I heard that plaiting hair causes traction alopecia. I wanted to know if there was a way I could plait my hair with this being prevented.
When you put a pull to your hair on a chronic basis, you have the possibility to develop traction alopecia. Everyone is different in terms of how long and how much pulling you have to have to get hair loss, but there is no doubt that it probably will happen over time.
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I’ve seen all of the questions about l-arginine, and I even asked one before, but I was only referred to another answer which didn’t answer my particular question. I’ve heard that l-arginine increases growth hormone. This doesn’t sound too good. Does an increase in growth hormone mean hair loss is a possible result?
Thanks. I appreciate it.
There are reports that L-arginine increases growth hormone secretion, but it is unproven. Throughout the internet, L-arginine is a suggested treatment for hair loss by promoting hair growth, but if this is true and it does increase growth hormone, I would worry about growth hormone induced hair loss. These two statements appear contradictory, but it does reflect complex interactions that are presented throughout the internet.
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You really spend a lot of time working on this site. So I’ll be brief.
On March 22nd 2007 you had a post of a man that was trying to keeping his hair full (Trying to Keep Looking Full). You stated that he had 50% miniaturization of his hair. Does 50% miniaturization mean that 50% of the hair on the crown of his head has miniaturized and 50% is normal? Or does that mean the hair strands themselves are 50% thinner then when he was younger?
Also, I just started 1/4 tablet of Finasteride two weeks ago. I’m almost 25 and my crown has started to miniaturize. I know it’s too early to see positive results. But is it too early to see shedding? I ask because I’ve noticed a few shorter hairs in my hand after I run gel through my hair. The hairs are about an inch or so shorter then the rest on my head.
Thanks!
Hair that is miniaturized comes in all sizes and the thinner it gets, the more advanced the miniaturization is. When hair miniaturizes, it often is less long as the hair growth slows down. More advanced miniaturization will stunt the hair growth almost completely, a stage before it falls out. This is why I near-constantly write about getting a good baseline on your miniaturization with a series of measurements so you know where you are starting from. This way you can see numbers and the visual effects of the hair loss process. I hope this clears up any possible confusion.
I’m assuming that when you say you’re taking 1/4 tablet of finasteride, you mean 1/4 of the 5mg finasteride (which is Proscar or generic Proscar). Otherwise, I do not understand why you are taking 1/4 pill of the 1mg finasteride Propecia pill. There is no reason to reduce your dose from the recommended 1mg hair loss treatment, unless you’re one of the unlucky few that are experiencing side effects.
Dr., I have two questions about proscar. First, I,i have a wedding in early June and am concerned about starting proscar right now and the effects shedding will have on my appearance at the wedding. Should I wait until after the wedding to start to avoid this problem. Also, I wanted to know if fitness supplements such as effedrine and nitric oxide boosters are known to aggravate or speed up MPB. Thanks for your help.
Shedding from Propecia (finasteride 1mg), in my practice, is very rare. I would not wait to start it just for fear of something so rare. Some of these boosters (like the ephedrine) may speed up MPB.
i have been taking propecia for 4 years now and i am now 25. i contracted an std (clamidia)over the summer and treated it the folowing week. about a month after i started to get rapid hair loss. up until then the propecia had been working great, with plenty of new hairs being grown. i was woundering if the std or medication i took to get rid of the std effected the effectiveness of the propecia? if so will my hair continue falling out or will it eventually stop? (there are plenty of new hairs growing in, but it seems like it cant keep up with the rapid hair loss)
Chlamydia does not cause hair loss. The common treatment for chlamydia is azithromycin (marketed as Zithromax) — and that also has no hair loss side effects that I’ve read about.
You have hair loss and therefore you should approach it with a miniaturization study to see if the hair loss has a genetic pattern to it. Alternatively, if your developed a telogen effluvium from a drug, there should be no miniaturization present. See a good doctor about it, one who knows how to tell the difference.
Snippet from the article:
Mr Campbell, 61, a former teacher at Denny High School, Stirlingshire, endured repeated taunts from pupils over his hair loss. Such was the extent of the harassment that it affected his day-to-day activities, he said.
The now retired teacher took his local authority employer to a tribunal, claiming he was a victim of disability discrimination because he was bald.
But yesterday his case was thrown out, after the tribunal judge ruled that baldness was not a disability.
Full text — Scotsman.com – Baldness is no disability, judge tells teacher who left job after pupil taunts
I try to offer general information and sometimes a bit of entertainment. Hope you all enjoy this one.
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I have recently gone under a great deal of hair loss. I had a very thick head of hair and thought i would never go bald. My Father and his brother went bald in the mid to late 20’s. My father’s father is almost 90 and still has a head of hair. My mothers side of the family had a good head of hair. My brother had thin hair his whole life, but at this rate i feel i will be bald before him. I noticed that i had a receeding hairline, and thought i was going bald. For two months I thought i was going bald and almost convinced myself of it. Is it possible to make yourself go bald? I am taking propecia now and am curious if it is at all possible to regrow my hair and if this hair loss was just a phase.
Seriously… you are asking me if you can “will” yourself to go bald? Do you believe in the paranormal or psychic powers? I personally do not. No, you can’t make yourself go bald by just thinking you’re going to go bald.
If you are male and losing hair, it is most likely due to male pattern (genetic) balding and to confirm this, you should get your hair mapped out for miniaturization. This mapping will tell you if you have genetic balding. Before taking Propecia (a prescription medication) you should see a qualified doctor who can correctly diagnose you with male pattern baldness. Otherwise you really don’t know what you are treating. As such, I cannot tell you if you will regrow your hair since we haven’t even established a firm fact that you are balding!
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Does sleep (or lack of) have a big impact on hair and worsen MPB?
We know that people who do not get adequate sleep are stressed. Stressed people lose their hair (common in women) and accelerate hair loss that is part of the genetic male patterned baldness process.
Hi Dr Rassman!
I’ve been said I have male pattern baldness by a doctor. I’m currently 21 years old I lose my hair since I was 14. From reading articles over the internet, I think I have DPA (Diffuse Patterned Alopecia). My hair is thinning on the top, but remains thick on the sides. I have loss at the temples and crown in a diffuse way, but not restricted to these places (also thinning all the top). I currently take Propecia since I was 18. I don’t know if it’s helping, but I take in case it would be worse without it.
I’d like to know what causes DPA. Is it really androgenetic? Can it be from poor diet and life style? Is it reversible? What are the best options for treatments? Thank you for your attention and this excellent website!
Diffuse patterned alopecia (DPA) in men is mostly genetic in origin and Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a good way to treat it. Have you had your hair mapped out for miniaturization to be sure? What is the result of your hair pull test? This test may point to a diffuse telogen effluvium. I can not really diagnose you via this site without examining you first.
I had four sessions done between 12 and 15 years ago. My hair looked great. About a year and a half ago I noticed that my transplanted hair started thinning out in the front making my hairline look rigid. I recently had another session (same doctor) and I experienced a shock factor – which I didn’t experience before. It has been six months since the last session and the results are not promising – the hair that I lost due to shock has not returned and I believe many of the new grafts have not started to grow.
Do you know why –
1)My transplanted hair started to thin out in the first place
2) Why the hair I lost to shock (transplanted area) has not returned and why the new hair is not as prominent as I thought and
3) Do I have hope? Help.
First, you must wait another 2-3 months for long telogen cycles to reverse. I have never seen a previous hair transplant lose hair and then not grow back. I have seen about a dozen men who have lost previously transplanted hair, and it always came back. If the new grafts did not grow, then I would worry if that ran in parallel with your previous lost grafts. Ask your hair transplant doctor and get his/her advice after another 3 months, then write again to let me know the status (reference this post when sending).
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