Author: Dr. William Rassman

I was wondering if there was anyone who has taken Accutane in the past and experienced hair loss as a side effect; and has anyone been able to regrow their lost hair?

I noticed from some older pictures of my hair (a few months after I stopped Accutane) that my hair loss hasn’t progressed since I stopped taking it. This has led me to believe that my hair loss was due in large part to Accutane.

Hair loss is a common side effect of Accutane. It sometimes take over a year to get improvement after stopping the medication.

I went to the dermatologist the other day and she diagnosed me with TE. I am 21 years old and male. She blamed it on stress, when in reality I’m not stressed. What I believe it’s from is the 5 month accutane course I finished up in October of 2016. I honestly didn’t notice much shedding, but I have a ton of hair, and it’s short too. My barber told me I had uneven hair growth in January. Since then I can feel/ seethe spots that I am in shedding in. To this day I’m still shedding. Is there something I should do about this? Is this normal? Should I just let time do it’s thing?

Accutane is known to produce hair loss and the effects can last ujp to a year after you stop the drug. Go back to your dermatologist.

I believe acne and dandruff and hair loss are related. They are all caused by cells that go through their cellular life cycle at much faster rates than normal. How can this be denied?

I believe Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster are all related. They’re unexplained mysteries that can’t be proven. How can my claim be denied?

Honestly, it is very easy to deny something and much harder to prove something. Show me scientific proof and I won’t deny your theory.

Based on case reports of Dr Hitzig and Cooley from 2010, and the spirit of science we have tried to replicate the cloning claims by applying for clinical research through an institutional review board (IRB), also known as an independent ethics committee (IEC) or ethical review board (ERB), IRB.

We had two category of ACell trials:
(1) ACell to promote new hair follicle regeneration from plucked hair, thus creating two hairs from one hair as the plucked hair is assumed to grow back. This in essence is viewed by some as cloning.

At this time, at about the 3+ year mark, our patients who received ACell for hair regeneration have not reported growth and we had seen all of them at the 6th month and 12 month point in time. If you read the ACell update from ISHRS Alaska 2011 conference, it would seem the ACell cloning was only hype.

(2) ACell to promote wound healing and less scar formation. This involves ACell that is incorporated into the strip donor wound.

At this time, at about the 3+ year mark, some patients have reported less pain after the surgery and a better looking scar (those who have had more than one surgery to compare their own experiences). But the overall width (size) of the scar is not any better (smaller). In other words the scar may NOT be smaller, but they are less pink and seemed to heal faster.

In summary we have spent thousands of dollars applying for the IRB permission as well as materials cost as well as staff hours for not so stellar results. More importantly it is regrettable to those patients who have participated in hopes of unlimited hair to only receive nothing from their effort. ACell may have some place in wound healing and we still offer this option to our patients at no cost.

To be clear: ACell does not grow hair. ACell does not make the scar smaller. Acell may heal the wound better but there is no clear proof of this. This observation is merely subjective.

First. It was nice to see a blog about hair loss authored by real doctors and thank you for that. I am from Philippines and there are not much doctors here that specializes in hair loss problem thus when I visited once before, i was not able to get answer. So i hope you could help me here.

I was 19 when my hair loss started together with some big acne. My mom said it is hereditary but what concerns me is the very very subtle tingling pain in the place where I am having hair loss (which is the front). Sometimes I feel it after I comb my hair.

Another are the acnes, is there a case that having an acne and hair loss at the same time is a symptom of something.

3rd is I always experience numbing pain in my arms that I have not experience before.

I am sorry if I have too many questions because I read a lot about hair loss but couldn’t find answer to why I am having one. Right now my hair is in a norwood 2. I tried to talk to one doctor before but his answer was because it was due to stress then gave me prescription for my acne not my hair loss. Sorry. This is already long but Thank You in advance.

Acne doesn’t cause hair loss, and hair loss doesn’t cause acne. Your loss may be stress-induced like your doctor said, but at 19 years old it’s entirely possible that you’re showing early patterned hair loss. A Norwood Class 2 could just be a mature hairline, though. That isn’t anything to be concerned with. I haven’t seen you, so I can’t make that determination.

I do not know what numbing pain in your arms has to do with having acne or hair loss. I think you may be trying to link everything into one. Unlike physics, there is no unifying theory about hair loss.

Can you receive or do you recommend getting a hair transplant while on Accutane (isotretinoin)? My understanding is that the drug disrupts cell division and skin regeneration. Will this delay healing?

Yes, having a hair transplant while you are on Accutane it is not a good idea. You should wait a year without the drug ensure that the transplants will work and grow well. There is no point in spending money and your donor hair if you are not going to have good results.