Category: Hair Loss Causes

Hi Docs,
I’m a white Caucasian man who turned 27 in April. I have been balding for 6 years now. I have no more doubt about that because my frontal hairline receded about 1 inch maybe more (depending on how I pull my hair back more or less) and I have got miniaturized hair on the temples. I would like to know why the dermatologist (head of a dermatology department) keeps denying my baldness and if I am really balding or not.

Well, at the very beginning, I didn’t notice anything. I used to go to the hairdresser once a month. But, at the age of 24 (about 3 years ago) I could see my scalp through my hair witch obviously began thinning. And my hair’s colour wasn’t the same anymore (much clearer than before).

So, one day I decided to have my hair cut very short. That day I realized that my hairline was receding. I could see the temples that I have never had and never seen before. According to the pictures, I’m receding since the age of 21 or 22. At the age of 21 I had a full head of hair and no temples, at the age of 22, I had temples, at the age of 24 I reached the first stage of baldness and now I’m at least at the first or maybe second stage of baldness at only 27.

Well, I can assume that I’m balding and having a similar evolution as my father had (maybe a little slower) except that he started a little earlier. At the age of 18-19, my father reached the first stage of the Norwood-Hamilton scale, at the age of 27, he was at the second stage maybe a little more (almost third), at the age of 32, he was at least NWD 3, by the time he turned 37 he reached the fourth stage and now, he is a 50 years old man and he’s almost 5 (almost bald)!

In my family, my father is the only “real” bald man. My grand father (my dad’s father) is only Norwood 2 at the age of 75, my uncles (my dad’s brothers) are Norwood 1 at 47 and Norwood 2 at 52 and my mother’s father is only Norwood 1 or 1.5 at the age of 68. I have to say also that when I was a kid I had a similar implantation (very low and with no temples at all), the same hair quality (very thick) and the same hair colour (dark) as my mothers’. Now, I keep my hair long and I only cut a little of length when it’s too long and I’m hiding the temples with my hair from the middle of the head.

I have already seen the dermatologist several times and he always denied the truth by saying “You’re not balding.” or “You have got only temples.” or “You have a lot of hair” or “You have got no hair loss.” etc. The last time I have seen the dermatologist (April of 2013) he told me that I had a “very young” implantation and I had no kind of baldness and he asked me how my mother’s brothers were but she has got only sisters !

So, I would like to know if it is possible that the dermatologist is denying my baldness or maybe is not seeing it. Am I really balding or not? (My hairline receded about 1 inch or more in only 6 years. That is what I call the second stage, maybe it is still a first stage).

Thanks for reading. I wish you could answer to my question.

I don’t know what purpose it would serve for your dermatologist to deny your hair loss if you actually had genetic loss. In situations like this, I would that you get another opinion. You can send me some good quality photographs with your eyebrows lifted high so that the wrinkles of your forehead show, and then I can give you the feedback you want and apparently need. Second opinions are always a good idea if you lack the confidence in the opinions you are given.

You would need to call my office at (310) 553-9113 or (800) NEW-HAIR to set up a formal phone or in-person consultation for this. Personal / individual consultations are not given via email or this site.

Hi, I am a 23 year old with a receding hairline. I have been losing hair for over a year now. I recently had a unilateral orchiectomy following my diagnosis for testicular cancer last month.

I was wondering if the operation will help me in anyway with my hair loss. Could having one less testicle have an effect on my DHT levels and my hairloss? I have been on Propecia for 3 months now and am hoping that the medication and surgery will help me out a bit.

When a man has one testicle removed, the remaining testicle will enlarge and increase its output of testosterone to compensate for the missing testicle.

(female)
I couldn’t find any other web sites to answer my questions..

I would like to know about removal/work on cows licks. I have 2 at the front where my hair naturally parts, making it difficult to style and change my part to something looking more desirable. I also get a weird hair regrowth around the cows lick and people often ask me if i cut a chunk out of my hair. I hate and would like to do something to correct it. Can you please explain you procedure and do you have any before/after photos. Information on this seems VERY hard to find!

Thank you for your time. Kind Regards

Many men and women have requested that I put these cowlicks in for them, as they feel that these are sexy. If you want to remove them there are numerous hair removal methods (such as laser hair removal) and even a hair transplant procedure to add the hairs in the “right” direction. This is a very extensive and more difficult process (to remove and add).

If you would like a private consultation, please call (310) 553-9113 or (800) NEW-HAIR to set up a formal phone or in-person consultation. Personal / individual consultation is not given via email or this site.

Snippet from the article:

Dozens of women across the country are suing the parent company of Suave over allegations that a product they bought at their grocery store left them with bald spots. FOX 7 investigates what caused the problems in the first place.

Could sleek, shiny hair be just a shampoo away? “So smooth so sleek…” Commercials for the Suave Infusion 30 day keratin infusion kit promises that quick transformation.

“What I got was the exact opposite of that,” said Tanya Millet, who claims the product damaged her scalp. But, Millet says her results were disastrous. “I just sat in the bathroom and cried and thought what am I going to do now?” Millet said. Millet says she bought the treatment at a local retailer, hoping it would prevent frizz on an island vacation. Instead she ended up making an emergency call to her stylist.

“And she said to me ‘I don’t know how to tell you this but your hair is chemically melted’” Millet said.

Read the rest — Dozens of women sue Unilever, claim hair product left bald spots

I just noticed this was from late August, but it is still relevant. Any readers of this site have problems with this shampoo?

From the article:

Tom Hanks is in his fourth decade of being a national treasure. And when you’re around that long, you find yourself with a lot of very different parts — as in hair parts. From the rich, dark curls of his younger days to the short, hairline-showcasing look of today and all the weird beardy and shoulder-length ones in between, Hanks can make any cut look iconic. On the occasion of the Friday release of his new movie, Captain Phillips (short hair with a bonus goatee), this quiz tests how familiar you are with all of his past movie looks.

Take the quiz — Take the Tom Hanks Movie-Hair Quiz

For the record, I got 10 out of 13. Many of them were just guesses, though.

Is it possible to develop mild traction alopecia from constant touching/feeling of the hair with your hands? Ive been touching my hair for over a year and I think it is thinner in certain areas where I touch it the most than it was a year ago. I cant seem to stop touching it. I really want to. The hair loss is only noticeable to me so I think if i stop touching now the hair might grow back in a few months. What do you think?

I guess it depends on how much and how hard you are pulling on your hair. Touching your hair shouldn’t be an issue. If you have an issue where you cannot get yourself to stop touching your hair, it may be some form of an obsessive compulsive act and you should follow up with a doctor. In general, hair loss in men is mostly due to genetic androgenic alopecia (not traction alopecia).

Without an exam and medical history, I have no way to tell you what you have or if your hairs will grow back.

(female)
After two years of coloring my hair every 3 to 4 months I noticed that my hair is half the volume and is very thin at the ends. Also i have curly hair and now the ends are almost straight. I went to the dermatologist who made the test for hormones and everything is fine. My scalp itches a lot and is kind of oily. My hair is not oily, but if I massage my scalp my fingertips feel oily. The last six months my hair is not looking good, its very thin at the ends. And today is so itchy. Even itches my face and neck. Please, any advice? Thank you

If your scalp is itching and your hair is thin, there is possible allergy or chemical damage from the coloring. But otherwise, hair changes in volume for many reasons, including age, abuse (coloring can be a type of abuse), nutritional causes, hormone changes, various skin problems and diseases. As well, drying or oily conditions may impact the hair quality.

I do not have the expertise in the area of skin conditions, so I am not the one to ask about that. It sounds like a possible allergy, but that’s something your dermatologist should’ve been able to determine. As you have already seen a dermatologist, your next step might be to see a good stylist who knows about programs to maintain your hair bulk better than I do.

I see a lot of people today and on this blog amassing countless posts on what shampoo cures hairloss and especially which diet/food group. How eating broccoli or taking super-duper multivitamins may cause those dormant hairs on your head to flourish! Whatever the magic cure-of-the-day is or which study proves what, there’s still scientific error present.

What people forget is if any of there magic diets/supplements in fact did work they may never know. Why? They forgot to be scientific and take all factors into consideration. Stress levels have a large impact on nutrient absorption, meaning many of these diets/supplements may not be utilized to their full potential. This may be why we see 6 out of 10 people cured in some study as the other 4 may have completely different diet/lifestyles.

Do you agree that the 1st step in anyone’s hairloss agenda is stress management?

No, I do not agree. The first step is to make sure that the diagnosis of genetic hair loss is correct. Stress induced hair loss is different. A doctor’s visit to make the diagnosis early is clearly in your best interest, and whatever the cost, it will be less than the time it takes for you to try every conceivable cure on the internet (of which most of them do not work).

In my office, I can measure your hair bulk, which is as good a diagnostic tool that there is. Then you get my years of experience in managing hair loss.

Snippet from the article:

A new nose has been grown by surgeons on a patient’s forehead, so it can be transplanted to replace his original one.

Xiaolian, 22, didn’t look after his badly damaged nose following a traffic accident in August 2012. The infection corroded the cartilage of his nose, making it impossible for surgeons to fix it. They then decided to grow him a new one at a hospital in Fuzhou in Fujian province, China.

It was grown by placing a skin tissue expander onto Xiaolian’s forehead, cutting it into the shape of a nose and planting cartilage taken from his ribs.

Read the rest — New nose grown by surgeons to replace original one

The article notes that the “forehead skin can be moved to the nose and keep its blood supply“. Check out the photo at the link above.