Category: Hair Diseases

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Using Rogaine Foam for Man with Bell’s Palsy – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy last week. I’m pretty sure you have heard of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell’s_palsy

Well, I have been using Rogaine Foam since July of 2007 and have started to get some amazing results. It however makes my face kind of puffy. Do you think that using the Rogaine Foam will mess up my chances of healing the nerves?

Serious question. I really don’t want to stop the Rogaine, though, but I will if I have to.

Let me know, please.

Thanks

Rogaine (minoxidil) should not affect the healing of the nerves. You should ask your doctor who is treating you for Bell’s palsy, as he/she should be involved with your medical care.

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Levothyroxine, Hypothyroidism, and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I’ve been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and have been taking Levothyroxin 75 mcg for about two years now. I just recently had lab work done, which indicated that my thyroid levels are low again, which means I will have to increase the amount of Levothyroxin I take daily. I have about 30 ongoing medical conditions, and I do take many medications along with this one. I asked my pharmacist about hair loss (as mine has been thinning and coming out for over a year now, but it’s really bad now though), which of my meds could be causing it, and what vitamin(s) I could take to combat it. He told me that my hypothyroidism was most likely the cause of my hair loss, and suggested I take 200 mg of selenium everyday to stop the problem. Is he correct? What kind of doctor would I need to see for this problem? What more can I do? Help me, PLEASE!! There is no pattern baldness in my family. I used to have a nice long full head of hair and now it’s so thin. I cry everytime I wash my hair because so much comes out at once. This problem is making my depression worse as well. Where can I go and what can I do? I’m on disability so I do not have a lot of funds to combat this problem so yet another issue with which to deal. HELP!!!!!
Thank you so much for your help!

Hypothyroidism is a cause of hair loss and thinning. First you must get your thyroid problem regulated. Best to see a good medical doctor who feels that this problem falls without his/her expertise, possibly working with a dermatologist to follow your hair loss. An endocrinologist may be a good choice for a specialty. You also asked about taking selenium — it should not be harmful and actually may help.

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Hair Loss InformationWhat Caused Sudden Female Hair Loss – Chemical Relaxer or Psoriasis? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

A client I have serviced for almost one year accuses me of causing her hair to fall out after a relaxer I gave her. She called me two days after the relaxer saying her hair was shedding. I am very thorough with my rinsing of chemicals and the shampoos that follow. She said her hair was coming out in strands and that her scalp itched a little. I suggested she see a dermatologist. Her dermatologist told her that there was nothing showing in her bloodwork that would cause her hair to fall out. He prescribed her Luxiq which as you know is for psoriasis of the skin and scalp. Would’nt that not mean that she had a skin condition which caused her hair to fall out and not the relaxer?

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It sounds like you may be looking for potential legal advice. I do not know your client or the entire circumstance involving her hair loss. This sounds like an acute episode of hair loss happened within a couple of days of the treatment you gave her. There seems to be a direct link between the use of chemicals and the hair loss, based on what you’re telling me. As I’ve written before, psoriasis will not cause hair loss unless you pick at it enough to develop traction alopecia. This does not seem to be a traction alopecia case, though.

There are many possible reasons for female hair loss, ranging from medical illness to genetics to hormonal to stress. Moreover, even with modern advancement in medical technology, the exact cause and/or cure for female hair loss is still elusive. Your client’s hair loss may have been related to the chemical stress or it may just also be coincidental. I really cannot say.

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Chemo After Breast Cancer 2 Years Ago — Hair Still Hasn’t Come Back! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had breast cancer and my last chemo treatment was in July of 2006. I finished radiation in October 2006. It has been almost two years and my very thick curly hair has not come back. I have a few sparse hairs all over my head, but they are very sparse. I take tamoxifen daily. Will my hair come back and what can I do to help it. I have used Nioxin for two years and just recently started uses minoxidil. Are there vitamins to help? Just what can I do?

I do not know how to help you. My experience is not in the area of chemotherapeutic drugs. Your best information will probably come from the doctors who are managing your chemo. They see many people with hair loss and can probably give you the answers you are looking for. I wish I could offer more, but this is beyond my specialty.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Onion Juice to Treat Alopecia Areata? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Onion juice could help some people with patchy hair loss resulting from the disease alopecia areata, an Australian researcher says.

“Although there is no proven treatment, some people might choose to try a ‘safe’ treatment — such as a topical steroid — even in the absence of good evidence of the treatment’s benefit,” said Dr. Mike Sladden of the University of Tasmania.

One small, unpublished study found hair regrew in almost half of 60 subjects with mild cases who applied onion juice — an alternative medicine used for infections, Sladden said.

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Full text at United Press International — Onion juice may help patchy hair loss

Interesting reading.

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Alopecia Doctors – Dr. Vera Price or Dr. Richard Strick? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,

I’m writing to you desperate for answers. About 6 months ago my hairline started to thin and recede rather rapidly after stopping ortho-tri cyclen birth control pills. My general doctor thought that stopping the pill was the cause. About 2 months after seeing the doctor I started to develop a round bald spot above my front hairline. It has slowing progressed over the last 6 months into a spot the size of a quarter with redness and tenderness along with some sporadic itching. I went to see Dr. Vera Price at UCSF in San Francisco. She had her derma pathologist review a biopsy that Dr. Kurgis of Templeton CA had taken and told me it was alopecia areata and not a scarring alopecia. However, this is where I get to my question, I wanted a second opinion because Dr. Kurgis thought it looked more like a scarring kind so I went down to UCLA to see Dr. Richard Strick who also reviewed the same biopsy slides. He said that neither he nor his derma pathologist could clearly read the slides to determine if it was either scarring alopecia or alopecia areata. Which doctor is more knowledgeable about these diseases? Who should I trust Dr. Strick or Price? Please help; I don’t know what to do at this point. Dr. Price said that having another biopsy again is unnecessary and might make it worse and she was certain it’s not scarring, but it keeps spreading every week, little by little and the redness spreads as well. I’m very worried I will have to wear a wig if this does not stop. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

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I personally know Dr. Richard Strick, because he is in the Los Angeles area (where I am based), and can speak very highly of him and his work, but I only know of Dr. Vera Price based on her reputation. These are two terrific dermatologists, and I can’t make a decision for you on who to trust more in this situation. You should have asked Dr. Strick about Dr. Price’s recommendations, as he was the last doctor you saw. I wish I could offer you some advice, but these doctors are both highly skilled in dealing with conditions like these and are much more specialized with this than I am.

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Diffuse Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) Dear Drs,

I was told that I most likely am suffering from Diffuse Areata, the thing that directed my doctor to this diagnosis is diffuse all over hair loss, brow and lash shed and short tapered hairs shedding out. I can find nothing on the subject, nothing on the net and my doctor admitted he did not understand the disorder.

Could you provide me with information regarding the diffuse form leaving no bald spots but diffuse loss all over the head. What is the general prognosis etc?

Thanks for your help

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First, I want to tell you that clinical medical science is a descriptive science in many situation. This is important because what we see is what we are reporting when we diagnose diffuse alopecia areata. What doctors are saying is that there is a diffuse form of the disease that mimics classic alopecia areata, except that it is found all over the head. Some doctors question if this is the same disease, but because it looks like the same entity when the skin is biopsied as localized alopecia areata, the conclusion is that the diffuse variant is different in ways that are not understood. Most people believe that it is an autoimmune disease and we see evidence in what we call chronic and diffuse alopecia areata of the microscopic changes seen in autoimmune diseases.

Second, I can point you to some sites of interest so that you can learn more (but hopefully not confuse you):

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Taking Propecia for My DUPA – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor,
I began noticing my DUPA a year ago. Since then i have been on propecia (almost 8 months now). I have made the decision to finish atleast a the full year of treatment. My DUPA has definitely been getting worse over time. My entire scalp is getting thinner. Do you suggest that i stop propecia if it continues to progress after a year? Does this mean that i am just one of the people that propecia does not help? I ask because it is a large financial investment… Please advise.

Thank you for the great site doctor.

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Diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) has an unknown cause and as such, we are just using medications that may help. It may reflect a variety of diseases, including diffuse alopecia areata or chronic telogen effluvium, because it has similarities to both in the way DUPA looks when you see it with the naked eye. But microscopically, it is different. I would suggest that after a year without any benefit, you should speak with your doctor about the possibility of stopping the Propecia (finasteride 1mg). If it gets worse, then you could start it again. My heart goes out to you and I know what I said here may just add to the confusion, but frankly we really do not know enough about DUPA to be more scientific in its treatment.

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Hair Loss InformationFolliculitus Decalvans and Hair Transplantation – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc,

I have something between reoccurring folliculitus or folliculitus decalvans, depending on which doctor (i’ve been to a few) you ask. I have had a biopsy. The problem is located on the crown of my head. Subsequently, there is bald spot on the vertex of my scalp (about the size of a dime). Assuming I can get the infection to go away, is this something that can be cosmetically repaired?

Thanks for your input

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If you have folliculitis decalvans and you can get the infection under control, any type of repair work in this area (i.e. follicular unit transplantation) could set off the disease process again and you have the potential of losing the transplanted hair and having to deal with the disease process all over again. This is your worst case scenario. I have had 3 such cases over my years in practice. Two ended up with reasonable hair growth, the third one is presently being diagnosed and treated. Good luck.

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Seborrheic Dermatitis and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If seborrheic dermatitis is left untreated, can it possibly cause hair loss or small bald patches?

If you let it build hard plaques on the scalp and then you pick them off, it can cause hair loss. Just flaking scalp does not cause hair loss, though. An extreme example of seborrheic dermatitis is the disease called psoriasis, which does not cause hair loss unless the victim picks off the plaques on a chronic basis. My advice is to seek out a good dermatologist and get yourself looked at carefully.

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