Category: Hair Loss Causes

Snippet from the article:

Doctors have treated a life-threatening blood disease by repairing flaws in the genetic code of a living animal, the first time such an ambitious feat has been achieved. The work raises the prospect of powerful new therapies that can target and repair the genetic defects behind a wide range of human diseases that cannot be tackled with modern medicines.

The new technique, called genome editing, holds particular promise for a group of illnesses that run in families and are caused by faults in genes that underpin the healthy working of the immune system, bone marrow and liver.

To demonstrate the therapy, researchers treated mice that were bred to develop haemophilia B, an inherited bleeding disorder that destroys the body’s ability to form blood clots. Normally, when the body suffers a cut or graze, proteins called clotting factors combine with platelet cells in the blood to make it sticky and form a clot that stops any bleeding.

Read the full story — Doctors make breakthrough in repairing genetic defects

This is fascinating… and while not directly about hair loss, imagine the possibilities for genome editing in the future.

Dear Doctor,

How do reconcile your two statements below?

“Studies have shown that there is little difference in balding statistics between races.” source – Sept 29, 2008

“Asians (non-balding) generally have less hair than their Caucasian counterpart and also have less balding than their Caucasian counterparts according to studies I have researched in the past.” source – March 11, 2009

Touché.

There is a common belief that Asians bald less, but I really do not know this. The only race that does not bald is the American Indians who migrated over the Alaska Bridge.

Hi Dr. Rassman!

First of all I would just like to thank you for a really good blog, I am a frequent reader and very much appreciate the time you put into it. I have read several times that you say that testosterone does not cause hair loss. However in theory I believe this is wrong, but I would also like to hear what you have to say about it in practice:

As you most certainly do know, testosterone and DHT bind to the same receptor – generating the same type of response. Therefore they both have the potential to cause hair loss. However, as DHT is more biologically active and binds with more affinity to the receptor, it is seen as the main culprit in hair loss. And as long as a person has normal DHT levels, the testosterone probably does not play a big role in hair loss.

But in a person with aggressive hair loss who blocks most of the conversion from testosterone to DHT with finasteride or maybe even dutasteride. Wouldn’t it be fair to assume that the testosterone (which will also be somewhat elevated when on these meds) actually contributes to the continuous loss while on these medication?

And that this could, in fact, explain how a persons hair loss can actually progress even though they might be blocking 90-something % of their DHT with dutasteride? Any input on this will be highly appreciated.

It is a mixed bag, since testosterone is converted by the liver to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which then gets to circulate in the blood stream. Increasing testosterone levels will increase DHT as well, so which is the cause of balding on those people with genetic balding?

We can not really separate what is happening neatly as you described, as the human body is a “bag” of chemicals mixed together. I realize how elegant that sounds, but that’s the most simple way to describe it. If testosterone levels rise, DHT levels also rise and in this bag of chemicals (the human body) any change in testosterone will absolutely impact DHT levels comparably.

Like a question you answered from another emailer, I’ve also self-prescribed finasteride for the past few months. I went to a doctor a year ago, and he took a 30 second look at my hair and told me that I should consider Propecia. I’m 20 years old and hair loss is worrying me so much. I think I’m losing hair and want to be safe rather than sorry but I know I should get a professional opinion. Can I get a little more information about what would a doctor be able to evaluate me for?

When you visit us, we evaluate you as follows:

1. Analysis of your hair bulk with a special measuring instrument will focus on the top and crown of your head to determine if there is any early, sub-clinical balding present. One part of your scalp will be compared to other parts of the scalp (the donor area) to determine if you lost any meaningful amount of hair bulk or are in the process of losing hair. This test is highly accurate for determining the degree of hair loss you have to date.
2. Evaluation of hair for miniaturization is an important test, because hair loss in its earliest period will show decreased hair shaft thicknesses. This can be done throughout the scalp and is a good predictor for where you hair loss will stop, even though photos may indicate you’re at the end of your balding process.
3. Hair density evaluation is critical, because you must know the supply of good hair and establish a good baseline. Hair transplantation is a supply/demand process and you most know what you can expect over the years in front of you. You would not want to run out of donor hair or start too early, as you may continue to bald, leaving you freaky looking, as so many patients have found themselves in this situation when planning was not done properly. We are all different and are born with different hair densities. Add to that the ethnic hair densities found in different people (Caucasians are born with an average 100,000 hairs, Asians with an average 80,000 hairs and Africans with an average 60,000 hairs). Within each ethnic group, variations in the number of birth hairs vary considerably, so these measurements will give you guidance as to what can be accomplished and more important, what can not be accomplished. As an example, for an African who has a very advanced balding process, he would run out of hair before he could fill in the bald area so he needs to know this right up front, not find out about it after he starts the transplant process. The same issues reflect all ethnic variances.
4. Build a Master Plan for the present and the future, because hair loss is a progressive process. You must have a plan as to what you are going to do as you age and in the next 10-20 years, the progressive process should have slowed down substantially. The drug Propecia (finasteride) is generally safe and side effect free in 98% of people who take it. If you are really balding, there is no alternative way to hold on to your hair. Frankly, all of the other remedies out in the marketplace will not work as well as this drug, if they work at all.

Hi .. I searched your blog to find an answer to this one, but don’t think I did.

I’m a male, 40s, losing hair since about 19 and pattern has stabilized to a bit of hair left up front and decent growth on sides.

My question is this: If I chose to shave the remaining hair atop my head to evaluate the look, is there and chance what little is there would not grow back or grow back differently?

Thanks.

Shaving your head will not impact hair growth. The hairs that are miniaturized generally have a slow growth cycle and if the miniaturization is advanced and the hair already stopped growing, then you will see a bald area with no growth (not caused by the shave but by the advanced balding).

Snippet from the article:

According to the survey results, up to 54 percent of the respondents said they are suffering from hair loss. Nearly 60 percent cited job pressure as the main factor, while 13 percent put the blame on their genes. Eating habits and health problems are also possible factors causing the problem.

Read the rest — 50 percent of Taiwanese employees suffer hair loss

This was a survey of 1800 people that work for a hair products company in Taiwan, with no indication of how many men vs how many women took part in the polling. Considering that about 50% of the world’s male population suffers from hair loss, finding out that half of the employees have hair loss isn’t surprising to me.

The part that is somewhat interesting is that the majority believe stress from work is the cause of their loss, and only a small percentage actually believe it is genetics. With genetics usually the largest cause for hair loss, I’d assume those surveyed are either in denial about their genes or perhaps the stress is aggravating their genetic hair loss.

I’ve searched your site over, but haven’t been able to find anything about Retrograde Alopecia, where the hair directly above the ears and neckline thins. Can you tell us something about this? Does Finasteride or Minoxidil help? In what percentage of patients do you see this? Thanks for taking the time each day to contribute to your blog! I thoroughly enjoy it!

I have seen hair loss above the ears and neckline over the years in my practice, but it is not very common. I wish someone could quantify this. I tend to see this more when I travel, particularly in airports where a lot of men are walking around. The problem for me is that my eye only catches the ones with the hair loss in these areas. There is no history with these drugs in this type of hair loss.

I’d think hair transplantation could work well as long as the donor hair isn’t affected, however, I have not performed surgery on any patients with neck hair loss. I believe “retrograde alopecia” may be a correct term, but it is not mentioned or popularized on web searches because it isn’t a common occurrence.