Category: Hair Diseases

I am bald now after 13 treatments of radiation therapy for a brain tumor. Is there a treatment for my dead hair follicles other than just wearing a wig? Now I cover my head with scarves but they fly away when the wind blows.

It is possible that some of the hairs will grow back within a year after the radiation. There is no medication or treatment to bring back hair lost from radiation treatment. All you can do is wait. Temporary hair loss is more common, but hair loss is known to be permanent depending on the dose. A small study about this was published in 2004.

There are other options that may be available, but one can not guess wildly here without waiting out the year.

My seven year old son is suffering from Alopecia areata since december 2010 (first appearance: 7 spots of different sizes, stopped in june 2011, regrowth till mid-end september 2011, then hair loss starts again on other places, stopped in november 2011 and normal growth till february, new hairloss with 7 spots, actually regrowth…). A lack of vitamin D(25-OH vitamine D2-D3 is 10,7 ng/ml) has been diagnosed by a physician (who has some experience with AA patients) and he prescribed a vitamin D cure (choleciferol 25000 UI twice a week for one month, than once a week for two more months). But the dermatologist that is treating the AA thinks that this treatment is useless and that it could be harmful (he said that he would not administer vitamine D to his own kids…).

So my question: is there a risk for my son? can it help to cure the AA (or at least have less hairloss, longer periods without hairloss…)

I am not your doctor, nor your son’s doctor, and I am not an expert in vitamin D deficiency, so I couldn’t give you a personalized answer. If you’re concerned about one doctor’s recommendation, consider getting a second opinion.

I do know that alopecia areata is a self limiting condition that will resolve without any treatment in some people. A good resource for alopecia areata information is the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. I don’t know that they would consider vitamin D as a “cure” though.

Does those who haven’t balding issue will then never experimented BPH issue (Enlarged Prostate Symptom) ?

since both have the same cause ?

thanks

The connection between prostate hypertrophy and balding does not appear connected. There is, however, an association between early genetic balding and prostate cancer (see here.

Hi Doctor thank you for your help. Can skin irritations trigger Alopecia Areata? I have read many different articles about the triggers of AA but it is still confusing. I see certain chemicals and allergies might trigger another spot. It is hard for me to understand if skin irritations or skin allergies are really enough to do this. Also are there irregular shaped spots or are the spots always round. Thank you for your time.

Alopecia areata can often be spontaneous, but some have tried to connect allergic reactions to it. I really don’t know though, to be honest. The spots can appear singular or at multiple locations, regular or irregular and they can change in size and grow larger.

For more info on alopecia areata, I recommend visiting the National Alopecia Areata Foundation site.

Hello there Dr.Rassman

I’m a long time reader. basically since the age of 17 i have suffered from diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) which I’m guessing i inherited from my mother basing on what her hair loss looks like. anyway I am now a 25 year old man and 8 years have passed since i initially noticed the entire scalp thinning including the permanent zone. i feel my DUPA has not been too aggressive as i still have pretty good coverage overall with slight recession. my question is will my hair loss be very gradual or will it speed up soon?

If it has been stable for the last 8 years, I do not see why it would not continue to be stable a lot longer. But I can not predict the future and the clinical course of patients with DUPA has been poorly documented.

As a professional who may be more aware of this condition than most doctors, I recognize my limitations in both treating it and predicting its course, as we know very little about DUPA. I have tried using finasteride on most of the men with DUPA, but the results are inclusive. Sorry, I wish I could be of more help.

I am 28 years old and I have been obsessively rubbing and picking my head for around 15 years. I have noticed that my hair line has moved back and that my hair overall has become thinner. No bald “spots” but an overall thinning. My question is if I stop now will my hairline return to normal and will my head become fuller again?

What you describe sounds a lot like trichotillomania, a psychological disorder of picking at the hair/scalp that often produces significant balding. In general, hair lost from this picking does not grow back due to years of trauma, as the impacted hair has been killed off.