Age – Page 21 – Balding Blog

April 1, 2009

My Doctor Diagnosed Me with MPB Right Away – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Doctor Rassman, I have a question regarding early MPB. I’m 19 years old and my hair recently started thinning at the hairline and my temples have very slightly receded. It’s not at a stage where the untrained eye would notice, and my friends who I’ve pointed it out to think I’m crazy, to give you a picture of how early it is right now. But my dermatologist diagnosed it as early stage MPB right away when I asked her about it and she prescribed me propecia. So my question is:

Does thinning/receding at such an early age usually indicate a more serious case of balding? Does it generally mean more aggressive balding as well as a eventual higher NW# pattern? I know it can all be so very random sometimes, but I’m just wondering what the average case comparable to mine usually ends up at, if there is such a thing.

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Starting age of your hair loss doesn’t indicate degree of future balding. You could start early and get to your pattern quickly… then stop losing hair. It’s different for each person, obviously.

March 30, 2009

Hair Loss InformationI Want My 17 Year Old Brother to Take Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr.

I have a problem regarding my brother starting to lose his hair.He is losing his hair at a very young age (he is 17.5) I want to get him on propecia since he is nearly 18 but i am worried that even 18 years old is a little young to use propecia,do you think this is true? The reason i think it may be too young is that boys don’t stop growing until they are around 20 to 22 sometimes, and i am worried that DHT is needed for boys to develop into men.Do you think 18 years old is to young to use propecia and could it stunt his growth? I am really worried for him,please respond.

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You are your brother’s brother, not his doctor, so you can not be objective about the process of hair loss and its diagnosis and treatment. Assuming that he meets with a good doctor, gets examined for miniaturization, and gets a diagnosis of male pattern baldness (MPB), taking Propecia at 17.5 years old should not be a problem. The clinical trials and data are from men as young as 18 years old, and as you stated he’s nearly 18, he should be done growing anyway.

Maybe there is something else wrong? Perhaps he is not genetically balding, but just developing a mature hairline In any case, do what is right and in his best interests. Seeing a doctor should be step 1, as the medication is by doctor’s prescription.

March 20, 2009

Is There Mold or Toxin In My Home Causing Female Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) Hi, I started noticing my hair thinning for the past 2 years but it has been really getting thin the last couple of months. I’ve had blood tests and all have come back normal. Now I have noticed that my 8 year old daughter is thinning. Could there we something in our home causing it? Mold or other toxin? Or something we are eating? I am very concerned. I would really love to hear your opinion.

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First, your daughter needs to be checked out by a good doctor familiar with hair disorders and/or dermatology. I would not jump to toxins as my first diagnosis, but this needs to be evaluated by a competent doctor in-person, and not over the Internet. It could be a variety of possibilities, from nutrition problems to disease, but an examination must take place.

March 16, 2009

Defining a Good Hair Transplant Candidate? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi doctor,
every hair transplant surgon (including yourself) always says a person has to be a good candidate for hair transplant to be feasible and succesfull. what exactly do you mean and how do you define a good candidate?

A good candidate understands the process of balding and the limitations of a hair transplant surgery (where the transplant process works and does not work). The presence of realistic expectations reflects the supply/demand issues of the donor supply and this requires some prediction of your long term balding patterns. The concept of a Master Plan is critical in knowing that you can meet your goals. The rest is determined by the relationship between and good doctor and a patient willing to accept what transplants can and can not do.

All too often, patients who are 21 years old (too young) do not want to bald and they are not willing to really understand what they have to do (from taking medications to following the miniaturization mapping). It’s also worth noting that there are some things that might immediately disqualify you from a surgery: some forms of OCD like trichotillomania (until you have it under control), some forms of alopecia (we don’t want to transplant diseased hair that will just fall out again), etc.

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March 11, 2009

Hair Loss InformationI Want to Rock and Roll All Night (And Keep My Hair) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctor Rassman
I’m 20 years old and afraid I’m losing my hair, probably a mature hairline but I still fear the worst. I’m in a successful rock band and was wondering what my option are if i start to bald because i can’t just shave my head. I know i can use propecia but that would only last for so long right? Would a wig or weave stay on with all the constant head movement associated with playing rock concerts?

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Rock! Genetic hair loss is due to genetics (as the name implies)… meaning, if you are going to lose hair you will lose hair and there is nothing you can do to stop it 100%. Drugs such as Propecia or Rogaine can slow it down or sometimes reverse some hair loss, but over the course of your life you will continue to lose hair (if you have the genes for genetic hair loss). Propecia is the best solution for a young man like yourself, if there is early hair loss going on. I would start by seeing a good physician who can diagnose you with genetic hair loss (also know as androgenic alopecia / male pattern baldness). There is no need to start any medication if you are not balding.

Wigs and weaves can stay on if fitted and attached properly, which many performers wear without it falling off while they “rock and roll” all night.

March 6, 2009

I’m 19 and Want A Nice Hairline Now with Hair Transplants – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doctor Rassman and Staff, thank you for this informative blog. I am 19 years old and I was wondering if you guys would consider filling in temples and creating a lower hairline for a person my age. I know you say you do not do this because of future balding, but I would rather have this done so I can have a few years with a nice hairline, than have no years at all. I am in college and I am forced to wear my hair long and for the most part no one realizes I am starting to bald. I just want to be able to have a short hair style again.

Thank You

Before I could give you an opinion, I would need to see you and probably even meet you. I would then be able to determine if you are just experiencing a maturing hairline, which would be likely at your age, or actually have male pattern baldness. There is no substitute for an in-person examination, and over the internet does not meet my needs as a doctor. Some of the doctors in this business would want to rush you into the surgery even if you are just evolving into a maturing hairline. Any doctor too enthusiastic about performing a surgery on you might not be honorable.

Whoever you take on as your doctor, make sure that they are not just doing it to make a buck. Think long term! The great majority of 19 year olds aren’t candidates for a hair transplant because most are experiencing changes of the maturing hiarline, and there are dishonest doctors who will prey upon someone with cash in hand… like you, who may not want to accept the maturing hairline. A young man with a maturing hairline can cut his hair short, so first find out what is going on with you before you jump into a life time of hair transplants chasing what you may never catch (your 13 year old hairline).

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February 25, 2009

Hair Loss InformationWhat If I Want a Hair Transplant, But Don’t Want to Take Propecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

First off, thanks for everything you guys do! Doc I am 26 yrs old and I had several questions. I apologize in advance if any of them are stupid questions! I am closest to Norwood III Vertex, but not completely there yet. I actually have a fair amount of hair on the top, problem is it’s really thin. The back and sides of my hair are complete opposite, they are very thick. I want to do a hair transplant, but is there any point to doing so if I do NOT want to take Propecia? I am open to taking Rogaine. Everybody keeps telling me to wait till my 30’s to get a transplant, since if I do 1 so early now, I will still lose other hair. If this does happen, I just get a 2nd transplant, correct?

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The problem with a 26 year old experiencing hair loss is that your balding pattern is in transition. Will you become more advanced in your hair loss? You can try to predict it by performing a miniaturization analysis and see how far back this process goes (see Mapping Your Own Scalp).

Having a hair transplant at age 26 without Propecia on board will just accelerate the hair loss you are likely going to see in the years ahead. Not taking the medication will allow what nature has planned for you to happen. The choice is yours. Rogaine will not offer the same degree of protection. Why keep putting yourself through more hair transplant surgeries as your hair loss progresses if a daily pill could be the solution?

February 25, 2009

Hair Loss InformationHair Loss from Mono? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Our Dr did a blood test on our 15 year old and it came back that she had mono. I had taken her to the Dr because of severe hair loss. She said the loss was from the mono and it could last up to 6 months. Have you heard of this before?

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Illness is a cause of hair loss. Telogen effluvium (see eMedicine article) is what occurs in some people, though it is more common in women than men, and can occur after a bout with mononucleosis. It should pass with time, but this is something she should discuss with her doctor.

February 23, 2009

Great American Dream Vote Winner, Follow Up (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m very curious on the progress of the TV show contestant, Russ Jowell, that you transplanted in April of 2007. How is his progress? how was it compared to the photoshop projection that was shown the day of the show prior to the transplant?

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For those that missed it, ABC ran a special called The Great American Dream Vote where this young man with a Norwood Class 6/7 hair loss pattern (pretty extreme for a 22 year old) won his dream of getting a head of hair. Unfortunately, the show was canceled before his results could be shown… so here we are.

Russ’s results came out well, but he’s not at that Photoshop projection the producers of the show asked us to make. He has very fine hair, and the projection was made by taking the results of another patient’s hair transplant (who had a medium weight hair), so that will account for the difference in fullness from the frontal view. A coarser hair will have three or four times the volume (visual effect) than a fine hair with less bulk to it. Russ had another surgery after that 1st one for a total of 5816 grafts (photos below) and he just recently had yet another procedure (2856 grafts), this time to the top and crown to give him more coverage. We heavily weighted the transplants in the front on the 1st and 2nd time around, and it’ll take some time before we get photos of his 3rd procedure results, since that surgery was recent. Russ is very happy with the results thus far and can’t wait for the top and crown to grow in. Click the photos to enlarge.

After two procedures totaling 5816 grafts

Before

February 16, 2009

My Doctor Found Out I Was Taking Propecia at 26 Years Old and Is Quite Concerned – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello doctors,

I am 26 years old (male) and have been taking Propecia since age 24 (when I noticed my hairline starting to recede). When I last visited my family doctor (this was the first time he found out I was taking the drug), he was quite concerned that, at my age, I was taking it. He said that the long term effects of Propecia are not known, and that he would advise against me, being only 26, continuing on with the drug.

I have never noticed any negative side affects from the drug yet, but I wanted to get a few more opinions. Do you know of significant endocrine effects?

Thanks.

Propecia can be used safely from the age of 18 and up. If you wait on its use, the balding will progress far too much to have the types of benefits it has when it is started early. Sounds like your doctor needs to be educated. You haven’t seen any side effects, so I’m not sure where your doctor’s concerns are based in.

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