Author: Dr. William Rassman

Posted on

Is My Hairline Maturing? (Photo)

I read a lot of your comments and the article on Mature hairlines you usually share. Would it be possible for you to check the situation with my hair? I pass the wrinkled forehead test, but my temples are really high.

Here is my forehead wrinkled:

This is a maturing hairline. It will go up much further still with some more corner recession until the entire hairline is one finger breadth above the highest crease in the center and a V-Shape as the hairline moves outward.


2020-03-04 09:12:23Is My Hairline Maturing? (Photo)

Posted on

Is Norwood Class 1 a Mature Hairline?

Hello, Dr. Rassman, I have a couple questions for you about hairlines. You see, I’m a little confused…

I am a 24-year-old Caucasian male with no outward signs of pattern baldness, even though it does run on both sides of my family. I was looking at pictures of myself the other day from when I was about 12, and noticed in one picture of me with a crew cut, that I at one time had a very rounded hairline, like that of a female. This got me thinking (and a little worried), since my hairline today looks like that of the guy in the first picture on the Norwood scale. It’s not the hairline I had when I was 12, but it’s not a “mature hairline” either. I did the brow measurements and my hairline is still very much in the juvenile position, albeit more square in shape and rising slightly at the corners, just like the guy in the picture.

So I’m curious, is it possible for the first Norwood illustration to be the mature hairline in some cases? My hairline has been like this since I was about 18 or 19-years-old and hasn’t moved an inch since then.

Thank you for your help on the matter.

Norwood 1I’d say that yes, a Norwood Class 1 (see art at right) and a mature hairline are basically the same. The hairline you saw at 12 years old is your childhood hairline and it is completely normal for your hairline to mature to some degree a dozen years later. You can not tell at your age for sure, but with a good mapping of your scalp and measurements looking for miniaturization in the corners, you might just see where your hair loss is going, if anywhere.

Posted on

Is My Vegetarian Diet Causing Female Hair Loss?

(female) I am 23 years old and a vegetarian and recently i have noticed my hair has been getting much thinner, everytime i run my fingers through my hair, several strands fall out and it has been feeling much thinner since it used to be pretty thick. I have been growing my hair out for Lock of Love the past two years, I am 5’8″ and my hair length rests at my butt so it i very long. Could the thinness be because of my vegetarian diet, could it be from the length and how long i’ve been growing it out, or could i be balding already? Please let me know. Thanks.

If you are losing hair, the other things that you mentioned probably has nothing to do with it, providing you are getting the full vitamins you need and are not anemic. We often try to connect two facts or events that are not related, because our intelligent nature requires close examination of our health and our lives. So no, you being vegetarian or growing your hair long have nothing to do with losing hair.


2008-12-29 12:53:37Is My Vegetarian Diet Causing Female Hair Loss?

Posted on

Is penis shrinkage real?

I just wanted to ask if it is true that finasteride can cause penile shrinkage? My girl friend has been complaining that my hog is too large and I was wondering if taking it might at least diminish the girth.

I have a problem with this claim. You know when you are not sexually excited, you go swimming, you are out in the cold, the penis often smallest shrinks down. Try going for a a swim you you will see that it shrinks. Worrying about it I am sure doesn’t help. I don’t believe that having a large penis is an indication for taking finasteride which I don’t believe shrinks the penis.

Posted on

Is My Tight-Fitting Beanie Causing My Hair Loss?

I’ve been wearing a tight fitting beanie or toque as we call them here in Canada fairly regularly for about four months now. Often it will be all day, morning till night (so approx 12-14hrs). Quite frankly I just forget its on my head. I’d always had a full head of hair but have noticed some minor thinning at the hairline which I swear was not there some months ago before I started this beanie trend. I know you’ve spoken against hat or headgear wearing as a contributor to hair loss however some still suggest there may be a small correlation between the two.

I don’t believe excess dirt or sebum would contribute to hair loss but what about the notion of your hair/scalp needing oxygen? or vitamin D as produced by exposure to the sun? In regards to tight headgear, what about the idea of a decrease in circulation? Or a form of traction alopecia as the hair gets pushed or pulled in different directions for prolonged periods of time? Your insight would be appreciated.

Traction alopecia is certainly a possibility from wearing a beanie or anything tight on your scalp for extended periods of time. Problems with blood supply and oxygen levels aren’t going to cause hair loss, though they were once thought to be causes many years ago.

Hopefully, any vitamin D you’re not getting from sunlight is covered by your diet. It is my opinion that the hair does not have to get washed and sebum build-up will not impact hair growth, however, not washing your hair could cause your head to eventually stink.


2010-04-01 12:00:17Is My Tight-Fitting Beanie Causing My Hair Loss?

Posted on

Is One Hair Type Better Than Another?

Why does hair vary so much with people? Does coarse hair or kinky hair have an advantage over fine hair?

I remember a television piece done by CBS News’ 60 Minutes where they tracked what was claimed to be one of the original 12 tribes of Israel deep into the African continent through genetic testing on the Y Chromosome. In the few thousand years since the migration, the physical characteristics of the African became evident in these people with bigger lips, a wider nose, and kinky hair. I think that thermal regulation has a lot to do with the kinky hair, which allowed better cooling as a person chased an animal in the savannas of Africa during the hunt. Wide nasal passages allowed better air movement for breathing as well. The scalp is a major releaser of heat by preventing overheating in the summer, especially when heat generation adds to climatic conditions. On the other side, we know that when the French invaded Russia in Napoleon times, the winter killed more Frenchman than the battles. We also know that the bald men died during the retreat at a much higher rate than those with a full head of hair. Conservation of our body heat in the cold is another function of hair. In your question, you suggest that there is a better hair type; but better for what? Those with thin hair that sticks to a sweaty scalp may insulate better than a person with kinky hair, but not with coarse hair that lies flat. Also, there are no kinky-haired people outside of the original African population, indicating that kinky hair had an evolutionary advantage, so it evolved as the people adapted better to their geography and climate. If everyone originated out of the middle east, then we should look to our cousins there to see where we may have started from. This could be interesting topics of conversation for those of us who believe that one type of hair/person is better than another. When we put esthetics into the formulae for your question, then culture and vanity act as modifiers that go well beyond the influences of climate. Thanks for the insightful question. I always enjoy the wide variety of questions posed in this blog.

Posted on

Is Platlete Rich Plasma (PRP) valuable and what scientific proof is available?

The International Society for Hair Restoration Surgeons meeting this year was in Bangkok, Thailand. I was on the teaching faculty and almost 1000 people attended making it one of the more successful meetings in the history of this teaching hair restoration society. The subject of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and its value was discussed by Guest speaker Ramon Grinalt). He reported his review of the entire literature on PRP subject material and said he could not find a single study that proved that PRP grew new hair or resuscitated dying hair.

He discussed some of the more well known studies. When PRP was compared with microneedling using saline injections, any benefits that were seen with the PRP injections were comparable to the saline controls, when benefits showed up. Various doctors in attendance did not necessarily agree with this conclusion based upon their personal experience; however, many of these doctors could not prove (beyond a shadow of a doubt) that PRP worked.

In conclusion, I believe that microneedling with saline injections will work as well as PRP, for far less money.


2019-11-17 19:06:03Is Platlete Rich Plasma (PRP) valuable and what scientific proof is available?

Posted on

Is Plucking Hairs for ACell Procedure Faster than FUE?

Hey doc. I was just thinking. If Acell plucking works would it be fair to liken it FUE on steroids. Similarities being little scaring (or none with Acell), it is non strip, has the same yield except with the added bonus of unlimited donor hair. Also one more question, is the plucking technique faster than FUE per graft.

I don’t look too much into the ACell comparisons with follicular unit extraction (FUE) just yet, as it’s too early to tell. FUE is presently better organized as a procedure than the plucking/ACell. We’ve been performing FUE procedures for a decade, whereas experience has been limited with the ACell. This will change with time if ACell becomes the standard of care, but I believe that this is a long way off.


2011-01-21 08:51:30Is Plucking Hairs for ACell Procedure Faster than FUE?

Posted on

Is Polysorbate a Hair Loss Treatment?

Doctor,
Is polysorbate an ingredient (in a cosmetic creme or lotion) which could temporarily increase the diameter of thin & regular size hairs? If so, how long would the effect persist after a single application? And assuming no commercial product is available could it be compounded by any pharmacist?

I am asking these questions because years back a commercial lotion, supposedly from Norway which (falsely) claimed to be the solution to baldness incorporated polysorbate (I can’t remember if it was polysorbate 20). An employee of a pharmacy who told me he was using the product stated that he had noticed an apparent increase in hair density over a short period of time which could not be from new hair growth. I did not try this product after reading critical comments. But I wonder if one could safely use polysorbate or for that matter other products to improve the apparent hair density.

Thanks in advance

I have no experience with this approach for using polysorbate (80 or 20 or any number) as a hair regeneration treatment. If it really worked, I would suspect I would know about it. I will, nevertheless, keep an open mind and probe it with some of my colleagues.

Posted on

Is Prince William’s Hair Loss Due to Stress?

On the eve of the Royal Wedding I had a quick question regarding anxiety, stress and hair loss.

Recent photos of Prince William reveal a less than regal mane. Unlike his father or younger brother who seem to have strong hairlines William has thinned out considerably in a rather diffuse pattern.

Throughout his life the young prince has been subjected to ruthless scrutiny by the British press. The obsessive gaze of the public and media only intensified as he matured into a handsome young man. Joining the adolescent cult of celebrity William was conferred a heartthrob status, young women the world over screaming his name and fantasizing about the kind of storybook courtship now lived out by Kate Middleton.

Like his photogenic mother before William became the “face” of the royal family – representing youth, optimism and vitality to a world that questioned the very viability of traditional royalty and it’s place in modern culture.

The weight of this, combined with familial expectations and the untimely passing of his mother Diana, must have placed considerable stress on young Williams emotional state. I can only imagine the anxiety this man has had to endure. Should it come as no surprise then that his hair has thinned? Is Prince Williams current hairline a reflection of years of stress?

Surfing the net one would certainly get that impression. Not only has a BP sized oil slick worth of ink been spilt on Wils wispy locks but the reasons behind his follicular crisis as well. Add to that the litany of sources claiming any amount of stress, worry or anxiety is tantamount to a death sentence for your hairline and the “stress” explanation starts to make perfect sense when looking at Williams situation.

I’m not sure what caused the flaxen haired prince to shed but there is little doubt that he’ll breathe a little easier once the crown becomes requisite attire for public appearances- lets hope he’s not a Norwood 6 by that point!

NW6We’ve actually written about this before a couple times (most recently here).

While stress may have contributed to Prince William’s hair loss, genetics are much more likely to be the reason. There is known genetic hair loss in his family tree, and although his father Prince Charles may have a strong hairline, the top of his scalp is pretty barren. Judging from photos, William’s loss looks similar.

From the video that was streaming on all the news networks last week, it appears that Prince William is fast showing a Norwood class 6 balding pattern. The pattern may even extend to a class 7 pattern (see the big dip in the hair at the back of his head). This is a situation which should have been aggressively treated with Propecia, which might have held the hair on his head when he still had a lot of it. Here he is on his wedding day: