Hair Loss Causes – Page 139

July 23, 2010

Am I Looking at Hair Genetics the Wrong Way? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello doctors, thank you so much for taking the time to do this, I really appreciate it.

Let me start off saying that I am a male and 19 years old. My question is about family hair types and the balding gene. My father is bald (looks like NW6 or NW5V). When he was younger, he told me he had hair that was like mine in that it was wavy/not naturally straight. Now this is my question, does this mean I inherited his hair gene since my hair is like his? Does this also mean I will go bald because of this, or is this the wrong way to think about the genetics?

I read your other posts about a gene being inherited but not expressed, but I would really like to know in your professional opinion that if my hair is like my dad’s(in terms of style only, his colour was black but mine is brownish)did I get his gene for hair and hair loss?

Thank you so much.

Block Quote

I really have no clue as to how you will bald or when or if you will even bald at all. It’s just not an easy thing to predict based on what you’ve told me. Male pattern baldness is genetically inherited, but just because you and your father have similar hair characteristics, does not necessarily mean you will have the same hair loss pattern. The only real way to tell is by time. In time, you’ll know if you’re destined to follow your father’s balding pattern.

The next best thing is an examination by a qualified physician with a miniaturization study. With that, you should be able to get an idea of early thinning (if any) and slow it down with medication. Then with follow-up studies of your scalp, you’ll be able to see how the hair loss is progressing and the doctor should be able to make an educated guess as to where you’ll end up.

July 22, 2010

Biopsy Indicates MPB or Mature Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I just got the results from a scalp biopsy. My doctor had some interesting conclusions. I was wondering if I could run them by you.

She said that the results from the biopsy were able to differentiate between MPB and a maturing hairline. Is that possible? She said that the biopsy did indicate MPB. I find this confusing considering I have only lost hair at the corners of my hairline. I just assumed it was a mature hairline.

She prescribed Propecia. She said that if you have very slow hair loss that Propecia will in fact completely arrest its development. From what I’ve read on this blog Propecia can only slow it down.

She also said that Rogaine works on the hairline as well as the crown.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Block Quote

In all my years, I really never relied on a biopsy to differentiate between male pattern baldness (MPB) and a maturing hairline. Actually, I do not know how one would see that on a biopsy and I would want to know exactly where the biopsy was placed. Plus, it would leave a scar if you were to biopsy the frontal hairline. Getting a biopsy to determine the cause of hair loss is generally performed to see if there is an inflammatory or a scarring type of balding from an autoimmune disease, for example. In my opinion, a maturing hairline or genetic male pattern baldness diagnosis does not require a biopsy.

There is nothing that completely stops hair loss. Propecia is a great medication, but it is not a cure for hair loss. It could slow the hair loss down to make it appear that its completely stopped, but there’s still minor loss going on.

Rogaine and Propecia have been tested and proven to work best on the crown area. Many patients use both Rogaine and Propecia for the frontal hairline and it does work for some men… but not as well as it does for the crown.

If you’re concerned that your doctor made the wrong diagnosis, feel free to get a second opinion. You don’t want to take medication if it is unnecessary… so if it turns out you only have a mature hairline, there would be no reason for you to take Propecia or use Rogaine.

July 19, 2010

Is the Hairline More Sensitive to Testosterone? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctor reading this really scared me. Its from hairlosshelp.com

This is what someone posted regarding propecia

“Yes. I barely had any recession, it honestly looked like maturing of the hairline, and me having my dads hairline, it looked like thats what was happenning. Eight months in 2/3 of the front of my head fall out, I end up shedding 100+ hairs a day for 5 months, where as before Fin I only shed 15 a day. I was in so much denial I kept using it. So yah I ruined my hairline. Thankfull it’s growing back, but I probably permanately turned on the balding genes in those hairs, because it raised my testosterone so much. My testosterone used to run around 650, it got all the way up to 900 on fin. And, by the way, fin DID DO what its suppose to – it lowered my DHT signifcantly, it’s the testosterone that killed my hairline. Hairlines are beleived to be more sensitive to all androgens.”

Is it true? The hairline is more sensitive to testosterone and fin make the testosterone go up?

I would really appreciate it if you can answer this question ASAP. Im sure alot of people would also want an answer to this question.

Block Quote

The hairline is less sensitive to DHT blocking, but I don’t know if it is more sensitive to testosterone. The probability is that frontal hair experiences apoptosis (cell death) at an earlier age than the hair in the crown in most people.

In regard to the story you read that was posted about Propecia, that is one person’s experience and the story hasn’t been validated. I won’t make light of what this person says, but it isn’t objective and I just don’t believe everything I read (particularly on message boards where anyone can sign up with fake information). You can find all kinds of claims on the Internet, but who will validate the story?

And even if it is true, what would you like me to add? Are you asking for reassurance that Propecia will not cause hair loss? You will lose your hair with or without Propecia if you have the gene for male pattern baldness. Hopefully you have a doctor to work with, so talk to your doctor. Get the facts straight. If you look hard enough the Internet, you will probably never leave your house due to the fear mongering that goes on.

July 19, 2010

Did I Lose Part of My Hairline Because I Stopped Propecia for a Week? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi doc,

A few months ago i was studying for exams, which was obviously stressful. Around that time i ran out of propecia for a week, suprise suprise, i then realised my left hairline had taken a beating which wasnt there before. my question is, is it possible that i lost hair by stopping propecia for a week? if i lost hair because of stress when can i expect to see it grow back?

thank you

Block Quote

It does not quite work that way. Just because you stopped Propecia for one week does not mean it caused the loss of your frontal hair. I wouldn’t expect you to notice much loss in benefits from a week off the medication. Moreover, Propecia isn’t really as effective for treating frontal hair loss and works best in treating crown/top hair loss.

Now there are rare occasions where medication does provide some regrowth at the hairline, but these are very rare and it most likely won’t regrow. There is no medication that can prevent or reverse this with any level of certainty.

As well, stress-induced hair loss in those men with genetic hair loss will likely not regrow. Perhaps your hairline is maturing?

July 19, 2010

Hair Loss InformationCan Food Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I would just like to ask if a food can cause hair loss. Because I have a project for school and my topic is about hair loss vs. aging. For example if i eat a mango it will caused hair loss? is there something like that? THANKS~!

Block Quote

Mango Mango does not cause hair loss. In fact, I do not know of any specific foods that would cause hair loss. Perhaps if you have a severe allergy to a certain food, that could cause hair loss… but in general, normal foods do not cause hair loss.

Good luck with your school topic. If you want more information about hair loss, you can read my book — Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies.

July 16, 2010

In the News – Getting the Word Out About Trichotillomania – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Laura Forbes has a ten-a-day habit that she is desperate to break. She tries to keep her hands and her mind occupied, but when she does succumb to temptation she feels guilty and frustrated to have derailed another attempt to give it up for good.

Laura is not addicted to cigarettes or to any other well-known vice. She is a trichotillomaniac – one of more than a million women in Britain who are tormented by the constant urge to tear out their own hair.

That Laura is plucking only ten hairs from her head a day is a great triumph of willpower for a girl whose obsession, at its peak, left her bald from the crown to the front of her head.

Block Quote

Photo source

Read the full story at DailyMail UK — The secret compulsion that’s as disturbing as any eating disorder

Trichotillomania is an obsessive compulsive disorder, and the article delves into looks at what triggers the desire to pull out your hair and how to possibly treat it. There’s no single solution that has worked across the board for everyone, but research has pointed towards new treatment paths.

Just a little over a year ago, we wrote about an over-the-counter pill that might help control the compulsion, but I haven’t found any newer info about it. If I find out more, I’ll post it on this site.

July 15, 2010

In the News – Like a Forest Fire of Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

Matt Kelley was 38 when he first noticed a round, hairless spot in his beard. Within six weeks, every inch of his body that once had hair — including his eyebrows, eyelashes, arms and head — was completely bald.

“It was like a forest fire of hair loss,” Mr. Kelley said.

Mr. Kelley, now 43, has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own hair follicles. Alopecia, which does not include normal male-pattern baldness, affects nearly 2 percent of the global population and has no universally effective treatment. Its progression is unpredictable and can range from a few bald patches to a completely hairless scalp to the loss of every hair on a person’s body — known as alopecia universalis. Sometimes the hair regrows, sometimes it does not, and sometimes it grows in only to fall out again years later.

Block Quote

Read the full story at the NY Times — A ‘Forest Fire of Hair Loss,’ and Its Scars

The article discusses how quickly this disease wiped out all of this man’s hair, the impact it had on his life, and the treatments he’s tried. The recent alopecia areata gene discoveries that were announced earlier this month has brought about renewed hope for a cure or at least a reliable treatment for those with this disease.

July 13, 2010

Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica and Hair Loss? – Balding Blog

I have been diagnosed with Pityriasis lichenoides chronica which I have had since I was 15. About the same time my hair started thinning. I am now in my mid 30s and I have general thinning (no hairline recession) from the crown to the front. Both sides and the back of my head is fully thick. I have started propecia and minoxidil.

Is there any connection between the PLC and my hair loss?

I have no personal experience with pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC), but as I understand it, there’s not much known about the condition. How it relates to hair loss is unclear. For those readers that are curious, PLC “is characterised by the gradual development of symptomless, small, scaling papules that spontaneously flatten and regress over a period of weeks” (source: DermNet NZ).

What I do know is that the most common cause of hair loss in men is genetic male pattern baldness (MPB). It occurs in a pattern from crown to front as you describe, leaving the hair on the sides and back “fully thick”, as you also describe. It could be possible that you have PLC along with MPB and the two are unrelated.

It seems you need a good diagnosis and you cannot get that here on the Internet. You need to find a physician who can examine you and give you his assessment. A miniaturization study may be helpful as well and may point to the association of genetic male patterned hair loss if that is also present.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

July 13, 2010

Shedding After Switching from 1mg to 1.25mg Finasteride – Balding Blog

It seems like you have prescribed 1.25 mg of Finasteride (Proscar cut in fourths) to many people who were previously taking 1 mg Propecia. Have any of these people expressed concerns of temporary increased shedding after this switch? Do you believe that its possible that such a small increase in Finasteride could be the cause of increased shedding?

I was taking Propecia for approximately 15 months with great results. However, I am now experiencing shedding that began approximately three weeks after making the switch from daily 1 mg Propecia to 1.25 mg daily generic Proscar (from a reputable pharmacy). It seems unlikely that such a small change could increase effectiveness of the drug, and thus cause shedding.

Of course, I am aware that the effects of progressive hair loss very well could be the culprit of my sudden shedding…

Thanks for your time.

I randomly get these questions and reports from my patients, but I do not see any pattern or change as patients switch from brand name Propecia (1mg finasteride) to the 5mg generic finasteride split into four pieces. It is very difficult to pinpoint and establish a direct relationship, as most patients are very happy with the cost savings and same effectiveness of the medication.

July 12, 2010

I Have Characteristics of DUPA and MPB – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been losing hair since I was about 17 (I am now 23), and I’m confused as my hair loss seems to have characteristics of both DUPA and typical MPB.

For example, I have a receding hairline and a small bald spot at the vertex – typical of MPB. However, I also have general thinning on the crown, forelock and down the sides and back of my head. Is it possible to have a receding hairline with DUPA? I was under the impression men with this kind of hair loss retained their hairlines.

Block Quote

NW 7 If you have the gene for male pattern baldness (MPB), the expression of the gene will dictate when the hair loss starts and which balding pattern that you will evolve into. In most people, the frontal loss starts at the leading edge of the frontal hairline, but a few people will keep their frontal hairline while they lose the hair behind it. When it comes to those with diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), the loss of the hairline as you describe is possible.

Here’s an excerpt from a paper published in 1997 referring to DUPA that may clarify: Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia patients have a similar progression of balding as the DPA [diffuse patterned alopecia] patient except that the progression is often more rapid and will more likely eventuate in a “horseshoe pattern” resembling the Norwood class VII, except that in contrast to the Norwood VII, the DUPA “horseshoe” can look almost “transparent” due to the low density.

The hair on the sides and in the back of the head (a 3 inch high part of the scalp that starts at the body prominence of the skull aka the “horseshoe pattern” mentioned above) is looked at as permanent hair in most men. In the diagnosis of DUPA, this permanent zone has miniaturized hair in excess of 20%. The higher the miniaturized hair count in the permanent zone, the more difficult it will be to get enough good healthy donor hair for a hair transplant.

Women have what looks like DUPA in that same area and also often throughout the head. This makes most affected balding women poor candidates for hair transplantation.