Category: Female Hair Loss

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I Don’t Have The Kind of Money to Spend on Treatments – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello!
I recently had a free consolt at the Hair Club for Women to discuss options for my thinning hair. I was disappointed with the options I was left with, which were: use the hair care products their company sells for $2400, or do nothing and continue losing hair. Since I have nowhere near that kind of money to spend, I was unable to purchase their product. Now I am left trying to find another option. They talked to me about taking vitamins, but I was never told what kind would be helpful. I am only 25 years old and it makes to sick to think that I may be close to blad by the time I’m 40. I have been losing hair for the past 10 years, and I have probably only half the hair I had as a child. Is there anything you can suggest for me to take or do that will help regrow my hair, or at least stop from further hair loss, that will not drain my bank account?

I would suggest that you should be evaluated by a medical doctor to find any medical causes of your hair loss. Once you have been evaluated for any treatable medical causes of hair loss, you may want to be evaluated by a hair transplant surgeon or dermatologist that can map your scalp hair for hair loss patterns that may shed more light into the cause and the prospect of future hair loss. I agree that $2400 is a significant amount of money to spend on hair loss, but consumers spend billions of dollars on hair loss products each year. Vitamins, special shampoos, and hair loss supplements all promise hair growth, but it is a buyer beware market. Good luck.

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Saw Palmetto for Women? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

What course of action do you recommend for women with thinning hair? I have low thyroid and take medication for this condition (.75 mg levoxyl)

Should women take Saw Palmetto, or any other product that reduces production of DHT? I am nearing menopause and my estrogen levels are reading very low: >.32. Would HRT help?

Does a completely bald father and mother with thinning hair compound a child proclivity toward hair loss in middle age in women?

My hair loss started 10 years ago mainly in the forhead area and temples. It has now progressed into a triangular pattern stretching toward the back of the head. Luckily I had a thick head of hair to begin with or I’d be wearing a wig by now.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You should discuss these issues with your regular doctor — especially with respect to HRT. HRT may help with your low estrogen levels and overall well being. However, there are breast and cervical cancer issues that your doctor needs to discuss with you before starting HRT.

Saw Palmetto has been implicated with DHT reduction (correlations not based upon good clinical science) however if your hair loss is not DHT related it would not work. Women rarely have such a connection. You should be evaluated by a good specialist who can correctly diagnose the cause of your hair loss. Please note that just because there is a diagnosis, it does not mean there may be a solution, as is the case in many women with genetic hair loss.

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Bioidenticals and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Two years ago I had my ovaries removed due to solid cysts. I have had problems with HRTs. Some of the physical problems I had with synthetic hormones went away when I started bioidentical hormones. As soon as I started bioidenticals, I could literally watch the hair fall out of my head. The loss has alternately slowed or stopped,however, on a lower dose of estrogen my scalp is very sore to the touch & itchy. (The soreness is not because I have been scratching my head. I haven’t). What causes this?

Also, I had hormone levels tested before going on bioidenticals(18months after surgery & 16 months after HRT) and it showed I had very high androgen levels, but doctors & pharmacists can’t seem to tell me why, or what I can do about it. Any suggestions?

See Bioidentical Hormone Replacement – HRT Without the Side Effects.

Taking out the ovaries will produce an imbalance in your female to male hormone ratios. Many doctors treat women with HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) to adjust to the changes associated with surgically induced menopause, which follows the loss of your ovaries. I have no doubt that naturally occurring herbs will supply hormones that have the capacities that you outlined, but the amounts of hormones that you are mimicking with these herbs are clearly producing hair loss. This suggests that the testosterone and androgenic effects are inducing the genetic hair loss that you have programmed in your genes. I would generally tell you to stop taking the bioidentical hormone replacement and see the effects on your hair loss. Seek out the advice of a competent doctor to try to manage what you are treating.

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Hair Loss InformationWill FUE Scars Be Noticable? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

If I get the FUE procedure, to fill in the scar on the side of my head, will the fue scars be noticeable? I do a lot of television commercials and stuff on TV, so I really need it to not be detectabe, because I constantly have people doing stuff with my hair, and parting it in all sorts of ways. What I’m trying to say is, will the fue scars really be detectable if I want to have braids or my hair up? My agent actually told me I should get this scar repaired, and I really want to find the best, and I heard you are one of the best, and I’m really worried, becuase I don’t know what to do.
(The scar is not that big at all but my agent is bugging me about it).
PS- I got it when i fell against a desk when I was five. 🙂

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Many doctors claim their expertise in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Thank you for the complement. You may want to read the first article on the follicular extraction technique, which I co-wrote and was published in 2002 — Follicular Unit Extraction: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Hair Transplantation.

All incisions on the skin will produce a scar. However a FUE scar is so small, it would be virtually undetectable especially among your scalp hair. Furthermore, in covering up your desk accident scar, FUE would be an ideal technique from its minimal invasiveness to its fast healing times.

If you are interested you should set up a consultation so that the entire procedure can be explained in detail. You may also be interested in coming to one of our monthly open house events so that you can potentially see a patient who has had a FUE procedure.

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Woman With Thinning Hair After Family Tragedy – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 38 year old African American female. My hair started to thin after a tradgedy in the family. Now I am balding quickly. My hair has taken on a totally different texture. I’ve had the blood work down for my thyroids, which was normal. I have now noticed that I have dark spots on my scalp. What else can I do?

Thank you

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Stress can accelerate what your genes are destined to do. If thinning is in your future (genetically) then losing hair mass with stress can be expected. Reversing such changes is difficult, but Minoxidil has been shown to help in these situations. Learning to manage stress is more important that anyone wants to admit. The impact of hormones and general stress can be seen in the way the body handles wound healing, for example. See these articles for more about stress:

No surprise that the toll we pay for stress in other situations such as heart disease, diabetic management, and certainly hair loss is important to understand. The key here is to learn stress management. For those who master stress management, life is better and the individual looks and feels healthier.

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Mole on Scalp – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a mole on my scalp. This mole has been frozen several times only to grow back in length and size. I had the mole surgically removed and it grew back again. I went through another episode of freezing that still proved to be of non-effect. In the mean time my scalp is itchy and feels like something is crawling under neath the surface of my scalp. I have loss halp of my hair already. I had to have my hair cut to cover up the long strains from the holes from hair falling out. What is this? P.S. When I had the surgical removal of the mole, it was tested. The results were that it was just a mole. (Female)

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Sometimes the doctor does not cut out the entire mole (assuming it is benign) so what is left behind just grows again. Some of these moles are caused by a virus, so cutting them out may not cure it, because the virus could be in the normal skin adjoining the mole (or growth). You need to go back to your doctor and get the answers to your questions. Clearly this is not something I can do on the internet.

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Are Testosterone Injections Causing Female Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

A month ago my hormone levels were taken and my testosterone was 21. Estrogen less than 20. The nurse gave me a testosterone injections stating it would make me fell better. My hair starting falling out by the roots 2 weeks ago. Had blood levels rechecked the estrogen was 82 and testosterone was 150. Will my hair continue to fall out? I do not plan on taking this injection ever again. I was not aware of the side effects….

Thank you and god bless

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I found this to be an interesting read — Google Answers – Testosterone Levels

Testosterone can cause hair loss in genetically prone men and I suspect in women with female genetic hair loss. I can not tell you what your future holds without knowing more about you and being able to examine you, but I suspect that the hair you lost with the testosterone may be permanent. You will know in 6 – 8 months.

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Bulimia and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi.. about 2 years ago, due to break up of a relationship and some family problems,i began abusing laxatives (bulimia) ( during this time i was on dianette to treat my polycystic ovaries, i stopped takin diannette 10 months after my laxative abuse started).. i abused laxatives for about a year and half where then i got help and stopped. however during this abuse period, i suffered alot of hair loss.. and now my hair is about 50 % of what it was.. i cannot tell you what this has done to me mentally.. firstly because i was well known for my beautiful thick and glossy hair and secondly because by profession i work on tv.. i went to see a dermatologist who insisted i take 600mg of ferrous sulphate a day.. i did this for a bit but it gave me tummy cramps and constipation. he says the injection is big and painful, but i dont really mind. what i want are results.. its been almost 7 months and even though im eating healthily , and not taxing laxatives, i cant see any new hair growth. and i have this awful feeling my hair is still thinning.. i got myself some hair extentions to give myself a bit of confidence.. and it was successful to give me some confidence if only for a while.. i will have the extentions removed within a couple of weeks, which i would find tolerable if i knew my thick luscious hair will grow back.. but as i said i cant even see any new hair growing.. i feel my dermatologist isnt taking full action to combat my problem, im willing to undergo and try anything.. do you know of any top dermatologists in london with specialty in hair loss or its research? do you also mind giving me your opinion on what i should do.. really appreciate it. thank you

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You have many things that precipitated the hair loss and if the hair thinning has not reversed in a year or so, it will probably be your new normal status. Bulimia, diet problems, and general intestinal problems most probably contributed to your situation. The presence of Polycystic Ovaries in itself produces enough endocrine abnormalities to explain the persistence of your situation. You are correct to locate a good dermatologist, but I am not familiar with London’s doctors. Ask other doctors who they would use for their own family.

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Using Rogaine When It Is Not Needed – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i saw a dermatologist yesterday and she recommended that i take b complex and biotin. she also said that rogaine is not harmful. can rogaine cause hairloss if i dont need it and am using it.

thanks

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I think that you know the answer to that question. Rogaine has many side effect including skin irritation, dizziness and skin dryness to name a few. No one should take any medication that they do not need.

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Using Minoxidil When Pregnant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

is minoxidil safe in pregnancy?

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Any medication that you take on the skin will go through the skin and into the body. If the baby gets exposed to this drug by absorption through the skin, there’d be at least one report of babies with more hair than normal. Unfortunately, good studies are not available to answer this question. This may be an issue of benefits vs risks, so I would suggest that you ask your OB doctor and see if that causes him/her concern.