Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Does Propecia CAUSE Frontal Hair Loss?

Sirs,

Thank you for such an informative blog. I have read many things in French language forums about Propecia that, although the drug fascinates me, cause me to question its ability to help me. I’m 29 and moving towards a NW 3.0 (I might already be there). I have read that Propecia causes frontal hairloss. This is frequesntly mentioned in French-language forums and frightens me away from the drug. The only hairloss poblem I have (and it is rather minor at the moment) is frontal.

Can you confirm that propecia does not cause frontal hairloss?

very cordially yours

Those with Norwood Class 3 balding patterns may progress with further balding. Propecia will either prevent this from happening or slow down the process. I have little doubt about answering your question — Propecia does not cause hair loss in the front or anywhere else on the scalp in a person with male patterned balding. It is FDA approved to treat hair loss, not cause it. See Are Minoxidil and Propecia Worth Using? (with Photos) for a great example of regrowth from Propecia (along with minoxidil).


2007-11-26 11:31:30Does Propecia CAUSE Frontal Hair Loss?

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Does Progesterone Cure Male Pattern Balding? Does PRP Grow Hair?

I am a 20 year old boy I have been noticing hair fall eveyday. I have read on the website progesterone cream for hair fall. Is this safe? What about PRP

progesterone
While progesterone is generally considered a natural female hormone, biochemically it is an indirect precursor to testosterone much like testosterone is a a precursor to DHT. (Men produce progesterone naturally just like women produce testosterone in their body)

If you follow this logic you can argue that you should be taking more cholesterol for male pattern balding and all hormonal deficiencies (since cholesterol is a precursor to testosterone/ progesterone/ etc)

Without going into detailed biochemical / medical logic, there may be an academic reasoning behind the use of progesterone (of how progesterone can counter DHT levels) but it is not a standard treatment for male pattern balding.

Keep in mind, male pattern balding is a genetic condition for which there is no definite cure. Drugs such as Propecia and Rogaine can help but over the long run the genetic predisposition will manifest. The only FDA approved medication for the treatment of male pattern balding is Propecia and Rogaine.

There is nothing wrong with doctors promoting off label treatments such as progesterone, PRP, low level laser light therapy as they have a right to practice medicine within the bounds of their Hippocratic Oath. Likewise the consumers (patients) have a right to choose their doctors and treatment options based on their own research and free will. However, it is my opinion that the consumer take a “buyer beware” approach. For every success story behind these treatments, there are many disappointed consumers who have spent thousands of dollars with no benefit. I may be biased because in my 23+ years in the hair restoration field, I have met with thousands of these disappointed consumers.
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Does Perm Damage Hair Root?

I am a 30 years old male, I did a perm 5 years ago to make my fine hair look a bit curly, so that it did not look as limp as it used to
be, that was actually the suggestion from the hair stylist based on my soft fine hair, I initially wanted to make it volumized, so he
provided the service of perm to my hair.

After five years, the effect of perm has been already gone for a long time. However, I roughly felt my hair growing a little strange in
recent years as the perm changed the growing pattern or direction to my hair, the hair did not follow the normal straight way to grow, so I
am wondering does it cause some extent of damage to my hair root? Thank you.

Perming your hair does not cause hair loss in general. Sometimes you can harm the hair or irritate the scalp with harsh chemicals involved but hairs generally grow back. Especially after 5 years the correlation of a perm and hair loss/texture changes seem less of a correlation.


2015-03-17 07:07:32Does Perm Damage Hair Root?

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Does Rogaine or Minoxidil Cause Constipation?

I’ve been using minox 5% once a day for 2 mos recently i developed constipation. Can i attribute it to minoxidil use? Do you get reports like this. Thanks

constipation
I doubt minoxidil or finasteride causes constipation. Try a fiber rich diet.


2014-08-15 12:13:44Does Rogaine or Minoxidil Cause Constipation?

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Does Propecia Maintain Regrown Hair At 10 Year Mark?

Hi Doctor,

I read in one of your posts, that people continuing on propecia for 10 years have been able to retain most of their hair. So are they also able to retain the regrown hair also or only their baseline hair??

Some men have great success with Propecia after 10 years, as it seems to hold onto the hair in many patients. Some men continue to lose hair progressively, making it appear that the drug slows down. The key is that Propecia, even at the 10+ year mark, is slowing the rate for hair loss.

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Does Seborrheic Dermatitis Rule Out a Hair Transplant?

I have been on propecia due to MPB for about 2 1/2 months. In addition, I also have seborrheic dermatitis. I believe I am going through a shed however I can’t be sure as my seborrheic dermatitis has flaired up over the last month so I cannot totally tell which my accelerated hair loss is from. My questions are:

  1. When you shed from propecia, does shedding also occur in the hairline? If so, does this hair grow back?
  2. Hair lost due to the seborrheic dermatitis, does it regrow? I haven’t been scratching or picking at it, but hair has fallen out of parts of my scalp affected by it.
  3. Does having this condition make you a bad candidate for a hair transplant?

Thank you very much

  1. When you lose hair at the hairline, the hairs rarely grow back (even if you take Propecia). Propecia mainly slows down the shedding process.
  2. Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin condition, not a hair condition, so it shouldn’t cause hair loss. However, it might accelerate underlying MPB or you could be seeing loss if you are picking at your hair. Picking at seborrhea can produce traction alopecia, which can be permanent.
  3. I have performed hair transplant surgery on many patients with seborrheic dermatitis and there is no issue. Sometimes if it is severe, I will use a short course of topical steroids to calm it down.
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Does Propecia Lower the Libido Immediately?

Hi, Just wanted to say that your blog is amazing! It’s helped me to answer so many questions.

Now i was just wondering, i started propecia on monday (2 days ago) and have there been any reported cases of lowered libido immediately after taking propecia which die down in the coming months? Thanks

If you have a libido side effect from Propecia, it might take weeks or months to appear… not a couple of days. The power of suggestion is very significant in those who get libido effects, so worrying about it is going to do more harm than you may realize.

Then again, I suppose the power of suggestion from reading this post may be in competition from the power of suggestion from other information you are inundated with.

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Does Rogaine Cause Libido Issues Like I’ve Had with Propecia?

Hi Dr Rassman,
I’m 29 yrs old and have been on propecia since 1st Aug 08, so its just coming to 7.5 months now. My hair growth has gone from strength to strength since then, mainly on the top and cranium of my scalp where the hair was thinning. However i’m suffering from sexual side effects mainly erectile dysfunction (ED) and a libido drop. I got them in the 3rd month but i thought I had to give it a fair period of time to see whether it was a passing phase. But the problem has persisted and the volume of semen has gone down and my erections are not as full as before I started taking it. I have decided to half the dosage. What is the best way to incorporate this? Shall i stop taking propecia for say 3 weeks or perhaps longer or shorter and then start taking half a pill on a daily basis instead?

Also, I never tried minoxidil but I have read people complaining about dark circles and skin roughness on the face as permanent side effects. And apparently the results are nowhere near as good as propecia? Is this true? Also, does it also cause ED & drop in sex drive? If i do decide to go on Minoxidil would you recommend the 5% solution or the 2% solution?

If you have just erectile dysfunction (ED), Viagra might help. If you can not solve your libido problem with Viagra, you may have to stop the Propecia. Cutting the dose in half often helps and even 1/4 of the dose might help further. You should discuss this with your prescribing doctor.

Rogaine is not a DHT blocker and as such, stopping your Propecia will cause a significant hair shed even if you take Rogaine at the same time. Rogaine does not have the sexual side effects you are experiencing with Propecia, but it also doesn’t work to halt the hair loss (though it can grow hair). You can start with the 2% and go up to 5%, but it’s up to you. Both are available over the counter (at least here in the U.S.).


2009-03-17 08:34:30Does Rogaine Cause Libido Issues Like I’ve Had with Propecia?

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Does Repairing Old Plugs Cost the Same as a Regular Transplant?

I had a hair transplant in Australia nineteen years ago…the hair transplant was so bad…it looks like a doll head…can I repair my hair transplant in NHI? How much it will cost? Is it the same price or different price? Thanks

At New Hair Institute (NHI), we perform corrective surgeries for patients who have had bad hair transplants (including the old doll hair looking “plugs”). You can see the before and after results of our repairs here. We’ve also created a complete step-by-step of one patient’s journey to fix his ugly hair plugs — see Dean’s Story. That’s Dean at the right before his repair procedures began.

If you would like a private consultation, please email us with detailed information (including pictures, if possible) or call us at (310) 553-9113 US.

The cost of a hair transplant and repairing old plugs generally ranges from $3000 to $10,000. As you can see with this wide range, each and every case is very different. There is usually no special fee to repair old plugs, and we charge the surgeries as in price per graft. Our fees are outlined here.

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Does Propecia Only Save Hair for 3 Years?

I’m very seriously considering starting a course of propecia/proscar. But before I began I wanted to ask two questions.

1. It has been said that if you start propecia early the better chance you have of slowing down/halting hair loss, but that doesn’t tally with the propecia chart from studies which show that it generally peters out after 3 years. so surely you’d only save your hair for 3 years and then it would quickly regress, not making much difference how early you start because you only have 3 years of good hair.

2. I was wondering if you could recommend a good dermatologist/hair doctor in London, who I could have a consulation with before I begin taking proscar, do you know any who do miniturisation tests or some kind of form of monitoring on hair loss? There are a lot of snake oil merchants in London that are willfully telling you that you must get on medication and I just want to talk to who is honest and experienced.

I have many patients that have reversed their crown loss and held the reversal over 10 years. Everyone is different, but the official studies show that the expected maintenance should be about 5 years on average. That means that some men get better than 5 years and some worse results while on the drug. It depends upon how aggressive your genes are.

As to your second question about London-based doctors, Dr. Bessam Farjo is a contributor to this site. He and his wife are terrific doctors and worthy of a trip to their offices (in London and Manchester). They may be able to give you a referral if you call their office.