Dr. William Rassman – Page 975

October 4, 2012

In the News – FDA is Raising Awareness About Dangers of Buying Pharmaceuticals Online – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

The name of the Food and Drug Adminsitration’s new public awareness campaign, “BeSafeRx,” has the same ring to it as the websites you aren’t supposed to be trusting: “expressrx4les,” “healthydrugsonline,” “ineedmypill.com” and 10,000 others that the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy identified and recommends against.

It also comes off, at first glance, as a bit of a no-brainer. Don’t buy pills from the people spamming your inbox — it’s like not accepting unwrapped Halloween candy from your creepy neighbor, except riskier. But the FDA’s survey of over 6,000 people revealed that only 13 percent of those who had purchased drugs online checked to see if the site was licensed. Almost one in five admitted to purchasing medications from websites that weren’t affiliated with their local pharmacy or health insurance plan, and 47 percent of those same people relied on comments and reviews to verify the drugs’ safety.

Read the rest — How Legit Are Pillz-4-Cheap Websites?

On one hand, I get why people might be tempted to buy prescription drugs online — price and embarrassment being key issues. On the other hand, there are reasons why prescription drugs require a prescription, and you’re taking a huge risk when buying from these unlicensed and illegal websites.

How can you be sure you’re actually getting the right medication? How can you be sure you’re not actually doing yourself more harm than good? How do you know if you even NEED the medication that you’re buying? If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

October 4, 2012

After 6 Years on Propecia, I’m Seeing Shedding — Should I Add Minoxidil? – Balding Blog

Hi Doc

I am 32 and have been using propecia for 6 years. I have recently noticed a lot of shedding and my hair feels thinner. Is this normal after 6 years? Should I now introduce minoxidil to my hair prevention? Does minoxidil affect non balding hair (back and side) and make them dependent on the drug as well. I am slightly concerned about making non balding hair weaker by making them dependent on a chemical. is there any reason to worry about that?

Also what ever happened to the potential of a natural apple based solution that helped prevent baldness? I saw a few years ago that a japanese company was running trials and said they had good results. Did this ever go anywhere or are they still running trials?

If your doctor measured your hair bulk throughout your scalp before you started the medication (something that probably wasn’t available then) or performed miniaturization analysis (which was available), you would now know when/if the drug stops working optimally.

Some men have said they’ve seen their hair loss resume after years of taking Propecia, but each case is unique. I’ve had patients on the medication for well over a decade with continued great results. I don’t know that it is “normal” but you’re likely not alone in what you’re experiencing. You should get a doctor involved so that you can start getting measurements now, which will be beneficial if you do decide to add minoxidil.

Topical minoxidil is an off the shelf medication that you do not need a doctor’s prescription to use in most countries. Many men start using it, then get lazy and stop after about a month or two when they don’t see immediate or significant results. It takes about 6 to 12 months of twice daily use to see some effect. Before starting or stopping any mediation it is always good to speak with your doctor. As to your question about dependency, see here.

With respect to natural apple based solutions, I have not heard or read much about it.

October 3, 2012

5 Months After My Transplant, Nothing Has Grown In and Now I’m Losing Hair All Over! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I find your blog to be incredibly informative and helpful to those with concerns after their hair transplants. I decided to undergo a transplant exactly 5 months ago as preventative maintenance. 1,700 grafts to fill-in the thinning top portion of my head. I still have hair on my head, but under direct light you could visibly see through to my scalp. I followed my doctor’s instructions and had no major issues after the surgery.

At 5 months, the incision scar is still pink and I have occasional pimples on the top of my head (with what seems to be a noticeable increase in grease on my head). Also, after the surgery I had shock fallout. But it seems that ever since my surgery for the last five months my shedding has been consistently increased. Not just from the top of my head, but all over (sides and back). I have yet to see any growth from the grafts. But I have noticed white streaks in my hair. I have pitch black hair, and there are now random strips of white developing throughout my hair (I had never had white hair before the surgery). Is it possible that the shock of surgery would cause some of my hairs to begin to turn white?

And I’m also concerned at this point that my grafts will not grow in and that I will continue to get thinner and thinner since my fallout has increased. Thank you for your input and advice.

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In my practice, we never recommend a hair transplant surgery for “preventive maintenance”, mainly because most patients would not likely see much of a result as they continue to bald and run the risk of being worse off. There is also a good possibility that the surgically induced hair loss might make it look worse, something we call “shock loss”.

If you are really losing hair on the sides, maybe something else is going on like diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA). Shock loss doesn’t usually cause hair to fall out from the back and sides of the head. White hair does appear with stress on some people, but I really do not understand the cause. It sounds like you need a good doctor to talk with and be examined by. Perhaps the surgeon that did your transplant would be a place to start.

In general it takes about 6 to 8 months before you can see results and I tell my patients that most people can see 80% of the impact from a hair transplant in 8 months. You should notice growth beginning about now and see improvement in the next 3 months. If you are young and had the transplant without taking the drug finasteride, and assuming that your preventive hair transplants were not really needed, then you will most likely not have as much hair as you did before the transplant (based upon what you are saying here). Hopefully though, over the next 3 months you’ll see some gains.

October 3, 2012

Hair Loss InformationMy Doctor Said Propecia Could Stop My Bone Growth at 17 Years Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey, Dr

I first noticed my hairline receiding and the top of my head was thinning when I was 15, doctor told me to use rogaine but 2 years later I stopped because of no results and was tired of putting it on everyday. Now that I’m 17 my doctor said propecia will still be too risky for me because he is worried that propecia could eventually stop my development (bone growth). What are your thought on what effects propecia could have on a 17 year old?

Thanks

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I’ve never heard of Propecia stopping or impeding “bone growth” on an adolescent, however it has been theorized and I’ve written about that before here.

If your doctor is worried then that is his/her opinion and medical recommendation. If you would like a second opinion you need to see another doctor. If you do not want a second opinion, you should ask your doctor about the reasoning behind his/her statements and even ask to see (or pointed) to the literature he/she is basing the statement from. After all, that is your doctor and you have a right to ask these questions.

October 3, 2012

I Started Using Minoxidil The Day After My Hair Transplant! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Very worried about something. Had hair transplant surgery three weeks ago and it went great… walked out after 12 hours with 4190 grafts. The doctor gave me a rx for propecia and also recommended using minoxidil. He didn’t mention WHEN to start using it; as a result, I started using the minoxodil the next day, and continued for about 5 days-week. There was no bleeding, etc., but I know there was a high degree of alcohol in it (Costco brand) and am now worried I did something to destroy or disrupt the grafts. All of the grafts have by two weeks.

Can’t find anything on the web that gives me info on this, other than to wait at least two weeks. Have you heard of this happening and causing any damage? I called his office and spoke with a surgical tech, who told me he should have told me to wait at least 3-4 days, but she didn’t think it could be harmful. Thanks for any advice you can give me…

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We advise patients to wait at least 3 to 4 days (maybe a week) following a hair transplant before they resume the use of products like Rogaine (minoxidil). If you are asking if the use of Rogaine the day after surgery has harmed your grafts (due to its alcohol content), I really cannot say. I suppose time will tell.

October 3, 2012

Is Hair Cloning Advancing At All? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc

Do you think we will ever see a day when someone with complete male pattern baldness (I.e. Horse shoe shaped) will be able to get a full head of hair? It seems like hair cloning has fallen off the radar. Is anyone/company still pursuing this? Do doctors and researchers still believe that we will be able to make it work? Will we see a solution in the near future? If so how long? There must be industry discussions and gossip about where we are with it. It seems like we have been waiting for ages

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There are private companies that are still working on hair cloning. It has not fallen off the radar, but the progress has been slow. I can’t put a timeline on when it’ll be a reality available to the public, but I hope it will be available within my lifetime.

October 2, 2012

Lixilis Lotion, a FGF-5 Inhibitor? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hello dr rassman/ pak
i want a comment on this product which can inhibit fgf-5, as they say.

Link: Lexilis lotion

thanks

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According to that link, the product is described as a scalp lotion that contains “leaf extract from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)” and “Senburi, a whole plant extract from Japanese green gentian (Swertia japonica)“. These ingredients don’t hold a lot of value to me, but if someone wants to give it a try, that is your choice to make (though at nearly $130 per bottle, that is also a financial risk you’re going to have to be willing to make).

There are a lot of herbal products out there that make unsubstantiated claims based on poorly done studies. I can’t say if this is such a product since I’ve never heard of it before, but Advangen (the maker of Lexilis) offers a few topical products that claim to inhibit FGF-5. Why are they making a big deal about FGF-5? Well, they claim it will extend the hair cycle. And it seems that they’re basing that on a study the company says they conducted on 39 people and an unknown amount of mice.

I get asked about herbal products all the time, and people are desperate to try anything to treat hair loss, so there’s a huge market out there full of snake oils, lotions, and potions that will do nothing but line the pockets of those willing to take advantage of balding folks. That’s why I always remind people of one important thing — buyer beware. You can give this one a try if you’d like, but even if the hair cycle is extended, I don’t see how that actually treats hair loss.

October 2, 2012

Hair Loss InformationI’m 17 and Balding in a NW 7 Pattern – Can I Take Propecia Now?! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr Rassman would you please kindly help me. I am a 17 year who has very strong hair loss. My hairloss started when I was 15. Am losing hair in a NW 7 pattern. Hairloss runs strong in my family but not at this age.

I have spoken to my doctor about propecia he said its upto me if I want to take. I honestly want to take it but I don’t know how it will affect my body development.

So my question is to you is will you prescribe propecia to a 17 year old (if one came to your office) and what are the risk

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Propecia is an elective medication. If you do not want to take it, then do not take it. This decision is ultimately yours. If someone under 18 years old comes to see me at my office, they need to be accompanied by their legal guardian or parent before I see them or recommend any treatments.

You need a diagnosis by a physician before starting on any medical regimen. You need a doctor who knows the science of balding and there are many of us from around the world. Since you noted in your email that you’re in the UK, there is a first class doctor there — Dr. Bessam Farjo — and I would suggest that you arrange to see him.

October 2, 2012

Equate (Minoxidil) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Costco has stopped selling it’s 5 percent Kirkland brand of Minoxidil liquid, and only the foam is offered now. I want to still use a liquid instead of the foam and have found that Walmart carries a brand call Equate from Israel. any feed back on the product?

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I wasn’t aware that Costco stopped selling their Kirkland Minoxidil liquid, but Equate appears to be just another name that generic minoxidil is sold as. In other words, though I don’t have specific experience with Equate, I’d expect it would be the same as the Kirkland, Rogaine, and other products that contain 5% minoxidil as the active ingredient.

There are some short reviews of Equate on the Walmart site.

October 2, 2012

Is Density Up Top Normally Lower than the Back of the Head? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it normal for hair volume to be less dense on top of your head than the lower back of head / neck area if you still have a full hair line up front above your face?

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On a non-balding person the hair density is similar throughout the scalp, but there are areas where the density may be lower, like the sides of the head (above the ears).

Only the area in the back of the head (a 2 1/2 inch area) is considered permanent, as shown in the hair that remains in the Norwood class 7 pattern.