Hair Loss Causes – Page 318

December 8, 2005

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,
I am very concerned about my hair loss. I am 19 years old. I have been diagnosed with hashimoto’s thyroiditis; however, according to my most recent blood test a few weeks ago, my hormone levels are currently at a normal level (and have been for almost 6 months). The levels have been moving up and down over the past few years (hyper/hypo/normal). I am still experiencing a lot of hair loss to the point where there are some bald patches. The level/amount of hair loss actually has seemed to be increasing over the past few months. I am on no medication. Do you have any suggestions/advice? Would going on synthroid be a good choice? I am in college in Washington DC and am originally from Connecticut. Can you recommend a doctor or specialist for me either in DC or CT or a surrounding area? Thanks so much!

I would recommend Dr. Robert Bernstein in New York and New Jersey. You clearly need a good clinician to help you evaluate the various contributing factors associated with the fluctuating hormones and the patches of hair loss, which might point to other autoimmune causes of hair loss.

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December 8, 2005

Is Chlorine in Water Causing Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,
I came to Dubai 2 months back and from the beginning I am losing my hair very fast. When my hair is wet during the shower, it falls out even when I just touch them. I never had any problems with my hairs in my life. My hairs were very strong but dry without dandruff. After a month in Dubai I was feeling a little itching and I saw I was having dandruff, although I don’t have much dandruff now, but it has started. I heard Dubai water is not good for hair because it contains chlorine. I don’t want to lose my hairs and want to grow them big. I was using Vatika shampoo before Dubai and now here I have started using Sunsilk egg and also use oil to keep my hairs soft. My hairs are just falling, how to stop them and make them dark, strong & black. Which shampoo should I use. How is Head & Shoulders? Help me.

Again and again, I tell my patients that they need a diagnosis. You are grasping for straws until you get properly evaluated with a mapping of your scalp for miniaturization. Please see a good doctor first, get examined and have a proper diagnosis in hand, then look for causes if the hair loss results from other outside factors. This, a good doctor can tell you. Chlorine should do no more harm to your hair in normal therapeutic doses than water without the chlorine.

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December 2, 2005

Hair Loss InformationHair Loss in Child? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My new doctor recently told us that my 3 year old step-son has alopecia. She didn’t get into specifics with it but said that his condition seemed to be improving on it’s own. He has a bald spot on his right side and it was really bad in January when he first moved in from living with his mother. Is it possible malnutrition caused his hair to bald? He was also extremely underwieght according to another doctor?

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There are many causes of hair loss including fungal and bacterial infections. In children, fungal infections are not uncommon. Malnutrition would be unusual, particularly without dieting. Included are other conditions of genetic origin such as Alopecia Areata. If it is going away on its own and your doctor already has seen it, is involved, and is comfortable with your step-son’s situation, then just wait it out.

December 2, 2005

Hair Loss Factors in 18 Year Old – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
I am very concerened about my hair. I am 18 years old and I noticed that I could slightly see my scalp through my long hair about a year ago. I have been taking propecia for about 4-5 months and just recently I’ve been seeing my scalp more. Is this due to my recent routine of using head and shoulders dandruff shampoo every other day? or is it that there are more bathroom mirrors with lights above them? or is it my unhealthy diet from college food? or a mixture of everything? I also notice that I see a lot of scalp when I get out of the shower and my hair is wet. Please e-mail back. I’m really worried. Thanks a lot.

There are numerous causes for hair loss in your cases, like male balding pattern, stress from school, and dieting. You must realize that you can normally lose up to 100 hairs per day. I am not convinced about shampoo causing your hair loss.

You need to read the many entries here for hair loss in young men (see Age category). There is no substitute for getting evaluated by a good doctor who will map out your head for miniaturization and make a diagnosis for you. Do not be foolish and try to save pennies while you lose your valuable and irreplaceable hair. See a good doctor ASAP. Since you are in the Los Angeles area, it would be a good idea to call 800-NEW-HAIR to setup an appointment at my L.A. office if you’d like a free evaluation.

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December 1, 2005

Is Shock Loss Permanent? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman,
I am a 39-year-old male. I recently underwent a transplant procedure at Bosley in Boston. My class was a 3 vertex. I have been using Propecia for 4 years, and it has worked great! However, I still saw some daylight in the frontal region. Admittedly, 99% of friends and family would only say I had slightly receding hairline, and follicular enhancement surgery was ridiculous. My objective was to simply augment my existing hair and stay a head of the curve. With that said, I’m now learning of Telogen and “shock-loss”. Several web sites claim that the shock loss can be permanent, and I could wind up with thinner hair than I began with. I knew up front that trauma could case this to happen. Moreover, I could have waited several years before taking this step. I would be greatly disappointed to lean that this was futile and I could be worse off! My HTP counselor says, new evidence claims healthy non-miniaturizing adjacent follicles should, and will come back after a few cycles. Can you please expound on this topic.

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Hair transplant shock (shock loss) is often prevented in men of your age by Propecia, so you have done the right thing by taking it. The shock loss can be permanent if the hair that is lost was in the balding zone. When it occurs and impacts hairs in the balding area in men, the hair loss is often, but not always, permanent. This will only impact non-transplanted hair, so if you had transplanted hair that was lost (very, very rare) that hair always returns. For women who lose hair (with shock loss), the hair almost always comes back.

You need to wait it out. Chances are that it will not come back, but the newly transplanted hair may make enough of a difference to adequately address the area of loss on a worst case scenario.

December 1, 2005

Itchy Scalp Where Hair Is Thinning – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman
Am 25 year old male whose fighting the deadliest enemy of all men, that is hair loss, which has attacked my frontal hair causing a diffused loss, yet my temples and crown seems fine. My point is that i have noticed alongside my falling hair, there is a persistent itching in my scalp especially within the regions where hair loss is occuring most, slight scalp redness can be seen upon close inspection. Is there any possiblity that the two are related?

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The first thing that comes to mind is ‘what came first, the itch or the hair loss’? It is possible that you have a skin problem and that the skin ‘itch’ is actually making your scalp flaky and red. If you scratch the itch, you can produce traction alopecia (in your case, it would be hair loss from pulling hairs with scratching), or you can have other skin disorders like Psoriasis (visit National Psoriasis Foundation). It is also highly possible that you have male patterned balding and you need a good doctor to determine if there is miniaturization corresponding to the genetic process in the frontal area.

December 1, 2005

Hair Loss InformationPatchy Hair Loss Pattern – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
I’m a 21 year old male and I’m quite physical fit and eat properly without excessive drinking or smoking. For the past four months now I have been noticing some patchy hairloss on different parts of my head. One being on the left side and the other largest being on the right rear near my crown. At first it looked like perhaps alopecia but the patches were not round and also not smooth. Now the balding on the right side has turned into what looks like a circle, almost like a crop circle at least 3 to 4 inches in diameter and the left side it also a random pattern that is not fully smooth. I have also noticed a small circle on the back of my head down by my neck. I saw a dermatologist and apperantly she has never seen this before and now has me taking a bunch of blood test for HIV, syphilis, and lupus. I am most certain I dont have HIV or syphilis and I do not have any other symptons of lupus. Do you have any ideas what this unusual hair loss pattern could be? Thanks for the help.

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If you have a series of bald patches that appeared on your head, I would be concerned that you might have Alopecia Areata (search this site for “Alopecia Areata”). I am surprised that your dermatologist said that she’d never seen this before, as it is a common problem in the study of dermatology. This can be a serious matter and you may want to see another doctor if what you said is true. Read the website material and learn about this condition. Then when you meet with either your present doctor or the next dermatologist, bring this up as a diagnosis possibilities. You also must realize that I am taking what you say as what you reported here.

November 29, 2005

Hair Loss InformationStarting to Lose Hair at Age 19 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I am 19 years of age. Over the past year I have found that I have lost alot of hair. All my life I have had thick hair. my whole family has relatively high hairlines, even my 13 year old brother. I have always had one although there was always alot of hair around the hairline. In recent months my hairline has been receeding noticably and I have found that hairs have come out when showering, sometimes just randomly in the day, and I find them in my mouth. There are no patchy bald spots. However the hairline is extremly thin and around the crown it has also thinned out. Even the hair at the sides do not feel half as weighty as they used to. I used to badly need a haircut every two weeks, now although I still do at times, it is more in the vain hope it will make my hair look better. It is whispy looking on top also. I also find my scalp feels odd although this could be in the mind. It has all happened suddenly.

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You need to have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization to determine if you have genetic balding. If you do, it will follow a pattern much like those shown on the Norwood chart, as your hair starts to thin in these patterns before it becomes bald. Over 50 years ago, General MacArthur said, “Old Soldiers never die, they just fade away”. I will rework his quote by saying, “Hair never dies, it just fades away”. Some day, when hair cloning starts up or we figure out the missing link in the pathway that stops the hair from cycling in the normal manner, we might be able to revive those hairs that are present even in the baldest of men, but at age 19, lets start to crawl before we walk. Don’t live in fear of what may not be. Get a good doctor to diagnose you and then treat you appropriately, if treatment is needed.

November 23, 2005

Hair Loss InformationSudden Hair Loss Years After Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have had 6 procedures. four smaller (elsewhere) and my last two (more substantial) with NHI. You performed my last procedure about 6 years ago. I started the restoration process early, so I never went through a noticeable hairloss phase. I have been on proscar for about 5 years and it halted my hairloss. Obviously, I still have a significant amount of hair. I normally kept my hair cut short, but recently I let it grow a bit longer and got a trendy razor cut hairstyle. I towel dry my hair and put a manipulator cream (bed head brand) to keep the style. I have never looked so good! Then one week before my next haircut I started to notice hairloss. From Oct. 13-Nov 12 I have lost all the hair behind and between my frontal-most grafts(about a half inch deep, from the front hairline and extending all the way across the front and into the corners. Is this normal? I’m beside myself. I have done everything through the years to combat my hairloss with unbelievable results and now this. It’s as if somebody just flipped a switch and Pow! Can proscar just stop working? I would appreciate any information(based on my brief description). I diligently keep track of my hair-the hairloss happened that quick. Also, I am now 41(a very young looking 41!!) I am on 3 medications. One is allegra D, the other is an acid reflux medication (both prescribed for allergies/cough) and finally, a cortiosteroid nose spray (nasonex). Can any of these be compromising the effects of the proscar? Thanks again.

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I am also alarmed. I will try to call you as I know you are not local to California. The corticosteroid nasal spray could cause this, if you are using it regularly and heavily. Loss of transplanted grafts after they have grown is very, very unusual. It could be caused by other medical conditions which you will have to get checked out. The Proscar should not be the problem.

As I think back about hair loss in transplanted grafts, they are rare. I have seen them in some men who have developed a type of senile alopecia where the donor area is thinning. If this was happening to you, your donor area should show signs of miniaturization and that would point to this diagnosis.

We need to talk and get you to a good doctor locally who can map out our scalp for miniaturization and attempt to clarify the cause for the hair loss.

November 22, 2005

Genetic Balding in Family History – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, Im a 16 year old male and i have been experiencing frightening thoughts of a receeding hair line. My hair is currently around 40cm long from the root. Not so long ago I looked in the mirror to notice that my hair was slightly more blonde amongst the corners from my temples up, and the hair seems thinner and smoother. Im probably guessing it is from wearing my hair tight in a bun. There is no form of genetic balding in my family. Is this a Form of balding that can be overcome?

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It sounds like you could have traction alopecia which occurs when one braids his/her hair tightly, causing continuous traction, which over time will cause permanent hair loss. The actual pattern of hair loss will be helpful to view so send me a photo and I can tell you from that (wrassman@newhair.com). Alternatively, receding hairlines in men as they mature is a normal part of the aging process, most notable between the ages of 18-29.

Please note that genetic balding may skip a generation or two, so it is possible that you have a genetic predisposition to lose your hair. I recommend that you see a doctor that specializes in hair, so that he can evaluate you in detail, looking for miniaturization to determine if there is any balding process going on.