Link supplied here: http://www.drugtargetreview.com/7271/content-type/industry-news/malaria-vaccine-provides-hope-for-a-cure-for-cancer/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DTR%20-%20Newsletter%2041%202015&utm_content=DTR%20-%20Newsletter%2041%202015+CID_38a158c3e7c3b704b824d159684943ed&utm_source=Email%20marketing&utm_term=armed%20malaria%20proteins%20can%20kill%20cancer%20cells
If the DHT levels are already low, why would then somebody suffer from alopecia? I.e., if you are suffering from male pattern baldness, isn’t that already an indicator your DHT levels are high?
Or, from another angle, what hope do people then with low DHT levels but MPB have to save their hair?
Many thanks for the clarification
High DHT levels are not the sole source of male pattern balding (MPB). The source of male pattern balding is in the person’s genes plus whatever DHT you have already in your body. As testosterone is metabolized into DHT and DHT is 40 times as powerful as testosterone, any DHT when combined with the genes for balding, will produce balding. Even when someone takes drugs like finasteride (Propecia), it only blocks 70% of the DHT in the hair follicle. So, this hormone plays a part but it probably is not the only factor in the genetic predisposition of male pattern balding. Think about it this way: If you have very high levels of DHT but do not have the genes for balding, then you won’t be bald.
We know that if a male does not have testicles (so he does not produce testostone and therefore no DHT), he will not bald even if he has the balding gene (see story about carrying the balding gene, one twin without testicles here: http://baldingblog.com/2006/07/27/testicles-and-balding/)
We also wrote about DHT before here: http://baldingblog.com/2014/08/22/if-dht-is-highest-as-a-young-adult-why-do-we-lose-hair-later-in-life/
Is it possible to transplant my pubic hair to my scalp?
Yes. You can harvest donor hair from any part of your body, which include the pubic region.
You talk about masterplans… it seems to me that the only way a surgeon can transplant a hairline without it looking terrible in future is if a surgeon checks and finds that the area behind the transplant is never likely to go bald..
My question is whether when looking at someones hair… (e.g. a person in their early 30’s), under a microscope, would areas which are destined to eventually go bald always show up as miniaturised or is it possible that they will look completely normal but later in life still go bald?
I am just trying to understand how I hairline transplants can work long term, particularly for corner hairline recession.
Your questions is well founded on the principals of long term planning or a “Master Plan” when considering a hair transplant surgery. We do everything in our means to determine possible future hair loss and look for “patterns”. This includes a microscopic study of hairs (miniaturization study) as well as bulk measurements (measuring the quantity of hairs at different locations on the scalp). We also take into account family history as well as a personal hair loss history, patients age, and medication use (Propecia/Rogaine). Along with the experience of a doctor, we can give you a general assessment of possible “worst case” scenario or hair loss pattern to plan a possible surgery. Sometimes you cannot see the miniaturization readily. This does not mean that area may never go bald. Doctors cannot predict the future, but we do our best with the information given.
Many young men want to accelerate their beard growth and ask about it. It takes age (genetic triggers which occur in family lines) so if you want to find out when your beard will grow out, you need to find out when your father or grandfather started to grow their beard. Hormones should have kicked in nicely by the time a man reaches 18 but he must wait out his genetics as hormone alone are not responsible for the onset of beard grown. Beard transplants can be done when the young man is a bit older (over 25) if the beard has not grown in yet
This is taken from this most recent issue of the Scientific American, October 2015
Author Robert Stickgold discussed what happens if you do or don’t get enough sleep. I will outline some important points that stood out from the article:
1- The immune system: works better with a good night of sleep. When individuals were vaccinated and sleep deprived, they produced significantly less antibodies to vaccine virus than those who had a good night sleep. This suggests that the immune system does not work efficiently in a sleep deprived individual.
2- Appetite is stimulated when a person has less sleep because (a) an appetite stimulating hormone (ghrelin) increases in the blood and (b) the production of leptin which normally inhibits hunger, is decreased. The results are that adults who do not have a good nights sleep have a greater risk of obesity by 50% and children from 6-9 years old who sleep less than 10 hours a night, are 2 1/2 times more likely to be obese.
3- Diabetes: There is an association between sleep restriction and the development of type 2 diabetes. The management of sugar is impaired in sleep deprived adults as well.
4- The brain’s ability to recognize words in various situation is impaired with less sleep. We also need sleep to integrate what we learn every day into our memory.
5- Many psychiatric disorders including depression are more likely to occur in individuals who do not have a good night sleep.
6- Sleep promotes selective stabilization, strengthening, integration and analysis of new memories.
7- Important focused learning is improved with a good nights sleep. Things that you need to remember to take a test, for example, apply here.
8- The brain cleans house when you sleep, is more efficient in removing toxins during sleep than when you are awake.
9- A good nights sleep enhances the integration of past experiences with future performance.
10- The more complex our lives are, the more we need a good night’s sleep to manage these complexities.
Comment: Many people snore and their airways are obstructed, disallowing them to sleep uninterrupted through the night. These people will have many of the above stated problems with overall health. I have a smart watch, which I have worn at night to find out how much I move around restless while I sleep. I found that I lay still more 85% of the night while I slept. A nice function to test for sleep disturbance for those of you with a smart watch. Evaluate how long and how well you sleep.
Conclusion: If you are deprived of sleep, you are more than just being very tired when you wake – you may wind up sick more often, overweight, forgetful and depressed.
A good nights sleep varies between people, but it is plausible that a minimum of 7 hours of restful sleep for an adult is important for good body and brain health.
Use of Nape and Peri-Auricular Hair by Follicular Unit Extraction to Create Soft Hairlines and Temples: My Experience With 128 PatientsBackground Hairlines and temples can look unnatural due to coarseness of the safe donor area of transplanted scalp hair. Although the thinner caliber of nape and peri-auricular (NPA) hair would be ideal to create softer hairlines, they have not been used mainly because of concerns that they are nonpermanent.
Objective We assessed the outcome of NPA hair transplanted to hairlines and temples in selected patients.
Methods During November 2006 to November 2011, follicular unit extraction (FUE) transplantation using NPA hair was conducted in 128 patients following a shave test involving the visual evaluation of hair density and caliber of shaved head donor areas. The test was used to determine permanent versus nonpermanent donor areas. A questionnaire was sent to patients to assess satisfaction with their restored hairlines, with a follow-up questionnaire sent to those who initially responded.
Results Three-quarters of patients are good candidates for use of NPA hair to the hairlines and temples based on the shave test. Of 128 patients transplanted, 71% responded and reported a mean overall satisfaction of 8.3 (scale, 1-10). Patients saw full hair coverage at the recipient area at a mean of 9.6 months after surgery. Nineteen patients reported lost grafts. Thirty-three patients responded to a second survey and reported a mean overall satisfaction of 8.5 at an average of 4.6 years after surgery; only 5 (15%) new instances of graft loss were reported.
Conclusions Soft, natural-looking hairlines can be created in select patients using NPA hair as a donor source by FUE hair transplantation.
These are just my (Dr. Rassmans’s) opinions (regarding the Press release which may be more exaggerated than he original publication as one reader rightfully points out):
Taking neck hair, which is often finer than scalp hair, has problems with it. These problems include:
(1) more prominent scarring occurs in the neck and the neck area is very visible so such scars will be detectable as punctate scars
(2) neck hair is often not permanent hair as scalp hair is, so if one transplants the frontal hairline with these finer hairs, they may disappear with age.
This is a warning to those who see this press release. They must know the risks associated with a neck hair donor area.
Actual article is posted here: http://asj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/09/22/asj.sjv137.full?ijkey=X8GZ55Qz4zRGY4J&keytype=ref
Sent by a reader. This is only Batman’s opinion.
I am 25 years old. I had a couple of questions I wanted to ask and I would really appreciate if you could help me out since I’m really distressed these days cause of my excessive hair shedding.
I started finasteride one month and 20 days ago after extensive research. I had a full head of hair but i could feel my hair density especially at the top of my head and my hairline going down. I also see i lost hair at the top of my temples.
I started finasteride very reluctantly since I didnt wanna lose any more hair and i didnt go on minoxidil because it caused hair to shed. I wasnt aware then that finasteride also causes a shed.
Before starting finasteride, i used to shed around 60-70 hairsin the shower if i took a bath after 2-3 days. But after starting finasteride, almost 2 weeks in, i started noticing around 250-300 hairs in the shower which i take after 2-3 days.
Im really stressed since this started happening. I noticed after this excessive shedding that I lost a bit of density on the front of my hair and the temples.
I read that shedding is common after starting any treatment since alot of hairs go into resting and I accept that.
The thing that is freaking me out is that:
1) How can i identify if this is a normal shed (250-300 hairs in the shower after 2-3 days ) or a bad reaction to finasteride?
2) Whether the hair that is shed would grow back, especially in the front of my head?
3) How long can i expect this to go on cause at this rate, im losing hair fast.
4) Have you ever had a case where the initially shed hair didn’t grow back?I would be grateful if you could ease my mind. I dont know whether to continue with finasteride or stop it.
Thank you very much.
Despite what you may read on the Internet, shedding is not very common after starting Propecia. You must also understand Propecia does not stop or cure male pattern balding. Male pattern balding (MPB) is a genetic trait. Propecia is a medication to treat androgenic alopecia. (not cure it). Thus, you may notice hair loss even if you are taking Propecia. You must also note that it takes about 6+ months to start noticing the effects of Propecia but this does not always mean you will not lose hair.
If you are having further issues, you need to discuss this with your doctor who prescribed you the medication. You may have a false impression or expectation of what Propecia can do for your hair loss.
hello dr rassman, pak, and co,
I am a 33 yo male who may be travelling to the west coast in october and is considering trying to set an appointment for an honest opinion regarding options for my hair loss (if any). if one were deemed a good candidate for either the strip procedure or fue, essentially what is the time investment needed to be in the area for any checkup/followup/aftercare. is there a necessary follow up evaluation a few days or week post op? i ask this now bc if a master plan is suggested i would need to plan around a work schedule. i wasnt sure if a 2 week commitment is recommended to then allow someone to return to work without detection of the surgery. i would be travelling from the pittsburgh, pa area. if it helps i use couvre/dermatch and toppik concealers as part of my daily routine currently. ideally id return to using those products until any results showed from any procedure.I appreciate all you do on this site as well as helping restore patients self confidence. thanks in advance.
We would be glad to meet with you for a consultation. You can always make an appointment on line at newhair.com (Look on Bottom Right)
Many people travel from out of town to have a procedure in Los Angeles. In general you can set aside 1 to 2 weeks depending on your comfort level. Some people actually go back to work 1 or 2 days after surgery. The only follow up is the day after surgery. Every person is different. Many patients also use temporary concealers (Toppik) after surgery to disguise the immediate look after surgery.
