Dr. William Rassman – Page 1614

June 8, 2007

Hair Loss from Motorcycle Helmet? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Doc,
Can pulling on and pulling off a motorcycle helmet every other day cause hairloss or weaken hair at the root so it falls out? I try to be as careful as possible but rubbing my hair on the sides is unavoidable! Thank you.

Usually hair loss from motorcycle helmets if fitted properly should not occur. However, I recently saw a patient who wore a very tight (not properly fitted helmet) for a few months and he had hair loss on certain areas where the helmet was rubbing on his scalp/face. This type of hair loss is caused by traction and is known as traction alopecia, commonly seen in women who braid their hair too tightly. This type of hair loss may be permanent, depending on how long the insult has been occurring.

June 8, 2007

I Want a Hair Transplant, But I Don’t Want a Noticeable Scar Around My Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

How many years are we from a transplant without a noticeable scar (Donor Scar) around someone’s head? Im sure that a lot more people (especially people with shave fades or short hair) would get a transplant if there wasnt a large ugly permanant scar around their head.

The answer is NOW!

We have a follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique called the FOX Procedure that has been pioneered by me in the early 2000s, and was presented at the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) conference in 2002. In fact, a company in San Jose is currently working on a robotic system to accomplish this task. This technology was invented and patented by Dr. Pak and I back in 1998.

The FOX/FUE technique leaves virtually undetectable scars. It is important to understand that all surgical cuts will create a scar but the FOX/FUE technique involves extracting single hair follicles, one at a time, leaving a scar the size of a small dot. Since these dots are random and small, you would not notice the scar even if you buzz cut your hair. In other words, there will be no linear scar. If you look at this earlier posting, you will see a patient who had no detectable scar even with a shaved head.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 8, 2007

Iron Deficiency Caused Follicle to Die? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been told my a so called hair expert that hair that fell out from iron deficiency could have caused the hair follicle to atrophy and die. What is the chances of this happening. My hairloss lasted about 4 months. Thanks

I would need to know whether you are male or female and if the iron deficiency resolved (you commented that it ‘lasted about 4 months’). Generally, if you are iron deficient, reversing the process should bring the hair back after a hair cycle has occurred. I do not know enough about your history to answer your questions more specifically, though.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 8, 2007

My Twin and I Lost Leg Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’ve been reading some of the postings about hair loss on calf. You commented about not knowing age & also about role of DHT & hair being one of the benefits.

With that in mind, here’s another one for you. My fraternal twin & I have both lost the hair on the calves of our legs. Happened in late 30s-early 40s. All the males on father’s side are pretty hirsute, as we are. In my case, I have all the hair I’ve ever had everywhere else, including the tops of my feet and toes! I’m a little thin on top, too, as is my brother. But, I’m also now dealing with rampant eyebrow hair growth & hairy ears needing trimmed. I have pitting edema of lower calves as well, but normal warmth and good pedal pulses. What do you think?

Thanks!

Pedal edema (swelling of the feet) usually reflects some medical problem. With swollen feet, there may be a connection. Does your fraternal twin have pedal edema? Good chance that there is some genetic cause, but I am stumped.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 8, 2007

Out of Box Thinking for Poor Hair Supply — Using Glue – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

The technology of hair transplants have certainly changed since I first started with Dr. Sparkyl. NHI has refined and developed techniques that has been appreciated by all of us.However the denisity of hair and the amount of donor sites is limited and can limit the final outcome.I’m interested in developing a method where two to three hair would be glued around existing hair and eventually would come of after 4-6 weeks similar to a traditional hair piece.The question I have is somebody working on this process, and if not what do you see as potential problems or any valuable suggestion for this project.

I am not aware of anyone working on this today. There is a problem in that any hairs that are glued to existing hair will ‘pull out’ the existing hair and create traction alopecia. I’d love the opportunity to talk to you about it.

June 7, 2007

Lasers for Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman

I was wondering if the hand held LLLT (Low Laser Light Therapy) Lasers work at all. If so do they work as well as the expensive ones in the doctors office? Is there a certain type and name brand that you would recommend? Thank you very much for your time.

As of right now I am open and hopeful that LLLT will show the benefits that are proclaimed, although I am not 100% convinced about them. There are some encouraging studies from a well respected researcher who supports LLLT in concept. I can not comment much about this subject until I have more data and have reviewed better scientific papers on the matter. You are correct, the handheld systems are less expensive, but the only study that I’m aware of was published and sponsored by the manufacturer, making me skeptical of anything I read about them. In my opinion, when things sound too good to be true, they frequently are too good to be true.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 7, 2007

Hair Length Before Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 22 and am scheduled for a hair transplant surgery on July 9th this year for the frontal cortex, coming up soon obviously. My question is , How long should the donor area be in length?? I normally cut my hair short to hide the thinning, but if its crucial that my hair be a certain length, i need to know if i should get a trim instead of a full blown cutting as normal if my surgery is scheduled 5-6 weeks away from now.

This is a question that your transplant doctor should answer. Generally, I tell my patients to keep it as long as possible. Length will hide the surgical donor site best.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 7, 2007

Hair Transplant Done By the Doctor or the Technicians? – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman, I had hair transplant procedures last week. My doctor who puncture holes first and then more than six different workers to place grafts for me. I wonder who control the hair direction. The doctor or workers ????

Ballet The direction is controlled by the person who puts in the ‘holes’. The grafts, once placed in the recipient site, will follow the direction of the hole. It seems simple enough, but the recipient sites must be placed at a horizon angle that is correct and in a direction pointing forward between the ‘parts’. See Transplanting Hair in the Correct Direction for more.

The modern hair transplant is a very labor intensive process and a team must do the work in order to get it done in a reasonable timeframe. The technicians/nurses who place the grafts must have years of experience. If the grafts are not handled gently, if they are left open to air for more than a few seconds, they may die… so transplanting the grafts may not produce growth if the grafts dried out before they were put into the recipient sites. There are many subtle nuances in the technical side of this process and when there are all done with precision, it is like a ‘ballet’ beautiful to watch.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 7, 2007

Head Fungus from Diet Pills? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

could my prescribed diet pills be the cause of my head fungus and breakouts on my face? the prescription’s name is phentermine. i took the pills for 1 yr and a year later my head fungus developed. could another possibility for my head fungus be my nerves and stress? should i get therapy?

Just so I’m clear, here’s the summary of what you’ve told me is going on…

Perhaps you are on the right track of considering therapy.

Phentermine is a potentially dangerous diet medication and you should be under close medical supervision. I do not believe phentermine would potentiate head fungus. It may be multifactorial — including your stress level causing a depression in your natural body’s defense system.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

June 7, 2007

I Have an Uneven Hairline, Inherited from My Mother’s Side of the Family – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I was hoping for some advise on a matter that has been bothering me for the past few years. My hairline started to “recede” at 21, and stopped at 24. According to my dermatologist there is no further recession or miniaturization and seeing that the only bald person in my family is my paternal great grandfather, and his hair loss was at the crown only – I’m pretty hopeful that the gene won’t affect me. The problem is, that I seem to have inherited the uneven hairline from my mother’s side. Every male in her family has one side slightly higher than the other. My mirror twin in fact also has the same problem, but on the opposite side. The question is, whether it would be worthwhile transplanting hair into the right hand side of my hairline to even it out, considering I am only 26.

Thanks in advance: Guy who is tired of hiding behind a fringe.

This is a classic cosmetic surgery challenge. Yes, you can fix it and if you never bald, you will be finished with it after a hair transplant.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):