodart you run the risk of a decreased sperm count.

Posted on

Minoxidil Is Regrowing My Juvenile Hairline – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 23 year old male I have been using 5% minoxidil for 2 months. I’m noticing an increase of hair in my face as well as my juvenile hairline. I’ve read in previous posts that minoxidil isn’t supposed to work on this type of hair. My questions are that if I’m seeing increased hair in my face does this most likely mean it is also working in my scalp? Will I eventually loose the hair that is regrowing in my juvenile hair line and do you think this hair will grow long enough?

Block Quote

I do not know! It may, but since I do not have the luxury to examine you in person, I couldn’t begin to guess. That being said, I don’t believe minoxidil will completely regrow your juvenile hairline… particularly in only 2 months.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationResults of Transplanting Firefighter’s Hairline (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In my experience, performing hair transplants on firefighters, police officers, and soldiers can be a problem, not because they are different from you and I, but simply because they tend to get more good-natured teasing from their colleagues when issues of vanity come up. Although I haven’t seen any formal studies about it, I’ve found that society looks at the man in uniform as a “macho” guy, and vanity + macho don’t exactly go hand-in-hand. This is why I’ve found that these men can be more sensitive than the average male about having a hair transplant, as they are extremely worried about having a detectable procedure.

This patient had two hair transplant procedures totaling 2431 grafts to the frontal hairline, extending back about 1 1/2 inches. His skin is light and his hair is jet black, but he told me that no one ever teased him about undergoing the surgeries and nobody noticed anything unusual.

The photo on the left is before; the photo on the right is after two procedures. Please forgive me for the quality of the before photo, as it was taken with a different camera under different lighting, but his hair loss is clearly evident. Click the photos to enlarge.

 

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationAccording to the Journal of Endocrinology, Masturbation Increases DHT – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

according to this actual study, masturbation can indeed increase levels of DHT which causes hair loss.

Link: Journal of Endocrinology – Endocrine effects of masturbation in men

Block Quote

A few things that should be pointed out:

  • The study was performed over 30 years ago, with the article dating to 1976.
  • There are no controls on sexually active men here.

I suspect that an active sex life will keep testosterone levels up and as DHT is a metabolic end point for testosterone metabolism, that means that DHT will rise. With that said, this does not mean that hair loss will result, and that is the point. The presence of DHT working on the genetically sensitive individual is what causes hair loss and I don’t believe that masturbation or regular sex will impact the rate of hair loss. Once again, I strongly believe that masturbating does not cause hair loss.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationTraveling to the United States to See Dr Rassman – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman, I’m a 22 years old living in Brazil and I have been balding since I was 15 (right now norwood class 3). I’m thinking about going to a hair doctor to start taking propecia and maybe even do some kind of hair transplant, but I would like to go to a doctor as good as you. Do you usually do transplants in people around my age? I would love to see some photos.

I was also thinking about travelling to the US next year and have a consultation with you. How should foreigners proceed?

Thank you very much!

Block Quote

TravelTo start, you can send me photographs to the email address on the Contact page. Since there is the obvious distance between Brazil and my office in Los Angeles, the internet will be the easiest communication tool (specifically, email) so that it can be determined if you’re even a candidate. We can also setup a phone consultation, if you’d like to go that route.

I do not have any hard rule on what age I will consider a hair transplant, but generally I like my patients to be at least 25 years old. I have, however, transplanted men of your age when the hair loss pattern is fully defined and maturity is there.