Dr. William Rassman – Page 1579

September 5, 2007

Will Taking Hydroxyzine Harm My Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I had a hair transplant in January of this year for thinning from the front of my crown to the back of my crown…1500 grafts. I am now taking hydroxyzine for my anxiety disorder and wanted to make sure it would not harm my hair growth.

Thank you for your time

Hydroxyzine will not harm your hair transplant. Please consult with your hair transplant doctor or your psychiatrist if you have further concerns. You should never start or stop a medication without consulting your doctor. I am not your doctor.

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September 4, 2007

Hair Loss InformationWhy Is It Difficult to Regrow the Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,
Thanks for answering so many questions on this site- It has been extremely helpful. The question I have is why is is extremely hard to regrow hair along the hairline?

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Your question is somewhat confusing.

If you’re asking why medications like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) will not regrow hair after it fell out, well that could be due to the hair being further down the path to ‘hair death’ and these medications simply can not bring them back. They only work if some of the old hair is still left and miniaturized, not if it is clean bald. If the area is clean bald, nothing but hair transplants will work. The frontal hairline does grow wonderful hair transplants — just look at the patient galleries on our website.

The formal studies that were put into the FDA show that Propecia and minoxidil work in the crown. The studies on the front of the head did not have data, so there was no good data submitted. As such, efficacy claims are allowed for these medications on the crown, but not in the front. The FDA studies were probably limited to the crown for convenience sake, so we really do not have data on the impact of the medication on the frontal areas, but this is just my guess, as I don’t have any firsthand knowledge as to why they chose this path. From my experience, the hair regrowth benefit on the hairline is less obvious than it is in the crown.

September 4, 2007

Does Revita Shampoo Block DHT? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I recently saw an ad for “Revita” shampoo that claims to help regrow hair by blocking DHT. What is your opinion of shampoos like this that have supposed hair growing features? Can it be used together with Propecia (which I have been on for 8 months), or would that be overkill?

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There are no topical products that block DHT for the treatment of male pattern hair loss in the same way something like finasteride or even dutasteride can. Propecia (finasteride) blocks DHT, but if you put that in a shampoo it will not work, because it will not get down to the growth center of the hair follicles which is at least 3mm below the skin surface. You can claim anything to sell a product and as stated many times here, “It is a buyer beware market”.

September 4, 2007

Is DUPA a Sign of Illness or Disease? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello I am a 24 year old male how has been experiencing DUPA over the last year and a half or so. My father has a full head of hair as well do my uncles and brother. However I read that people who suffer with DUPA don’t have problems with DHT levels, but something foreign. Could DUPA be a sign of something out of order internally in regards to symptoms of an illness or disease. I have many signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism and I wonder if that is why my hair would be thinning all over. If you would to be so kind and assist me with this question it would make the year and a half all the more better spent. Thank You and God Bless.

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Hair loss can sometimes be a sign of medical illness, which is why you need to see a physician for a complete medical examination. DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia) in itself is not a sign of illness, though.

September 4, 2007

Irritation from Smooth Razorless Hair Removing Creme – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear MD,

A couple of weeks ago, I used the Smooth Razorless Hair Removing Creme made by Softsheen Carson. I followed the directions carefully before using it and was quite satisfied with the close shave. A few days later, as my hair started to grow back, my skin scalp started to be irritated and developed some bumps on the back of my head. I never had bumps prior to using this product. Today, my skin is sore and I’m afraid of shaving at all. The bumps are still there and they feel sore.

What should I do?

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If you’re experiencing a skin irritation after using this product, I’d suggest you stop using it. I don’t have any particular experience with this hair removing creme, but if the skin condition persists you should see a dermatologist.

September 4, 2007

Does Hair Loss from DUPA Thin At the Same Rate All Over? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

If you have DPA or DUPA does it tend to thin all over at the same rate or would you notice a faster thinning of the traditional crown and temples area followed more slowly by the top of the head and/or back of the head and sides?

Thanks!

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I don’t believe anyone knows the answer to this question, but you can have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization and see to what degree your hair loss is and how it progresses over time. For more on diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), please see How Fast Can DUPA Take Effect?

September 4, 2007

Scabs Won’t Go Away After Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

What can I do to speed up the process of the scabs falling off after surgery. Salt water? How much?, How often? Anything else I can do?

Scabbing was clearly allowed to build. They should have been kept down with good daily washing. I am assuming that you are more than 2 weeks out of surgery. You can put on shampoo and let it sit for 10 minutes, then wash it off and repeat it a couple of times. You can also add conditioner and leave it on the head for 10 minutes (after wetting it) and then wash it off. Gently rub them with your fingertips (not your fingernails). The scabs should come off.

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September 4, 2007

Throbbing in the Right Side of My Groin — Linked to Finasteride? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I started taking Propecia a year & a half ago, switching to a generic finasteride earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, I started noicing a dull throbbing in my groin area. I thought it might be epididymitis, but I was experiencing the uncomfort primarily in the right side of my testicles (I’m told epididymitis is usually the left). I made an appointment with my doctor & even went in for an ultrasound, but nothing was detected. The throbbing seemed to go away, but just last month, it started again. The throbbing lasts for a few seconds before going away. It usually comes back at other points in the day, sometimes happening off & on for a couple hours at a time. I notice it when I’m sitting, when I’m standing, etc.

The fact that I got a “clean bill of health” from the ultrasound & what not put me at ease, but while it may not be anything serious, there definitely seems to be SOMTHING going on! The only thing I can think of are side effects due to the finasteride (I told my doctors about it), as it’s the only drug I’m taking. Do you think that’s the case? Am I being paranoid?

I guess I should add a few things:

I am 26 years old. I haven’t noticed any swelling or anything physical in & around my groin area; furthermore, there is no pain if I feel my testicles & scrotum. I don’t recall any trauma to my groin area. Lastly, when I was at the doctor, I was also treated for any STDs like chlamydia & those tests turned up negative.

So… any guesses?!? Do you think it has to do with the finasteride?!

You seem to have done the right thing with an evaluation from a doctor. If you think your groin pain is due to finasteride, consider stop taking it for a week to see if the pain goes away. Stopping finasteride for one week should not have a deleterious effect on your hair loss treatment. Discuss these issues with your doctor and make sure both you and your doctor are on the right page about the plan. You should never stop or start any medication without consulting with your doctor (I am not your doctor). I am a general surgeon (by training and years in practice) and groin pain is often the sign of a hernia. As you can see from your history and the above, a doctor must direct your diagnosis.

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September 3, 2007

Labor Day is For Long Weekends – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

From Wikipedia — “Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday in September. The holiday began in 1882, originating from a desire by the Central Labor Union to create a day off for the “working man”. It is still celebrated mainly as a day of rest and marks the symbolic end of summer for many. Labor Day became a national holiday by Act of Congress in 1894.”

That’s a brief history of Labor Day, and the reason there will be no posts here today. We’re taking a day off, but will be back tomorrow with our regularly scheduled hair loss questions and answers.

So to our U.S. readers, enjoy your day off today. To everyone else, happy Monday.

August 31, 2007

Hair Loss InformationHair Stem Cell: Production of Nerve Vessels and Hair Multiplication – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Mouse Last week we attended a lecture at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on the topic of hair stem cells. Dr. Robert Hoffman (speaker) is a professor at the University of California, San Diego. He and his colleagues have done several studies on hair stem cells and its application in different fields of medicine.

Dr. Hoffman’s team extracted special cells from the bulge area of hair follicles (above the lower generative center of hair) that are known to be easily accessible and a good source of actively growing, pluripotent cells (cells that have capability of differentiating to different cell lines). They found the protein markers of the neural stem cells in this group of cells (Nestin). They performed several projects to evaluate the final cell lines that could be harvested from growth and differentiation of these stem cells. Among those were using these cells to produce nervous system and blood vessel cells. In one study, Dr. Hoffman’s team applied these stem cells on mouse severed sciatic nerve. The animals that were treated have recovered from nerve injury and could resume the function of affected limb faster in comparison to the control group that never received any treatments.

Dr. Hoffman and his colleagues also performed similar study on a mouse with spinal cord injury. The animal with spinal cord injury gained the function of its paralyzed limb following application of these cells to transected part of spinal cord. The findings can bring about hope for treatment of patients with ‘fresh’ spinal cord injuries. Currently, there is no effective treatment for spinal cord injury and those patients are doomed to lose the neural function of some part of their body, commonly their lower extremities for the rest of their lives.

Although Dr. Hoffman was optimistic about application of hair stem cells in regeneration of cells in nervous system, when asked about his opinion on hair multiplication, he did not believe that it would be that easy. Dr. Hoffman believes that the necessity of interaction of this dual stem cell system (cells from bulge area and cells from dermal papilla of hair follicles that produce hair formation) makes it more complicated for producing hair with a method similar to what is described (in producing nervous system or blood vessel cells).

It is most interesting that Dr. Hoffman and many others working in this arena, find that producing the hair organ (which contains skin, hair elements, blood vessels, fat, and other supportive tissues) is far more difficult than producing just one of these elements (nerves, blood vessels). For those of you who are anxiously waiting for hair multiplication results to be available in the clinical world, I would not postpone the more standard treatment for hair loss (e.g hair transplantation), as your balding will inevitably progress as you will wait, and wait, and wait for the breakthrough that may not occur in the time frame when you can enjoy having hair on your head.