Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Do I Need to Apply Minoxidil to Every Single Thinning Spot?

Hey doctor,

I have been using propecia and minoxidil for nearly 10 months now and seen almost excellent results on the hairline but not on the crown (I know it is supposed to be vice-versa). I have two questions for you:

1. Because my hair is somewhat long, I use a dropper to apply minoxidil. Do I need to apply minoxidil on every single thinning spot (massage my scalp to distribute the medicine) or does it get absorbed on a wider area? For example, if I miss the thinning spot by half an inch, will I still benefit from the drug?

2. I have used this treatment called the Nanogen Serum VEGF. However after around 9-10 months of using it I thought it didn’t have any effect at all and quit. I have seen light shedding after quitting the medicine but so far it is acceptable. My question is, they published some sort of trial results regarding their product. I couldn’t make a lot of sense and therefore wanted to ask you before being skeptical about it. Here is the link to the study.

Thanks in advance!

1. First and foremost, you should read any instructions that came with the product. Many minoxidil packages come with some “how to” info. What you usually would do is apply topical minoxidil (Rogaine) to the areas you want to grow hair. If you put it on point A, you probably will not see growth on point B.

2. As with all products that claim to grow hair, my mantra has always been “Buyer Beware!” If you tried a product and it didn’t work, what makes you think a fancy study or a website will make a difference? It just means they used the money that they’ve made for better a marketing presentation.

As for that Nanogen study you linked to, it’s not published in a peer-reviewed medical journal and looks to be just a small test of hairs in petri dishes that sat in different solutions. There’s nothing in the study that shows the product is safe or effective.


2014-03-17 18:26:01Do I Need to Apply Minoxidil to Every Single Thinning Spot?

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Do I Use the Rogaine Dosage All Over My Scalp or Concentrate on the Crown?

I have a question regarding rogaine. I have thinning in the crown and front of the head too. I have read that rogaine can be beneficial for retarding additional hair loss anywhere there is hair. Thus, I split the 1 ml dose throughout my scalp rather than just concentrating it on the crown.

Would this stop the effectiveness of rogaine? I suppose I am not supposed to use more than one ml.

I would use the dose listed in the directions that came with the product that you purchased. You can put Rogaine on your crown and front area of your scalp, but it should only be placed in the areas where you want the benefits and not put in areas where the hair is good. As you know, it has not been shown to be as effective in the frontal areas.

I suspect you can use more than 1 ml, but there is a small risk of your body absorbing too much and you experiencing systemic side effects (such as headache, fainting, etc). I would think this risk is low, but it is something to think about.

If you are concerned you should ask these questions to your doctor and get a good medical physical examination to make sure you will have no issues. I am not your doctor and this is not a place to get personalized medication use advice, simply because I do not know your medical history.


2010-06-29 10:24:50Do I Use the Rogaine Dosage All Over My Scalp or Concentrate on the Crown?

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Do I need a doctor for taking oral minoxidil?

I’m going to start the Big 3 to at least TRY for some regrowth. As a 33 year old NW6 I don’t have much to lose. I do have a ton of minituarized hairs on my crown, so it’s worth a shot I suppose. My results over time would be connected with a hair transplant. Unfortunately, topical minoxidil doesn’t work for my lifestyle, so I want to try Oral Minoxidil, and switch to topical down the line. I’ve heard of some potentially dangerous cardiovascular risks associated with oral Minoxidil. I consider myself relatively healthy, with normal BP levels, although I haven’t had a physical in several years. Should I consult with a doctor prior to ordering oral minox? Or would a low dose (0.25-0.50 per day) be OK to start?

Get a good doctor and don’t be your own doctor here.

 


2020-11-04 08:18:39Do I need a doctor for taking oral minoxidil?

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Do I have Post Finasteride Syndrome?

The first week I took it I felt completely fine. The second week however, I experienced some ED, as well as less energy, but I chalked it up to not getting enough sleep or just overthinking it. 3rd week however was when I started seeing development of gyno and severe ED. This is ridiculous I only took it for 3 weeks.

I quit taking it right away, reported it took my doctor, who said it would go away on its own. 2 weeks later, I still feel the exact same effects, the gyno is still there, I have really bad ED, and really low energy all the time.

I literally only took it for 3 weeks, how do I have pfs already? Am I just fucked for life now, because of this? I honestly can’t live in this state in day to day life.

What am I supposed to do? The doctor I went to basically said, “Oh well, you’re fu***d” in his own words.

Honestly don;t want to continue living like this.

Sometimes it takes a few months for things to calm down and your sexual side effects to go away. Wait at least 3 months off of the drug. As far as breast lumps, that may not go away and you should see your family doctor about it if its doesn’t disappear. What your doctor told you is totally unprofessional and if he didn’t know what to do he should have sent you to someone who could help you. I hope that this posting gives you hope.


2021-03-02 08:34:51Do I have Post Finasteride Syndrome?

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Do I Need to Wash Off Concealers?

Hello Doctor

Is it necessary to wash off concealers ( such as dermatch or toppik ) daily or is it safe to use them daily but keep a 2 – 3 washes per week schedule

Thank you

You don’t need to wash off these camouflaging agents every day. I’ve seen patients who keep these concealers on for 2 to 3 days (since they wash their hair that often), but it’s up to you. Concealers will not damage your hair or cause hair loss, even if you keep them on for a few days.

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Does Meat and Milk Accelerate Hair Loss Because of the Added Hormones?

Does eating red meat, chicken, pork, and milk accelerate hair loss? The reason I ask this, so many hormones are added into these products now-a-days and I wanted to know if it would increase testosterone levels and cause hair loss.

Thanks

There is no evidence that hormones from meat and milk will impact your hair loss.


2012-11-28 07:16:33Does Meat and Milk Accelerate Hair Loss Because of the Added Hormones?

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Do Linear Donor Scars Widen?

Do linear donor scars stretch (widen) over time?

You are asking about hair transplant scars from the rim of permanent hair that is found around the back and sides of your head. This area (donor area) is generally not prone to stretching if the incisions are made in the horizontal plain (side to side). The scalp has some degree of redundancy so that there is ‘extra’ scalp which you can easily slide up and down on the back of your head. This makes the scalp loose in most people so when some of it is removed, there should be enough excess scalp to close without tension on the wound. When there is minimal tension on the wound, it usually will close without stretching in people with normal healing tissues. If either the scalp is tight, or the body’s tissues are not strong, then these wounds may stretch. The more surgeries you have, the more the potential to develop stretched scalp scars.

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Do I Skip Every 5th Day of a Quartered Proscar Tablet?

Hi,

I recently decided to see a doctor for my hair loss. I’m a 29 year old man and my doctor said the best thing was to start on finasteride and suggested that a prescription for generic proscar and splitting the tablets was the better way to go due to cost. I’m comfortable doing this but wanted to know the best way. Should I quarter the pills and then skip every 5th day or take 1.25 mg everyday?

Your prescribing doctor should have given dosage instructions. For my patients that cut the generic 5mg pill, I recommend they quarter the pill and take one piece daily. If you can cut it into 5 even pieces that would be ideal, but not likely done with ease. Skipping a day is not recommended.


2012-07-10 09:06:11Do I Skip Every 5th Day of a Quartered Proscar Tablet?

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Do men stop receding?

I’ve noticed that my dad has had the same semi-receded hair line for like the last 15 years. It has only slightly thinned out on the top since.

We are born with a patterned hair loss (inherited from family) that we will reach and then stabilize. That is most likely why your dad’s patterned hair loss is stable. Let’s stay that he had a Norwood 4A pattern genetically programmed, that means he, most likely, will never progress further to a Norwood Class 6 or 7 pattern.

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Do Propecia and a Hair Transplant Compliment Each Other?

I really never believed in hair growth products. But after you mentioned Propecia I tried it. It took a while but I eventually saw a great difference in the thickness of my hair! Then, when I stopped using it, the hair went back as it was before using Propecia. I knew this would happen but I wanted to know if I was just imagining the change.

Hence, my question: You advised using Propecia prior to having the HT procedure. Its seems I must use it before the HT and also before the full effects kick in or how will we know how much density is normal and how much is density is due to Propecia?

If I had a choice I guess I would rather have the great results of a HT without the added cost of meds. But if they compliment each other, well, it may be worth the prescription price. Thanks

I believe that every young man should be on Propecia/finasteride if they have genetic balding. This drug will also offer some protection against shock loss that would be common with a hair transplant, and you should be on the drug at least a couple of weeks prior to having a hair transplant. If your thinning is early, then Propecia may be enough (just as you described), but if you lost hair in the front, it would be unlikely that the drug will return it. So these two modalities (transplant and drug) work nicely together and yet they do compliment each other.