Dr. William Rassman – Page 1562

October 12, 2007

Propecia Withdrawal and Massive Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been on Propecia for 10 years. I was out of the country and lost the bottle, so was off of it for 5 weeks. When i got back I started up again, but now obe month into restarting I am losing a ton of hair throughout the scalp. It is now very noticeable. Does that mean I lost the “propecia hair” for good after stopping for only 5 weeks? Will it come back now that I am back on it?

It may not all come back, but hopefully most will. The important lesson here is to stay on Propecia unless you want to undo the hair maintaining or regrowth benefits you received.

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October 12, 2007

Why Does Hair Character Change As We Age? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

In an earlier post you said “With regard to the change in hair character from straight to wavy, it is not unusual for hair character to change as we get older…”

Why does this happen?

As our body ages, we see changes in our hair character. The hair of a newborn is very soft and very fine, the child’s hair becomes thicker and as we age, we might peak with our hair shaft thickness in childhood or early adolescence. As we move into adulthood and then older ages, the hair again changes. All of these changes are genetically programmed. Unfortunately, we do not know much about the programming, but one day we will learn more as we command the issue of hair growth, balding, and hair thickness.

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October 11, 2007

Boehmeria Nipononivea and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I was wondering what is your opinion on Bohemeria Niponivea:

PDF file – The Effect Of Herbal Extract On Hair Growth In Female Androgenic Alopecia

Many thanks and have a wonderful day.

An excerpt from the article states, “A specific extract from leaves of Boehmeria nipononivea (a plant of nettle family from Japan and China, well known in traditional medicine) has a very effective 5-a-reductase inhibitory activity for the presence of several specific fatty acids.”

While this is an interesting article, I really know nothing about this herbal plant. I am concerned that the authors show a connection between DHT and blocking DHT with the relationship between sebum production and hair loss. Some of the material is suspicious and I had problems connecting the dots on the logic. If the herbal is safe (I don’t know that it is) then trying it may be worthwhile.

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October 11, 2007

How Can I Tell if My Bald Spot Was From a Chemical Burn? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I just noticed this past week that I have a bald spot in one area of my head, the top left. The area is smooth and tender. (Tenderness may be a result of the products I’ve been applying to stimulate growth.) I am assuming that this baldness occurred after a no-lye chemical relaxer was applied, since I now vaguely remember a patch of hair coming out at that time. How can I know what caused this area to become bald and when will the hair grow back if it will? By the way it looks, it seems that nothing is happening.

Smooth skin suggests a burn (it could be other conditions, but with your memory of history a burn sounds likely). See a good dermatologist and you may get some good insights into the bald spot. If it will grow back (not a third degree burn or one that killed the hair follicles) it may grow back in 3-6 months.

October 11, 2007

Ibuprofen to Prevent Shock Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Since shock loss is caused by inflamation and swelling, do you think ibuprofen (600 – 800 mg doses) could be as effective at preventing shock loss as propecia?

Do you think that there is any adverse interaction between ibuprofen and propecia? Thanks.

There is no connection between ibuprofen and preventing shock loss after hair transplantation. To my knowledge there is no connection between Propecia and ibuprofen either.

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October 11, 2007

Minoxidil Drips Onto My Forehead, Now I See Fine Hairs Growing – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Im a 21 year old guy currently studying in Malaysia.i have been suffering from hairloss since a year ago most prominently around the temples and vertex of my head.I started using regrow a generic drug for minoxidil 5% 4 months ago.My friends commented that the centre of my head and frontal appears to be thicker.However around the temple region not much growth has been seen.Is minoxidil not effective at all for hair loss around the temple region?Whenever i bathe i notice small fine hair around the forehead area just beneath the temples.This could be from the minoxidil that leaked from the temples when i aply the medication.Could this be a sign of regrowth.However it is really hard to appreciate if there is any new hair growing around the temple regions.I would like to describe that my temples are not exactly bald.They just have very much less hair compaired to the rest of my head and are much further apart.And i also noticed that a yellowish solidified oil like structure is usually found on the distal part of shedded hair.could this mean any pathologic symptoms?To add on , i noticed flaking of the skin around the temple region where i applied my medcation.is it advisable to continue?

Any minoxidil leakage can cause hair to grow on the area it leaked to, but it would have to be done regularly. This drug was originally introduced as a treatment for hair blood pressure and it is known to drop the blood pressure when it is absorbed. When given to the patients for high blood pressure, hair grew on the face and other body parts, particularly detectable in women.

Minoxidil does not always work for the treatment of hair loss and when it does, it can sometimes take a year or so to see the results. With any of the hair loss treatment drugs like minoxidil or even Propecia (finasteride 1mg), they are not predictable in any absolute sense. You must be patient.

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October 11, 2007

Propecia and Stress Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi can propecia protect your hair from hair from stress.. please let me know…

The relationship between stress and hair loss varies a great deal. Propecia certainly protects the hair from those factors that cause or accelerate hair loss — and stress is one of those factors.

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October 11, 2007

Rogaine Destroyed My Hair! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

doc with all the posting of rogaine and how rogaine is destroying people hair ..do you still see rogaine as a safe product…i have found in my case rogaine not only destroyed a other wise heathly head of hair but i lost eyebrows nad eyelashes as well… the makers of rogaine cannot say for certain how this drug works therefor cannot know all the sideeffects. Minoxidil. has been known to cause heart problems.. so please explaine how or if you endourse rogaine.

I only report what I see. I do endorse the use of minoxidil, as it is one of the two FDA approved drug treatments for hair loss. However, it is not for everyone. There is propylene glycol in most preparations of Rogaine and some people develop allergies to it. Rogaine contains minoxidil and as many people know, minoxidil was developed originally as an antihypertensive agent (hair growth was just a side effect). Some people get light headed when they use it, because it can drop blood pressure.

As for discussing Rogaine destroying your hair, if you had a problem with it, you should have stopped using it. There are many people who get skin allergies to this medication and continued use can cause problems. If you are self medicating, then look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are taking it.

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October 10, 2007

My Hairline Started Changing at 15 Years Old – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr Rassman,

I am male and aged 18. My dad receded in his early twenties, while my maternal granddad kept his mature hairline into his 70’s. I noticed a change in the corners of my hairline and have read your articles on the maturation of the hairline which I have found very informative. I noticed hairline changes in the corners probably since I was about 15-16, and the changes since then are negligible, and there is no noticeable miniaturization.

My question is, is it likely that I have experienced the maturation of the hairline in such a short period of time, at such a young age, or is it more likely that I am balding? My temples
are about an inch from the crease when i raise my eyebrows. I’m not sure how revelant it is but I also developed body hair before my peers. Would you recommend I wait and see if its balding or start treating?

Thanking you in advance

Your question is complex. Simply, balding can start as early as 15, but it would have to show miniaturization if it is the genetic form of male pattern baldness (MPB). Hair does change in character from pre-teens to teens to early adulthood and throughout the maturing process into old age. Generally, hair becomes finer over time, usually not very fast in the teen years, but it might change faster in some young people than others.

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October 10, 2007

Propecia Gives Me More Erections and a Higher Sex Drive – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I noticed that for the 3 weeks I was on Propecia, I have more frequent erections, strong ones and a higher sex drive. Is this normal? I really don’t mind the side effect and my wife actually likes the change!

I actually hear about this from about 10% of my patients on Propecia. This results from a raise in testosterone, reported as high as 18% on average. The testosterone levels generally do not stay higher than normal and will eventually come back down to normal. Tell your wife… well, maybe don’t say anything. Ha!

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