Female Hair Loss – Page 76

June 7, 2006

Itchy Scalp from September to April, Every Year – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for having a site where a consumer can ask questions about there concerns and worries about hair disorders and hair systems. I am a professional cosmetologist of over 23 years. I specialize in non-surgical hair replacement and a retailer of fine wigs and hair pieces. http://www.afoxintl.com/ Over the years I have witness several women loose their hair, it appears to be widespread. Does not matter the ethic background, I have seen in all races. Although Dr. Rassman, I have noticed women of color experiece itchy scalp on the crown area. Not the typical cases of braid, ponytail, high lift colors and weaves. These ladies hairloss starts on the lower crown,but above the occipatal bone.
No medications, never braids-weaves or such. Starts itching in September and goes through winter months to about April, win hair starts to grow back. I have witness this with new clients who have come to me based on recommendation of being able to have the Growing Hand. During this winter dry period I use essential oils, olive oil, moisture conditioners with and without heat, tends to help stop iching somewhat. All have seen dermatologist…they prescribe Biotin and Nizoral, even as sugest to one fugal infection…strange she get fungal same time every year Sept to April. Afterward hair grows great in summer, no itching….What are your thoughts?

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Without examing a person, it is difficult to blindly produce a diagnosis. Sound like the right treatments with oils and the like. The dermatologist joke is: “If it is dry, wet it! If it is wet, dry it!”

Fungal infections can cause itching and flaking but it requires the skilled eye of an experienced doctor.

June 7, 2006

My Hair Is Thinner After Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had a hair transplant in August 2005. The doctor used the slit technique and placed 900 grafts in the frontal 2.5 inches of my scalp. He told me that the “see throughness” would be corrected. I am a 33 year old female who did not notice thinning until after the birth of my son. I waited until he was 22 months old to have the surgery to rule out any acceleration in my hair loss and make sure I was done with the post-partum shed. I had previously seen one other transplant doctor before electing to have the surgery, and he had suggested two procedures in the frontal area, covering about the first 1.5 inches of my scalp. I chose the second surgeon because he said he did two female transplants a week (thus he had experience with women) and could do the whole thing in one procedure.

Immediately after my surgery I was thinner and the doctor said it was normal to lose hair during the procedure; but that it would grow back. Three months after the procedure I had lost so much surrounding hair that it totally negated any gain from the 900 grafts, 25% of which kept growing from day one on, the rest of which had begun to grow at 3-4 months. Today, 10 months later, I am about 25% THINNER than I was before the surgery. The doctor said I suffered some permanent hair loss, probably hairs that were predestined to fall out anyway. Shouldn’t he have known this when he examined me, prior to the procedure????

Now I am very upset because two transplant doctors have told me I was not a candidate in the first place; that I hadn’t lost enough hair to have the surgery. If I choose at some point in the future to have another transplant, to try to put me back where I was beforehand, what is the likelihood that the grafted hairs, and/or additional surrounding permanent hairs will be shocked out? Are there any new techniques in the works that would minimize or eliminate the irritation to existing follicles? Is a smaller procedure (100-200 grafts) in the very frontal region less likely to put my surrounding hairs at risk? Lastly, is the individual follicle removal technique okay for me, as opposed to another strip technique? To give you some idea of the condition of my donor area, the doctor noted that my density was 3.5 out of 5.0.

Thank you in advance for any insight you can offer. I am sorry I don’t live in your area, as I would definitely come in for an in-person consult. I live in the Boston area and would appreciate any sound, competent and surgically conservative referrals you could give me.

I have said many times on this blog that if any doctor tells you that he/she does many hair transplants on women, that you should run for the hills. Women generally make poor hair transplant cases, because the hair from the side and back where the hair is taken from is not normal — so why would one put not normal hair into areas of thinning, where the hair is not normal as well? You need to see a good, honest doctor with a lot of experience in this field — seriously, someone who is impeccably honest. May I suggest that you make a trip to New York and see my colleague Dr. Robert Bernstein?

June 6, 2006

Pressure Burn Causing Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I had spinal surgery april 7th of this year, and got what I was told was a pressure burn from the face pad in the front of my hairline. It was very painful and red, and it blistered then peeled, then the hair started falling out. New hair started to grow back in as stubble, but that is now falling out too. The spot is about 2 inches wide, and about 3/4 inch deep into my hairline,what new hair I have is extremely sparse (about 1/4, maybe, of what was there before) right in the middle/front. I was treated with silvadine burn cream while in the hospital. The skin there looks normal, not like a scar from a burn. Is there anything I can do to treat this and grow the hair back? I’m hoping to not have to do a transplant type of procedure. And I wouldn’t worry so much if it wasn’t smack-dab in the front of my head, I can’t hide it , even cut bangs. I’m also afraid it will get worse, as the burn was larger than the area of hair loss.

I always tell people to wait at least 8 months, even a year to get the growth to return. Hair goes through cycles and you must wait out the cycling of the hair to see the new growth. Since your surgery was in April of this year, that suggests that new growth should start between October – December and maximize at one year.

June 6, 2006

Accutane Warning from a Woman Who Took It – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,
I took Accutane 2 times for the past 3.5 years and have lost about 70% of my hair. I has improved a tiny bit, but it’s not the same every since. It is very thin and dry, and UGLY looking. I also developed lots of other problems after this crapy drug: vision problems, dry eyes, dry skin, joint pain, high billirubin and thyroid problems. And it didn’t even cure my acne! My hair stopped falling out about 7-8 months ago, and I still don’t have any regrowth, I have very-very little… There is no family history of hairloss, my 78y.o. grandmother has better hair than I do. Accutane has be taking off of the market, it’s very nasty drug, I wish more people would know about it!

This is one of the worst hair related comments I have received about Accutane. The list of potential side effects is long (see below). The doctors who prescribe it know more about the frequency of such side effects than I do as I only see the worst examples of the hair related problems from it, so I can not advise people who are reading this blog on what to do if they are prescribed Accutane. Speak with your doctor, ask all of the right questions, read the material that comes with the drug and look up more information, starting here:

June 5, 2006

Shock Loss and Hair Transplant in Women – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman, I am now just over 8 weeks post-op (1,600 grafts). I am “not quite sure” about shock loss. I seem to have an area that seems thinner than it used to be before the HT. How do I know it’s shock loss? Will it get worse? Why do I still feel stubble (grafts) on my scalp?

Thanks very much.

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From the name you gave, I gather you are female. If that is true, you can expect that some or all of the hair loss may reverse in 4-6 months, even if it is transplant shock from the surgery. Best to speak with your doctor and bond with him/her.

June 2, 2006

Chicken Pox and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 23 year old girl and have patches of severely thinning hair on my crown. I started losing my hair at the age of 20. Prior to that I had very thick and long hair but it has thinned very rapidly for reasons I am not sure of. My grandmother on my dad’s side is bald and I am afraid that I might have inherited that from her. However, I also had chicken pox when I was 21 years old and lost a lot of hair then. It never completely grew back after that. Also, I have applied aurvedic hair oil all my life, so does having an oily scalp cause thinning? I also have acne, so is it hormonal? How will I know what exactly is wrong with me? Please help. Thank you very much.

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First, you need to have a complete medical work-up, because hair loss in women is often a side symptom resulting from some other problem. Female hair loss is inherited and some women report relatives with similar histories at similar ages, but first assume that the problem is one that has a cause which might be fixed. It is a difficult problem to address, because there are very few medical treatments available for female genetic hair loss, but if (for example) you had a thyroid problem causing the hair loss, then it needs to be addressed before expecting changes in the hair situation. If your hair loss condition is affecting your life, you should want to consult a good doctor who understands hair loss, but first any doctor can do the test defined elsewhere in this blog.

Chicken pox may have been a medical stress that may have caused you to lose hair or to accelerate a genetic pattern inherited as discussed above. Oily skin and special shampoos and hair products, however, are not generally associated with hair loss.

June 2, 2006

Scarring Alopecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I am a twenty year old female who have been diagonised with scarring alopecia after going to a dermatologist in regards to my hair breaking off in the center of my head. About a year and a half ago, after I took out the braids I had in my hair, about two of my braids that was located in the center of my head came out. I figured this happened because my hair might have been braided to tight so I didn’t worry to much about it. Well a few months later I got my hair braided again and when I took my braids out this happened again. After a months of waiting for my hair to grow back which it didn’t it just spreaded and became so noticeable that I had to get my hair cut to length of the bald spot, at this point I decided it was time to see a dermatologist.

At my first visit he couldn’t see if any thing was wrong with my hair because I don’t have total baldness, just in the area where my hair came out at it is thinner and dryer than the rest of my hair. So, he suggested to do a biopsy and the results of biopsy was that I have scarring alopecia. The PA gave me my results and told me that there is nothing I can do,but I plan on seeing another dermatologist. My questions to you is what you think I can to do to help my hair grow back or what can I do to stop it from thinning and is there any treatments for scarring alopecia.

Thank you very much for taking the time out to read my question!

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Stop braiding your hair.

The classic scarring alopecia diagnosis reflects an autoimmune process and it may occur from a wide variety of medical conditions, but what you are describing sounds like traction alopecia from the braids and scarring reaction to it. You need to get some insights into the biopsy that was done. Go back to your dermatologist and have that conversation with him/her. For more information click here.

June 2, 2006

Head Lice and Hair Loss – Balding Blog

Lice

Hello, recently i got head lice.. ive tried treating it many times but i just ordered liceX product . My questions is why has my hair been shedding great amounts on my clothes, shower etc. it was not like this last year. please help i do think its a main cause of stress.. please help asap this has destroyed me mentally and physically

You should see a good dermatologist or a general primary care doctor to treat your head lice. They can prescribe stronger medications that may not be available to you. Take care of your head lice and hopefully your hair, your mental, and your physical state will return to baseline. There is not substitute for a good doctor in your situation.

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June 1, 2006

Eyelash Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

im 21 all of a sudden lots of my eyelashes are fallin out its makin me not want to leave my house what could the reason for this be and what can i do

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It is surprising that your entire eyelashes are gone. This is very rare. You should see a dermatologist for a medical work up.

June 1, 2006

Hypothyroidism in Women – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 43 year old women who has always had long, fine hair. About the age of 30, I noticed that my hair was starting to thin in the top of my head. I had enough hair to cover it, but it was still thin.

I found out shortly after that I had hypo-thyrodism. So, now I am on synthroid — and my hair is even thinner. I don’t know what to do about it (is there anything that can be done). I am really scared that within the next four-five years, I will hardly have no hair. It’s thinning around the edges. I do get perms, but I get them every 4-6 months. I hardly put heat on my hair because I know that heat can ruin hair as well. What can I do?

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Many women have the same problem as you and I sympathize with your concerns. Unfortunately, there has not been a medical breakthrough in hair restoration options for women and their unpatterned hair loss as there have been for men with male pattern hair loss. The first thing is to have your hypothyroid condition well managed. The next step may be to see a doctor who can assess the pattern of hair loss and the degree of miniaturization to understand what is going on, and to check if these measurements change over time. Beware of doctors who are eager to sell you a hair transplant surgery. Women are generally poor hair transplant candidates.