Dr. William Rassman – Page 1549

November 9, 2007

I’m 56 Years Old — And My Hair Just Started Thinning About 6 Months Ago – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I’m 56,male and have seen my hair become generally thinner over the past 10 years. However, with exception of some recession at the temples I’ve had mostly a full head of hair until about 6 months ago. In the past 6 months my hair in the front has become rapidly thinner. Several months ago I started taking Propecia and using Procerin at the same time but I’ve not seen any results thus far. I have been coloring my hair for about 15 years and continue to do that the same as in the past. Those are the facts to date. Any ideas? Am I simply hitting old age with a crash, rather than easing into it? Thank you

Old age does not cause hair thinning — just look at Ronald Reagan at the end of his life. Hair loss starting at your age is highly unusual. You should be evaluated for your concerns and as you are in Southern California, I invite you to come see me at my Los Angeles office, where I will map out your hair and scalp for miniaturization and hopefully define the cause of your hair loss.

November 9, 2007

In Memory of Dr. James Arnold – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

A great doctor died on November 3, 2007.

I knew James Arnold, M.D., for years, and merged his San Jose, California medical practice with my Atherton practice in 1999 so that he could begin his retirement. His thoughts struck me as profound, as he and I were the same age.

From his Legacy.com obituary:

“I’ve always felt if you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space. The sacrifice in my move is a loss of income, but the reward is a gift of time. My most immediate goal over the next few months is to start the year 2000 with a clean piece of paper and a new box of crayons.”

Jim has spent the following years camping, rafting, motorcycling and exploring the world with his beloved wife, numerous friends, and family. He enjoyed spending time with his granddaughter, drumming, collecting wild mushrooms, and writing poetry in his self-made cabin. He was a kind and generous man who shared his love and friendship with all he met.

He died on a motorcycle living life to its fullest. He was always a caring human being and had an air about him that reflected the warmth of his good soul.

November 9, 2007

Minoxidil Helped, But I’ve Stopped It Since Becoming Pregnant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Sir,

I have been diagnosed with androgenic alopecia a couple of years ago, during which I have been on 5% minoxidil. I am 32. THis has helped, but now I am pregnant and of course, I discontinued the use of it. On the recommendation of my dermatologist, I used Thymuskin product for up to the 8th week of my pregnancy, but discontinued that as well, as advised by my Obgyn. I have noticed that in the first trimester, I lost a lot of hair, which can be either the cause of discontinuing minoxidil and/or hormonal changes in pregnancy, I guess. Now I am in the 2nd trimester and I am not losing a lot of hair, however, the hair is not that shiny and it seems to be thinner. Even though pregnancy should be a good period for the hair, I also read that pregnancy can trigger such hair loss in women with AGA that it sometimes is irreversible (on the frontotemplar area). I am of course extremely worried because I have experienced an improvement with minoxidil, but now with pregnancy I am afraid everything will go away and especially be irreversible on the front part (where my hair looks worst, to be honest). I am especially afraid of the post partum and breast feeding period, as I have read that then increased shedding will occur. Is there anything I can do now already during pregnancy to work against this or can you give me a word of consolation at least :).

Thank you very much for your reply

Focus on your pregnancy and your baby. Hair changes do occur in pregnancy and much of it reverses after the baby is born. The recent hair loss does sound like minoxidil withdrawal.

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November 8, 2007

I Had a Hair Transplant, But I Have DUPA! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This is my story. I went to Dr. [name removed] because my front was thinning more than the rest of my hair. The doctor recommended 2489 grafts in the frontal 1 inch. He lowered my hairline because he said it was the sexy look and at 26 years old, that was a good look. After 9 months, the hair in the front was still very thin so the doctor told me to have another transplant. I purchased another 1804 grafts which did not appear to have grown out after another 10 months. I went back to the doctor and he told me that I needed more grafts. The area that he took the grafts from was very, very thin after the second transplant. I did not feel comfortable with this recommendation, so I went to another doctor to get a second opinion. He told me that I have DUPA and that the entire hair on my scalp was thin and see through. My scar is very visible. This second doctor told me that I should not have had the surgery and that I was in a bad place to do anything but wear a wig. So I went to a wig place and the wig was totally unnatural. The hair on the top was thick, the side hair was not covered by the wig and looked transparent. What do I do? Is there a place to complain about my surgical care? Do I go to a lawyer and if so, how do I find a good lawyer?

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Justice It sounds pretty clear that by having Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA), you were never a candidate for surgery. Hair transplant surgery in men such as yourself is a disaster and no you will probably always show this deformity. It seemed that the doctor must have needed your money and did not care about your welfare. First of all, I would like to see you, possibly get pictures from you so that I could ascertain for myself if you had DUPA. I would try the use of dutasteride (only if you really have DUPA), which would be an off-label use of this drug. I have seen some men with DUPA get a response from finasteride, but high doses of dutasteride may have value. The problem with this drug is the issue of sexual drive and low sperm counts from its use. These would be things we would have to talk about and you certainly should not consider having children anytime soon if you try this route.

Your recourse includes:

Complaint to the medical board of your state.
Seek out a lawyer by going to the state bar for assistance in finding one.

The courts are generally not victim-friendly when dealing with hair transplants, because they do not see significant damages so the monies collected in the few cases that went to court have been pretty low. For the readers out there, please keep in mind that the doctor you choose should be ethical, honest, and competent. Try to identify the larceny in the doctors before you bet your appearance on someone you don’t know and can’t research.

I would be happy to help you, but we must first somehow meet.

November 8, 2007

2 Weeks After Starting Finasteride, A Bald Spot Appears – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 47 year old male who has been using rogaine for 4 years to “contain” male pattern thinning. I recently started taking finasteride to see if that would help more. I started taking 2.5 ( 1/2 of the 5mg pills) for a couple of weeks and have noticed a small but very noticeable bald spot develpoing at the very front of my hairline! ( it was always thick there) Is is possible that the finasteride could cause this? I have started to cut the pills into quarters as it seems like 1mg daily is the recommended dosage. Should I stop the finasteride? I am about to start taking synthroid as my T-4 totals are a bit low and I know that the thyroid can cause hair loss but I think it has something to do with the finasteride.

The recommended dose of finasteride for the treatment of male pattern baldness (MPB) is 1mg orally each day. Taking more will not have a greater benefit. I doubt that taking 2.5mg a day has caused you to lose hair on the front and I would not recommend stopping the medication without discussing these issues with the doctor who prescribed you the medication. There may be other causes of hair loss that you are not aware of and your doctor will be able assess this as he/she is able to physically examine you.

November 8, 2007

4 Years Ago, Doctors Said We Were 10 Years From a Hair Loss Cure – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

3 or 4 years ago I found myself attending lectures on hair loss. The belief at the time, was that any sort of “CURE” for hair loss was approximately 10 years away. The same answer was given by several doctors. Now I completely understand that a cure will only come when it comes and that a doctor telling me that a cure is 10 years away, does not mean that I should set a timer and count the seconds, but I’m curious if science and technology supports that response? Has our knowledge and science progressed enough that a cure could be,….7 or 8 years away? or are doctors still saying 10?

It seems 10 years is a good round number and far enough away that we can promise these cures and just let the timeline slip. In reality, nobody really knows. I do not think anything significant has happened in the last 2 or three years to say the “cure” is 7 to 8 years away.

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November 8, 2007

Can I Have a Hair Transplant If I Have My Head Already Shaved? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, is it easier to operate on a person with a shaved head (#2)? I want a transplant but i have a shaved head. Someone told me you can’t get a donor strip with the hair to short? Is this right? I thought it would be easier if I have a shaved head?

A shaved head can be transplanted. I generally like a couple of weeks growth so that the hair length will be about 1/4 inch, which is enough to cover the scar from the excision of the donor strip. Although it is easier to transplant a head where the hair is very short, with good skills and a great staff, it is not necessary to shave the head.

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November 8, 2007

Concerned About Redness After Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 30-year old male and one week ago, I had a FUE Hair Transplant along my front hairline. I am concerned that there may be lingering redness in this area which will make it obvious that I had a procedure performed to co-workers.

In addition to products such as Vitamin-E, Aloe Vera, etc. to reduce redness, what are your thoughts about using a self-tanning lotion along the top of the forehead/hairline to blend the redness in this area to my natural skin color (assuming I used the tanning lotion on the rest of my face as well and didn’t go overboard with it)?

Assuming I waited a couple of weeks after the surgery, would the tanning lotion in any way harm the future growth of these grafts or pose any other risks?

In those patients who have a tendency to become red (and hold on to the redness after a transplant), I treat them with a copper peptide treatment. This works to reduce the redness and shorten the ‘red’ time, but if not started immediately, it will not have value. The use of steroids are routine for my post-operative period and when they are started at surgery, they do reduce the redness.

As for the other products you asked about:

Tanning lotion — I do not believe that this will work
Vitamin E — this may have limited value when used topically
Aloe vera — this does not help manage the redness

These are really questions that your transplant doctor should be addressing. I can not offer you much real advice without knowing more about you, but I may be able to come to a solution if I saw you in person.

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November 8, 2007

Granzyme B Enzyme Linked with Aging and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

This press release speaks to some interesting research. Granted, this is the only place I can find this info on the web, so I can’t vouch for its validity.

Providence Health Care researcher Dr. David Granville has made a series of discoveries that could have a major impact not only on the treatment of cardiovascular disease, but also on other conditions associated with aging, including hair loss.

Full press release — Discovery links enzyme with atherosclerosis and aging

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November 7, 2007

Small FUE Procedures Every Couple Weeks – A New Marketing Gimmick or a Reality? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

A patient came to see me last week asking about multiple, short Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedures for his frontal hairline, eventually totaling 1400 grafts. He is a busy attorney and wants to have his hairline restored, but did not have the time to get it done. He went to a doctor who told him that he could come in after court every 2-3 weeks, and get 200 FUE grafts placed into the frontal hairline. As an attorney who does not trust anyone at first glance, he came to me for a second opinion. Money was not an issue, but the charge would be $2,000 for each procedure.

I told him that this did not seem like a good idea to me. If he had 1400 grafts total over 7 sessions just two-three weeks apart, the hair would fall out between the surgeries and the surgeon could not see where the previous transplants were placed, therefore possibly causing damage. I also believe that 7 surgeries are not as good as one, but if he insisted on multiple surgeries, he must wait 7-8 months between the surgeries so that the previous grafts would not be damaged. It is possible that two surgeries spaced 2-3 weeks apart (one on the right side and one on the left side) might be able to harvest 500-700 grafts through an FUE surgery, but he would have to keep his hair long.

For more on FUE / FOX Procedure, please see: