Dr. William Rassman – Page 1671

February 12, 2007

Hair Loss After Anesthesia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Im a 22 year old male from San Jose. I went to your NHI office when I was 22 and I was told to start taking Rogaine and propecia. It worked. However, in november of 2006 I had eye surgery under general and local anesthesia. Since then my hair has been falling out like mad. I was wondering what is the average time for this fall out to cease and will the hair I regrew on rogaine and propecia come back?

Hair loss is caused by four factors:

genes (for the genetic defect)
hormones (produced normally from the testicles)
time (the longer the hair follicles are exposed to the hormones, the progressive nature of the hair loss will demonstrate itself)
stress

Your surgery and anesthesia cause enough of a stress to accelerate your hair loss. If you are on Propecia and it still happened, you are now entering another phase of the hair loss process. It may not come back, but you should come back to see me and we will analyze this together.

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February 12, 2007

Hair Loss is Causing My Depression – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had beautiful hair my entire life. I received compliments weekly on it; it was that nice. I took SYNTHROID for 6 months when my thyroid problem was only borderline and I should NOT have taken it. 99.9% of the subsequent doctors said I should not have taken it. My hair changed completely. I took the drug MAY 05 through NOV 05. It changed the texture, the thickness, I now have a see-through head of hair (especilally on top) and I am depressed. I saw 35 doctors, 2 trichologists and 1 supposed “expert” who said I was in the shedding phase and it would stop. After 16 months, he said it was “long” but would go back to normal. Not true. Has not happened. My life is not the same and I quit my job over this. I haven’t worked since. I have been taking sulfur and fish oil gels every day – the hair was holding steady but still bad until OCT 2006 when things hit the fan and the top got super thin and fallout was twice as bad. I am scared I will be bald and never have a life again. I feel like a monster. My marriage isn’t too great either due to my unceasing depression. I need to be in a study group or with a group of scientists who study hair. I cannot go on. Please…help. Thank you.

Synthroid could be a cause of hair loss. If it was the only cause of hair loss in your case, it should have been reversed with stopping the medication by now. Since you stopped taking it more than a year ago and did not grow your hair back, you must have some other factors involved and thus need a thorough evaluation.

It is proven that hair loss can increase the level of anxiety and cause depression in several studies that have performed in Europe (see PubMed – Psychological aspects of hair disease). The only thing I can recommend is a medical evaluation to have a proper diagnosis. You need to get started on appropriate treatment with a hair specialist. Diagnosis of hair loss is not always simple and it takes a great deal of patience on your part to work through diagnosis and the slowness of treating the problem. You must have a good doctor to do this with. Good luck.

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February 12, 2007

Loestrin and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m confused about birth control – please help! I started taking Loestrin 5 weeks ago and noticed 2 weeks ago I’m losing lots of hair. I figure it’s due to the start of the birth control. So I’ve been reading up on it and find conflicting information. Can you tell me if I should stop the birth control or stay on it, hoping the hair loss will stop on it’s own (that’s what my doctor recommends). Does birth control CAUSE hair loss or does it HELP to keep it from happening? I can’t decide if I’m making it worse by continuing my birth control. Currently, I’m taking it, recovering from having a baby 9 months ago, and taking Rogaine per the advice of my doctor, to speed along hair growth. She feels it’s temporary and it will grow back. Any advice?

Birth control pills contribute to hair loss in some women. The decision to take it with that side effect, should be something between you and your doctor. Sometimes, other birth control pills may have less hair loss effects, but you need to discuss this with your doctor.

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February 12, 2007

My Father Started Receding at Age 50 – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I read your comment reccommending a 15 yo guy to wait until he’s 30 to see if he has hair loss then decide on a hairline lowering surgery. I am 31 and am considering the surgery to shorten my long forehead. I am not really sure if it is receding (must be really slow if it is), though my father’s did not until he is 50. Did you imply that hairline is not likely to recede (at least not quickly) after the age of 30?

Thanks a lot!

A receding hairline after the late 30s is unusual, but it happens. You may take after your father and recede later in life. Using Propecia is one thing that allows you to be more proactive about hair receding, rather than waiting for completion of the hair loss, but you must have a proper diagnosis so that you know what you are treating if you elect to do something about it. This way you can prevent future hair loss to some degrees, at least on the top and crown area, and take care of the frontal hairline with a hair transplant.

Taking medication before the process starts on the expectation of hair loss is certainly not something that I would recommend for my young readers who worry about what might happen to them. A long forehead (high forehead) is easy to treat with hair transplants and wonderful results are a reasonable target. You can see many, many patient results in the New Hair Institute Patient Photo Galleries.

February 12, 2007

Sores on Back of Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

In the last 6 months my dad, age 62, has developed sores on the back of his head. They get very sore and drain some kind of puss that smells and he just keeps getting them. It starts around the occipital bone area and goes up to the parietal bone area. I have discovered one bald area about in the middle of parietal area, which has only occurred in about the last 2 months.

I would really appreciate any information you may have. Thanks so much.

Your father needs to be seen by a physician. By his history, I would guess that he may have had an infected sebaceous cyst. A skin cyst can get infected and turn into an abscess cavity. The infected cysts usually drain on their own if not treated. Any kind of infectious or inflammatory process can cause reactive hair loss in the immediate scalp skin. In most cases, hair loss is reversible and does not need any intervention, but I have seen the hair defect permanent in a few patients. Your father needs to first ’see a doctor’, then expect to wait a good 6 months before findoug if the balding spot clears up. If there still is a bald spot after 6 months of observation, he may see a hair specialist for further diagnosis and treatment, including a limited hair transplant by the end of a year with no hair growth.

February 12, 2007

Using DermMatch and Couvre with Seborrheic Dermatitis – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr Rassman

I’m considering to try “Dermatch” and “couvre” . My concern is that i have a chronic seborrheic dermatitis condition on my scalp . Do these two products have a negative effect in conditions such as mine ? Let me also tell yoy that i shampoo daily using Nizoral 2% , ,a salycylic acid shampoo( Node Ds) and occasionaly Betadine.

I would deeply appreciate it if you could mail any reply

Thank you very much for your time

There should be no problem with the use of both of these cosmetics with seborrhea.

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February 9, 2007

Hair Loss InformationExperiencing Propecia Side Effects for All 9 Months of Use – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I am a 26 y/o male who has been taking propecia for about 9 months now. I have been experiencing sexual side effects for the whole time I’ve been taking the medication. I have read in blogs/articles that the side effects tend to go away after prolonged use. If they were to go away, would they be gone by the 9 month point?

If they should have been gone by now, I have no choice but to decrease the dosage to .5mg. Why do you recommend being off the drug for 2 weeks before switching to the .5mg? I understand that its b/c you want to side effects to go away before switching….but will the side effects not go away if you switch immediately from 1mg to .5mg and continue to take daily?Can you please explain the rational behind this b/c I am afraid of losing more hair by not taking the medication for 2 weeks. Please respond Dr. Rassman, these sexual side effects are depressing me quite a bit. Thanks for the help.

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The sexual side effects associated with Propecia are generally temporary. Taking 1/2 the dose may also alleviate the side effect. Taking 1/2 dose is 70% as effective and it is certainly better than taking no finasteride.

Before considering changing any drug regiment you need to discuss this with the doctor that prescribed you the medication. You may have another medical problem unrelated to the use of Propecia that is causing your sexual side effect. Some men can not get over this sexual side effect problem and then for a good sex life, they would not take this drug. Minoxidil is a reasonable alternative in such situations.

The purpose of stopping the medication for two weeks is to determine if Propecia was what was causing your side effect. In theory even this method is flawed, because of the placebo effect.

February 9, 2007

Hair Loss InformationHairMax LaserComb Receives FDA Approval? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I received two emails recently about the HairMax LaserComb, so I’ll combine my response into one…

EMAIL 1:

I was watching The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch last night, and a representative from the makers of the Hairmax Lasercomb announced point blank that they had received FDA approval to make claims for hair growth. He mentioned something like 19 new hairs per centimeter. This is a big deal. I was expecting a bigger announcement, and now I cannot find any press release or report announcing Hairmax’s FDA approval. If the comb is in fact FDA approved to stop hairloss/regrow hair, it’s something I would consider adding to my regimen. Have you heard anything about Hairmax gaining FDA approval?

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EMAIL 2:

Hello Dr. Rassman,
I recently read that the Hairmax Laser Comb has now been cleared by the FDA as a product which is “clinically proven to promote hair growth in males with androgenetic alopecia (Norwood II A to V with Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV)”. Here is the link: hairmaxforum.com

I’m a bit suprised that I have not heard more media buzz about this. Is this now the 3rd FDA approved method to treat MPB? I have read your prior posts on the subject and am just intrested to know what this new FDA approval actually means. Any thoughts? Thank you

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This came out of the FDA and this is the exact wording in the final page of the FDA letter in January 2007:

Indications for Use
510(k) Number (if known): K060 305
Device Name: HairMax LaserComb
Indications for Use:
The LaserComb is indicated to promote hair growth in males with androgenetic alopecia who have Norwood Hamilton Classifications of la to V and Fitzpatrick Skin Types I to IV.

It is important for the readership to note that just because this is cleared by the FDA, it does not mean that it is guaranteed to grow hair. I would like to see an independent scientific study with adequate statistics, done by a third party. If I saw that, I would be comfortable in recommending it depending on the results the study found. I have not seen the company’s submission science, so I can not endorse this and would not recommend that everyone go out and buy one. Frankly, I’m just not convinced, despite FDA clearance.

February 9, 2007

58 Year Old Woman Looking to Take Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 58 year old woman, who is getting a lot of hair loss near the front of my head. This has been going on for about 6 months, and I’m not sure if I should start Propecia (correct spelling?) or Minoxidil. I’m hypothroid,and take a combination of armour thyroid, and synthroid, the latter being more a culprit in hair loss I’ve read. If my being hypothyroid will always keep me losing hair, is there any point to starting a hair serum/medication?

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Women after menopause have been the subject of one of the studies on finasteride (Propecia). The study, involving 137 post-menopausal women with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) who were treated with Propecia vs. placebo for 12 months, could not demonstrate effectiveness of Propecia. Another study shows it might help, but the statistics are just not there. Minoxidil is the only FDA approved medication for women with hair loss at this point.

Hypothyroid condition and synthroid are both blamed for hair loss. Although hypothyroid disorders may increase hair loss, I assume your thyroid hormone level is corrected being on thyroid medications. If in doubt, discuss it with your endocrinologist. As I said before, there is no systemic medication for treatment of hair loss in women now.

February 9, 2007

Using Minoxidil with Toppik – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

I’m 43, male and have just had a FUE. My question is how do i use Minoxidil if i already have Toppik in my hair? My surgeon has said that i should use Minoxidil for 6 weeks to help the transplanted hairs. Will this help? What if i don’t use the Minoxidil?

Regards and many thanks for this great service you are providing.

If you want to use minoxidil and Toppik, I would apply minoxidil first, let it dry, then apply Toppik.

There is no study to prove the minoxidil will help your transplant to grow faster. It may help, but nobody really knows. Your transplanted hair should grow regardless of minoxidil. It may help keep your existing hair from falling out.

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