Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Hair Loss in Young Teen Male

Dear Doctor,
I have this very close friend who is 15 years old. He is suffering from hair loss and has been since about the age of 11. I’ve talked to him about it many times and he says that the amount of hair he loses after showers is unbelievable. Even when he runs his fingers through his hair strands come out. I really would like to do what I can to help him, he has trouble talking to people so I’m basically the only one who can help. He also gets made fun of at school sometimes and no one likes to be teased. I’ve read up on different causes of hair loss but nothing really is directed to younger teens. Please help me help him.

Young men as young as 13 can have genetic hair loss. He needs to see a good doctor, get his hair and scalp mapped out for miniaturization and find out if he is genetically balding. Assuming it is genetic hair loss, then the drug that is best to hold on to his hair is Propecia. He must get help and get proper management; the price of premature balding is too grave a consequence for denying the problem.

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Hair Loss in the Mature Man

Reader Tom asks…

My hairline has been receding for a number of years, I am now 62 and recently had a heart attack. It seems to me that the hair loss has accelerated since that trauma. My hair now has sort of a trough down the middle that was not there before, but it was thinning. My question is, Can a heart attack cause acceleration of hair loss and can hair replacement techniques be employed to reverse it? Thank You

Hi Tom, thanks for writing.

There are generally four causes of hair loss in men. Genetic inheritance and male hormones are the two most important. Time and stress are the other two. Typically, genetic hair loss occurs well before 35 years of age, and in most people it slows down with time. There are some older men who start showing the hair loss over the age of 45, although this is more the exception to the rule. Don Ameche, a popular film actor in the 1930s and 40s, was a hairy sex idol even at the age of 50, but was bald at the age of 75 when he had a prominent role in the movie Cocoon. So, he had an ‘expression’ of his genetic balding late in life. Your heart attack certainly brought on ‘STRESS’ and with a delayed genetic expression, probably precipitated your hair loss. I have seen this in illness or even divorce, both of which are heavy stress induced initiators for hair loss in the genetically prone man.

As your hair loss is recent, I would probably recommend that you go on the drug Propecia, because continued hair loss is possible. This drug may slow or stop the progression of the hair loss and it might even reverse it. If it does not do the trick, then a hair transplant works wonderfully.

Hope this answers your question.


2005-05-05 09:10:14Hair Loss in the Mature Man

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Hair Loss in UK

Everything in the following article is not completely accurate, but worth reading if just to get another cultural variation to discussing hair loss. In reference to comments in this piece about Elton John’s hair transplants, I believe that he does wear a hair system (wig) and did not have a successful outcome for hair transplants as he received them in the early days when the technology was deforming. They call him a toupee wearer, but also say that his transplant was effective. I guess it could be weaved into his hair system to keep it on his head, thereby being effective in that way. Aesthetically though, it can’t be good.


2006-05-09 09:14:02Hair Loss in UK

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Hair loss from low Vitamin D or genes?

Now I am 18 male and from the last 5 years I am losing hair that’s why the front portion of my hair had become so thin that one could easily see my scalp, 2 months ago I came to know that I have vit D3 deficiency it was 11.78 ng/ml, now I am under treatment so anyone can tell me how much time it will take to regrow my hair?

If you Vitamin D levels are low and this is the cause of your hair loss, you can expect to see hair regrowth in a year or less; however, as a male, then the loss is most likely genetic (99% probability), Time will tell?


2019-03-19 07:21:25Hair loss from low Vitamin D or genes?

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Hair Loss Lotions and Creams

dear Dr rassman
iam 26 years old and have been losing hair steadily since last few years. No one in my family is bald for that matter and now i guess my loss is pretty prominent. my question is do these hair loss creams really help.If so which one can be beneficial
thanks

There are only two medications that are known to work and to be safe for the treatment of hair loss. Propecia (finasteride) is a wonderful medication (oral pill once per day) for men only. Younger men or those with early hair loss in the back of the head often get reversal and hair regrowth. In most men, it prevents or slows the hair loss process. Rogaine (minoxidil) is the second medication and works in men and women, although it is not predictable. It is a topical medication and must be applied twice daily to get any effect.

There are hundreds of products sold over the counter and over the internet that make magnificent claims, but few if any of those claims can be backed up with any good science. Claims of FDA clearance are rampantly fraudulent. There are so many people looking for a magic cure and so many others looking to take advantage of them. Buyer beware!


2006-03-07 14:32:13Hair Loss Lotions and Creams

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hair loss with male testosterone enhancement

I am 68 yrs old, very fit, weight lifter, and runner. I have been taking Cialis 60mg usually about 3 to 4 times a week. I also take male enhancement pills.Since I got serious about my sex drive and enjoy it almost daily, I have noticed my hair getting thinner.Could it be the Cialis, or male testosterone enhancements?

male testosterone enhancements of all kinds are known to cause hair loss

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Hair Loss, Lasers, Drugs and Transplants

I am undergoing a hair loss treatment. This treatment involves lasers, basically a helmet that shines light on my head to deter DHT. I am somewhat skeptical, but it was the only option that was within my price range at the moment. I am 20 years old; my hair loss is not substantial. I am thinning on the top of my head and the most severe areas are in my hairline and the back of my head. I took this treatment to prevent my hair from thinning anymore. The thinning is not very obvious but I can tell it is still progressing. I wanted to know if transplanting hair from my own head would leave an area in the back of my head that hair will not grow on anymore. I also wanted to know if there are ways of getting transplants from other donors. Lastly, I want to know how much these treatments would cost and how effective the treatment I’m receiving is.

There is anecdotal evidence in Europe that hair lasers (Low Level Light Therapy / LLLT) increases hair growth. I’ve written about LLLT previously, here. Thinning of the hair in young men often starts off insidiously and gets slowly worse. At the beginning, you might actually lose 50% or more of your hair before you notice it. If you are a platinum blonde, you could lose 85% of your hair before it becomes noticable. The key is to make the diagnosis early and get on the only good, FDA approved DHT blocker that is out there: Propecia. This drug is the best and possibly the only real hope at this point to slow down, stop or reverse the hair loss. In young men, I have seen some wonderful reversals of hair loss. Transplants in a 20 year old without noticable hair loss is NOT something you should pursue at this time. When the donor area is harvested for hair transplants (the back of the head) it does not produce a bald area as you suggested in your question.

Laser treatments can be obtained from those who sell those services. We have a laser in our Los Angeles office, but do not sell the service at this time. I am told that the company that provides the service charges about $3000/year for treatment. Propecia costs range from $55/month to as high as $120/month depending upon the pharmacy you purchase it from. We sell it in our office at $53/month (very close to our cost). Transplants are sold by the graft. These surgical procedure generally cost a few thousand dollars per surgery, but they do last your lifetime. The more transplanted grafts you buy, the higher the fee.

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Hair Loss on Nape of Neck, Behind the Ears

I am losing my hair from the edges upward especially on left side. The pattern of baldness is unlike any seen in family. Hair on the crown of head is full and thick albeit brittle but nape of neck, behind ears and temples are severely thinning. Scalp is sometimes irritated and occasionally painful medium-sized bumps appear. I am at a loss, does this sound like a medical condition or hereditary baldness, and if so, what should be my next move since most products are tailored for thinning on top of head.

Hairs on the lower part of the back of the scalp (high neck area) are not generally considered permanent or a part of scalp hair. Some men are genetically predisposed to lose hair in a pattern that you describe. If you are concerned about this, see a doctor to have your scalp hair mapped for miniaturization and find out the pattern for this thinning. There may be other underlying medical conditions associated with your problem. It is impossible for me to give you a diagnosis without examining you in person. Furthermore, there is no clear scientific evidence that medications such as Propecia or Rogaine would help –- but again, this is something you should explore with your doctor.

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Hair Loss Medication Side Effects

Hello Dr. Rassman
I have always thought about doing something for my loss of hair which is mainly in the front. I hear about all these products (propecia, procede, avacor) they all sound so great but it’s hard to trust on any of them since they don’t mention any possible side effects. I read about the gentleman who loss a lot of his hair when he used procede and I’ve heard that propecia may cause low sperm count. Are these side effects common? Is there any place where I can find such information? I guess most products (like medicine) have possible side effects. I just need to know how common this occurs. Thank you

I have no direct knowledge about ProCede. Avacor’s main active component appears to be minoxidil, which is cheaper if you buy it as generic minoxidil. Propecia does not reduce the sperm count, but can reduce the volume of the ejaculate that goes with the orgasm. Your sperm count should be as potent for getting your lady pregnant as before you took Propecia. The good news about Propecia is that it stays in your body less than a day (90% is out of your system in a day and effectively 99% is out in the second day). Keep priorities, do your research, and get a good examination by an expert doctor.