Dr. William Rassman – Page 1600

July 17, 2007

Any Way to Stop Hair Loss Without Messing with DHT? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Doctor I was just wondering : isn’t there a way you can stop/reverse hair loss without affecting DHT serum levels? I was on propecia for a short time and, due to sides, had to quit. My dermatologist explained that since propecia lowers your body’s dht levels it may also cause side effects in some people. He also said I could try a topical formulation of spironolactone and progesterone. Have you had any experience with those two products in your practice?

Alternatively what medication would you put me on ?(I am a NW 2-3V ; 30 years old) Should I just wait for new powerful medications to come out,but in this case how long before something new and possibly revolutionary appears? thanks in advance for your help

DHT is one of the causes for male pattern hair loss (androgenic hair loss). Drugs such as Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and minoxidil are the only medications scientifically proven and approved by the FDA for the treatment for male pattern hair loss. Drugs such as spironolactone and progesterone have not been studied extensively or have shown variable response for clinical effectiveness on slowing or reversing hair loss. As such, I do not prescribe those medications in my practice.

You can keep waiting for the next treatment to come out, but there is no telling when the next great drug will be available. Dutasteride is currently in clinical trials for treating hair loss, but I do not know when that will be completed.

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July 17, 2007

Can Hair Be Transplanted Into Grafted Skin After Burn? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Ten years ago my leg caught on fire and i got graft skin over the burn. know i got bald leg and hairy leg i wanna know if you can grow hair over the graft skin and get rid of the brownish color on it. thnk u

Yes, but it depends on the skin. I would need to see the quality of the skin below the grafted area to determine if transplanted hair would grow.

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July 17, 2007

I’m 14 and Losing My Hair — Is It Because I’m Over Weight? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)
Yes i am expiriencing hairloss and i am currently 14 years old only my uncle is lossing his hair but i say because he smokes i used to have very very thick hair and well now i have half of it and well i want to know what it is because im over weight or vitamins and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!! I am tired of seeing all my hair go down the drain and im only 14 please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not believe being over weight causes hair loss. However, there may be other health issues that you are not aware of that is causing your hair loss. You should see your primary care doctor for a physical examination and express to him/her these concerns.

July 17, 2007

My Left Eyebrow Hairs Just Fell Out! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) Ok first off, I’m almost seventeen. About a month and a half or so ago, most of the hairs on my eyebrow fell out. It’s only my left eyebrow though, which is strange. I haven’t used any sort of cream on my face or taken any medications except for the occasional ibuprofen which I’ve taken before with no problem. I think I have an idea, but I’m not sure. I got bangs before the eyebrow started falling out and when my bangs started to grow out, I just pushed them to the left. So is it possible that my bangs irritated the hairs, causing them to fall out? I’m not really sure. Since I thought of that, I’ve been trying to bobby pin them back lately because it’s summer and I’m home a lot, but take the bobby pin out when I leave the house because it’s embarrasing and my hair covers it. But they’re still not growing back. I don’t know what to do. Any suggestions?

It is very peculiar that only one side of your eyebrow has fallen out. I highly doubt it was due to your bangs brushing up on them. As it has only been a month, high magnification examination would show what stubble is left and what it looks like. I would be curious to know if you have experienced any specific patches of hair loss on your scalp or on your body. There is a relatively rare condition such as alopecia areata that can manifest in the manner that you are describing. You need to see your family doctor to make sure your thyroid is OK. The most common cause of eyebrow hair loss is when a person picks or plucks it. However it is almost impossible to give you a diagnosis without examining you in person. Perhaps you can email me some photos (confidential) of course. Please reference this post when sending. Even better, if you can make a trip to Los Angeles, I can examine you in person.

July 17, 2007

Rubbing Areas of My Head Caused Thinning – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hey dr
this is gonna sound weird but i used to work in a job that involved lifting boxes all day. i lift them on my right shoulder and the boxes would always rub the side of my head and right
eyebrow but i noticed the hair on the right side thinning and also the eyebrow on the right side missing hair and i figured out that all the constant rubbing over the years had caused it. i
have a full head of hair all over except these affected areas. ive made sure over the last year not to touch my head with the boxes but ive noticed no regrowth. i was just wondering if you could suggest anything to use on my the affected areas to promote new hair growth that wont maybe lead to further hairloss as ive heard a lot treatments like rogaine once stopped can cause further hairloss. thanks

What you are describing seems to be a form of traction alopecia, where repeated tension on the scalp and hair causes hair loss. Rubbing hair also puts a pull on hair that is near the end of its cycle. If you have constant traction, this type of hair loss can be permanent. You can try Rogaine in those areas to see if some hair will grow back.

July 17, 2007

Would Minoxidil Be Unsafe for a Runner? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi there,

I am a 22-year old sportsman. I am considering Minoxidil, but for me it is VERY important is doesn’t affect my sport (running) at all.

My questions:

Is it a drug?

Can I have any physical problems such as high heartbeat…

If I stop using it will I get even thinner than I was before the cure?

Yes, minoxidil is a drug.
Minoxidil can drop your blood pressure (that is what it was originally designed for) and as such, it can theoretically produce a higher heart rate if the blood pressure drops from its use.
If you start minoxidil and it is effective, the hair will become dependent upon it so, if/when you stop it you will lose the hairs that grew because of it.

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July 16, 2007

How Much Stress Can Trigger Male Pattern Baldness? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I have a few questions:

On average, how much stress is necessary to trigger the balding process in men who have MPB? For instance, I was REALLY stressed out for 3 days about something (to the point where I thought I might have a heart attack). Is this the stress you’re talking about that can trigger MPB?

Is there a delay in the time between the stressful event and the hairloss? I read somewhere that there was a delay of 3 months.

If I’ve been taking Propecia for 8 months now, will that prevent the hair loss caused by the stress that occurred about 1 week ago?

Any insight would be appreciated thank you.

Different people react to stress differently. I once saw a man a day after a big heart attack and he was very nonchalant and didn’t appear to be stressed that he almost died a day earlier! I can assume that he handles stress much differently than you do. To answer your question more specifically, there is really no gauge of stress, but rather your perception of what “REALLY” constitutes your stress level.
By the ongoing theme in your questioning, I can speculate you are a very particular about this stress issue. You should also keep in mind that hair loss from MPB will occur with or without stress, as it is in your genetic programming. There is no definitive timeline of stress and the lag time of hair loss.
Again, I can see you are obsessed about a stressful event. You are taking Propecia for the treatment of male pattern balding –- and not stress-related balding. If emotional stress is an issue for you, you may consider seeing a doctor for your stress related issues, as this is really a medical/psychological problem.

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July 16, 2007

In the News – Antibiotic Could Prevent Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

“Toshiyuki Sakai said his team had found “alopestatin” reduced hair loss by 70 percent when used on rats also given etoposide anti-cancer drugs.” The focus here appears to be for those using chemotherapy, but who knows where it will take them as they explore this technology. The article goes on to say that there are no clinical tests currently underway.

Read the article — Antibiotic could prevent hair-loss

July 16, 2007

Is Minoxidil Affected By Temperatures? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I had a question concerning Rogaine. Can Rogaine become unaffective if it’s left in harsh temperatures. I travel a lot. I drive in hot cars, and take airplanes oversees, leaving my luggage in the luggage bay. Will harsh conditions ruin Rogaine? Thanks for your time. Thank you doctor. This blog is great!

There are warnings about storing minoxidil. It is suggested that you store at room temperature between 68 and 77 degrees F (between 20 and 25 degrees C) away from heat. Heat may cause it to lose value, so hot cars in direct sunlight can not be a positive for storing the medication.

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July 16, 2007

Taking Levothyroxine and Lupron — Minoxidil Is Making My Hair Loss Worse – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I am in my 50’s and my hair is thinning in the front & top causing major anzxiety! I was on 200mg of levothyroxine for 3 years and still shedding hair. Now my doctor reduced to 175 and said I was on too much RX although I felt great. For the last 8 yrs I have been shedding hair so I don’t think it was the dosage. I have major stress seeing so much hair loss – males in the family are bald – is that going to happen to me?? I do not take any other medication however, I recently was put on Lupron for a possible hysterectomy. I don’t know what to do. I am taking minoxidil but it looks like it makes my hair fall out even more. What lab tests should I get? What should I do? —depressed in DC

You should have this conversation with your doctor. Anxiety with AGA does not bode well. Add to that medications that are known to have some hair loss side effect, and the problem is compounded. My heart goes out to you.