Dr. William Rassman – Page 1709

November 17, 2006

If I Stop Minoxidil, Will It Harm the Existing Good Hair Too? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,
I’m a 23 year old who has, as of the past 2 years, been using Propecia with what I believe to be good results. Still, in the cranial areas superior to the temples, theres still some thinning taking place (the apex of the forehead is fine, no thinning). Three days ago, I decided to try Minoxidil in just those areas. When I apply it though, it clearly seeps onto my other good, thick hair nearby. Though I already know that once you stop Minoxidil the hair you’ve regrown there falls out, but my question is will one day deciding to stop the minoxidil also make the hair that the drug may have touched during application fall out as well (the hair that would normally had stayed had I not used minoxidil at all)? Thanks for reading.

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If minoxidil is applied to normal hair there will be no response to it (provided that there are no side effects of the drug, like an allergic reaction). Stopping minoxidil will not impact normal hair that was exposed to the drug.

November 17, 2006

90 Year Old Woman Has Severely Itchy Scalp, Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My mother-in-law is 90. She has been having a severe itch problem, dry scalp, and loss of hair. She has been to Her family Dr. and to a Dermatologist and they just say it is dry shin. She has a Rx cream to apply. I’m mainly concerned about her scalp. It is so very dry. I have given her a treatment for conditioning the hair. Also had her use Selsun Blue shampoo several times. It doesn’t seem to be getting better and the hair loss seems to be getting worse. She scratches her head so much that she gets sores. Is this just part of getting older or some other problem? Dr. here haven’t helped much. Do you have an answer? We would appreciate any help you can give.

Thank you so very much!

In dermatology, there is a humorous anecdote when referring to skin problems. It goes something like this — “If it is dry, wet it; if it is wet, dry it.” I would focus on shampoos and conditioners that are made for dry skin. Sometimes, I recommend a good quality hand lotion be gently rubbed into the scalp. Then with a shampoo an hour later, wash off the scalp with a shampoo for dry skin, following by a conditioner for dry skin. See if this works.

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November 17, 2006

Doctors Discouraged 19 Year Old From Using Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Im a 19 year old male,and for the past year and especially the past 3 months my hair has thinned and receded almost an inch. Ive always been told i just have a large forhead so i shrugged it off, now im scared because i am afraid to go out without my hat on and i dont like this. Ive started rogaine but i feel like its gonna be pointless cause of how much ive already lost, im not ready to suck it up and shave my head yet. Both my docter and dermotoligist told me its just bad genes and i got male pattern baldness and discouraged propecia and vitamins. Ive died it 5 times in the last year, and i plan on dieing it again, because the darker color makes it seem as though i hav e more hair, both docters told me this doesnt affect it. Ive always had long hair and im not ready to lose it, am i to young for a hair transplant.

If you have genetic hair loss, you should be on Propecia, so I disagree with your doctors. Without a doctor / patient relationship, I can not make a diagnosis, but 19 is not too young for Propecia treatment in genetic male patterned balding. You need to have your hair mapped out for miniaturization to determine the diagnosis. You are clearly too young to think about hair transplants, particular without getting some doctor first to take care of your hair loss with appropriate medications.

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November 17, 2006

Low Testosterone and Low Luteinizing Hormone Levels – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Can low testosterone and low Leutinizing Hormone levels contribute to hair loss? I am a 30yr old male, I have low testosterone and low LH levels and I am suffering from total head/hair miniaturization! I have no balding or recession, just total miniaturization all over my head (also my side burns are thinning and my facial hair-beard/chin hair is changing texture (thinning) and color! is there any correlation? thank you

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a by-product of testosterone, is one of the many causes of androgenic hair loss when the genetics are there. I am curious to know where and how you were diagnosed with miniaturization of your hair. If indeed you have total miniaturization of hair, then you may have a condition known as Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA), a condition we’ve written about in published medical journals. More importantly, you need to follow up with your doctor to make sure you do not have any other medical conditions that may be contributing to your generalized hair loss.

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November 17, 2006

Reader Response to Using Rogaine Foam – Balding Blog

A reader wrote in with a quick review of his experience using the Rogaine Foam, and I thought it was worthwhile to post for those that are still looking into trying this newly released product…

It’s easily available now without a prescription and the foam does have some advantages. It doesn’t run, so it’s easier to apply. And it contains no propylene glycol as does the Rogaine XS solution. However, I have some reservations about its use. The beneficial actions of topical minoxidil are dose related and the Rogaine foam is only a 5% compound. The foam by its sheer volume deposits a large amount of each application on the hair shafts, where it cannot be absorbed and remains ineffectual.

Out of curiosity, I recently bought a bottle of Rogaine foam ($29.99). It seems to be more inconvenient to use than the Rogaine XS solution. Unless your hands are cold, the foam will immediately liquefy. You should also be aware of the fact that the foam contains both butane, isobutane and propane, so it is highly flammable. But, if the Rogaine Foam fits your needs, this might be a good alternative product for topical minoxidil use.

These are the inactive ingredients listed for the Rogaine Foam: butane, butylated hydroxytoluene, cetyl alcohol, citric acid, fragrance, glycerin, isobutane, lactic acid, polysorbate 60, propane, purified water, SD alcohol 40B, stearyl alcohol. See product warnings.

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November 16, 2006

Propecia and Acne? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi doc, i just had a quick question for you. im 23 and i started losing or at least noticing my hair loss this year, so i have been taking propecia for 2 months now, my question is does propecia cause acne, because for some reason my acne has got really bad, but my sex drive seems to be normal, should i continue to take propecia and hope that my acne is from other causes? because i dont want to go to my doctor and waste time if you can help me? please respond back, thank you.

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I do not believe acne is a common side effect of Propecia (finasteride 1mg). Your question is very peculiar though. You are obviously concerned about your thinning hair and have hair loss to a degree that has made you desire to invest time and money in taking Propecia. Acne and early hair loss have a common thread — they happen to occur at about the same age. I believe that if there is a connection, it is with the age of the patient. According to a published study titled 5 alpha-reductase and finasteride in pattern alopecia and acne, “There remains debate whether 5 alpha-reductase will additionally also prove beneficial for acne”

This research is still ongoing, but if Propecia is a source of your acne, are you willing to stop taking it to halt your acne? In other words, are you willing to lose hair for clear skin? That’s entirely up to you.

November 16, 2006

Hair Transplant Did Not Grow After a Year! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear sir,
I underwent hair restoration surgery last year in the month of Octobar. All the transplanted hair fell and i didn’t get them back.what could be wrong? doctor not skilled enough to do it or what,Is it possible to redo surgery?

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When the entire transplant fails, then it is possible that something major went wrong at the time of the surgery. This could be a disastrous mistake that killed the grafts or even an unskilled surgical team. Was the team skilled? Did you check out the doctors first? Did you see patients of theirs? If you decide to redo it, be sure that you have these questions answered… or do some more research and find a different doctor.

For more on what could go wrong during a hair transplant procedure, please see Things That Can Go Wrong in Hair Transplant Surgery.

November 16, 2006

Are Marijuana, Ecstasy, and Pain Killers Causing Me to Lose Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

so ive had a full head of hair my whole life but around 18 i noticed my hair falling out. for about a year i messed around with different drugs like pot, pain killers, and ecstacy. in that year i noticed my hair falling out at a considerably fast rate. for about five months now ive been clean and have taked many steps toward improving my health but the problem doesnt seem to be getting better. what can i do to control it and will the hair return once i get it under control.

No to drugs Many drugs can trigger hair loss as a potential side effect. Male patterned genetic hair loss has four causes:

genetics
male hormones
time (age)
stress

You may have early signs of male pattern hair loss and the stress that you have put on your body with the drugs may have started the process a bit early. Or it is simply a coincidence that you noticed the hair loss around the time you were doing drugs. If you want to be proactive about your hair loss problem, you should find a good doctor who can examine your hair for signs of miniaturization and check your overall health status.

Its great to hear that you have cleaned yourself up! Say no to drugs!

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November 16, 2006

My Hair Has Become Thinner Over the Years – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 37 year old male who has a full head of hair, however my hair has always been very fine and frizzy/slightly curly. As a result, I shampoo it daily and I’ve always applied gel and then used a blow dryer daily to straighten it too.

In the last few years, my hair has gotten much more fine, and overall it is less thick than it used to be and much more prone to static, especially if i let it dry naturally and don’t use product/blow dry. It’s clearly changed in thickness during my mid thirties, however I don’t seem to be receding dramatically or anything like that. Does this the fact that my hair has gotten much more fine mean that I might be beginning to go bald and is it likely that this process will continue? Do I need to take steps now to prevent it getting more fine?

Thanks for the help!

Great site.

Some people will see a change in the hair shaft diameter towards finer as they get older. That could explain what you are telling me. You want to be sure, however, that the finer hair is uniform all over the head (including the sides and back). The lack of uniformity could suggest a problem, so we generally like to map out the hair throughout the entire scalp for miniaturization to determine if you have some condition that is causing it. If uniformity is seen, then using styling agents to thicken the hair shaft is the way to go.

November 16, 2006

Switched from Minoxidil 15% to 5% and Now I’m Shedding – Balding Blog

Dear Dr,

I have been on Xandrox15 (on frontal/temporal area) for about 6 months till date. At first I thought it didnt help much so I switched back to Rogaine 5% about 3 weeks ago. About the 2nd week onwards, I started encountering major shedding on the hairline. Now, I can see the receding areas which wasnt so obvious before. Even my hair stylist commented it at the 3rd week when I went for a haircut (I visit him usually monthly).

My question is, could it be that minoxidil 15% was working for me and the switch to Rogaine 5 % (which i had been using for past 3 yrs and didnt help with regrowth but maybe a little in delaying the frontal hairloss) is causing the shed?

Thanks!

Minoxidil dependence (and shedding after stopping it) is mostly reported in the patients who had some improvement with medication. Although there is no documentation of dependence on higher doses of this medication, with decreasing the dose, I assume that dependence could be dose dependent. That means, if you are switching from a higher to a lower dose of medication, you may experience shedding or just losing the benefit of the high dose. Again, minoxidil dependence only occurs in hair that sees benefit from minoxidil. The better the hair thickness gets, the more the dependence upon minoxidil. If you continue to have shedding after that period, you must see a hair specialist to evaluate the miniaturization of your hair and make sure this hair loss is part of a regular “pattern” baldness and that there are no other factors involved. It is possible that the shedding is the result of your primary problem.