Dr. William Rassman – Page 998

June 26, 2012

Hair Loss InformationIn the News – A Year After Wayne Rooney’s Transplant, His Hair Looks Very Thin – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

He could be tempted to scratch his head over why he spent the money – but on this evidence that might not be the best of plans.

Exactly a year after Wayne Rooney paid Â£30,000 for a hair transplant, his new thatch is showing signs of thinning.

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Read the rest (and see the photos) — Wayne reveals more scalp in training session

I wrote about his transplant looking thin months ago. As to why his hair looks so much thinner now, I couldn’t say. To really comment on the actual results, I would have to run a comb through his hair.

June 25, 2012

Hair Loss InformationConnection Between Early Balding and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

The authors of a recently published article show that a specific genetic locus was identified on Chromosome 20, which is associated with Parkinson’s disease, that is also a susceptibility locus for early-onset genetic balding. The study was conducted in 12,806 individuals of European ancestry who had early-onset genetic balding. There was a high degree of confidence in the reported statistics.

The suggestion is that individuals with early onset genetic balding have a 6 fold increase in the risk for Parkinson’s Disease (7,664 cases of Parkinson’s Disease was studied). This data was published in Public Library of Science, and you can read it here.

With the advent of wide scale genetic testing, we are now finding relationships between the genes we carry and various diseases that run in family lines. I registered on 23andMe some time ago. When you register on this site, you send saliva samples along with the registration. From this, the company compares you with an expanding database of people and their genetic make-up. Risk of disease is sent to you and as new genetic testing is developed, you can see your ever-changing risks of various diseases. What this means is that, for example, you have a higher risk of heart disease than the average person, you can take steps early in your life to mitigate that risk. I would suggest that you may find it interesting to look at the 23andMe site.

June 25, 2012

Hair Loss Information2 Months After My Hair Transplant, Should I Be Doing Anything? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a hair transplant 2 months ago. Should I be taking any medication to encourage growth or retain native hair? My surgeon said it was not necessary, but I an concerned about losing transplanted and native hair thanks

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I do not think I can impart any more wisdom that what your surgeon has already told you. If the surgery went well, it should grow in 6 to 8 months. The native hairs may fall out as it depends on your genetic fate and if you were taking Propecia, you might be protected from the shock loss that occurs after a transplant. Just be patient and take good care of yourself.

June 25, 2012

Hair Loss InformationSometimes I Lose a Lot of Hair for a Few Days and Then None for a Few Days – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor

You often say that normal hair loss is asynchronous, meaning that one loses about 100 hairs per day on average and there are periods with more shedding and periods with less shedding . I often notice those periods to be extremely small. I might shed lots of hair for three, two or even one day, and then not at all for the next two or three days. And after a few days it starts again.

Now, would that qualify as a normal asynchronous hair shedding pattern? Let me tell you that i wash my head every day .

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Yes. Asynchronous means not everything is the same every day or on every part of the scalp. Over the long run it will average out. If you lose more and more hair over the long run, then it means you are losing more hairs than growing new hairs (thinning / balding).

June 22, 2012

Hair Loss InformationCase Study – Dutasteride Plus Finasteride Saw Dramatic Increase in Hair Growth – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In a report in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology published last week, a case was presented of a 47 year old man who did not see the same hair density after 4 years on finasteride. The doctors added 0.5mg/week dutasteride to the treatment plan and there was a dramatic increase in hair growth.

There is a problem for what is called “poor responders” to finasteride, and the focus of this article was to add a low dose of dutasteride weekly. There was no significant sexual side effects with this particular patient, but of course, the issue remains that sexual side effects could be significant in other patients. Dosage is a problem, as some doctors have prescribed 5 times the dose of dutasteride at 2.5mg/week, or even daily use. The dose increases the costs for the patient and no one really knows the recommended period that a patient should take this increased dose nor the time to obtain the therapeutic response. Worst case, we do not know if dutasteride acts as a carcinogen that can cause a high grade prostate cancer, as the story is not in yet on the full extent of the safety of this drug over time.

In no way am I recommending you add dutasteride, but you can talk to your prescribing doctor about your case. The above is just a single case study presented, but it was worth posting here to get your always fascinating feedback.

June 22, 2012

Hair Loss InformationCan SMP Cause Shock Loss Like a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Does SMP scalp micropigmentation cause shock fallout or shedding, similar to the shedding that occurs after hair transplant procedure? Does the shock or trauma caused by SMP have any negative impact on thining hair? If it does, what area is likely to shed the most? Thank you.

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Yes, there is always a risk of shock hair loss with SMP, but we have not seen any significant hair loss in our experience (I recall one female patient, but it was minimal). Most people who choose to have SMP are already balding and made the decision to shave their head. We are very selective on who we recommend SMP to.

With respect to long term effect on thinning hair, in my opinion SMP should not be a factor. People with thinning hair in the long term lose their hair — that is why they choose to have SMP or a hair transplant or take medication.

June 22, 2012

In the News – Viruses that Kill Cancers – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the non-hair-loss article:

A laboratory-grown virus that can infect humans and evade the immune system might sound like it belongs on a bioterrorist’s must-have list, but in fact it’s what some cancer researchers have been waiting for. The viruses in question, including the one used by Melcher and colleagues, are adept at killing cancer cells but leave healthy tissue alone. “Often tumors get rid of genes to become immortal, and when they do that they actually become weak when it comes to viral infection,” explained John Bell, a specialist in Cancer Therapeutics at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada, who was not involved in the work.

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Read the rest at The Scientist — Cancer-Fighting Virus

This is a virus that can target tumors, and then destroys the cancerous cells. Amazing!

Discoveries like this article discloses are an exciting frontier in medical research and offers great promise for the future treatment of cancers that are often out of the reach of conventional therapy. As the article also points out, large trials are going to be needed and this is still early in the research.

June 22, 2012

Hair Loss InformationCould SMP Be Used for Beards? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Thanks for the great website and all the effort you and the rest of the team put to answer questions on a regular basis.

My question is regarding SMP. Could the same method be used to artificially create a stubble for men with patchy facial hair? I understand that it is a permanent look, but could the technique (or something similar) be used on the face?

Thanks again for your time.

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I guess it sounds like a reasonable thing to do when small bald spots exist in a beard and the patient does not want hair transplants. But you’re going to limit yourself to always having the same facial hair length forever, or you’ll have tattooed spots on your face. Having said that we have done a small size spot (1cm) for a former patient.

June 21, 2012

Mixing Latisse and Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been reading a lot about the drug Latisse as a possible use for MPB. My doctor prescribed me a generic version to try.

Do you think I could mix it in a bottle of minoxidil and use it or do you think it might need a different carrier agent or a stronger version to work.
I know you are not involved in this kind of research but I would appreciate your opinion

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While I am not directly involved with this type of research, I have seen patients who have tried Latisse (bimatoprost) on their own scalps without success. I also have been told by a scientist (a patient) who is familiar with Latisse that just applying it to the scalp does not work. If only it was that simple.

As Latisse is packaged in very small quantities for use on the eyelashes, the costs for applying it to the scalp are out of reach for most people. I’m not aware that a generic version is available for sale in the US. The last I remember reading, a generic drug manufacturer was seeking FDA approval to market a generic bimatoprost, but it was being challenged by Allergan (makers of Latisse). If there’s anything more recent about this, I’m not aware of it.

As for your question about mixing Latisse and minoxidil — this isn’t something I’ve heard done before, and I don’t know what kind of results could be attained by going this approach. Have you talked to your prescribing doctor about it?

June 21, 2012

Any Great Propecia Results to Post? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc, Id like to ask you if you have any pictures of the best results of propecia on any of your patients that you could show us. Thanks a lot. I love your blog.

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I just searched for “propecia results photos” using the box in the top corner of the site and found these —

There’s more on the site, but these are the first ones I found. There’s a lot more great results I’ve seen in my practice, but I can only publish the photos when I’ve been given permission. Hope this helps!