Hair Loss Causes – Page 234

October 3, 2007

Hair Loss from Breastfeeding? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been on Errin Tablets 28’s for 2 months now and am noticing hair lost not only am I losing my hair but my 2.5 month old baby as well. Can this be because I am breastfeeding him? How long does this contraceptive take to get out of my system?

Hair loss is reported in users of oral birth control pills (with norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol), like Errin tablets. Breastfeeding does cause a woman to lose weight and even hair as well.

Many, many years ago, I was a dairy farmer and milked up to 120 cows per day. The milking process caused significant weight loss in the cows, but provided that the diet was healthy, side health effects from milking the cows was kept minimal. Clearly any breastfeeding, like the milking cow, can cause hair loss. See iVillage – Weight loss and hair loss with breast-feeding.

I mean no disrespect when comparing breastfeeding women and milking cows — I obviously have no first-hand breastfeeding experience, so this is the best comparison I can make when trying to pull from personal observations.

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October 2, 2007

Norwood Class 3 Hair Loss in Women – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Male pattern balding is thought to only affect males and rare indeed is the female with this type of balding, according to popular belief. Yet, I have seen some relatively young females (in their twenties at most) with a hairline resembling a Norwood Class 3. What is this about? Perhaps I should buy myself a set of spectacles, or is it really true that females may develop male pattern balding to a certain degree?

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Many women get a very thin corner that develops over time. The hair is miniaturized, but most often not lost. It grows slowly and rarely bothers the women. It has been suggested that women with this corner thinning, may have some form of genetic balding like the Class 3 males with corner recession.

October 2, 2007

Hair Loss Around Punch Biopsy By Dermatologist – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hey doc, about two months ago the dermatologist gave me a punch biopsy on my right temple. Since then there is a red spot on where she did the punch biopsy from and I’m getting a little hair shedding only from the right side on where the punch biopsy was taking. My left side is perfect infact the left and the right side does not equal since I got the punch biopsy. what do you think the problem is? because the dermatologist said to wait 6 months after the punch biopsy to see what happens.

Thanks!

You may have lost hair around punch biopsy area for two reasons:

Shock loss, if your hair in that area has been prone to balding. Irritation of the wound healing may have aggravated the loss of hair in that area. This could be reversible to some degree with no certainty depends upon the weakness of your hair in that area to start with. If it reverses, you will see the reversal within 8 months after the biopsy.
The punch biopsy may have transected some of the hair follicles if not done in the same direction as the hair shafts. This condition may be permanent and you should not expect to grow any of those hairs back.

In either case it won’t hurt to wait 6-8 months as your doctor told you to do. If you don’t see any growth during this time, your hair loss is probably permanent. At that time you can see a hair transplant surgeon if it is bothering you. The balding area could be filled with hair transplants if need be.

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October 2, 2007

Post-Op Questions After Hair Transplant 6 Weeks Ago – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I recently had a hair transplant (approx 6 weeks ago). The doctor cut 5 strips and transplanted into the vertex and front hairline, leaving the top of the head alone.

Since then I have noticed a lot of shedding (counting about 50-60 hairs in the shower as opposed to the typical 10 before). I realize there will be shedding after a procedure, however, I notice considerable thinning directly on the top of my head. A lot of the hairs that are shedding are long and thick.

I have 2 questions:

Is it common for hair not in the donor site or the recipient site to shed so much?

How much longer is this going to keep going on for?

Assuming you are male, then you may be experiencing shock loss, as it seems to relate to your recent hair transplant. Shock loss in young men often does not reverse. Were you taking finasteride (Propecia) which tends to protect against shock loss? Most importantly, I think these questions should be addressed to your doctor who performed your surgery and/or these things should have been explained to you in advance. At the very least, they should’ve been written out in your pre and post operative hand out.

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October 1, 2007

Hair Loss from Braids? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I washed my hair one day after pulling out braids. I went to my personal hairdresser to get my hair redone only to be told “Honey you know you have a bald patch” then she proceeded to rub it with her finger. It was as smooth as could be. It now has a few strains of hair and i have bought things specifically described for hair loss near to the neck. It itches a the bottom of the spot. Just tell me what exactly to do please cause it really bugs me out.

You describe a condition known as traction alopecia, where hair follicles are permanently damaged with constant traction (in your case braids). That area may never grow hair back. You need to see a hair specialist (a good hair transplant surgeon may help), but you should wait for 6 months to see if it does grows back.

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October 1, 2007

Management of Progressive Balding – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman,

Your blog entry of 17 July 2007 includes before and after pictures of a man with a receding hairline who has been transplanted on. I am curious what his Norwood classification was before he had the corrective transplants. Is balding in this particular pattern common? Am I right in assuming that most men with this kind of hair loss will need more transplants later on as the balding progresses?

His before photo is on the left; after photo on the right. Click the photos below to enlarge. For more photos, see Results After a Single Session.

This patient has a Norwood Class 3 balding pattern, and yes, it is quite common. He is over 50 years old, so I would not expect his pattern to advance much at all. If he was 25 years old he could lose hair behind the transplants, which may require another procedure, but taking Propecia (finasteride 1mg) may help to prevent that. I don’t like surprises and nor do my patients, which is why miniaturization mapping and a good Master Plan in the hands of a caring, experienced and focused doctor go together hand in hand.

September 28, 2007

Hair Loss InformationHair Loss from Ringworm in a 4 Year Old Child – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My 4 yr old son was taking Griseofulvin for 4 months for scalp ringworm with no results. When the dermotologist stopped the Griseofulvin she gave him a topical treatment. The bald spot spread rapidly and became very large. A culture then showed that he no longer had ringworm. The doctor had a chunk of his scalp analyzed-no infection. She then gave him pills for fungus. No result. This is now on the 7th month of treatment. His scalp is as clean as a whistle, no bumps, no hair at all and no signs of hair growing back. The doctor said keep giving him the pills. I’m scared to stop the medication, scared to continue the medication (with blood tests every 2 weeks). Will his hair ever grow back? and should I try stopping the medication? When will I know that he has permanent hair loss from ringworm? and that the ringworm is all gone?

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Perhaps your son needs a second opinion from another doctor. I am not his doctor and I cannot tell you if your son’s hair loss is permanent or what is responsible for it, particularly without an exam. I can only make guesses, but your son deserves more than just a guess. He needs a good diagnosis. Find another dermatologist for a second opinion.

September 27, 2007

Hair Loss InformationRapid Hair Loss in 28 Year Old Man – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr Rassman,
Lately my hairline has changed at at very fast pace. IÂ´m 28 years old European male from Barcelona Spain and have noticed hands full of hair after washing it. I do however swim in the open sea once a week, and never wear a hat in the sun.

My hair type is wavey, drys easily and gets very light in the sun. Let me know your thougths and if it is something to be worried about? It is receding, however my father had most of his hair till his mid 40Â´s. Best regards

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As regular readers of this site will know, I always tell my patients to have their hair mapped out for miniaturization to determine if this is genetic hair loss. You need to have a diagnosis first. If this is an accelerated genetic process going on, the mapping will show it. Treatments vary with the diagnosis, but Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a great medication for treating the genetic hair loss diagnosis.

September 26, 2007

Hair Loss InformationMold and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

On August 17, 2007 we had rain damage to the inside of our new home. We have lived here for 4 months. The rain caused damage in the bedroom were my daughter sleeps. She is an asthmatic and has severe ezcema she has battled this for several years. We have a small area of mold on the ceiling in this room from the rain damage. We have been waiting on the builder to repair this area for 4 weeks now. 1 week after the mold appeared my daugther started loosing her hair after several trips to the Dr. and specialist they determained our daughter has alopecia areata. I’am wondering if there could be any association between the mold and her hair loss.

Thank You

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Black mold can make a person sick, and any sickness has the potential to cause hair loss. Molds in walls need to be treated and your daughter should not live in her room until you determine that it is mold free. You might put a dehumidifier in the room to dry it up. If there is a water problem which might promote mold growth, a great deal of water will become apparent in what you collect each day.

For more info on mold, see:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Mold Resources

September 25, 2007

Can Shock Loss Be Permanent? – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor

I have a question for shock loss after an HT procedure. You always say that healthy hair (not miniaturized hair that MPB did not so far affect and neither will in the future ) lost due to shock loss should come back after a few months ( even without the use of propecia ? ) Why do you use the word ’should’ and not the word ‘will’? Is there a chance that shock loss could make healthy hair permanently die , and if so what is that chance ? Let’s of course exclude the case that the transplant doctor makes mistakes and accidently scars the healthy follicles.

The use of the word “should” rather than “will” is a way of predicting the future. Let’s not play language games here. Shock loss, when it occurs in men with genetic hair loss, can (not “will”) accelerate the hair loss process by a few years and this can (again, not “will”) be prevented with the use of Propecia (finasteride 1mg). Each person is different, and as such, each person reacts differently to various drugs, procedures, stresses, etc.