Category: Hair Loss Causes

I have been taking 1/5 proscar for the past 6 months and I noticed I have a patch on both my lower legs where there is less hair. It’s in the same spot on both legs and it is roughly 2 by 4 inches big. It’s clearly visible and I haven’t noticed any changes in body hair on my chest, arms or any other body part. I’m not complaining but I would like to know if it’s normal.

I do not know how this could be related to the use of finasteride. If there are stubs of hair (like a closely shaven leg), it could be from traction. Perhaps you are wearing boots or pants that are rubbing in the area? Maybe the spots was there before and you never noticed it? Maybe it is something else entirely. It sounds odd, particularly if it is on both sides. I just do not know.

hello dr

i just want to know if the hormone just kills the follicles or just makes the hairs very small. so does that mean the the bald guy has a full head of hair but they are extremely small that we cant see it?
thanks

I believe that after many years of being bald, the follicles on the scalp essentially die. I could be wrong.

The “infrastructure” that supports hair growth is atrophic (very thin) in the very bald man and has less active blood vessels, less fat, and less glandular tissue. When we transplant into this atrophic area, a miracle occurs and the thin scalp becomes thicker and more normal like (more blood vessels to nourish the new hair that we put back).

Some people believe (I am one of them) that hair growth and cycling depend upon chemical pathways controlled by genetics. If something is missing in one of the pathways (possibly more than one), the hair “seed”‘ disappears, but if the chemical pathway defect is fixed, I believe that the hair will regrow and a bald man will become hairy again. This is not a common conception, but research is being done to define the pathway.

If I don’t have the typical “swirl” pattern on the crown of my head, does that mean I am bald or going to become bald?
Thankyou

The swirl pattern in your crown does not predict hair loss. The swirl is just a swirl (or whorl). Most people have just one swirl, but others have two or three swirls which create havoc on their hair style. The multiple swirls can also be troublesome for hair transplant surgeons if they have to address more than one.

I’ve only just noticed I have bald spot after someone mentioned it, it is in an awkward place to see in the mirror. The bald spot is only at the crown area and I haven’t noticed any other hair loss anywhere else. However I do think my hair has thinned recently (last year or so). Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do next -see a GP, observe for a few months etc.?

I’m only 21 years old and I’m quite self conscious now that I’ve had comments about it.

Thanks in advance for any help.

You can consider a visit to our office in Los Angeles if you’re local or planning a trip out this way (the consultation is free). Otherwise see a good doctor, perhaps your family doctor, who will be able to determine what you have and what you can do about it.

If you think it is the beginning of male pattern baldness, you certainly want to see about starting treatment early… but I don’t know what is causing your bald spot at this point. I often mention the Master Plan when considering future hair loss. Educate yourself.

Hi Dr Rassman.

You have posted before that hair bleaching can damage the scalp. Is there any risk to hair through bleaching outside of the scalp issue?

My hair looks much better highlighted, and to do this the hair is pulled through a cap then highlighted by a hair stylist. Can bleaching accelerate the balding process? Is this something I have to give up?

Thanks for your time

If you bleach the hair and do not get the chemicals on the scalp, there will be no problem to the scalp; however, bleaching can damage the hair if not managed well. If you’re thinning already, risking damage to already weakened hair probably isn’t in your best interest. I don’t know anything about your hair loss situation though.

Hi Doctor,

I was wondering if hair grows back if a person were to lose a significant amount of weight? Many sources on the Internet (I know not very reliable source of information) shows that losing weight may help regrow hair.

Currently, I am a male (29) at 300lbs and was wondering if I were to hit about 230lbs… would any hair come back?

Do levels of hormones balance out or is the body under less stress without all the weight?

Please Help

Good nutrition and medically supervised weight loss is the best way for you to control your risk of losing hair. Crash dieting can cause hair loss.

I do not believe that your hair will regrow when you lose weight and the stress that goes with it. Most male hair loss isn’t caused by stress, but by genetics, though stress could cause your genetics to kickstart the hair loss earlier than you would’ve otherwise had it begin.

Hi

I recently did research and wanted to know how i can go about finding out whether I am suffering from DPA or DUPA? I am devastated at prospect of potentially not being suitable for a HT due to potentially suffering from DUPA and wanted to know how i can go about finding more out, having density measured and who would be suitable person to see for consultation.

Generally a physician specializing in hair transplant surgery or a dermatologist can diagnose these things. DPA is diffuse patterned alopecia. DUPA is diffuse unpatterned alopecia. One has a pattern and other does not. Under clinical microscopy of the fringe area around the sides and back of your head, the DUPA patient will have significant miniaturization present, while the DPA patient will have a healthy donor area. I do not mean to make light of it, but a good physician should be able to diagnose these things.

A lot of press coverage recently about the latest protein (prostaglandin D2 or PGD2) identified that may hopefully bring a cure for male pattern baldness, based on a study published in Science Translational Medicine. We will have to wait out the FDA process and see where this is all going to take us.

The suggestion is that this may be a cure to prevent the balding process, but it does not imply that this can reverse the damage from hair loss in the past. The team of researchers was lead by dermatologist Luis Garza (then of the University of Pennsylvania, now at Johns Hopkins University) and by Penn dermatologist George Cotsarelis. Here are some quotes from articles around the web:

From Bloomberg News —

“Male-pattern baldness may be caused by a protein in the scalp, according to research that raises the possibility drugs being tested by Merck & Co. (MRK) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN) for other uses might prevent hair loss. Bald spots had an excessive amount of a protein called prostaglandin D2 or PGD2, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine. Merck’s experimental treatment for facial flushing and Actelion’s allergy compound, both in late- stage studies, block the protein.“

From The Los Angeles Times —

“The discovery that prostaglandins might be the catalyst that sets baldness in motion, was a surprise to the researchers, who ‘hadn’t thought about prostaglandins in relation to hair loss,’ said Cotsarelis. From there, researchers were able to identify the receptor — the cellular landing dock — for D2, called GPR44. Find a way to block that receptor, or somehow thwart PGD2’s path to it, and, voila! —baldness doesn’t happen. That, say the researchers, will be their next effort — to try topical treatments that block the GPR44 receptor. They hope the same approach might help find treatments that prevent hair thinning in women.“

From MedPage Today —

“To explore the possible mechanisms, Cotsarelis and colleagues examined scalp tissue from 22 white men ages 40 to 65 who underwent hair transplantation for male pattern baldness. None of the men were taking either of the two approved medications for baldness — minoxidil and finasteride. Through genetic analysis of bald scalp tissue and hair-covered scalp tissue within the same individuals, the researchers discovered that levels of prostaglandin D2 were about three times higher in the bald scalp tissue.“

From HealthDay —

“Several companies have compounds in development that block the receptor for PGD2. Those compounds are being studied to treat asthma. We think using these compounds topically… could slow down and possibly reverse baldness.“