Category: African American Hair

Hello Dr. Rassman

I have a major problem. I am 39 y.o. black female. I see a dermatologist for severe psoriasis in the palm of my hands and my feet. I have had this problem now for more than five years. I was not diagnosed with psoriasis until jan of this year. I saw podiatrists, dermatologists, allergist and no one diagnosed me with this condition. These doctors could not tell me what was wrong with me, they gave different diagnosis and treated me for latex allergy fungus, no sweat gland, vitamin b12 injection, prednisone, lamasil, and none of these treatments worked. I finally gave up and changed doctors and my primary sent me to a dermatologist in the Tampa Bay area. He took his time and treated me with different medications like clobetasol, propionate cream, different ointment combinations, and different creams such as salex, naftin, etc, etc. He did a biopsy on my foot, because at this time the psoriasis was creeping up my legs. That’s when I was finally diagnosed with this problem. I was placed on soriatane with the lowest dosage and then he increased it. I could see a difference in a few months. My labs were monitored monthly and I knew of some of the side effects and the problems that goes along with taking this med, but I was happy. I was in the process of taking soriatane qod until all the pills were finished. While I was in JA on vacation, the hair dresser noticed a bald spot on my scalp the size of a 1/4. It was not there when I left the USA. I have been getting relaxers, weaves, braids and wearing wigs for many years and I also have a hair dresser. She has been taking care of my hair very well and I had no problems. My scalp was itching me very badly and my scalp was tough and leathery and very dark. My hair was breaking and falling out pretty badly. When I washed my hair the shower floor was covered with hair. I got very scared and when into a depression which sent my self esteem in a tail spin. I saw my dermatologist and he gave me a topical abt for scalp due to the itching. The problem still persist and I had a biopsy done on the spots that were bald. The results were neg for any disease process. He told me I was losing my hair due to braids and relaxers and tension on my scalp and I should look into having hair replacement done. That still did not tell me how I came to have bald spots that seem to pop up over night and losing almost half the amount of hair in the front and middle. The back is still thick and less hair loss is seen there and no bald spots but I continue to have an unbearable itch to my scalp. I have not started any kind of treatment as yet. Its about 2 1/2 months now. I have to wear wigs everyday now. I don’t go to the hairdresser any more. I don’t want anyone to see me without hair. I don’t know what to do anymore. I would like to know if the soriatane and other steroid creams could cause my hair to fall out and if it would ever grow back. Will this itching ever stop and will my scalp feel like scalp again? Please give me some hope. I am desperate. Thank you.

I went to the internet to look up Soriatane, which is related to Accutane (known to cause hair loss). This drug does cause depression, amongst other things. One lawyer has a website where he warns people about this drug: Soriatane Overview at YourLawyer.com

Braids do cause hair loss, as does genetic propensities, and an entire class of most drugs have hair loss as a stated side effect. It sounds like your case is too complicated for me to just make a stab at your problem via the internet. Steroids are a cayuse of hair loss also and you must be careful with their use. Even creams with steroids in them will absorbe through the skin and they can impact your body’s cortisone balance if they are used regularly. This is too important of an issue to not have a good doctor meet with you in person to take charge of your problems, as evident by your desperate email.

I am a black woman age 27. Seven years ago I had thick black hair. I used chemical products on my hair and got my hair styled by various hair dressers. Fine bumps developed in the back of my head, I attended a doctor and I was told that there were keloids. About a year after I conceive and gave birth to my only daughter that was in 1999. I relaxed my hair again and this time I am not sure if it is as a result of the keloid but my hair started thinning at the front and it is getting worse. I try to keep my hair up to hide the bald spots and this has affected my self esteem some what. Can this problem be rectified. Can my hair grow back or can I have hair transplant to make it look normal again?

This is a very complex problem that would require an examination of your scalp. Without seeing you, I would be loathe to suggest what to do. See a good dermatologist first, then see if he/she recommends another expert. Bald areas in the scalp are easily treated provided that there are no disease contra-indications for transplantation. Keloids and a variety of diseases that cause Alopecia need to be evaluated.

I am a 27 year old African American woman. A few months ago I saw some bald spots in the middle of my head. I thought it was the wigs and hair weave I used to wear, but later on the bald spots started to spread down to the front of my hair line. When my hair itches I used to bang my head with my hand so that I could stop the iching. I don’t know what to do with this situation. I want to cut my hair off and start all over re-growing my hair. What do you think is best for me to do?

If you have not yet seen a physician, I suggest that you get a thorough examination to rule out any underlying medical conditions, which could be causing the balding. The physician would also be able to determine how best to treat the itching.

I am an African American female age 52. I have very long sister locks and they are beautiful. trouble is, I had a hysterectomy last summer and noticed that my hair is balding on the sides. I went to a dermatologist who said it was my locks pulling, but I clearly had to get him straight and tell him that I never had braids in that spot, only a hair line that never was long enough to incorporate into the dreads. I am a professional person and am always in the public eye. I am now wearing scarves to cover the sides. I would like to know what I can do. I did notice that before I had surgery, my scalp was itching badly on the sides and the hair at the follicle became crusty at the base, as if it was dead. Any help would be appreciated

You should be seen by an expert. With a good history like yours, I would worry about a series of localized skin conditions that should be ruled out by a good dermatologist. As you are convinced (and have convinced me) that this is not traction alopecia, then a transplant might be a good solution provided that your dermatologist has determined that there are no skin conditions that would kill off the transplants. Transplants are undetectable in most African American hair types.

I am a 22 year old African American female. I very curly, short, and extremely dry frizzy hair. Due to experimenting with different hairstyles I have managed to pull out some of my hair from the root and now I have bald spots all over my head, which i have fortunately managed to hide with my other hair. I have tried many produts to see if I could regain the hair lost in these particular areas, but nothing has worked thus far. My hair is also particularly thin around my forhead and basicly non-existent around the temples/edges of my head. I want my hair to be longer, thicker, more healthy all while still looking natural and not too “fake” What would be the best hair procedure for me to opt in my particular case and what are the estimated costs for this/these procedure(s)?

Note: Just so that you know the extent of my hair damage. It is so bad that I have had to resort to wearing hair weaves, wigs, and other hair pieces.

I would want to see you before rendering an opinion. Your history is one I hear with great frequency, but the cause of the hair loss needs to be determined before making any plan to fix it. Different diagnoses would include traction alopecia and a variety of autoimmune alopecias. You need to be careful with wigs, because they can induce traction alopecia, compounding your problem. If you are in the California or New York areas, you can meet with an NHI affliated doctor. If not, visit ISHRS.org to find a doctor specializing hair restoration in your area. Or you can find a local qualified Dermatologist to get the diagnosis you need.