Author: Dr. William Rassman

I have a good amount of hair, but I noticed my temples receded just a little bit. I’d consider myself maybe a NW 1.5. I went to a dermatologist last Friday and he agreed that my temples had receded and offered Finasteride. I agreed. Now that I have the medication in front of me, I’m having second thoughts. Am I really losing my hair or no? I wish I had a magic way of knowing if I am going to go bald or if my hair will never recede past this point. I’m afraid if I take Fin, it will create a problem. Like if I stop taking it, I will go bald. Even though I may not have if I never took it in the first place. My dad’s side of the family all have hair. My mom’s side is iffy. Grandfather on my mom’s side had hair before he passed. My grandmother on my mom’s side has some bald/balding brothers. My uncle on my mom’s side has hair but it has receded. Last few days people have been telling me “you don’t need fin, you have nice thick hair”. So I’m just conflicted on what to do.

Before committing a lifetime on finasteride, get a HAIRCHECK test ( https://baldingblog.com/haircheck-test-how-it-is-done-video/ ) to get a metric on your balding process. You must know where you are starting and where you are going on the treatment plan.

There are three areas shown on this patient. Area (B) was a previously FUE harvested donor area which is clearly depleted of hair and will probably cause a see-through appearance, Area (B) and Area (C) is the area the doctor wishes to extend the FUE yo get more grafts out. If the doctor goes ahead with his plan and harvest Area (B) and Area (C) he may over-harvest this entire area. The problem is that Area (c) is not permanent hair, so eventually this man may lose the hair that was taken from Area C. This is a terrible plan.

 

A brief rundown of my first ever consultation. The whole thing lasted less than 30 minutes. I filled out a couple questionnaires and then met with a “counselor.” They estimated I was a great candidate due to limited loss and strong donor hair and I would need 1500 or less grafts with FUT.

I asked about aftercare, and was told about a laser cap I should wear 6 minutes a day. I asked about Fin and was told not worry about side effects. I asked whether my thick back hair would blend with my finer front hair, was told that all transplants are the same way and not to worry.

I was told 1500 grafts would cost me around 7500, as long as I picked a date in the next two months while they had a promotion. They needed a $1000 deposit which I’d lose if I cancelled more than 2 weeks before the surgery date.

I was told that less than 5% of patients need a touch up afterwards.

I paid the deposit and left. Quickly I felt that I had been had, the whole thing was super high pressure sales, and though she said otherwise I’m pretty sure this “counselor” worked on commission.

I did not meet with an actual doctor, and the counselor did not get up from her desk so never got a close look at my scalp. I was told I would have the doctor consultation on the day of surgery, and I realized that does not leave me any time to consider the decision after being given actual medical advice.

The counselor didn’t advise me whether I should be starting fin or anything else before the surgery.

I was told FUT was better than FUE/ARTAS because the robotic method is not as “artistically sensitive” to the angle of the root and you get less hair per graft.

I was told the doctor they use is normally in Beverly Hills and is one of the top 3 in the country. But when I searched for reviews I couldn’t find anything.

I feel a little depressed because I guess I was thinking by the end of this year I’d be sporting a full head of hair and got excited. Now I feel like a bit of a fool.

In my practice, you never meet with a salesman, only either myself of my partner Dr. Pak. Since we do the surgery and all of the consultations, we understand the process from the beginning to the end. We spend close to an hour with each new patient, perform an extensive examination and build a Master Plan for the patient’s short and long term future. We try to predict the final pattern of hair loss using the HAIRCHECK instrument which then allows us to understand the donor supply and the eventual balding pattern. You should demand nothing less than what we offer, regardless if which doctor you end up seeing. We offer monthly Open House Events where you can meet former patients, see a surgery and get a free consultation with either me of my partner. That is just being a good doctor. Our reviews can be found on Realself, and Yelp for everyone to see.

20 Y/O male here. Made a doctors appointment, he said my hair looks like its thinning but he thinks it’s from losing 90 lbs in 7 months or from other causes. I then asked to see a dermatologist but will a derm be able to tell if it’s TE or balding? I know everyone wants it to be Telogen Effluvium but I had a awful diet and other signs of TE (beau’s nails). I’m worried the dermatologist won’t be able to tell the difference and won’t be able to give me a definitive answer.

Men rarely get Telogen Effluvium but balding is common. Get a HAIRCHECK test to find out if you are balding. https://baldingblog.com/2017/01/10/value-haircheck-bulk-measurements-two-patients-seen-today/

 

A few years back I lost hair in a small area on the front of my scalp. My hair has not thinned anymore or anywhere else. Just this one spot on the front on my scalp, almost like a receding hairline but only one one side? What could it be?

You need to get a good doctor to look at it. There are many things that can cause a single spot of hair loss and a good dermatologist should be able to make that diagnosis for you.

Resveratrol, found in wine, actually in the grape skin, might help in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease The skin of the grape is a potential treatment for a variety of age related disorders, reported from the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington DC. In the disease, amyloid-beta protein is deposited in the brain and is associated with this disease, but in a study of 119 people with mild to moderate disease, taking 1 gm of resveratrol twice a day for a year, researchers did not see a significant accumulation of these amyloid-beta deposits. The study is small, so few conclusions can be drawn from this, but there seems to be no harm in taking this drug in these doses, so maybe it is worth a try in those who think that it might help their brain function, particularly if they or a member of their family may have this awful disease.

Hi,

I’ve noticed that a few of the hairs at my hairline have become ‘wavy’ where as most of my hairs stand straight. Is it the case that these hairs are miniaturising?

They don’t appear to be thinner in diameter than the hairs next to them…but also don’t seem to grow as strong (i.e. they ‘fall down’ rather than grow straight up).

Thanks in advance.

The weaker hairs you’re seeing could be miniaturizing, or it could just be that you’re seeing hairs in different parts of the hair cycle. Without seeing you, I have no way to know.

If you want to know if you have started the balding process, looking at one hair at a time is not the way to go. See a doctor who will measure your hair bulk in different parts of the scalp. Balding people (even in the early part of the process where you can not see any thinning) will always show a reduction in hair bulk.