Hair Diseases – Page 14

July 12, 2011

Hair Loss InformationHow Do You Diagnose DUPA? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I am an 18 year old male. I have experienced diffused thinning on the top and sides of my head for the past 10 months. I’ve probably lost 50% of my density. My sides are slightly thinner than the top. I was wondering if this would be diagnosed as DUPA?

The reason I’m asking is that my back is as thick as ever (of course there might be miniaturization that cannot be observed by the naked eye). Also, is it possible for a person to get DUPA this young?

In case it helps, no one in my family has MPB or DUPA. All 4 of my grandparents have quite thick hair on their sides, back and top

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DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia) is a condition found in men where the hair on the fringe area (back and sides) have significant miniaturization (greater than 20% of hairs). And yes, teens can have it.

No one knows what causes DUPA, but it looks like the pattern we see in women with significant female genetic hair loss, although their miniaturization may extend to other areas of the scalp.

July 12, 2011

SMP and Scarring Alopecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have lost alot of the hair on the sides of my head due to a form of scarring alopecia. Would it be possible to have micropigmentation done just on the sides as haircuts that are buzzed on the sides and a bit lengthy on top are very common and in style?

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Generally, scarring alopecia with balding from it does well with Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP). We have done a few severe cases which I could show you if you visited my office. One particular patient who had very extensive scarring and balding would rather not have his photos online.

July 11, 2011

My Young Daughter Had Ringworm That Left a Bald Spot – Balding Blog

My 8 yr old daughter got a bad case of ringworm a year and a half ago. The lesions became a superinfection and eventually cleared. She was left with a quarter size bald area on the top of her head and now has some small amount of hair growth. Is there anything out there could be doing for her to promote hair growth? Are there any specific doctors i should see? She is 9 and I believe it is bothering her a bit socially. Thanks

Hair loss from infection and scarring may be permanent if it has not regrown in over a year. One possible treatment worth using may be Rogaine (with approval from her doctor) topically applied, but you need to apply the medication twice a day everyday for about one year before may see any improvement.

Another option may be a limited hair transplant to the area which we have done on occasion. This may be a better solution, as it is a one-time event for most people. I realize she’s only 8 or 9 years old, but depending on how bothersome the bald spot is, it might be a consideration.

June 21, 2011

Hair Transplant for Woman with Polycystic Ovarian Disease? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,
I was wondering about hair transplant in a female with active PCOD. I would really appreciate if you can share your experience in treating hair loss in PCOD both surgical and medical.

thank you

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I do not have much experience treating women with Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD or PCOS). Women with this disease tend to have hair loss that resembles male pattern balding, so I might treat them like men, addressing the pattern and the complaints that are given to me.

I’ve written about this before here.

June 1, 2011

Hair Loss InformationI Had a Hair Transplant and Now My New Doctor Says I Have Alopecia Areata – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 58 year old female who had hair restoration done 18 months ago on my receeding hairline (1500 grafts). I have just learned from a derm. who specializes in hair loss and restoration that I now have alopecia areata. (This new derm. was not the doctor who peformed the original hair transplant. I went to this new Derm. b/c I wanted to know why my hair was still thinning. He took 3 scalp biopsies which confirmed areata.

Now in the temple area where I had the transplant every once in a while I get numbness and a burning sensation. Would this be possible nerve damage from the hair transplant. Just want a second option and thoughts. This new derm seems to think it is something to do with the transplant. By the way it took 3 derms to figure out what I had. The last derm. is great and is treating me right now. Your thoughts.

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Second opinions are impossible to do over the internet through this blog. In general, I would want to know the following:

Could you have had alopecia areata when you had your transplant?
Did you lose transplanted hair in the areas of alopecia areata?

Any time a person has recipient sites in the scalp, small cutaneous nerves are injured. I would have to know more about your nerve problem. Good luck!

May 27, 2011

Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Young Boy with Trichotillomania – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Hair loss is a common problem that can be caused by a variety of conditions.

Imagine, though, it happening to a young boy because he pulled out his hair.

That’s what Max Sherwood of Riverdale, Iowa, had to endure. Max, 11, has trichotillomania, a psychological disorder that causes people to pull out hair from their head and other parts of the body to the extent that it causes patches of baldness.

“He started to pull out his eyebrows when he was in second grade, then he quit,” mother Candace Sherwood said. “Then, when he started fourth grade, he started to pull out his hair.”

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Read the rest — Iowa Boy Pulls Out His Hair and Goes Bald

The video that plays at the start of the article is about OCD in general, and isn’t specific to this young boy’s story. But for those curious about the disorder and the steps used to treat it, I’d recommend giving the article a read.

May 20, 2011

Can I Get a Beard Transplant If I Have Alopecia Areata? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I am a 22 year old male studying in New York. Since August last year, i have been facing hair loss from my facial beard. Doctors claimed it is alopecia areata. I was under meds for about 4 to 5 months and it got better momentarily but i guess it came back since i am loosing my beard around my chin and neck area! I read a couple of your stuff on this website and i was eager to know if i would be able to do a beard transplant on the affected area considering i might be suffering from alopecia areata. Your help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

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Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, potentially affecting all of your hair follicles. It could attack any transplanted hair that is placed into the balding area and those hairs will die. So unfortunately, transplantation isn’t a wise option for you. For more on alopecia areata, see the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

May 18, 2011

Hair Loss InformationI’ve Had DUPA Since My Teen Years – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been experiencing DUPA-patterned thinning since puberty, if you can believe it. I had my thyroid checked at 15 (20 now) and apparently everything was in order. Classic MPB runs in both sides of my family but I haven’t seen any instances of DUPA, and both my brothers seem to have been spared this condition. I took propecia for a year and it did nothing.

Are there any leads on possible underlying causes of DUPA, since it has become rather apparent that it is not [entirely] related to DHT levels/sensitivity? Could I possibly benefit from a visit to an endocrinologist or other specialist?

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I do not know if you will benefit from an endocrinologist or other specialist unless you have actually been diagnosed with diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) by a physician. Are you diagnosing yourself with DUPA because you have thinning of your hair? Some people do have thin hair, but that is not DUPA. There’s no underlying cause of DUPA that is known at this time, so nothing you can really be on the lookout for. We simply don’t understand the condition all that well.

I also do not understand why you would be taking Propecia without a diagnosis of androgenic alopecia. Are you self treating? At the least you need a good examination and a diagnosis.

May 17, 2011

Hair Loss InformationMy Brother Has DUPA – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My brother is 25 and was just diagnosed with DUPA. He has been prescribed Propecia. Are there any other things he can do or any clinical trials he can participate in? I read about Neosil, but not sure what has happened to that.

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DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia) is not the same as MPB (male pattern baldness). That being said, Propecia is a medication for the treatment of MPB, which means it will most likely not be of help in treating your brother’s DUPA.

There are no treatments, clinical trials, or medications for the treatment of DUPA that I’m aware of.

May 13, 2011

Hair Loss InformationSeasonal Alopecia Areata? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
I was diagnosed with alopecia areata about 15 years ago and received various treatments for same. After wearing a wig for 2 years my hair grew back enough to dispense with it. My hair starts falling out rapidly in April and May with new bald spots appearing but then starts to regrow around July. Any idea why and do you know of others with this seasonal hair loss?

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Alopecia areata is a lifelong condition, though it may only flare up every few years. So what you are experiencing may be another onset of alopecia areata. I would follow up with your doctor for a diagnosis and confirmation.

To date, there is no proven medical treatments for alopecia areata. The good news is that in time, the hairs will grow back. For more about alopecia areata, including support and research information, check out the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.