Category: Drugs

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20 Years Old, Just Started Minoxidil and Proscar – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi. Dr. Rassman,

I am a 20-year old male and have been experiencing hair loss since around the end of high school (when I was about 18-years old). It wasn’t bad then, just a little noticeable on the sides. However, over the past 2 years, it has gotten progressively worse, and now the crown area is getting really bad. In September, I started doing laser therapy, but it haven’t seen any new hair growth and am still experiencing hair loss. About a month ago, I added minoxidil and proscar to my hair care regimen in hopes of not losing any more hair and if possible, growing some of it back. However, when I shower, I still lose hair when I shampoo (with Nizoral) and when I apply minoxidil, hairs still come off my head and I can see them in my hands. It seems like none of these products are working for me, and I am really deciding whether or not to get a hair transplant procedure done. I am going to attach some pictures to this e-mail so you can see what my hair looks like, and I hope you can tell me, by looking at the pics, if I should be patient and continue with the minoxidil, proscar, and laser, or if I should just forget about that and just do a hair transplant. As I said previously, I am only 20 and losing my hair is constantly on my mind, which sometimes interferes with my studying and my thoughts when I am around other people (I always think they are going to stare). Can you PLEASE let me know if a hair transplant is out of the question for me or not, or if I should wait a bit and see if proscar and minoxidil work? Thank you so much for your time and patience, and I hope that you have time to reply. Thanks again!

If you want to be proactive with your hair loss problem (as I see that you are with your finasteride and minoxidil regimen) you should be evaluated by a doctor and have your scalp hair mapped for miniaturization. Your photographs are a start, but you should really seek a private consultation with a physician. This site is not meant to give personal or private medical advice.

You must wait and give the medications time to work (about a year). Get yourself evaluated now and again in a year. Hair transplants may be out of the question at this time, but if your medication fails to work and you continue with frank balding patterns emerging, then a reassessment is worthwhile.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Continuing Propecia After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 34 year old male and have been using propecia for about a year. I’m considering hair transplant surgery and was wondering if I would need to continue using propecia after the surgery to prevent any shedding? Thanks for your help.

Absolutely continue taking Propecia through the entire process and on to at least 9 months, if not ‘forever’. If you don’t, you will lose the hair benefits you accumulated since you started taking the drug and run the risk of hair loss shock with the transplant.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Hair Loss After Corneal Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i have MPB and last year had a corneal transplant procedure done last summer. Since then i’ve had to use a steriod eye drop (predforte) in my eye once a day to prevent rejection. I’ve been taking propecia for 3.5 months now and still see hairloss, could the eye drop be accelerating the the hair loss? P.S. i am 21 years old

I would doubt the connection from steroids in your eye to hair loss induced by steroids systemically. The stress from surgery can accelerate MPB. Stay on the Propecia.

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Retin A and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I just read in a previous answer of yours that a side effect of isotretinoin is hair loss. Is this also true for topical retin A, which was prescribed to me for acne? I am 37 year old female and just began minoxidil 5% (prescribed by md) a few weeks ago. Thank you.

Retin A is an acid and burns the skin. That is the very reason it is often prescribed with minoxidil, as it it thought to increase the skin absorption as a result of the irritation and increased blood supply. I do not believe that it causes hair loss.

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Started Taking 2.5mg Finasteride, Now I Lowered the Dosage to 1mg – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman. My question is concerning the dosage of finasteride i’ve been taking for the past 7 months. I only split my proscar in half for the first several months (2.5 mg a day), and I believe results have been fairly positive so far (a lot less hair in the shower). What’s concerning me is that I have lowered my dosage back to 1 mg recently. I know that this is the recommended dosage, but could I possibly have hurt the finasteride’s long-term effectiveness by starting at a higher dosage and then lowering it? Thanks.

You did the right thing by bringing the dose to the recommended level. The research on dose suggests that 1mg is as good as 2 or 5mgs. A higher dose of finasteride should not impact future adjustments to the correct dose.

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Treatments for DUPA? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

You’ve wrote that minoxidil and finasteride may not be effective treatment for DUPA. What might be some of the more common treatments available to men suffering from this condition?

-Thanks

Unfortunately there is no medical treatment for DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia). I have recently seen a patient with substantial reversal of DUPA on finasteride alone, but this is not what we normally see. For this young man, the reversal brought his hair back to almost normal fullness.

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I Was Prescribed Propecia, But What If It’s Just a Maturing Hairline? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hello,
i recently became worried that my hair may be thinning so i saw a doctor in san francisco who quickly looked at my hairline and told me that i had signs of male pattern baldness and prescribed propecia. i wanted him to determine whether i just had a mature hairline or if it was in fact balding because my hair is very thick and i have a lot of it. i want to make sure that i actually need the propecia before i begin taking it. i had hoped to get a miniaturization exam to be sure but he seemed certain that i was thinning. can you give me some advice on how to get a hair miniaturization exam somewhere in the bay area. also, i am tempted to just begin taking the propecia, if i find out later that i didn’t need it, do i risk any irreversible damage to my hair? thanks

Your questions should be easily answered, but without knowing or seeing what you are talking about, I can’t help very much! Propecia should not hurt you if you have a maturing hairline and do not have genetic male pattern balding developing, but the real issue is why take drugs if you are not balding. Telling the difference between a maturing hairline and frontal balding is a bit of an art which hopefully your doctor will have. An ethical doctor is also critical, because you would not want a surgery if your hairline will stabilize at the mature level. I have an office in San Jose, CA — come pay us a visit.

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Stopping Rogaine Lost My New Hair Growth – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I used rogaine, it works on my both scalp and crown well. and then i used tricomin with stopping Rogaine and get a special treatment. however i lost my hair after stopping Rogaine in 4 months. If I use rogaine one more, will there be hair-regrown? or not anymore?

You probably will not get all your hair back, but it is worth a try. If minoxidil was working so well for you I am curious to know why you stopped using it…

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Aromatase Inhibitors and Finasteride – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I just started taking Propecia a few days ago and have noticed some soreness in my chest/nipple area. I did a search of the web and see that Anastrozole might be a good option for those few folks that suffer from Gynecomastia. What’s your take on aromatase inhibitors as a method to deal with Gynecomastia while sticking with Finasteride?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with this class of medication. For those interested, you can research this at Wikipedia and talk with your doctor.

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My Front Is Thinning — The Wonder Potion From the Beauty Supply Store Didn’t Work – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman
At 32 I know what I’m facing down the road. My father is bald. In the last few years I’ve noticed my front starting to thin but considerably much more in the last 6 months. I was using a topical serum called FNS which had little or no effect despite beauty supply stores claims it’s the “wonder potion” for thinning. Recently, I started using Rogaine foam. I’m skeptical of any benefit due to claims it only works on the crown. My next step is Propecia. My question is, is there anything either medication can do to thicken up the front or am I just wasting money. I do plan to get a hair transplant down the road but heard it’s a bit early now due to the fact I’m still losing hair and I should wait until it stabilizes so I’m not playing catch up.

We all want to believe in miracles and hitting the lottery (in this case the hair lottery). It is no surprise that fancy potions did nothing for treating your hair loss other than get some of your money and your pride. You need to see a hair specialist (transplant doctor) to discuss your options and create a Master Plan for your hair restoration process. If you don’t, you will waste more and more of your money… and to compound the problem, lose your hair while you are wasting your money. You have many good questions and concerns that cannot be answered with a simple answer by us on this site. Sometimes I feel like a preacher rather than a doctor with the recommendation that you need to start with a good examination by a competent doctor and get evaluated scientifically. See miniaturization . The Baldingblog shows many people with problems like yours and as you review this site, you will make yourself more informed while you go through the evaluation process.