Hair Loss Causes – Page 125

April 19, 2011

High Stress or Bad Genetics? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I’m 22 and I’ve begun the early stages of balding, no doubt about it. Nobody in my known family has begun balding as young as I have.

In the past 5 years, I have been through severe emotional trauma; watching my dad wither away and die from a rare form of cancer, dealing with my mom’s substance abuse problems and a suicide attempt from her, and struggling to live on my own. I have had severe depression and suicidal thoughts recurring.

My question to you is: is there any way this stress could have brought about the expression of my balding pattern younger than I would have if I had a healthier mental health record, or would bad luck in genetics be more likely to blame? Thank you in advance.

Block Quote

Stress related balding is different than genetic balding. Stress related balding is likely reversible. For genetic balding, there is no cure… but there are adjuncts such as medicine and surgery.

There is one catch: stress can precipitate genetic balding earlier on. BUT you have to have the genetic trait to bring this about.

Finally, while genetic balding is considered hereditary, it does not have to mean your immediate or distant family must have balding. In simpler words, the gene may have been ‘silent’ until it came to you.

April 15, 2011

Does Having Hair Loss Make Your Hair Grow Slower? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Does having hair loss affect the rate at which it grows? So in other words, if your experiencing hair loss, would that cause your hair to grow slower?

Block Quote

Hair growth does change as we get older and it changes if we have genetic balding (the impacted hair in the hair loss pattern slows). There are other causes of slower hair growth, including various diseases and malnutrition that impact the metabolic state of the body.

April 14, 2011

Are More Young Men Losing Hair Then in Past Years? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, thank you for your informative blog, it has been a way for me to maintain hope as I have lost my hair at a relatively young age.

My question is not in regards to myself, but a general question. Have you noticed in your personal practice that there are more young men coming to you with male pattern hair loss? As in, are more young people losing their hair at younger ages than in the past?

From your responses, it seems you do not like idle speculation, but if the above is in fact true, would you have any guesses as to why?

thank you again.

Block Quote

No, I do not believe that there are more men balding at an earlier age. Because of the internet, we are more informed. We have more information available to us than ever before. We also have more opportunities to be targeted by advertisers that pray on insecurities. The result of this is a heavy bombardment of ads from hair transplant doctors, drug companies, and snake oil salesmen that transmit the balding message.

The reality suggests that there is no real increase in the number of young men who are balding today compared to young men that were balding in past years.

April 12, 2011

Is Mold in the Basement Causing Our Family to Lose Hair? – Balding Blog

I moved into a house two years ago and noticed some mold in the basement. Over the past two years, I have been losing hair and I have seen hair loss in my children. Could the mold be responsible for the hair loss we are observing?

Yes, molds have been responsible for hair loss. Some molds are less toxic than others, but still could be causing your thinning hair. I would suspect that this is the cause, because if hair loss is impacting you and your children, that suggests an environmental cause. It’s really not that uncommon.

See a good dermatologist and ask about it.

April 7, 2011

Hair Loss InformationThinning Doesn’t Mean You’re Going Bald – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had diffuse hair loss all over my scalp at 30. My hairline was OK. My thinning was noticeable when separating my hair. But, when I combed it right, it was not very noticeable. I thought I would be completely bald and was worried. However, this year I turned 60 and have about as much hair now as I had at 30, and it looks pretty good. So, the point is that thinning does not mean balding. Some men thin out like a woman, and it just stops thinning. Instead of having their lifetime hairs in the back, they have them all over the scalp.

Block Quote

You’re right, but what you’re describing is seen in a minority of men. Some people have low hair density hair with a fine character, and this combination is particularly bad for a see-through appearance. Could this be you?

If we measure the bulk of your hair on top and compare it to the bulk of your hair on the back of your head, we can determine if your overall thinning was something that was always present versus a variant of the balding process, much like the presentation in women.

April 7, 2011

Best Times to Apply Rogaine? – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

Does it matter what time of day I apply Rogaine? I like to apply it when I get home from work (6pm) and before I go to bed (11pm). Rogaine’s website says do it in the morning and the evening, but is that necessary?

Thanks

Well, if the makers of the medication tell you to do it once in the morning and once at night… I would try to follow their directions.

I’d assume the reason behind the morning/night instructions is so that the applications are evenly spaced. If you cannot do it in the morning and want to space it 5 hours apart, I think that wouldn’t hurt, so long as you are applying it twice a day.

April 6, 2011

I’m 19 and My Temple Points Are Gone! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 19 year old male and just recently I discovered my temple points are almost completely gone on both sides. Other than that, I have complete full head of hair. Is thinning in that area necessarily an indicator of future male pattern baldness or is it just something that happens with age? Thank You

Block Quote

This may be a forerunner of more advanced balding, because temple peaks disappearing isn’t typical maturation. What does your family line show?

I would want to examine your hair. During the examination, I would want to do a hair bulk analysis to see if you are correct in that there is no balding or thinning present at this time.

April 5, 2011

Hair Loss InformationChemo Weakened My Hair, Extensions Caused Hair Loss On the Sides – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had chemo last year. I didn’t lose my hair but it did thin out, especially at the sides. In december I got hair extensions, after the hairdresser assured me my hair was strong enough. My scalp was slightly red & itchy at the sides and front where the extensions were, but now suddenly my hair at the sides has thinned out even more and I’m almost bald in places. Obviously I’m going to have the extensions removed asap but will my hair grow back? I read recently that if the hair/scalp is traumatised the hair may not grow back. Help!

Block Quote

Hair extensions can produce traction alopecia (hair loss from constant pulling), which may or may not be permanent. Only time will tell. You may need to wait 6-12 months to know if the damage is permanent.

April 5, 2011

In the News – Young Koreans Are Stressed and Balding – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

A growing number of Koreans in their 20s and 30s are suffering hair loss due to stress, according to findings of the Health Insurance Policy Research Institute under the National Health Insurance Corporation.

According to the research institute, 88,004 people in their 20s and 30s received hair loss treatment at hospitals in 2009, which was 48.4 percent of the 181,707 patients treated for hair loss that year.

For the last five years, the number of people experiencing hair loss increased, especially for people in their 20s and 30s, research institute statistics showed.

Read the rest — Stress causing more young Koreans to lose hair

This article pinpoints young Koreans as suffering from stress-related hair loss, because it happens to be a Korean newspaper… but I’m not sure how the statistics compare to other cultures or races, or if these numbers even reflect just Koreans in particular.

I’m having trouble finding the study they’re referencing. Any help?

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

April 1, 2011

Scalp Lacerations Required Staples – Will Hair Regrow There? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

About a month ago, I sustained two lacerations to the scalp on the back of my head. They were closed with seven staples. The area was not shaved at the emergency room. The largest of these lacerations is about 20 mm long and 1 mm wide. However, the resulting bald area exceeds the wound width by approximately 5 mm (making the width of the bald area 6 mm). I know no hair will grow again within the wound parameters. So I ask you:

1.) Is the prognosis good for full hair regrowth outside the wound?
2.) How many weeks (or months) must pass before I could justifiably believe there would be no more significant hair regrowth?
3.) What are the potential surgical corrective measures (e.g. cutting open the scar and running hair from one hair bearing edge up through the scar tissue)?

Block Quote

Hair loss with laceration repairs is common around the wound. The size of the bald area will vary depending upon the direction of the wound. The scars will be less significant in the normal Langer lines direction (see here).

The regrowth will usually occur within the first 4 months or so and any hair that has not grown in 6 months may probably reflect some permanent hair loss. Scars from scalp lacerations that form are not easily amenable to excision, as they tend to recur (I am assuming that the scars were properly closed and that there were no unusual circumstances present at the time of the closure, such as dirt in the wound).