Dr. William Rassman – Page 1701

December 6, 2006

Stopping Minoxidil and Sexual Side Effects of Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Doctor,

I have two questions to ask,

My hair is good so far and safe but from three months ago I started to lose hair and I think this is due to hereditary hair loss, I think of using Minoxidil hopefully to stop the hair fall but i have two questions regarding that,

My first question:
1- is it true that if i use minoxidil for a while and then decide to stop it one day, it would cause my hair to fall out in three months, I mean is it true that it might make the way it loses faster than the normal process of hair loss or do you think that if i stop using it while my hair was good in the first place it would just start to lose as usual (the normal hair loss process)?

my second question is
Do you think Minoxidil is the best choice so far as in Propecia many people suffer from side effects?

Thank you and looking forward to your reply

Withdrawal from long term use of minoxidil only causes you to lose what you gained from the drug, nothing more. Propecia (finasteride) goes after the actual cause of the hair loss, the DHT receptor that kicks the hair out while minoxidil does not. Propecia is better for men and is only approved for use in men. Only about 1% of men suffer from libido effects with Propecia and if you are in the 1%, just stop the drug and the effect goes away in a few days.

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December 6, 2006

T-Gel Shampoo and Recent Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

20 days post operation.

I am a 24 year old male and just had a hair transpant (2000 grafts). Everything seems to be going OK, however, I used a Tar Shampoo (T-Gel) for direct shampooing on the recipient area (twice) before reading that this may interfere with the growth of the grafts. I have switched to another shampoo, however, I am wondering if this has already affected the transplanted area in a negative way.

You can burn the hair below the skin. For a description of the product and its risks read MedicineNet. It would be unusual to negatively impact the new transplants at 20 days. You should go back to the doctor who did your transplants and ask him/her. I generally advise that after a transplant, you use gentle shampoos like baby shampoo, which is safe and will not burn the skin.

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December 5, 2006

Balding After 30 Years Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr,

Great website. I had a question. You have stated in the past that the balding process tends to end at the age of 30. Can you elaborate on this? It has been my experience that most men lose more hair in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

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The very bald person loses most of his hair in his 20s, although this is just a general rule. There are different patterns of balding and these patterns often slow their progression as a person ages. But of course, the older you are, the more balding you will see in the overall male population. That means that the 20 year old with early signs of advanced balding may be that Class 7 pattern man by their late 20s. Some of the patterns of balding do start later in life, but these men rarely get very advanced hair loss patterns. The key to good control of the balding process is early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment. The earlier the treatment for genetic male pattern balding, the better the medication works (like Propecia).

I often see men in their 30s start thinning and then progressing slowly to a balding pattern like the 3V pattern shown below. Over time, the crown balding in these men may expand to a larger area as they get into their 40s and 50s. Propecia works very well at slowing, stopping and possibly reversing the hair loss in those men who have this 3V pattern appear in their 30s or 40s.

For your reference, here is the Norwood Chart that shows the different patterns of male genetic hair loss. One rarely sees the Class 7 pattern start appearing in men past 30 years pf age.

December 5, 2006

My Family Doctor Told Me That After 10 Years, Propecia Users Are as Bald as If Never Taking It – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doc,

I am 22 years old and I am starting to lose my hair. There is history of baldness in my family, and my older brother is bald as well. I am thinking of going on Propecia, but I am weary about committing to a drug for life. Also, my family doctor said that Propecia tends to lose its potency after five years, and after ten years people who take it end up as bald as they would be without the medication. Any thoughts?

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Your doctor is wrong. For more information about this, including a good example, please see Propecia and Hair Count. Finasteride (Propecia) is a great drug to keep control of the hair loss and it is clearly protective against prostate cancer. Some doctors are just plain foolish about this drug and many patients who read the information online are far more aware than these ignorant doctors.

December 5, 2006

Arm Hair Grew in Very Thick After Removing Cast – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hey Doc,

I broke my arm 2 years ago and had a cast for 4 months. After removing the cast, I noticed that the hair on my arms were REALLY thick and sprouted all over the place. It was kind of scary, but after about 2 months all the hair returned to normal.

Can you explain what caused this? I have always been curious.

Many people that are required to wear a cast see what you’ve reported. This occurs because the arm hair which sheds frequently as the short hair cycle pushes out old hair (a half to one inch in length) is protected in the cast so that it does not fall out day be day. Most people with normal bathing and showers will get these old hairs to fall out by a simple scrub.

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December 5, 2006

Blurred Vision from Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello, I’m using Rogain 5% and I’ve noticed some minor signs of blurred vision, mostly at farsighted objects.

Considering it may be a minox side effect, should I:

– Continue Rogaine 5% and wait weeks/few months because it it’s temporary (and not a really bad blurry vision) and will not damage my permanent vision.
– Change to Rogaine 2%
– Change To Rogaine Foam
– Quit using Rogaine?

Thanks for your help and amazing blog

The purpose of this site is to educate, not to become a treatment substitute for your doctor. With that said, minoxidil is known to cause blurred vision. How you react to it is either to get medical advice from your doctor or experiment as you suggested above. As a doctor, I would want to know what you are treating, whether it is the best medication for you, what your goals are, etc.

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December 5, 2006

Olux Foam and Dandruff – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

male – 15
Hey, Ive had dandruff on my hair for quite some time now. it is curly,black and kind of dry and short… recently the dandruff has seemed to be getting worse and my hair thinning ALOT… also it gets REALLy itchy when i start sweating (i do alot of sports..) and it is thinnning alot along the top and sides, it isnt itchy so much all the time, but the hair loss is very visible.. It also is itchy at times. i have been using ‘head and shoulders intensive treatment’ and was prescribed ‘olux foam, 0.05%’ which seemed to help, but havent gotten it re-prescribed for about 6 months to a year.. any help would be helpful.

Olux Foam is a topical steroid and it should not be used frequently as it will be absorbed by the body and eventually it would impact adrenal gland function. This medication is used for psoriasis (a disease which causes dandruff amongst other things). I believe if you read about it, you will learn more about what you are doing: Drugs.com – Olux Foam

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December 5, 2006

Recreating the Hairline – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

my hairline seems to be moving back about an inch.. I know you describe this as a maturing hairline.. It seems that my hairline is now more of a zone. where if you pull back my hair the scalp slowly dissapears over the course of another half inch. It seems more of a zone. Have you done treatments where you recreate the line.. I dont wish to move the hairline back down but to just make it more of a line. Can transplants be placed that close together? If so, would you normally do this procedure on a 27 yr old? or would I have to wait until I’m older

There are many patients who have slight thinning of the frontal hair line. Hair transplantation to the thinning frontal line works well, but a correct diagnosis has to be made and the surgeon and the patient would be wise to make a “Master Plan” for future hair loss. At 27 years old, I would suggest that you have your scalp mapped for miniaturization to assess the current health of your hair and possibly determine your future hair loss scenario.

Assuming that the diagnosis of genetic balding is correct, you can increase the fullness of hair in your frontal area by having hair transplants. I generally tell my transplant patients to put the hairline where it belongs, not to shoot for a higher hairline. When high hairlines are created 1-2 inches higher than normal, they do not look natural because a strong higher-than-normal hairline is not normally found in nature.

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December 5, 2006

Sunscreen Caused Eyebrows To Fall Out – Balding Blog

I used a sunscreen on my face (one of the new sprays) and while playing tennis, the sunglasses that I was wearing literally disolved and the eyebrow hair underneath the area where the glasses were over a period of three months fell out. In some places, small, very thick black hairs grow, but fall out after about 2-3 weeks. It has been over 6 months now and the area has not filled back in on either side. Is there any hope that this will grow back or should I consider having an eyebrow transplant? Thank you for your response.

Sounds like what you used chemically damaged your hair. I would doubt that it would come back, but wait it out for a year, just to deal with the cycling of the hair to be sure. Transplants are a good option to consider.

December 4, 2006

Hair Loss InformationAlopecia Areata Gene? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr you responded to one of my questions suggesting that I get tested for the alopecia areata gene…i contacted the naaf & the person i spoke with said she is not aware if testing for the gene is possible, can you tell me if you know otherwise and where i can get this testing done?

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Angela Christiano, a researcher at Columbia University, studied alopecia areata and alopecia totalis in populations of families. She found genetic evidence that made people prone to this disease. I found this article in the Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology, Alopecia areata: current state of knowledge, which could be another starting point for your research. Here is an abstract of the article:

Blaumeiser B – J Am Acad Dermatol – 01-APR-2006; 54(4): 627-32, From NIH/NLM MEDLINE, NLM Citation ID: 16546583 (PubMed) Full Source Title: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Department of Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. bettina.blaumeiser@ua.ac.be Authors: Blaumeiser B; van der Goot I; Fimmers R; Hanneken S; Ritzmann S; Seymons K; Betz RC; Ruzicka T; Wienker TF; De Weert J; Lambert J; Kruse R; NÃ¶then MM

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Familial aggregation of alopecia areata (AA) has been previously described, but systematic studies with information obtained directly from family members have yet to be undertaken. OBJECTIVE: We sought to study the pattern of familial aggregation of AA by assessing the affection status of patients’ relatives. The study included 206 index patients with a total of 1029 first-degree and 2625 second-degree relatives. METHODS: First-degree relatives were directly interviewed, whereas information on second-degree relatives was obtained by interviewing the index patients and their first-degree relatives. RESULTS: Estimated lifetime risks were 7.1% in siblings, 7.8% in parents, and 5.7% in offspring. The risk in second-degree relatives was slightly higher than the reported population risk. Age at onset in index patients and first-degree relatives was significantly correlated. LIMITATIONS: Using patients drawn from specialized hair clinics may have produced results showing a higher proportion of early onset and severe cases. CONCLUSION: The familial aggregation of AA supports the role of genetic factors in the development of the disease. In addition, our data indicate genetic factors might contribute to the age at onset of AA.

For a Complete Review, you might locate the following article: Alopecia areata: current state of knowledge. Norris D – J Am Acad Dermatol – 01-JUL-2004; 51(1 Suppl): S16-7 From NIH/NLM MEDLINE Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.