Category: Hair Loss Causes

About 6-8 months ago I noticed that my eyebrows appeared sparse compared to my youth, particularly on the outer third to half. No outright baldness just sparsity as they moved toward the outer edge. This alarmed me considerably and I went to see a doctor who had my thyroid tested. The results came back negative for any disorder. The doctor also explained that eyebrows can lose density with age and at 33 that should be something to consider. Well feeling self conscious about something tends to lend itself to fixation as it has in this case. Since my unsatisfying diagnosis I’ve taken to touching or gently rubbing my eyebrows – both in an attempt to stimulate growth and a tactile way of assessing further loss. As well I routinely add a tiny amount of hair sculpting paste to the brows which seems to add to their shape and give them the illusion of increased density.

Through my attempts at alleviating my anxiety over thin brows I’ve actually added a new fear – the fear of further loss resulting from brow manipulation. I’ve noticed that when I stoke the brow or apply the hair product brow hairs will appear on my fingertips. Not every single time I touch them but frequently and at least a few hairs daily, sometimes 8-10 hairs. Unlike hair loss on the head there isn’t much information on what is considered “normal” loss when it comes to brow shedding. I don’t pluck the hair nor aggressive rub the brow, these hairs fall out with little encouragement. Should I assume that these hairs will grow back unlike those of chronic pluckers? How long does it take for these hairs to replenish themselves? Are my actions causing this shedding or is this the natural cycling of brow hair? How many brow hairs are considered “normal” to lose daily? I really can’t find much information out there and would be greatly appreciative of your insight. Thank-you.

Eyebrow hair goes through a normal life cycle just like the hair anywhere else on your body, but this doesn’t sound like natural cycling based on what you describe. If you have been rubbing the eyebrows (more about the repetition as opposed to the aggressiveness), this can cause traction alopecia to the hair on the brow. This can result in permanent hair loss.

If you do not get the return of your eyebrows in another 4 months or so, then a hair transplant can work well. While you wait it out, you might try Rogaine (minoxidil) on the eyebrow to see if it might regrow hair there, but just be careful not to get it in your eyes.

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i wanna know that can armpit hairs be the donor for scalp hair transplantation???? plz reply me soon

I suppose anything is possible, but I doubt you’d really want to do this if you knew what the end result would look like. I have seen everything from transplanting armpit hair, pubic hair, and even beard hair to the scalp (I’ve not done these procedures, but have seen patients with them done).

Not only is the hair quality and texture just not the same as scalp hair, but more importantly, the growth rate and success of body hair transplantation is not as high as scalp hair transplantation (despite what the doctor may tell you). Plus, underarm hair will carry its glands with it so you may have to use deodorant on that hair. In my humble opinion, it is an experimental surgery with a potential for problem results.

Dr. Rassman,
I’m 28, been on propecia for 8 yrs with Diffuse Pattern Alopecia in the front. The drug has done a wonderful job at holding the loss. I wrote a couple weeks ago inquiring about upping a dose from 1mg to 2.5mg. My loss picked up in speed a couple months ago and from what I guess has slowed down the last few weeks. I had a chronic stressor 3mo. before the loss. I noticed about a month ago there was hair that appeared to be growing in my hairline, and in my thin area. I’ve monitored it every so often and noticed that it still is growing longer.

Can a person with genetic balding grow hair back after telogen effluvium or other stress related loss? If so, that would be great but i’m under the impression that when someone loses hair, stress or not, and also is destined to genetically bald, there is no way the lost hair will grow back. I’m hoping you can explain it better. I would be happy if theres a shot at getting a few back after that loss. Thanks for the sight, its been great having access to such information coming from a professional such as yourself.

Telogen effluvium usually reverses by itself as the hair moves from telogen to anagen (see hair cycle info). This cycle varies between people, but usually the telogen phase lasts 3-7 months. Genetically impacted hair also cycles, so the answer to your question is that the finer hairs that are miniaturized will cycle and return, unless the time for apoptosis (timed hair death) occurs.

You do have a shot at regrowing your hair, but I can’t say how good that shot is. Only time will tell.

Snippet from the article:

Hair loss may sound relatively minor but it is both distressing and common. It should always be investigated, as it can be revealing in regard to your general state of health.

Read the questions and answers — Hair loss isn’t just a nuisance

This is one of those articles that doesn’t really offer anything new (just a heads up for regular readers of this site), but it does condense some of the more common questions into easy-to-digest answers. The topics covered are: hair loss after child birth, hair loss from stress, fungal infections, alopecia areata, thyroid problems, and medication induced hair loss.

Once and for all, in regards to thousands of emails i imagine you get, i have a question for you. I can see there is a miscommunication with the emails you receive regarding matsurbation and hairloss. The way people are wording the emails they send you such as ‘does masturbation cause hairloss’ isn’t what i think their trying to convey. My question is as follows:

I UNDERSTAND that masturbation doesn’t CAUSE MPB/hairloss/genetic hairloss, however for the people who are loosing there hair due to MPB can masturbation exacerbate their hair loss (make it worse). Put simply, the only cure for MPB would be castration (removing the testicles). To gain an erection and to ejaculate you need your testicles, so they can perform their functions to enable erections. So logically, if your stimulating your testicles to perform its functions such as:

-producing sperm (spermatozoa)
-producing male sex hormones of which testosterone is the best- known

your increasing testosterone inturn DHT and other androgens. So if castration is a cure for MPB they only thing you can do is try and replicate what casturation does (it stops you from being able to ejaculate) SO in conclusion try to limit sexual activity (which will reduce androgen activity and you can help to reduce its effect towards MPB

thank you for your continued replies NHI. great work!!

If you are asking about what happens after one loses his testicles from castration, well, there will be no desire or ability to masturbate unless you take exogenous testosterone. I do not have experience with removing the testicles on anyone, so the subtleties of what you are asking are not my cup of tea. If you really want to know the answers to those questions, ask doctors who do sex change operations (male to female). They would know by experience, as sometimes they remove the testicles before they remove the penis.

If you are asking if a balding man increases his masturbating habits or sexual activities, will he accelerate his hair loss… I believe the answer is no. Theory is one thing, but to prove it is another. I’ve seen no such proof. Also, I posted a story about a year ago regarding China’s last eunuch going bald, so that is some food for thought — see here.

Snippet from the article:

Prince William has found himself in a hairy situation. The British royal, 27, appears on the new cover of Hello! Magazine with a suspicious head of full, dark hair, a far cry from his usual thinning mane. While it looks as though the prince dyed his hair, inside images prove the cover photo may have been the result of some clever lighting or avid Photoshopping.

William sports his traditional dark blond locks in additional photos found inside the British tabloid, the Daily Mail reports.

Read the full article at NY Daily News

Prince William appears to have some hair thinning with his natural hair color, but the photo of the Prince with dark hair look like the work of Photoshop. Not only is his hair darker, but it looks thicker than in other pictures I’ve seen. Judge for yourself: