Hair Loss Causes – Page 227

December 7, 2007

I Have Thin Hair Around All Around the Sides – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I started loosing lots of hair right after i turned 21, i’m a male 26 now, some hair has to be growing back because in all these 5 years after all the hair i saw i lost i still have hair, my hairline is intact but i have thin hair ALL AROUND including the sides. What i noticed the most is that i wash my hair daily, but in the morning my scalp is very oily and greasy same as my hair, very itchy too. I can take with my nails the build up thats on my scalp, its oily and kind of yellow colored. I can see when i look at the hair shaft that falls out that there is always this kind of flake or build up attached to the end of it (coming from the scalp). When i pull out hair from my head a lot of hair falls out with the same description. For the itching and burning sensation and the very oily scalp i’m pretty sure it has something to do directly with all the hair lost. I used and try all shampos like t-gel. nizoral , ect, making it worst, more flakes and more irrtitation. What tipe of hair loss do you think i’m suffering or what kind of scalp problem do you think it is???

Unfortunately, I can’t really give you a great answer to your question without examining you. Many people write to me with partial descriptions of things that they recognize, but they often do not understand what they are seeing. A trained eye from a good dermatologist will tell you what you are experiencing. There is no simple way to go on the internet and solve even many of the simple problems.

December 5, 2007

Hair Loss from Thyroid Gland? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Doctor,
I have had male pattern hair loss for about two years and now am a class 3 patient. I have been taking proscar for about 6 months and I still lose hair. I would like to know if my hair loss may be caused by hyper, or hypo-thyroidism? How can I find out if it is my thyroid gland? Also, how long should I wait for proscar to start working?

You need to see a doctor who can perform blood tests for thyroid issues. Finasteride (Propecia / Proscar) generally takes about 6 to 12 months for one to see some results, but it should be noted that these results may be only a cessation of hair loss. If you do have a thyroid problem, then hair loss associated from it will not abate until you tackle the thyroid problem. Generally, thyroid problems will produce hair loss all over your scalp and not in a Norwood Class 3 pattern.

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December 4, 2007

Bald Spot from Dirty Clippers? – Balding Blog

Hey doc. im an 18 year old male. I cut my hair almost once a week to were its bald but not skin bald, I use hair clippers and about two months ago i started getting a bald spot that grew from a pea size to a quarter size and its starting to really worry me.I went to a clinic and asked a doctor and she told me that it will grow back and she dont know what it came from but, I wasnt sure if she was telling me the truth or just trying to get me out of the way. I dont know what its from im thinking its from the clippers because they were kind of dirty, and then rescently I got another one but alot smaller, is it from stress or from the dirty clippers? thank u doc.

Clippers Without seeing you and examining you myself, I really can’t render an opinion on your particular case. When bald spots appear, this could signal many dermatological conditions such as alopecia areata, fungal diseases of the scalp (infection), etc.

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December 4, 2007

Major Simultaneous Stresses, Low Iron, and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 40 year old woman. In the past two years, my menstrual cycle has become much heavier and longer. Since April of this past year, I have had several stressors, one after the other, that usually don’t occur this simultaneously(i.e my 4 yr old son had surgery, my house flooded, and my husband was going thru some real medical issues). In July-Aug (within a 2 week timeframe), I lost a large amount of hair from the top middle-left side of my scalp. I just had a full CBC and hormone level count done and my iron was just a line below normal. I am now on an iron therapy. My doc thinks it could be iron deficiency coupled with a lot of unusual stress. Does this sound familiar to you?

Yes, it does sound familiar. Stress can certainly cause hair loss and getting this stress under control will generally result in the hair growing back within a year, though this is not a guarantee. Adding this stress to a pre-existing iron deficiency does sound like a recipe for hair loss in a woman.

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December 4, 2007

Stress and Depression Caused My Scalp to Itch and Bleed – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have had hair loss int he past caused by stress and depression in the form of scalp inflammation, itchiness, and bleeding. i went to a dermatologist but every sample take showed nothing. The problem is gone, but my my hair wont grow in some spots and is very visible when I let my hair grow. Im tired of people looking up at my hair, or at least im paranoid to think they are. Is there a way to make it grow, or is it completely damaged?

I’ve never heard of depression or stress causing a scalp to bleed. Is the bleeding self-inflicted from pulling your hair or scratching your scalp? You may have permanent hair loss from those actions. If your hair has not grown after about one year after the insult, I suspect it has been killed off. I also suspect, based on what you’ve written, that you must’ve been scratching the scalp to cause the bleeding and hair loss.

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December 3, 2007

Creatine and Hair Loss in 18 Year Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My son is 18 and was taking creatine on and off for 2 years. He is heavy into football and was weightlifting in preseason. LAst spring we noticed he was losing his hair. HE stopped the creatine in May.

We have been to his pediatrician in July and she thinks it will grow back. However itis now late Sept. and he is still losing some hair. I brought him to a dermatologist and he said use Rogaine and propecia. They are too expensive, plus the rogaine is not a routine I think he will use ona regular basis.

My question is this…Have you heard much about creatine and weight lifting in regards to hair loss? We are a pretty hairy family, but his Dad has a receding hairline.

Thanks

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Hair loss has been reported with use of creatine as one of the rare side effects. There is not enough sophisticated research on its rate of occurrence, but every now and then I see patients on creatine with an increased rate of hair loss (see Creatine and Hair Loss).

I recommend starting any patient with proven male pattern hair loss on just one medication and follow it for at least 6 months before adding another one. We usually perform microscopic evaluation of the scalp to check for miniaturization of hair before starting any of these medications. After 6 to 8 months, patients need to be evaluated with another miniaturization study to determine if another medication should be added if the first one has not been helping to decrease the level of miniaturized hair.

Most of the patients don’t need to be on two medications (minoxidil and Propecia), especially if they are not willing to take multiple medications for the rest of their lives. While using both can sometimes be quite helpful, stopping either medication will result in the loss of any benefits you received from that stopped medication. It is a big commitment to stick to both, particularly if you get results from just the one.

November 30, 2007

Hair Loss InformationAccording to the Journal of Endocrinology, Masturbation Increases DHT – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

according to this actual study, masturbation can indeed increase levels of DHT which causes hair loss.

Link: Journal of Endocrinology – Endocrine effects of masturbation in men

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A few things that should be pointed out:

The study was performed over 30 years ago, with the article dating to 1976.
There are no controls on sexually active men here.

I suspect that an active sex life will keep testosterone levels up and as DHT is a metabolic end point for testosterone metabolism, that means that DHT will rise. With that said, this does not mean that hair loss will result, and that is the point. The presence of DHT working on the genetically sensitive individual is what causes hair loss and I don’t believe that masturbation or regular sex will impact the rate of hair loss. Once again, I strongly believe that masturbating does not cause hair loss.

November 28, 2007

Hair Loss InformationExercise, Alcohol, Sunlight, and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor,

Although my hair is thinning, I still do have a relatively full head of hair. I have three questions:

1) I realize that it is not proven research from a credible source like the AMA, but I wanted to know what you thought of the following: (Prostate Problems)

“Changes in the level of several hormones are involved with prostate enlargement, but the key one is a version of the testosterone, known as dihydrotestosterone (D.H.T.). Reducing levels of D.H.T. reduces the size of the prostate. D.H.T. levels go up with alcohol (especially beer) consumption and with stress, and come down with zinc and Vitamin B6. Zinc also cuts down the rate at which testosterone is converted to D.H.T.”

Thus, can regular consumption of alcohol (including beer) contribute to MPB in your opinion?

2) Several anecdotal studies have found a relationship between aerobic exercise and hair loss. Do you think regular aerobic exercise could prevent MPB, or at least prolong it?

3) Is moderate exposure to sunlight a positive or negative if you have short hair (i.e. direct sunlight goes right through to your scalp) and you are concerned about MPB? Should I wear a hat to prevent sun damage or have my scalp exposed in order to soak up that natural vitamin D?

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DHT is partly responsible for prostate enlargement… and the prostate will often shrink by taking DHT blockers. Anything that increases DHT levels will probably increase testosterone levels as well, since DHT comes from testosterone and is a breakdown product of it in the metabolic pathway.

I found the link you sent quite interesting and probably true, but I do not believe that exercise can prevent or slow down male pattern baldness (MPB). As well, there has been no connection between sunlight and balding, but based upon all of the claims with using a laser to stimulate hair growth, if that was true then sun exposure would have at least the same benefit.

November 28, 2007

Hair Loss InformationA Week After Transplant, I See Small Hairs Falling Out With the Scabs – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I had 500 grafts to the temples 12 days ago. I have been washing the recipient area almost every day, and gently dabbing the shampoo on and off but some scabs still formed. I began very gently running my fingers over them when dry (but certainly not pulling them) by about day 7 and noticed some easliy fell out but with small hairs attached. Is this my grafts coming out?

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We all worry about losing hair grafts after the surgery and that is the basis of your question. It is an important question; so important that NHI did a major study on the subject and the best answer to this question is for you to read our article on this subject — Graft Anchoring in Hair Transplantation (PDF file).

November 27, 2007

Hair Loss InformationAngry Reader Points Out – Lamisil Does Cause Hair Loss! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

A Google search brought me to the question and your answer from a man who was experiencing dramatic hair loss following a two month usage of Lamasil. Your reply discounted Lamasil from being a cause, citing the drug’s use for infections that in and of the condition cause hair loss.

I am sorry to tell you I find your reply specious. Look, the drug insert slip detailing the side effects CLEARLY states that hair loss is a DIRECT side effect of terbinafine hydrochloride usage. You can bet the drug company would give much not to have to include it, or any other in a list of side effects, but after 33 years of patient use, I’m fairly certain that it’s had substantiation. Hair loss is a real unpleasant and tremendously visable side effect, and tons of money is spent by men and women to counter baldness. No drug company wants to have to tell users “this could happen to you”.

Now, I am a 45 year old woman prescribed and dutifully taking on schedule terbinafine hydrochloride aka Lamasil. I have had HUGE, by the handfuls, hair loss. I am in perfect health, substantiated by my age 45 health screening, except for normal stress, the effects of aging, and toenail fungus.

Please note: I received the prescription of Lamasil for TOENAIL fungus, not fingernail fungus, not ringworm or anything else that would cause hair loss, and hair loss is NOT a result of toenail fungus, doctor. So, when you post a sincere and concerned question (which unsurprisingly you did NOT answer) with a reply disdaining and discounting the legitimacy of the issue with an answer that supports an obvious agenda on your part, you discredit yourself and your profession.

AND I still need to know if MY hair will regrow. That guy was almost certainly loosing his hair from the Lamasil. Drugs are special, doctor, and many are needful, but those side effects ARE real.

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Lamisil Many drugs can cause hair loss, but my position has always been to explore other, more common causes of hair loss before blaming the drug. More importantly you need to discuss starting or stopping any medication with your physician.

Lamisil is often used in the treatment of fungal diseases of the skin, such as ringworm or toe fungus. If left untreated, some fungal diseases of the scalp by itself can also cause hair loss. I stand corrected with your reference to the drug insert warning of hair loss as a complication, but many times, just because a person is on a drug that has hair loss as a known side effect, it does not mean that it is THE cause of the hair loss. Diagnosis is just not that simple.

If you believe the drug you are taking is causing your hair loss, please address these issues with the prescribing doctor. There’s a disclaimer at the bottom of every page of this site that can be summarized to say, “This site is intended to educate the public on hair loss topics and should not be used for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment recommendation.” Please remember that I am not your doctor.