Category: Hair Loss Causes

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Do Eastern Europeans Follow Norwood Patterns? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Sirs,

Do all people follow the same pattern of hair loss, meaning they start from the temples and progress in a specific way as Norwood classification describes or there are unique variation for each person? People from the Balkans as Greeks, Bulgarians, Romanians are considered Caucasian or for them there are different hair loss patterns as Norwood describes?

Thank you in advance

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Every male, from anywhere in the world, can have a balding pattern that has been defined by Norwood. The Norwood patterns are not showing a progression of balding that one goes through, but they show the end stage of a process as Dr. Norwood described it.

For example, to develop a Norwood class 6 pattern, you will not start with a 2, then go to a 3, then a 4, and then a 5 pattern. Most men with a Norwood class 6 pattern start losing their hair with thinning in that pattern that precedes the end stage of the balding (the hair begins to thin all over in that pattern).

Norwood chart

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In the News – Woman Suing Microdot For Causing Permanent Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

They promised her a full head of hair, but it was a bald-faced lie, a $15 million lawsuit says. A real estate exec says she shelled out over $250,000 to a clinic that promised to “restore her hair and confidence” — and wound up leaving her permanently bald.

Deborah Betesh’s lawyer, Bruce Baron, said what happened to his client at the Microdot Technique was “an egregious case of fraud, misrepresentation and deceptive business practices.” “The defendants preyed on someone who was hoping to remedy something that was truly a burden and they’ve now destroyed her life,” he said.

Betesh, 56, first went to the E. 58th St. clinic in 2012 because she was worried about her thinning hair. She says techs at the clinic told her they could give her “the hair of her dreams.” They also told her it was “a safe and effective alternative to having hair transplant surgery,” and that just two to four hours after the procedure, “her short hair would become long, and that her thinning hair would become full again,” the Manhattan Supreme Court suit says.

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Read the rest — Salon that promised to give woman ‘hair of her dreams’ caused her to go permanently bald: suit

Wow, that’s quite a bit of money and seemingly little research done. She’s claiming there was artificial hair surgically implanted, while the defendants are adamant about performing no such procedure. Without knowing more about this case specifically, the Microdot process sounds like it is just another type of hair weave to me.

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Hair Thinning in a Young College Student – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m 23 years old, male. I was concerned about my thinning hair and my forehead is also very high. I was wondering if my forehead could be lowered along with hair transplant in one session and also a general estimate of what it might cost. Could the surgery be financed?

Another concern that I have is whether my transplant area and donor area would be red and swollen for various number of days. How many days are we talking about here? Since I am a college student I am concerned if people will be able to tell I had a hair transplant surgery after I come home from the procedure. Will the transplanted hair and the hair from donor area shed very badly and leave me looking like I have thinner hair than I used to and how much pain should I expect?

Thanks for addressing my concerns.

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Thinning hair in a 23 year old man is usually caused by genetic balding. You should see a good doctor to have your hair mapped for miniaturization and have your hair bulk analyzed to be sure that you have genetic balding. If this is the case, then the use of medications like Propecia will be critical to stopping or slowing the balding process from progressing.

The redness after a surgery depends on two factors — the color of your skin (white skin is more likely to turn red), and the general way your body reacts to a wound (scratch your forehead with your fingernail and then wait 5 minutes to see if it turns red). If and when you become a candidate for a hair transplant by presenting with a clear balding pattern, then you can at the time of the transplant, lower your hairline. Costs vary depending upon what has to be done. Financing is available.

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Is Telogen Phase the Same Length for Balding and Non-Balding Men? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear DR, hi,

I found your blog by searching about duration of telogen phase on Men with male pattern baldness. I’ve a pretty simple question: is the telogen phase the same for Baldness suffering peoples and “normal” peoples?

I’m asking you that because ive checked your blog, and i saw tons of guys complaining about masturbation/working out incidence on MPB. Alot said they saw some changes in the daily shedding (in good or worse) after 3-5 days only… How is that possible? I though a “dead” hair fell 100 days after the beginning of the telogen cycle. So how can they check the result of abstinence OR over masturbation only after a couple of days? Do i misunderstood something? As nobody never corrected them about this point, do that means the telogen phase for MPB men is equal to less than 2 weeks and not 2-3 months like for others men?

In advance, thank you. Regards.

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The duration of the telogen phase varies in everyone. The cycle can be longer when there is miniaturization present . If a hair dies (apoptosis), it can die within a follicular unit or miniaturize within a follicular unit. The telogen cycle, I believe, is significantly longer than 2 weeks. So, for example, if you have a high density and many three-hair follicular units, one hair may go into miniaturization and at some point in the follicular unit’s cycle, that hair can die off.

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Transplanting to the Hairline Corners Without Risk of It Looking Bad with Future Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman,

I am 30 years old and for the past four to five years have had some recession/thinning at the corners of my hairline. It is uneven (on the left side around a 6cm triangle shape in area) and on the right side around half that area. For years I’ve monitored the area (even went to see Dr Farjo two years ago who confirmed i had mild recession – not a mature hairline) and in terms of area of recession it has got no worse – maybe a little thinner in those areas but it has not spread.

The fact that I have a receded hairline REALLY bothers me because i have very dense hair in the middle and on top but it is thin on the sides making my hair very messy when i wake up etc. I would love to have it filled in slightly with a hair transplant to frame my face better and so I wouldn’t have to worry about styling it as soon as I wake. It consumes too much of my time/thoughts and I’d like to not have to worry about it so much. So here are my questions…

1) If my hair loss has been fairly stable for over three years is it likely that I won’t lose so much hair in future or does it not work like this? Dr farjo didn’t seem to think that I would not lose a great deal of hair in future but my dad is NW6 bald, My maternal grandfather was more NW3-4v in his later years with hair combed over.

2) If as I suspect it is just not possible to predict that I wont lose too much more hair in future, is there any way that I can have a hair transplant to the hairline corners without risking looking stupid in future if I do lose lots of hair behind it and can’t afford a future hair transplant or don’t have enough grafts left to cover it all (I have very fine hair by the way). What I mean is, is there any way for a HT surgeon to do a lower density transplant at the corners to stop it looking like the patient is looking like they have thick horns of hair left in future as they go more bald? By the way – I have ruled out the option of ever taking propecia as for me i can’t afford messing with my hormones (other health issues) and minoxidil never worked for me in this area (I sometimes wonder if it did more damage than good as it is when i used it years ago that the thinning progressed).

3. Finally… For someone with fine hair…what would be the density per square centimeter needed for a transplant at the hairline corners. I’d like to get an idea of how many grafts i might need if it is possible.

Thanks in advance for your help.

p.s. I realise my questions are quite specific and will of course go back to see a surgeon for an opinion but just can’t afford to at this moment hence my questions.

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Dr. Farjo will give you good advice on these issues. If he thinks your hair loss won’t progress to your father’s pattern, I would plan for that. Ask you dad when he started to lose hair. I suspect he started earlier than you and accelerated more quickly.

That said, since we never know with 100% certainty what is going to happen to the hair loss over time, you need to make plans for now and then be able to maneuver to another step if the hair loss progresses. You should have a Master Plan created with Dr. Farjo if you have not done that yet.

Concerning a transplant to your hairline corners and having very fine hair, if you do opt for surgery, be sure to have it done right. Creating a thinning or balding look with this hair is not in your best long term interest.

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Do I Have DUPA or Alopecia Areata? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

29 years old, male. Around 1 1/2 year ago I started thinning all over, except for 3/4 of the neck area (the last inch), but even there i am sure it is somewhat thinner. I probably lost 50% of volume. I shed 50+ hairs just in the shower. We can call it DUPA. Blood analysis are ok: ferritin, diabetes, thyroid, hepathogram.

Now, the thing is that some months ago I had Exclamation-mark hairs. I would see that most of the shorter and thinner hairs in the shower were even thinner at the root (say 30 or 40% thinner). The Average hair was 3 or 4 cm long (1 inch and a half) and this tapered hairs 1 to 3 cm (0.5 to 1 inch). I thought it was just miniaturizating really fast. But now i know they can be a sign of alopecia areata. I don’t have them anymore. Now the roots are thicker than the distal end as it should be in a normal hair. They disappeared after a diet (no dairy, sugar, flour) or by coincidence. I thought I was improving because of that and because the dandruff decreased. But i still shed many hairs and I am still getting worse (maybe at a smaller rate, only maybe).

Is it just DUPA? Can I have DUPA with Tapering hairs? Could be areata? If not, what else should I check for? Considering that i dont have Tapering hairs anymore (maybe some long ones, but it is really not the same), would a scalp biopsy help to know?

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Diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) and alopecia areata are both very rare in men, but I can not tell you what is going on without seeing you. An examination is necessary, so you should see a good dermatologist in your area who should be able to tell the difference.

I wish I could provide more info, but this isn’t something that can or should be diagnosed just based on your description.

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Have You Ever Seen a Case of Hair Loss Contained to a Just One Small Bald Spot? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Has a case ever occurred where a non uniform/asymmetrical form of hair loss had say thinning/hairloss centralized in a small area say 1inch x 2inch and the rest of your hair remained intact for the rest of your life?

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Yes, there are inherited patterns like you mentioned and there are a variety of diseases like ringworm and alopecia areata that can do this. If that is a problem, see a dermatologist who can tell the difference for you upon an examination of your scalp and hair.

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I’ve Got Stress, My Wife Finds Balding Men Sexually Repulsive, and Now I’m Worried I’m Losing Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

I am 36yr old male and have just had a baby as well as a herniated disc which incapacitated me for 3 months (this was on top of an interstate move and loss of my job). I received an epidural steroid injection to minimize the pain. I am now on the road to recovery, however my hair is falling out at an alarming rate, I would estimate a 30%-35% loss but have not noticed my hairline receding. I am noticing many hairs on my computer keyboard, pillow in the sink etc etc. I also have pretty bad dandruff at present.

I have always had VERY thick hair as does my father (he’s 74 now and still with a full head) but my uncle and grandfather on my mothers side are bald. I think i am noticing small re-growth hairs on my hairline but read that this is actually the hairline receding. I am very worried as my wife has always told me she finds balding or bald men kind of repulsive (sexually). I of course went to my docs who took bloods and found everything was normal so i asked for a referral to a dermatologist but the only clinic in Portland OR cant see me for 4 months. I find myself in a catch 22 cycle of worry, please help.

My questions are as follows….,

May i be experiencing stress related hair loss and if so will the hair that has fallen out grow back?

If i shave my head now will that affect regrowth if it indeed occurs or will it just speed up the process of my ‘losing everything’?

I have read that Rogaine does not work on the front of the scalp, is Propecia my ‘best bet’?

Best Regards

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You might be experiencing stress related hair loss. If you have the genetics for losing hair, stress induced loss might become permanent. Otherwise, it should hopefully be a temporary hair loss. Try to get your stress under control and have some patience that your hair may regrow within a year.

If you shave your head, you will have a shaved head with the same amount of hair follicles which will grow out to the same status as you are now, unless you are losing hair. Shaving the head doesn’t speed up hair loss or induce hair growth.

Before you make a decision on going on any hair medication, do two things:

  1. Send me photos of your head from various angles and with your hair pulled back and your eyebrows lifted high. Reference this post when sending.
  2. Find a doctor in your area that can provide a hair bulk analysis with the HairCheck instrument which will absolutely let you know where you hair is being lost, if at all.

I wait anxiously to hear from you, as it sounds like you are coming into a personal crisis.

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Hair Loss InformationSebum Contains DHT, Which Is Why Women Don’t Go Bald?! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I receive oddly angry emails from time to time, and this one had the subject “WRONG!!!!” that appears to be in response to a post from 2007 — Does Sebum Build-Up Produce More DHT on Follicles?.

Actually the sebum in men contains DHT because it is caused by Testosterone in males…which is why women dont go bald..u should know that,

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I think that you are confused. Here’s an article that discusses the relationship between dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production and sebum. Yes, the sebum contains DHT, but it is not the sebum that causes hair loss.

The androgens produced in the human body heavily impact sebum production (more about sebum can be found here). Women with conditions that cause ovarian cysts (PCOS) get balding just like men, but to a lesser degree.