Category: Hair Loss Causes

Hi Doctor,

Great to find a forum that cuts through all the nonsense on balding; this really is a great service. I am a 25yo male with a hairline receding around two inches at one side. On this receding side I have a “cow’s lick,”(not sure of medical definition!) and this seems to be where the majority of the loss is occurring. I am currently on finasteride, and am worried that the loss at one side looks rather odd.
Is a “cow’s lick” particularly prone to loss? Or is this purely coincidence?

All the best!

Asymmetrical hair loss is not uncommon. It would be a coincidence that your cowlick is on the side with the hair loss. You should see and doctor and probably go on appropriate treatment. Lopsided hair loss does not look good for most men.

Dear DR. Rassman

i started eating high amounts of soy per day (6 soy bars per day) for about 3 months ago. – i have been shedding my eyebrows for two months. they still look full. i just read this article about soy and the new research saying that soy is not as healthy as we all think. HealingCrow.com

Do you think that the side effects of Soy could lead to hair loss?

There is not enough data and clearly not a focused study to connect hair loss and soy intake. I suspect if you had an allergy to soy, hair loss wouldn’t be a total surprise. But for those without a soy allergy, I can’t make the leap to connect it to your thinning eyebrows.

Dr Rassman,

What do you make of this article: Jon Gosselin Is Totally Losing His Hair… AGAIN

and I’m sorry, but the second photo is a bit alarming, it really puts me off ever getting a hair transplant!

Jon was only transplanted in the frontal hairline area extending back about 2-3 inches, not elsewhere. He was told that a second procedure would likely be necessary and that he should follow the Master Plan we setup for him. His heavy smoking, the stress in his life, and his genetics are not really helping the rest of this head behind the transplants. So it is completely unfair for that blog site to write, “Good thing he didn’t have to pay for it since at this point, he’d probably demand a refund.” On the contrary, his hair transplants look great. It’s the non-transplanted hair and the progressive nature of hair loss that doesn’t look so hot. Plus, harsh lighting from paparazzi cameras can be unflattering to any hair.

If he is not taking Propecia at this time, then I think that only the hair transplants will remain over the long term. One needs a Master Plan in managing their hair loss or disaster could be the course. The good part is that the man Jon sees in the mirror every morning has hair. Only the camera shows what else is happening to his head. If he cares, then he should review the Master Plan I put together for him and assay his status.

Dr Rassman if someone rub a little vigorously your head at the 9th day post operation the grafts are damaged or they are secure?

Thanks

If there were no scabs (eschars) present, then there should be no problem. See our published article on graft anchoring here (PDF file).

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

I found a listing on ebay that claims to be selling information on the “best” way to buy Propecia. This is a scam, right?

This is the description of the “information” for sale:

“PROPECIA too Expensive?” is an original narrative which WILL HELP AND INSPIRE YOU IN REAL LIFE! It follows how one person goes through life using rogaine minoxidil toppik and Propecia. The subject wants to find a way TO SAVE MONEY ON PROPECIA. He soon discovers a little known piece of information that allows him to buy a ONE YEAR SUPPLY from a particular well-respected national pharmacy chain FOR $30 A YEAR!!! This price gives him a SAVINGS OF $770 EACH YEAR!!! The person is relieved that the medication comes from a particular WELL-KNOWN AND REGULATED NATIONAL CHAIN and is ABSOLUTELY SAFE. The fictional story ends with ALL the EXACT AND SPECIFIC DETAILS revealed that should definitely help and inspire you. Shipping is .90 to anywhere in the US. There are other fictional narratives out there that are much more expensive so you SAVE MONEY when you buy this narrative! Due to the originality of the story, there will be no refunds on this auction; however, the benefits that you will receive from reading this story will more than make up for the cost of the story! Bidding is anonymous for your convenience.

How clever… this guy appears to be trying to sell a “narrative” on eBay, because otherwise it is a violation of that site’s policy to sell info on how to get cheaper drugs. Here’s the information that this joker is likely trying to sell… and I won’t charge you anything for it. In fact, I’ve written about it over and over again before. Propecia is 1mg finasteride, Proscar is 5mg finasteride. There is a generic Proscar, but no generic Propecia sold in the US due to patent laws. With that in mind:

1. Ask your doctor for a Proscar prescription and buy the generic from the pharmacy (Costco pharmacy has the lowest prices I’ve seen).
2. Cut the generic Proscar pill into 4 pieces (easier than cutting into 5 pieces) and you’ve got the same medication as Propecia, but for pennies on the dollar.

The only issue is that you will need to find a doctor that will prescribe you Proscar (a prostate medication), but as long as you explain that you will be cutting the pill and using it to treat hair loss, it might not be too much of a problem. Each doctor is different. Also, don’t cut more than one pill at a time and always store in a dry area.

I’m a 24 year old male and have microcytic anemia (most likely) due to iron deficiency. I had been able to halt my MPB hair loss by taking finasteride (1mg) since age 18, however experienced rapid shedding about nine months ago. To stop the hair loss, I added minoxidil 5% to my regimen and started taking ferrous gluconate tablets for my anemia. My hair has all grown back and I’m trying to assess if the iron supplement, the minoxidil or both likely contributed to my marked results. Given that my hair-loss was identified by a dermatologist as MPB, does that indicate that iron deficiency was not the underlying cause? Can iron deficiency exacerbate what would otherwise be purely genetic hair loss?

Please advise and thanks for running this site. I’d be bald without you!

For those that are genetically inclined to lose hair, anything could possibly trigger the genetic loss. Fixing the anemia can reverse hair loss caused by low iron, and although I don’t have the benefit of examining you or having a more thorough case history, it seems to be the likely scenario in your case. I don’t know what steps your dermatologist took to determine your hair loss was purely genetic, though.

If you stop the minoxidil, you run the risk of losing hair growth benefits it could’ve been providing.

I have a new question for you! Is there a very advanced norwood scale where hair thins on the bottom of the back of the head, and the bottom of the sides?

My hair is really thick on the upper sides of my head.. and very very thin under that, just directly above my ears (Not my temples) and behind my ears.. it is very hard to explain. The hair loss I have explained seems patterned (in the sense that it is thinning similarly on both sides). I have thinning on top in a sort of norwood 3 vertex pattern. Could it be MPB related?

Some men have a hairy neck extending from the permanent fringe area of the scalp (as seen in the Norwood 7 diagram at right). This neck hair can be very thick, like good scalp hair (this might be what you are talking about). I really don’t understand what you are describing. There are a variety of autoimmune diseases that can produce a pattern-like loss, but first lets show me what you have either in person or by photos, as I can not write a book about it here.