Dr. William Rassman – Page 1762

August 9, 2006

Why Don’t More People Just Get Hair Transplants? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi!

I’m wondering….

Lots of men are slowly getting bald mostly in front areas. In some stage of a life they usually develop “high forehead”. It’s unfortunately a normal course of events for majority of us.

I’m talking about mild baldness classified II to III or IIa to IIIa by Norwood Classes…

So my question is: why don’t these men simply transplant their hair from back to front. As I understood it lasts forever(if I presume that back hair is not sensitive to DHT)

I suppose looking long term it’s safer solution(using chemicals for 10 years might have some consequneces in 30years) and might be even cheaper.

So where is the trick/hoax that people don’t decide for it and instead of this possibility using drugs?

The answer is not clear. Changing people’s attitudes is a difficult task. Adoption of plastic surgery for vanity purposes is believed by many to be a feminine thing, not a manly thing. If you are going to embark upon a hair transplant solution it requires that:

you recognize that you have a problem in the first place and want to do something about it
will not be embarrassed for doing it (the old transplant plugs failed this test and the people are still walking around advertising an obsolete technology that scares most new people)
get the education you need to make an informed decision (few people understand how easy it is to make a bad decision by being impulsive and not doing your shopping).

Did you know that wigs are more expensive than transplants, yet many people use them and avoid the “painful” perception that transplants can always be detected? Most wigs are detected and women make a game of it, trying to pick out those with wigs vs normal hair.

Over and over again, I find the occasional patient who hides the hair transplant from their brother, mother, and significant other. That is just how good they can be. The balding problem is widespread, because 50% of men will have some clinical balding by the time they reach the age of 45, yet less than 1% of men with balding ever start the research process for the transplant option and I suspect that it is less than half of them that go forward with a hait transplant. Tackling the hair transplant option seems to have some negative stigma associated with it. Of course, we all know that the man’s man is not vain about his hair loss, right?

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August 8, 2006

Adult Stem Cell Hair Restoration – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I wanted to know if there have been additional advancements in somatic (adult) stem cell hair restoration, aside from the constantly echoed article from 2004 regarding Stem cell Hair Growth by the U. of PA.

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“It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect. So I vetoed it,” US President George W. Bush said of the research that involves tiny human embryos.

Hair cloning may not involve human embryos and it likely will not have any moral boundaries, but from my understanding it has not progressed to a point where you will directly benefit from it. All attempts to push human hair stem cells to invoke a new hair are inconsistent. I hear yields in the 10% range for successful hair product this way, which is much better than the 1% of olden days, but a long way for a replicable process.

August 8, 2006

Senile Alopecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve been searching your wonderful blog for treatment information on what is apparently termed, “Senile Alopecia.” My still beautiful mother at 84, may be experiencing this. She has been having a rather sudden increase in overall hair loss. Her scalp is showing through mostly on top, but also in the back and sides. I’ve copied your suggestions for possible medical causes in younger women. Once those are eliminated, is there anything at all that might halt this fast progression to almost total balness? Thank you so much for your help.

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Senile alopecia often refers to generalized thinning or alopecia. With women, the female hair loss that we see on over 50% of post menopausal women, is a diffuse alopecia. We see this condition in 1% of men in their 20s. If the medical causes are not there and blood testing has cleared your mom of the the various causes of hair loss, then female genetic hair loss is probably the diagnosis. When it is referred to as senile alopecia, it generally means that the victim is elderly. It’s bad terminology. In the case of your beautiful 84 year old mother, simply put, she may be outliving some of her hair. Also see NHI Frequently Asked Questions.

August 8, 2006

First Six Months After My Transplant Was Textbook, Then It All Thinned Out – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I am beside myself. I have tried everything including minox and proscar to no avail. I held out transplants as my last resort to save my hair. However, after my first transplant, though it seemed it was text book up to six mo., after this, it began to thin back out as if it were my normal scalp hair!My transplants were done by a well known surgeon here in San Diego.

My Doc had no answer. My drmatologest thought it might be inflamation but was not 100% sure. Thinking it was a fluke, I opteted for a second transplant in the same area, and the same thing happened! What is going on? Is there anything I can do?

I did have dermatitis prior, durring, and after the transplants, and was battling some infected teeth, which unbeknownst to me were sending out low level infection to the rest of my body for years.

I am in good health otherwise.

Have you seen this before? Do you have any answers, or can you recommend anyone who could address this situation?

I really do not know where to turn to next.

Thank you for your help.

Firstly, I must restate that BaldingBlog is not intended to establish a medical diagnosis or offer a second medical opinion. Furthermore, I do not have the benefit of seeing you in person. Now with that being said, I can answer this in a general way.

If a hair transplant fails or is associated with hair loss, we can attribute it to two generalized causes:

Poor technique and human error (not in your case, because you reported that everything grew out and was good for 6 months).
Medical conditions that you acquired or that you did not know of that contributed to the hair loss.

I often stress the importance of measuring the miniaturization of scalp hair for the correct diagnosis and quantifying the degree of miniaturization so that if something like this were to occur, another measurement would be helpful in rebuilding a picture as to what happened to cause the hair loss.

I have had one patient tell me a story like you just told, but I believe that not enough time passed for me to draw conclusions on the matter.

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August 8, 2006

Very Funny Hair Loss Commercials from Merck – Balding Blog

Merck, the makers of Propecia, have created a new marketing campaign called The Stunners, which includes 2 commercials (so far) that are wildly amusing. I thought I’d show them for your enjoyment –

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August 8, 2006

How Can I Tell If My Hair Loss is MPB or from Accutane? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Comments of Accutane inducing hair loss raised my concern. I’ve been through two sessions of the drug, the first round 5 years ago and the latest last year, and have experienced recession of the hair-line. Attributing the hair loss to genetics, I began splitting Proscar (Finasteride) tablets 3 years ago. Since then, progression of hair loss at least isn’t significant, but may still be worsening. Photos from years ago are difficult to compare to the present. If the hair loss I’ve noticed is along temples in the normal MPB fashion, could the problem be a result of Accutane? If Accutane were the culprit, wouldn’t it cause an overall thinning of scalp and not be so localized at the temples? Further, if the balding is from Accutane, is Finasteride a proper treatment?

Thanks!

Duck If it quacks like it duck, it probably is a duck. If your hair loss is in the pattern of Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) and there are characteristics typical of MPB miniaturization, then your hair loss is probably be due to MPB. Hair loss from Accutane may persist after stopping the drug and may precipitate patterned hair loss in men and generalized decreased hair bulk in men and women.

To have a correct diagnosis, you need your scalp hair evaluated for miniaturization and be able to quantify the “thinning” or the hair loss. It is the best way to follow the effects of finasteride.

August 8, 2006

How Much Avodart Do I Take? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 23 year old male and beginning to notice hair thinning and receding hairline. I have been on propecia for 8 months but my hair loss is not stopping at all. I want to switch to Avodart before it’s too late. They only sell it in 5mg. How do you prescribe it? Do you suggest one 5mg once a day? thank you.

I do not have the answer to your question, because effectiveness studies have not been done on an official scale. Also, the drug’s half life is about 5 weeks for blood levels (Propecia is 5 hours) so the drug hangs around for a long time. Those doctors who use it admit confusion over dosing, so it is a guessing game. Is 0.5mg too much? That would be my guess as the best dose, but should it be taken every day, or once a week, or once a month? Perhaps your guess is as good as mine. With Propecia, we know the answer!

August 8, 2006

Using Mederma on Donor Scar – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Mederma is proven to make scars softer and smoother, and I was just wondering if I used this on my donor scar, would it impact any hairs from growing through my trichophytic closure?

I know that many people believe that Mederma works well for softening scars, but I can’t say for sure as I have no direct experience with it. That being said, however, I do not see any problem with using it on any donor wound in the healing phase after a week or so.

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August 7, 2006

Hair Loss InformationListing of African American Dermatologists? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is there a way to find a national listing of African-American dermatologists? I am especially interested in those that deal with Seborrheic Dermatitis in African-Americans. I have had this condition since high school and I am now 27 years old. I am seeking an African-American simply because other dermatologist seem to have shampoos/treatments they want me to use on a daily basis. As an African-American woman, I cannot do that or my hair will be damaged. My hope is to find someone who has researched alternative treatments due our hair type.

Thank you.

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The listing services do not go by race, so that would be a difficult distinction to make. You might see Dr. Pearl Grimes, an African American Dermatologist extraordinaire here in Los Angeles if you are on the West Coast or would be willing to make a trip to meet with her. Dr. Grimes is the Director of the Vitiligo and Pigmentation Institute of Southern California, and is also a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at UCLA.

August 7, 2006

Protopic Ointment for Moustache Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, Recently I start having a problem of moustache hair loss. I visited a dermatologist last December and he prescribed me a topical ointment called PROTOPIC 0.1%. I’ve been applying it twice a day for the past six months but it doesn’t work all. I even discovered other new spots coming up. This week I visited the doctor again and he told me that he can not help me any longer and it is beyond his ability. Shocking! He suggested to try a medicine prescribed for a regular skull hair loss but he said it will damage your face because it is more sensitive. I did not want to take that risk and add another problem but I still feel like there should be a solution somewhere somehow. Anyway,I am so frustrated with the medical profession here in US. I found your website from the internet and I’m asking your help. How about the ointment he prescribed for me? Is it something well known and effective? If so, for how long I have to apply it before seeing results? What is exactly the cause?

The practice of medicine is not an exact science. That is why it is called a “practice”. Sometimes doctors do not have all the answers.

Protopic (tacrolimus) ointment is indicated as second-line therapy for the short-term and non-continuous chronic treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in non-immunocompromised adults and children who have failed to respond adequately to other topical prescription treatments for atopic dermatitis, or when those treatments are not advisable. [source: protopic.com] It is my opinion that Protopic will not address your hair loss unless your hair loss is related to atopic dermatitis.

If you are losing hair, you may consider visiting a doctor who can view your hair on a microscopic scale (under a densitometer) to see if there is a pattern of miniaturization. Is there hair loss in the scalp as well? Do you have spots of hair loss in the scalp or in other hairy parts of your anatomy. The presence of other such areas may indicate other local skin disorders such as alopecia areata. I can not write a text book here, as I don’t have the time — but find a good doctor. They are out there.

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