Author: Dr. William Rassman

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If You Discover Unpatterened Miniaturization In the Donor Area, Is That DUPA?

When through densitometry you discover diffuse unpatterned miniaturization, even in the donor area in male patients, do you immediately diagnose it as DUPA or do you recommend that they rule out other causes of the miniaturization? If so, which specific tests would you recommend?

I read somewhere that a doctor told someone that low DHEA levels could cause hair miniaturization, is this true? Should someone with these symptoms get their DHEA levels checked?

DUPA (Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia) requires extensive assessment of the donor area, which will be heavily impacted by miniaturization on such an assessment. It’s not a quick diagnosis.

I can not comment on DHEA levels and its association with DUPA, though I have written about DHEA before here.

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If you take Saw Palmetto with no sexual side effects, does that mean Finasteride is safer?

My doctor prescribed me saw palmetto before all the exams hormonal sperm ecc before starting fin …I started saw palmetto which lowers dht by 35% What i feel Is improved erection quality, my Dick Is hard as steel, more libido, and i experience getting hard during the day … Does this mean that if i use fin, probably i will feel the same ? Or even better?

Saw Palmetto is a weak DHT blocker while finasteride is a stronger one. I would expect that some people taking Saw Palmetto without sexual side effects might be better on finasteride.


2020-11-04 08:41:09If you take Saw Palmetto with no sexual side effects, does that mean Finasteride is safer?

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I’m 15 and Want a Hair Transplant

Hi my hair has been thinning when i was early-mid 14, its been almost an year now and my hairline is going bk more. I also noticed my hair gets really oily if i dont wash it for one day. I have been going to doctors but most of then said they cant do anything about it.

I’m currently using rogaine 2% for 4 months now but nothings really changing. I was wondering what can i do about this? Whens the earliest age to get hair transplant? I’m really scared to go bald as i’m still only 15.

At 15 years old, your idea for a transplant is likely not reasonable. Rogaine (minoxidil) probably wouldn’t do anything for your hairline, and at only a few months after starting it, I don’t think you’d even see any benefit at the crown (where it works best).

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can visit me at the New Hair Institute for a consultation. I will give you an opinion and not brush you off. You would also need permission from your parent(s) or guardian since you are underage.

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If You’re Anti-Computer Generated Transplant Results…

You have repeatedly stated that computer generated images used to show hair transplant results are misleading and inaccurate. You recently stated “although using a computerized simulating system sounds like a neat idea, in reality the pictures are misleading at times and the final results may be considerably different from those shown on the computer screen.” Why then, did you stand on the stage on the American Dream show under computer enhanced photo of the contestant who won a transplant? Was this a case of letting the marketing opportunity of appearing on nationwide TV overcoming the deeply-held beliefs and positions you’ve espoused as a healthcare professional? If so this not speak well of your integrity.

Dream VoteI accepted to do the hair transplant on the patient (Russ) from The Great American Dream Vote show and the producers pushed me hard to project an “after” result for them that they could use for shock value on the show. With proper releases, I found another hair transplant patient who looked almost exactly the same as the Dream Vote show winner — he had the same hair thickness, color of hair and skin, and balding pattern as Russ did — and I used Adobe Photoshop to “move” the hair from the former patient to Russ’s head. It took a considerable discussion with the producers who wanted more so this was a compromise to meet what I thought was ethical. If I disappointed you by doing this, well I share some of your concern (and had pain as I negotiated the picture), but with the clear and proper disclosure, what I did was a reasonable exercise. Your point is nevertheless well taken.

I will post his after pictures following one or two procedures and we can see just how close my projected look would be.

For more about my appearance on this very short-lived television show, check these:

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iGrow — A Hair Laser Hat… with Headphones!

Snippet from the article:

The latest in laser-based hair rejuvenation is the iGrow, a stylish new wearable device from Apira Science that packs 21 laser diodes and 30 LED lights. According to the company, that matches the output of most clinical hair lasers, and it should result in “thicker, fuller and healthier” hair in just a “few short months.” But that’s not all. The iGrow also includes a remote that has been programmed for both men and women, and it has a built-in set of headphones that you can use with your own iPod or MP3 player

Read the rest at Engadget — iGrow promises to regrow hair with lasers, accessorize any wardrobe

And it looks so classy! Any regular reader to this site knows how I feel about the laser hair therapies that make big claims with little to back it up, but this one goes a step further by including headphones and an Apple computer style iPhone/iPad/iPod naming convention.

CNet also points out that the maker of this product is covering their tracks by adding the fine print on the bottom of their site for their other laser product that states, “The REVAGE 670 has not been cleared by the FDA for medical use and any references are purely investigational.” I’m sure the iGrow falls into that same category.

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If you think that finasteride is not working!

Before i started fin my hair was okay, diffuse thinning but i could hide it really well. After i got on fin, my hair got way worse, especially after a month of using it. People started making comments, stuff i never used to hear. I started thinking the drug was making my hair worse. Now i’m 2 and a half months in, and my hair is sooo much better. I don’t even have to try to hide my hair anymore, or do any special hair styles to hide my thinning. I’m excited to see what my hair will look like 6 months in. Don’t lose hope

The key with this drug is persistence. Stay the course and most people see value either with slowing the hair loss, stopping it and occasionally reversing the hair loss


2021-03-02 07:39:29If you think that finasteride is not working!

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Here Is an Illegal Ad Which Uses One of Our Patients by a Doctor Who Could Not Do the Quality of Our Work and Preferred to Infringe on Our Copyright

He violated this patient’s rights by using this ad to promote his hair transplant services. This is a misrepresentation by the doctor defining a standard of care that is our standard of care, NOT HIS standard of care. In the State of California, a doctor can (by law) lose his license to practice medicine with such fraudulent representations. I omitted the doctor’s name at the bottom of the ad as I will deal with him through my attorney.


2019-02-20 08:25:12Here Is an Illegal Ad Which Uses One of Our Patients by a Doctor Who Could Not Do the Quality of Our Work and Preferred to Infringe on Our Copyright

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If you’re going to loose all your hair why not accept it?

“If you’re going to loose all your hair eventually there is no point in treating it, you will be bald anyways, that’s how God wants you to be.”

A relative of one person gave him this comment. This was my answer: God gave us genes that cause hair loss. God did not say that one had to accept these genes and that is what I make a living at, helping people like you manage or cure your hair loss cosmetically or otherwise. If God intended that hair loss should not be treated, God would have stopped the science of hair restoration from growing like crazy. If God gave you cancer, heart disease, smallpox, measles, etc.. would you accept it or try to cure it?


2020-01-25 09:49:17If you’re going to loose all your hair why not accept it?

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I’m 16 With Early Hair Loss, I Wash My Hair Twice Daily, and I Train Mixed Martial Arts

I am 16 years old and I think I am starting to show signs of male pattern baldness. I noticed a few weeks ago that the hair on the crown area and top of my head was thinning, but I haven’t noticed any major signs of a receding hairline. I started researching and found that hair loss can be genetic. So I asked my grandfather on my mother’s side when he began to lose hair and he informed me that he started noticing hair loss when he was 18.

Another thing I found while researching was that amount of exercise can be linked to hair loss. Which, if true, can be linked to my hair thinning because I was training in MMA fighting for about two months but recently stopped and suddenly didn’t do any exercise at all. As soon as I stopped training is when I began to notice that my hair was thinning.

Also, I am experiencing slight itching and tingling in the crown area of my head. Another thing is that I do shower and wash my hair, on average, two times a day. I was surprised when I noticed my hair was thinning because I grow hair on almost every other part of my body except for my back. I have already set an appointment with my dermatologist, but it won’t be for another few weeks.

I was wondering in the meantime if it would be a good decision to start using a thickening shampoo and take vitamins. So if there are any suggestions that you can provide I would greatly appreciate it.

Genetic hair loss in men can generally start with the onset of puberty. The hair loss seen after your MMA training could’ve been coincidental, and body hair growth is unrelated to scalp hair loss. I’ve read online chatter that exercise / weight training and hair loss are linked, but I’ve not seen that to be the case.

There is no stopping or reversing a genetic predisposition forever. Hair thickening shampoos and vitamins are not cures, but may make your hair feel thicker. If you are worried about hair loss, you may want an objective examination and diagnosis before starting on an expensive journey of investing in shampoos and supplements. At 16 years old, you should also get a parent involved.

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I’m 16 Years Old and My Hair Is Falling Out At the Top of My Head!

I’ll try and make this as short as possible. I am 16 and will be 17 on halloween and for about the past 2.5-3 months i’ve been noticing hair falling out somewhat alot… mainly on the top of my head. The hair falling out is becomes thinner as you get closer to the root and also the root has that white bulb at the end of it, and some of the hairs look as if they are sort of whitish around the root but that may be because it just looks like that since they are getting thinner towards the root.

My father is 52 and is baldish sort of on top but has hair and the same for my mothers side of the family. And i’ve noticed that the top of my head, where the hairs are coming out, is kind of itchy and its not dandruff or lice…also my diet is kind of bad…

PLEASE HELP!!!!

I am not sure how I can help, but if you are male, post-puberty, and experiencing rapid hair loss, the chances are it may be genetic (androgenic alopecia). It may be worthwhile to see your primary care doctor or a hair transplant doctor for a good diagnosis. Without knowing what you have, you cannot treat it.

At 16 years old, I’m not suggesting a hair transplant, but to simply consider meeting with a doctor that specializes in hair loss so that you can get a better idea of what is going on.