Dr. William Rassman – Page 444

January 1, 2023

Could FUE Move Hair and Skin to Eliminate Scarring?

Dear Dr Rassman, please excuse my question if it is stupid. I’m not medically trained!

What is normally discussed is the movement of hair follicles *from* the donor site *to* the recipient site. And this inevitably leaves some form of scarring in the donor area. But is it technically possible (in FUE) to also implant skin *from* the recipient area *to* the donor area, in such a manner to “eliminate” scarring? i.e. for every follicle the surgeon would swap tissues A and B, where A would be the tissue originally at the recipient site, and B the tissue originally at the donor site.

I’m sure this would be more costly for the patient, buy I’m wondering: has this ever been tested? And would it eliminate scarring?

A number of years ago, a well-known doctor preached that small punch extractions of scars would produce “mini-scalp reductions”. It never worked. This sounds like what you are asking about, and if one removes scar from a scarred area, you just get scar to replace it. Not such a good idea.

By the way, there are no stupid questions. Your question reflects an inquiring mind.

January 1, 2023

Could Hair Cloning or SMP Work for Someone with DUPA?

Hi Dr. Rassman:

Once again, thank you for contributing to a great blog.

I am a 32 yr old white male with dark hair. Approximately 2 years ago I first noticed thinning hair on the Crown (about the size of a ping pong ball). I went on propecia and have been on it ever since. There has not been any visible progression (at least to the naked eye). In terms of family history, all of my immediate family members have their hair except once uncle in his 50s has a bald spot around his crown. My one deceased grandfather buzzed his hair but according to my Dad, still hair hair (not completely bald).

I went for a consultation with a hair transplant doctor who advised me that I would need around 2000 grafts to cover that space but since I have an unstable permanent zone (i.e. miniaturization) he did not recommend it.

The doctor did not use the acronym “DUPA” but is that what he was essentially saying?

I have had fine hair since I was in my teens. Is DUPA progressive or stable? I have what appears to be a full head of hair – will it stabalize here or continue to progress?

Dr. Bernstein states that those with DUPA can look “fine” if they keep their hair very short. Does he mean short as in the same look achieved through scalp micro pigmentation?

Can scalp micro pigmentation be of use to someone with DUPA?

There has been a lot of discussion about hair cloning/manipulation being available commercially within 10 years (according to Dr. Bernstein). In your professional opinion, do you think such an advancement be of any use to someone with DUPA?

1. Genetic male pattern baldness doesn’t include the permanent zone, so diffuse loss there could be DUPA.

2. DUPA is often progressive, but it can be stable for a number of years. These conditions tend to be unstable if it is associated with genetic balding.

3. No, not that short. I am sure Dr. Bernstein means clipping it to 1/4 or 1/3rd inch.

4. It can be, but I do not like to generalize on this without examining your scalp and hair loss.

5. That 10 year mark has been moving every year. There’s no use speculating on what cloning can or can’t do for treating various issues, as it won’t be commercially available in the near future. If hair cloning becomes closer to reality, I’m sure the answers will come.

January 1, 2023

Could I Die During a Hair Transplant Procedure?

What’s the risk of dying from hair transplant procedure?

CNN – What really killed the beauty queen?

Defribrillator Short answer — the risk is extremely minimal, at nearly zero. Hair transplants are a surgical procedure and if your doctor did not know what he is doing, you could die. There is one case report of a death during a hair transplant from a couple years back, which I wrote about before.

Not only could you die from the local anesthetic that is normally safe in proper doses, but you can have an allergic reaction, an arrhythmia of the heart, a stroke or heart attack at the time of the surgery (possibly the same risk as if you were home doing regular house work), or you could die of infections, amongst other things. Then again, you can also die at the dentist for similar reasons.

In the 19 years that I have been doing this surgery, I have never had a complication that could have produced death. The risk factor is incredibly low (statistically zero), so your chances of death are essentially none. You should also read these more in-depth posts if that doesn’t set your mind at ease:

January 1, 2023

Could Hair Loss Be Due to External Causes, Rather Than Internal Causes Like DHT?

I read an article a while back that said resaerchers had found that acne was actually caused by a bacteria or fungal infection within the pores not an internal cause as previously thought.

Could it be, with Hair loss that resaerchers are only focusing on internal causes such as the DHT and actually overlooking other external causes like some kind of Fungal Folliculitis of the scalp that eats away at the folicles? Where does the DHT come from and why can’s we stop it?

Anything is possible, but the explanation you offered has not come to the forefront. I would not be surprised if there were other mediators for hair loss that make hair loss show up in one person and not another. We are not well informed enough to go there just yet.

This is what we know (taken from an article by Dr. David Whiting, a widely acknowledged leading researcher/dermatologist): “Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone can circulate systemically to follicles, or be manufactured locally in the follicle from circulating weak androgens (dehydroepiandro-sterone and androstenediol) via complex enzyme-mediated processes involving specific dehydrogenase and reductase enzyme pathways. All of these enzyme reactions are dependent upon specific pyridine cofactors. It is clear that reductase, dehydrogenase, and probably aromatase enzymes are of major importance in hair growth as they mediate the complex interchange of sex hormones implicated in anagen activity.”

That is the biochemistry of DHT (dihydrotestosterone).

2007-09-11 14:33:072007-09-11 14:33:08Could Hair Loss Be Due to External Causes, Rather Than Internal Causes Like DHT?

January 1, 2023

Could Lawsuits Against Big Pharma Prevent Them From Working on a Hair Loss Cure?

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I’m very concerned over the article regarding the law suit being launched against Merck. I’m 31 and have been using Propecia for the past two years, which reversed crown thinning and has maintained a mostly full head of hair for me. I stay hopeful however that a better medication or procedure will come along for maintenance/regrowth over the next decade. Do you think that law suits like this are going to kill the efforts, funding, and motivation to continue research for creating more options for hair loss sufferers?

Thanks for your time

There’s around 7 billion people in the world, about half of those are men… and in general, hair loss affects about 50% of the male population to some degree. So with such a huge potential market measured in billions, if there is opportunity the drug companies will likely work it. These companies are in the business of making money. Lawsuits won’t stop them from their research and development.

We live in a very litigious society and a lawsuit against Merck does not mean they’re guilty or at fault.

January 1, 2023

Could Iron Deficiency Be Accelerating My MPB?

I’m a male who has been diagnosed with Iron-Deficiency at age 20. I also have been noticing hair miniaturization and hair fallout from the top of my head (nothing from sides and back).

My doctor said the reason for this is the Iron Deficiency and I should correct it by multivitamins and minerals and then see if the hair fallout continues, since hair loss is a symptom of Iron Deficiency.

My question(s) is this:
– Would my deficiency be accelerating my inevitable MPB?
– Wouldn’t my deficiency result in hairloss all over my head instead of classic MPB fashion?
– Would correcting my Iron levels result is less shed, maintenance, or regrowth at all?

Thanks!

I don’t know what tests your doctor conducted to completely eliminate genetic male pattern baldness as a possible cause for your hair loss. If you’re losing hair in a classic pattern, you could have a combination of genes and low iron.

So to answer your questions — Yes, iron deficiency could accelerate your genetic hair loss. It may also cause thinning elsewhere on your head. Correcting your iron levels is important, but it may not impact the genetic patterned hair loss.

January 1, 2023

Could I Ruin My Hair By Sleeping On It?

I had a hair transplant about 14 months ago now and the transplant was successful. I would of liked more density, however i am happy with it. My question is, when i sleep and wake up the transplanted sections-which is both temple areas are always messy and ruffled up because i lean on them on my pillow. Its hard to explain however i feel i am putting pressure on the hairs and pulling them because the hairs are getting trapped between the pillow and my head if you can understand. not terribly but my temple areas which were transplanted are always messed up as though i was lying on it and putting a certain amount of pressure as my head was lying on the hair and the pillow-its really hard to explain. Do you think this will cause damage. And if so how long will it take before i see? will it go gradually?

thank you

There’s no problem sleeping on your transplanted hair. On occasion, transplanted hair will become more curly and even wiry, so look carefully at the transplants and see if the character is the same as the non-transplanted hair.

January 1, 2023

Could I Take Propecia To Slow Down My Unwanted Body Hair Growth?

Hello Dr Rassman,

I have been a long time reader of your site, and find your advice highly useful.

My question is: I am a 24 year old male. I am not suffering from any noticable hair loss (I think), but my younger brother is. I also have alot of body hair, esp on the shoulders and the back. Would propecia be useful as a proventitive measure, and slow down the growth of unwanted body hair as it is linked to DHT.

Regards

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is not documented as a way to slow down body hair growth. This is your genetics working in its full glory. With that said, a couple of patients have reported to me a decrease in body hair with the drug.

January 1, 2023

Could my diet be causing my hair loss?

I researched a lot but got a diverse array of answers. If the delivery system is inhibited, does that mean a healthy Lifestyle (Stop Smoking, Lots of Water and veggies, exercise) might have positive influence on your hairloss prevention?

99% of men who lose hair are losing is for genetic reasons. To lose hair from diet, for example, you would have to have undergone very rapid weight loss or be dietary insufficient with multiple vitamin deficiencies.

2019-08-12 04:20:502019-03-26 18:21:34Could my diet be causing my hair loss?

January 1, 2023

Could My Recent Female Hair Loss Be From Anesthetic During My Appendectomy?

(female)
Recently i have been losing more and more hair so i decided to look at cause. I saw one was after surgery from the anesthetic. I had my appendix out recently. Is it possible my hair loss is from the anesthetic? Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

What you are asking may be possible, but I do not know if that’s what is really going on. Trying to find personalized medical answers for a diagnosis on the Internet is common and I don’t blame you, but the best help I can give you is to recommend that you see a doctor (face to face) and ask them for a medical diagnosis after they examine you in person and take a detailed medical history.

Some patients (as you’ve seen online) report some hair loss after a general anesthesia, but there can be many other medical reasons for hair loss in women.