Category: Hair Loss Causes

i have a question recently i have come in contact with this dr and i would like to know what you think about this new advance treatment.. http://doctorgreco.blogspot.com/

Aside from contributing to advertising the aforementioned site, my opinion are as follows…

The use of platelet rich plasma treatment, to my knowledge, is not FDA approved. Just making claims of hair growth would be a medical claim violation with the FDA. Publishing his results in the Hair Transplant Forum (which is not a peer reviewed journal) is not an endorsement of reputable editors in the academic community, so although it is a sharing forum format, it does not bring any credibility to his research. I would suspect that the claims in the website would be subject to actions by both the FDA (a few isolated cases are not an approved study) and the medical board in the state where the doctors who tried the treatment would be regulated. I am among the first to embrace new technologies, but I want to see science which shows safety and effectiveness… not hype. Human experimentation requires that special approvals be obtained through a hospital type facility under an institutional review board (IRB). What we are seeing on Dr. Greco’s site is not that!

If I start Testosterone shots and start to lose my hair will the hair loss stop if I stop the shots?

First of all I do not know why you are receiving testosterone shots. I would discuss all its negative side effects (including hair loss, liver damage, etc) with your doctor.

If you have the gene for androgenic balding, testosterone will increase the balding rate and possibly even continue on if you stop the testosterone therapy. If you do not have the balding gene, your hair should be safe with increasing amounts of testosterone, but your body may decay.

Dr. Rassman what is your personal opinion on the product on this website.

Also, I am 24 years old, just got 500 grafts to fix receding on my sides and thinking about starting minoxidil to maybe thicken the rest of my hair? If I start with generic minoxidil and then switch to rogaine foam or vice versa does that have any negative effect? Also, does the drug work on the newly transplanted hair? I know these hairs are permanent, but is it at all possible to thicken that area up? Or is it as if that area is still bald and has little to no effect on a transplanted area. Thanks so much.

I looked at the A & G Hair Complex product’s website and I am not impressed at all. For starters, there are photography problems (it appears to be one patient, small photos, and no information about what other treatments were being used at the time). Plus, there is no science here to support their claims based on the ingredients they list. I wonder if the FDA was aware of the claims made, would this product still be on the market? From what little information is available, it seems that this is a once a year treatment for $200 (or is it a once a lifetime treatment?). They include a bar graph that is apparently from a study — but who conducted the study, where was it published, and how long was the study? It reeks of snake oil, and as a skeptic, you can assume where I’d file this product under.

Switching minoxidil from generic to foam or vice versa will not hurt you. Minoxidil does not work on transplanted hair at any point in time. If you had a good hair transplant with enough grafts to make a difference and used a respectable doctor, then you should get value from it to make a difference.

I had SEVERE Vitamin D Deficiency (MY LEVELS WHERE 5) I’m a male and my doctor thought this could be contributing to my diffuse thinning. I started therapy in three months ago and got my levels up to 20. If the loss was caused by VitD than how long does it usually take to cycle the hair back to normal growth.

Thanks
Love the site.

I do not have experience with treating a Vitamin D deficiency and the recovery from it. Assuming that you do not have male patterned baldness on top of it, I would imagine that the hair should recover (I used “should” because it is logical that it would) in the normal cycling phase, which may take 3 years as the existing hairs undergo their anagen (about 3 years), catagen (days to weeks) and telogen phases (3 months). To learn more about the hair growth cycles, see here.

I am curious how you became deficient in Vitamin D, but pleased to hear you’re undergoing appropriate treatment.

Dear Dr.
if i got 4 stitches near mustache due to an accident. will hair grow at that area??? as i have a beard. waiting for your reply. if they will not grow then what is the solution???

I have not examined the wound, but assuming that there was no skin with hair loss, it should regrow in 3-6 months. If if does not, a transplant into the mustache area works nicely.

Can pheromone cologne/body products affect hair loss or the viability of medication like propecia?

Doubtful… but if you attract too many women, you might lose more hair with the stress that it induces. Yes, I’m kidding.

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I am a 23 year old male from Birmingham, United Kingdom. I do not actually have any history of MPB in my family and I am not going bald. I was involved in a car accident in October 2006, I received multiple injuries of which I am mostly fully recovered now.

I received a serious head injury and around the centre of my hairline at the top of my forehead some hair was obviously damaged or torn out with the result being a slightly thinned area (about the size of a 2 pence piece – English money). I also was put into a neck brace which again rubbed a small area of hair out of the back of my head (pressure alopecia?)- approximately a 2 centimetre by 2 centimetre area which has not grown back.

None of the above is really noticeable to anybody other than myself as I have grown my hair to hide the problems but I would like to have my hair very short as I used to. Is there anything that can be done? If so could you please recommend a surgeon in the United Kingdom as I do not wish to have anything done unless I get a recommendation from yourself.

You are correct that the best thing to do first is to see a hair transplant surgeon and get an opinion from him. Dr. Bessam Farjo is well known in the UK, with offices in London and Manchester.

The rubbing is causing traction alopecia and any hair loss that you experienced from wounds in your scalp would have healed if the hair was to regrow on its own.

Dear Dr. Rassman,

My hairline has started to mature only just now at 26. I’ve visited a dermatologist and we are both satisfied that there’s nothing beyond the mature hairline area that’s currently at risk.

My question is, all other things being equal, is someone whose hairline matures early (at 18) at a bigger risk for baldness later in life than someone that matured at my age? I know that MPB is an incredibly unpredictable beast but I was wondering if there was a correlation.

Thanks!

Assuming that there is no miniaturization behind the leading frontal edge of your maturing hairline, the answer is that there is no correlation between a maturing hairline and male pattern baldness, regardless of age.