Dr. William Rassman – Page 1551

November 6, 2007

So Much Hair in My Brush Every Time — Is It Cancer? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m constantly losing hair and i’m getting worried…i’m 15 (female) and my hair lose has just got worse and worse…my hairs are everywhere around the house and even when i’m not brushing it i can still see strands and strand of hair dangelling and then when i do brush my hair my brush is completely full of hair after 2minutes of brushing it…i dont over brush my hair or underbrush it but theres a history of cancer in my family…my mum had cancer and my dads currently got cancer…could this be a sign of cancer?

This is most certainly not a sign of cancer. Normal people lose 100-150 hairs per day (not necessarily all on the brush, but throughout the course of a day). Some people obsessively count the hairs that come out, but if you are truly concerned, see a dermatologist or hair specialist.

November 5, 2007

Hair Loss InformationPoor Growth 6 Months After FUE Procedure – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

It has been a little over six (6) months since I have had FUE surgery. I had approximately 900 grafts done. My surgery was with a well respected doctor in the industry.

However, I have experienced poor growth thus far. My updated pictures that were recently sent to my physician showed lingering redness in the recipient and poor growth. My doctor responded that he was concerned about the lack of growth, and suggested that I have biopsy peformed if there is no improvement in the coming months.

Is this necessary and what can I expect a scalp biopsy to show as far as poor growth is concerned? It seems to me that not enough grafts were placed to begin with and that I may have experienced poor growth due possible transection of some of the grafts. Some areas are growing in better than others. What do you think?

Thanks

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I really cannot tell you what is to be expected and what is poor or good growth without examining you. Not being your doctor puts me at a great disadvantage. It seems you are in good communication with your physician and I would recommend that you follow up with that doctor. Sometimes the full growth may take as long at 12 months.

I believe that follicular unit extraction (FUE) has problems, even in the hands of good doctors experienced in that form of art. Notice that I said the “form of art”. I believe that FUE is a form of art in the way it is done. I have received many reports of failed FUEs and have spoken to doctors who are skilled in this ‘art form’ and they report hearing of many failures amongst the doctors procaiming to be experts in it. For example, I know of one doctor who is well known for FUE (he heavily promotes the practice expertise) and states that the speed for doing them exceeds an extraction rate of over 1000 grafts per hour. I would say, off hand, that this doctor’s failure rate must be huge. Not knowing your physician’s experience, I can not comment on your doctor, but you should be able to meet many of his/her patients to determine his/her success rate.

For more on FUE / FOX Procedure, please see:

November 5, 2007

Is My Hair Going Into Catagen Phase or Am I Balding? – Balding Blog

hey doc,
I’ve noticed that some of my everyday falling hairs are lighter at the follicle than at the end where they are black. At first i thought this could be miniaturization but then a read this article (Student Health – Hair thinning and hair loss) which says “In late anagen, there is a gradual thinning of the hair shaft and a lightening of the pigment in the hair. This hair is then shed.” Is this correct and it is just the normal hair cycle before the hair goes into the catagen phase?? Thank you very much for you help.

We cycle hair asynchronously, so only about 10% or less of your hair is going out of anagen. Don’t focus too much on the hair that you lost. In normal periodic hair shedding we may lose both miniaturized and normal hair, since most adult men (50%) experience some degrees of balding at some time. A miniaturization study can tell you what you’ve got left and whether you are actually balding or not.

For more on hair growth cycles, see Hair Follicle Cells Growth Stages.

November 5, 2007

Scientific American Asks, Does Stress Cause Gray Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Scientific American looks into whether stress really causes gray (or grey, if you prefer) hair. From the article –

“There is evidence that local expression of stress hormones mediate the signals instructing melanocytes to deliver melanin to keratinocytes,” notes Jennifer Lin, a dermatologist who conducts molecular biology research at the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center in Boston. “Conceivably, if that signal is disrupted, melanin will not deliver pigment to your hair.”

And general practice physicians have observed accelerated graying among patients under stress, says Tyler Cymet, head of family medicine at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, who conducted a small retrospective study on hair graying among patients at Sinai. “We’ve seen that people who are stressed two to three years report that they turn gray sooner,” he says.”

Full article here — Fact or Fiction?: Stress Causes Gray Hair

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November 5, 2007

Using Listerine to Treat Dandruff? – Balding Blog

According to Wikipedia, “Listerine was invented in the 19th century as a powerful surgical antiseptic. It was later sold, in a distilled form, as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea.”

Now I just saw this old advertisement from 1953 for Listerine, saying to use it on the scalp to take care of dandruff.

This is one of those home remedies that has floated around for a long, long time (apparently since at least the 1950s). Interesting… just don’t get it into your eyes! I can’t say for sure whether this works for dandruff, but I know it is a great mouthwash (though I have a hard time holding Listerine in my mouth for 30 seconds and can’t imagine putting it on my scalp).

Full ad from 54 years ago, plus text at Modern Mechanix.

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November 5, 2007

What Can New Propecia Users Expect? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman, I’m 35 and I’m considering taking Propecia. Do I assume for most patients taking Propecia, that after being on the drug for an extended period of time (four, five, six years perhaps?) that it’s normal for Propecia to eventually lose it’s effectiveness or level off somewhat? Also, as a Propecia user yourself, did you experience any hair shedding when you started the drug and do you think this is something new users should be concerned about? Your site is very helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

When I started Propecia (finasteride 1mg), I did not experience any shedding. Shedding is very rare, but when it occurs it does stop in a couple of months. Over time, the Propecia does not lose effectiveness, but as hair loss is a progressive process, it eventually overtakes the ability of Propecia to stop the loss process.

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November 5, 2007

Will Using a Blow Dryer Cause Brain Cancer? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doc, I’ve been shedding hair everyday for the past year or 2, usually within 50 a day. I went to 2 physicians and they told me that my hair is fine and im not losing hair and they even did the test by pulling my hair. But I do see that my hair is thinner than before. I really dont know what’s causing my hair thinning. Is it because I wash my hair 2 times a day everyday, and I use blowdryer and hairspray to style my hair everyday? Also I want to ask you if I use blowdryer and hairspray to style my hair everyday, will it cause brain cancer? What should I do to stop shedding? Do I really have to use Rogaine to grow thicker hair? Please give me some advise this time, because last time you didnt answer my post. Thank you!

Blow Dryer If you are male, the most common cause of balding is genetic hair loss. This is also known as androgenic alopecia (AGA) or male pattern balding (MPB).

Hair dryers do not cause brain cancer — otherwise I would expect to see a brain cancer epidemic. If you blow your hair too hot, you could potentially damage the hair, but I suspect you would stop yourself before you start to burn your hair and skin.

If you are concerned about hair loss, I would consider seeing a doctor who can diagnose the cause of your hair loss. There are medical and surgical options.

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November 2, 2007

Hair Loss InformationHair Transplant on Nip/Tuck (with Video) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctors, did you see tonight’s episode of Nip/Tuck where they performed a hair transplant? How accurate was the scene, and the resulting effects? I’m sure they took a lot of creative license, I’m just curious, as I am sure others who saw the scene are now.

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Nip/Tuck, an outrageous plastic surgery drama TV series on the FX Network, has two episodes featuring hair transplants — the first of which has just aired this week. We actually advised on the program and they elected to use the hair transplant Carousel (automated rapid fire hair implanter), which I invented in the 1990s. I just saw the first of the two shows with the Carousel. One of the two lead plastic surgeons got a hair transplant by his surgical partner and then resumed a full ‘work and play’ load. Doing too much steam and sauna, the plastic surgeon that received the transplant got folliculitis within a day of the surgery. I laughed like hell as I watched the spoof unfold. The focus of this first show of the season was how to build a successful cosmetic surgery practice. I think the message was right on.

With the permission of the show’s producer, I was allowed to post this video clip from the episode featuring the Carousel in it. I take no responsibility for the appearance of these transplants

November 2, 2007

Hair Loss InformationWhat is Spironolactone? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have read many post in hairloss forums of men using oral spironolactone and having success when used in conjunction with propecia or avodart. Some before and after pictures have been absolutely amazing. I was wondering the following:

What is Spironolactone?

How you feel about oral spirnolactone as a hairloss remedy?

Is topical spironolactone of any help?

Thanks for your time

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Spironolactone

Spironolactone (marketed under the name Aldactone) is a blood pressure medication that has some antiandrogen properties which have not been clearly proven in a clinical setting to stop hair loss. Despite the lack of proof, it is used by many dermatologists for hair loss treatments in women. I have not been convinced of its value, although some women may see benefits.

For more info, please see:

November 2, 2007

I Am Balding in Streaks on My Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,

I just turned 20 years old and have been losing my hair for about two years. Only recently has it started to bother me. I have been taking Propecia for three months and hair is certainly falling out less. But I wonder what it will continue to do. I have odd, vertical streaks of baldness on the top of my head (my crown is not balding). Because I haven’t really seen this before, I was just wondering if you knew if Propecia can help fill these areas in.

I have not seen balding occur in vertical stripes, so I can’t comment on your observations without examining you. If you are balding from genetic causes, your observations of some hair reduction is what we generally see at the beginning of the process.

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