Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Are My ED Problems Porn-Induced or From Propecia?

What is the longest time Propecia side effects can appear? I been on Propecia for almost 4 years and within the past several months I got ED when I have sex I can’t even get an erection to penetrate but when I masturbate to porn I can maintain a strong erection! After enough research I’m almost positive I got porn-induced ED! So now I’m in the process of recovery but since I’m on Propecia, I wonder now if possibly that after such a long time side effects could appear!

Propecia has halted my hair loss and I don’t wanna stop it. I’m 25yo it’s too early for me to be bald!

Side effects from any drug can appear at any time, but this is relatively rare. Most side effects would appear in the first few weeks — not after 4 years. If you think Propecia is causing your erectile dysfunction (ED), talk with your prescribing doctor and consider stopping the medication or cutting the dosage. If you think porn is causing your ED, stop watching porn or talk with your psychologist. I really have no way to know what is causing your erection troubles.

Here are some ED statistics that might be interesting to you (source: MMHC) —

  • One in 10 men in the world have erectile dysfunction.
  • 30 million men in the United States have erectile dysfunction.
  • 50% of men with diabetes have erectile dysfunction, frequently within 10 years of diagnosis.
  • The likelihood of erectile dysfunction increases with age: 39% at age 40, 65% over the age of 65.
  • Smokers have a higher likelihood of erectile dysfunction. Men who smoke more than 1 pack per day have a 50% higher chance of impotency than nonsmokers the same age.
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Are People Abusing Finasteride?

I am a pharmacist and I think someone is “playing” me to get some finasteride. He got #60 5mg tabs yesterday (a Saturday) and told me this morning that a hotel maid threw them away when she cleaned his room. I do not know the patient; he has traveled here for work. He is young and told me that he cuts the 5mg in quarters for hair loss. I told him I would contact his MD Monday morning. This bugged me all day and I can’t find much about finasteride abuse but none of it is sitting right with me.

I saw this page on your site (The Impact of Higher Doses of Propecia). Are people abusing finasteride? I don’t really want to provide this guy with more finasteride, even if I get a new prescription from his physician. I’d appreciate your help.

You may be right, and the lost prescription may be a ‘tool’ for supplying his friends with the drug. Or it could just be that a hotel maid threw out his pills. This is a judgment call for you as a pharmacist and for his doctor who would know him better.

Finasteride is not an addictive painkiller or something like that which tends to be abused.

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Are Pimples on Scalp After Transplant a Good Sign?

3.5 Weeks after a Hair Transplant, Is it normal to see pimples in the head so early on? I have maybe 3 or 4, one at the hairline and the rest in between my grafted area… I hear pimples on the head is a good sign that hair is trying to break through the surface, at almost 1 month post-op, is it possible to start hair regrowth? I do have fairly thick hair and my hair does grow fast elsewhere, just thinned in the front. I would be a 3 on the scale… Thanks!

Pimples are never a good sign. They do happen for a number of reasons after a hair transplant:

  1. Small cysts form from sebum build-up in the sebaceous gland that remains after the hair has shed.
  2. Small bits of remaining hair shaft are below the skin and are shed. Hair is a foreign body and as such is rejected through small cysts that come to the surface. These remnants of hair follicles or sebaceous glands may get infected and require antibiotics. Generally, they can be successfully treated with warm soaks. Be sure that these do not turn into folliculitis by visiting your doctor and establishing a good dialogue with him/her.
  3. In less than a good surgeon’s hands, cysts may reflect ‘piggybacking’ of one graft placed on top of another.


2006-10-27 07:19:39Are Pimples on Scalp After Transplant a Good Sign?

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Are Plucked Hairs Treated with ACell Expected to Grow After 3 Months?

Hi Dr Rassman, I wondered how your trials using ACell and autocloning are? How many patients have you enrolled? How large are the session sizes? Are you transplanting 100-200 hairs or more? Also do these plucked hairs treated with ACell behave as normal transplanted hairs i.e. they shed and begin growing after 3 months? Thanks.

ANSWER:
The ACell study that we conducted at NHI some years ago consisted of about 30 volunteers. These patients received approximately 100 plucked hairs. Since the study started we never saw any growth so we stopped doing this experimental treatment.

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Are Propecia Side Effects Just In My Head?

Is it possible that the side effects from Propecia are just in my head? I was prescribed Propecia in December of 07′ and within two weeks of taking it, I began to feel a loss of libido. I decided to push on and take the medication for another month and see if the side effects. Within a month, I no longer had an erection in the morning (which was something I would experience every day prior to taking the medication) and intercourse became somewhat boring. All the while, the only information I could find was negative information about men complaining about their sexual side effects.

I stopped taking the medication, and within a week, I began to regain my libido. I did not notice any increased hair loss from stopping the medication either.

Do you think its possible that these sexual side effects were caused by my self-conscious or does that sound like the typical event of the sexual side effect one receives from Propecia.

Thanks!

The power of suggestion and the placebo effect are well documented phenomenon. If you think it is going to happen or are worried it may happen, it just might. Propecia does have a side effect of decreasing libido by 1 to 2% and increasing libido by as high as 10%. If you need to focus on something, worry about a high libido and see what happens. I can’t say for sure whether you experienced side effects form Propecia, but if you only stopped the medical for a week you will likely not see any increased hair loss just yet. With some significant time being off the medication every day, you’ll surely see the benefits disappear.

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Are there immoral doctors who do terrible hair transplant work out there? What to do about it!

Dr. Rassman, I implore you to avoid making slanderous comments about another physician’s character online. Go ahead and criticize the result – but calling a physician ‘immoral’ is unprofessional, at best.

I have been outspoken for many years, at meetings and in written comments, even in published materials. Many years ago, I was heavily criticized when I told hundreds of doctor at a meeting about a surgery that was commonly done that I though was inappropriate and deforming. The result of those comments resulted in almost all of the doctors in litigious countries, to stop doing this particular surgery. Donald Trump was a victim of that surgery and from what I heard through medical channels, he was very, very angry with his results and lives with those results today (as everyone can see).

Some doctors must be held accountable and when a person comes to see me and they tell me their ‘horror story’ I do my best to make sure others are aware of their story so that the few rotten applies in our profession will learn that they can be held accountable. I called this doctor immoral because he lied to the patient, promised something he didn’t deliver (a partly failed transplant) and significantly overcharged him. Like any other trade or profession, not everyone behaves morally. When they cause harm, there is always the court system to protect the innocent. I have occasionally volunteered as an expert witness in such cases. As you should note, I did not name the doctor involved.

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Are These Side Effects from Propecia or Stress?

Dr. Rassman,
I am 23, and have had diffuse thinning for the past three years. I am currently taking propecia and minox and have been for 15 months. During that period, I have not noticed any significant regrowth, but the appearence of my hair has seemed to maintain to some degree. I am also a law student and in December I had my first set of finals. During that time, I can honestly say that I was more stressed then I have ever been in my life. Since december, I have noticed that my hair has appeared to thin significantly.It used to be thin only in the back, now I can see a thinning pattern in the front. Additionally, in the month since finals ended my libido and sex drive have significantly increased. I do not know whether that increase is due to my lack of stress, however I am speculating that the propecia has stopped working for me. I was wonding if these are typical effects if it does stop working; i.e increased thinning and greater sex drive or perhaps I can attribute both the my level of stress and current lack there of. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If propecia has stopped working for me, then I really don’t know what else I could do

Stress impacts everything in our lives. Your hair loss and thinning is certainly (assuming you have genetic hair loss) being made worse by stress. Propecia sounds like it has slowed or stopped the present hair loss, but as male genetic hair loss is a progressive process, it is only a matter of time until you notice more thinning/recession. The sex drive issue relates to many things. Men can find sex to be a good outlet for frustration and hiding from problems. Propecia can initially cause an increased sex drive due to the increase in testosterone levels, but the sex drive of a man your age should already be high, so perhaps your body is just learning to deal with the stress better. Could it be that your normal sex drive is what you are now experiencing?

With regard to your thinning and possible genetic hair loss, you should get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to determine if the hair loss is genetic and to what degree it is progressing. You need a Master Plan for your future hair loss. As you are in Los Angeles, I would be pleased to see you myself at no charge in my LA office. If you are interested, please call my office at 800-NEW-HAIR to set up a free consultation with me.


2006-01-30 10:36:12Are These Side Effects from Propecia or Stress?

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Are We Any Closer to Finding the Holy Grail (Hair Cloning)?

Hello Doc
I first discovered your blog in 2006 when I began to notice my hair was thinning. I was very interested in the ‘holy grail’ that was the potential if hair cloning/multiplication. Six years have passed and it doesn’t seem we are any closer. Are we any closer? There must be discussion between you and other doctors of whether it will eventually become a reality. Do you still believe we will see this solution ? If so how long do you honestly think it will be before it becomes a quality solution to balding? Also are there any other drugs/solutions in the pipeline. Thanks

I believe we are closer… but there is nothing in the “pipeline” that I am aware of for a short term answer. There is ongoing research and scientists are working on hair loss / cloning / multiplication. We are all still waiting.


2012-08-15 10:42:27Are We Any Closer to Finding the Holy Grail (Hair Cloning)?

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Are the TRX2 Clinical Study Results for Real?

Hey Doc,

What do you make of the clinical study from TRX2? Is this real? Can a company fake a clinical trial?

Link: TRX2 trial

Thanks

Anything can be faked, but I can’t say whether this is accurate or a proof of concept. Does anyone know if it was published in a peer reviewed medical journal?

Their reports of sales are impressive, but like the Helsinki Formula of the 1980s (which was among the first of the hair growth promoters), a successful marketing effort only proves that the company can sell the product… not that it works as advertised.

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Are you a big fan of microneedling?

Yes, ever since I have been seeing the wonderful results of microneedling on Reddit, I have become a fan of it, especially for the men under 24 years old when hair loss is more easily reversible.


2021-03-03 06:41:08Are you a big fan of microneedling?