Hair Loss Causes – Page 262

February 13, 2007

Hairs Per Square Inch Seems Lower on Sides and Top of My Head – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

22/male. My individual hairs don’t seem to be thinning all that much (meaning the diameter) except the overall thickness i.e. hairs per square inch has drastically lowered especially on the sides of and top of my head. Is this just a normal part of my body changing? In addition the spot of hair that juts out on the right side of my head (near the temple) is turning more into like peach fuzz but it is not quite like that on the left side. Are these the signs of MPB, I’m confused and worried. Thanks

Block Quote

It is impossible to answer your question without a formal physical exam and microscopic assessment of your scalp area by area. What you are describing does not particularly sound like a pattern consistent with MPB. The sides of the head are often less dense than the back of the head in non-balding people. There are other conditions such as diffuse alopecia areata (as an example) that may cause asymmetric hair loss in different parts of your scalp. You should see a qualified doctor who can perform a miniaturization study and density measurement to obtain a good diagnosis.

February 13, 2007

DHEA in Multi-Vitamin – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I saw on your site that DHEA can trigger baldness. I did not realize the multi-vitamin I took had it. If I stop taking the vitamin, can I stop the new baldness (if indeed DHEA caused it) or am I doomed forever for those few months I took the vitamin?

Stopping it won’t hurt. I doubt that your short run with DHEA will cause long term effects, but what you lost may not come back.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 13, 2007

Left Corner of Hairline Maturing Faster Than Right Corner – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

dear docter,
I am an 18 year old male who noticed a “somewhat” maturing hairline. I took the measurements you stated and the front part of my hairline and right corner match (1-1 1/2 in.) My concern is my left corner is possibily thinning. When i push up the left corner of my hair i see some thinned hairs and some scalp because the hair weaves in oppisite directions when i push it up. I am concerned if the left corner will continue to thin and shed and lead to MPB thank you docter

We do not bald symmetrically and it is not unusual for one side to go faster than the other. The same is true for the maturation of the hairline — initially more on one side than the other. Eventually the slower side will catch up. You should get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to get a diagnosis and find out if you are balding or just maturing your hairline.

February 13, 2007

Son Was Born with a Bald Spot on Side of His Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My son was born with a 2″ diameter bald spot on the side of his head (near top). He’s 5 years old today and still has the spot. I’m concerned that this spot will soon be the object of curiosity and teasing by his classmates. What’s the best way to help him with this little difference? Is he too young for transplants?

Small bald areas such as a birth mark or a scar can easily be addressed with hair restoration surgery. Hair transplants or expanders may be appropriate for him.

From a long term perspective, the surgeon who fixes this must also take into account (since he is a boy) whether he will ever be affected with male pattern (genetic) hair loss when he is older. While looking at his father/mother/grandparents may offer a clue, it is difficult to predict male pattern hair loss at such young age since the genetics don’t follow predictable patterns. At best, he should have a formal consult with a qualified surgeon.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 12, 2007

Hair Damage from Hot Straightening Iron – Balding Blog

Hi, I have caused extensive damage to my hair through the use of a hot straightening iron. I am a 31 year old male who had minimal recession at the front and thick hair all over. My hair is now damaged and thinned all over from the hot iron and has recessed at the front dramatically in 6 months due to the damage. I have regrowth coming through but not really at the front from the damage. Is it wise to start propecia at this point I’ve stayed off using it waiting to see where the hair may grow back but after 6 months have not seen much at the front.

Thanks

You need a diagnosis as to the degree that genetic balding may be present. I would want to know where the damage is — is it limited to a particular area? There are many things that an examination of your scalp would show me, so rather than shoot from the hip, I would suggest that you go to a hair expert or dermatologist to work through the problem with you. It sounds bad, too serious to be treated over the internet.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 12, 2007

Hair Loss After Anesthesia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Im a 22 year old male from San Jose. I went to your NHI office when I was 22 and I was told to start taking Rogaine and propecia. It worked. However, in november of 2006 I had eye surgery under general and local anesthesia. Since then my hair has been falling out like mad. I was wondering what is the average time for this fall out to cease and will the hair I regrew on rogaine and propecia come back?

Hair loss is caused by four factors:

genes (for the genetic defect)
hormones (produced normally from the testicles)
time (the longer the hair follicles are exposed to the hormones, the progressive nature of the hair loss will demonstrate itself)
stress

Your surgery and anesthesia cause enough of a stress to accelerate your hair loss. If you are on Propecia and it still happened, you are now entering another phase of the hair loss process. It may not come back, but you should come back to see me and we will analyze this together.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 12, 2007

Hair Loss is Causing My Depression – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had beautiful hair my entire life. I received compliments weekly on it; it was that nice. I took SYNTHROID for 6 months when my thyroid problem was only borderline and I should NOT have taken it. 99.9% of the subsequent doctors said I should not have taken it. My hair changed completely. I took the drug MAY 05 through NOV 05. It changed the texture, the thickness, I now have a see-through head of hair (especilally on top) and I am depressed. I saw 35 doctors, 2 trichologists and 1 supposed “expert” who said I was in the shedding phase and it would stop. After 16 months, he said it was “long” but would go back to normal. Not true. Has not happened. My life is not the same and I quit my job over this. I haven’t worked since. I have been taking sulfur and fish oil gels every day – the hair was holding steady but still bad until OCT 2006 when things hit the fan and the top got super thin and fallout was twice as bad. I am scared I will be bald and never have a life again. I feel like a monster. My marriage isn’t too great either due to my unceasing depression. I need to be in a study group or with a group of scientists who study hair. I cannot go on. Please…help. Thank you.

Synthroid could be a cause of hair loss. If it was the only cause of hair loss in your case, it should have been reversed with stopping the medication by now. Since you stopped taking it more than a year ago and did not grow your hair back, you must have some other factors involved and thus need a thorough evaluation.

It is proven that hair loss can increase the level of anxiety and cause depression in several studies that have performed in Europe (see PubMed – Psychological aspects of hair disease). The only thing I can recommend is a medical evaluation to have a proper diagnosis. You need to get started on appropriate treatment with a hair specialist. Diagnosis of hair loss is not always simple and it takes a great deal of patience on your part to work through diagnosis and the slowness of treating the problem. You must have a good doctor to do this with. Good luck.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 12, 2007

My Father Started Receding at Age 50 – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I read your comment reccommending a 15 yo guy to wait until he’s 30 to see if he has hair loss then decide on a hairline lowering surgery. I am 31 and am considering the surgery to shorten my long forehead. I am not really sure if it is receding (must be really slow if it is), though my father’s did not until he is 50. Did you imply that hairline is not likely to recede (at least not quickly) after the age of 30?

Thanks a lot!

A receding hairline after the late 30s is unusual, but it happens. You may take after your father and recede later in life. Using Propecia is one thing that allows you to be more proactive about hair receding, rather than waiting for completion of the hair loss, but you must have a proper diagnosis so that you know what you are treating if you elect to do something about it. This way you can prevent future hair loss to some degrees, at least on the top and crown area, and take care of the frontal hairline with a hair transplant.

Taking medication before the process starts on the expectation of hair loss is certainly not something that I would recommend for my young readers who worry about what might happen to them. A long forehead (high forehead) is easy to treat with hair transplants and wonderful results are a reasonable target. You can see many, many patient results in the New Hair Institute Patient Photo Galleries.

February 12, 2007

Sores on Back of Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

In the last 6 months my dad, age 62, has developed sores on the back of his head. They get very sore and drain some kind of puss that smells and he just keeps getting them. It starts around the occipital bone area and goes up to the parietal bone area. I have discovered one bald area about in the middle of parietal area, which has only occurred in about the last 2 months.

I would really appreciate any information you may have. Thanks so much.

Your father needs to be seen by a physician. By his history, I would guess that he may have had an infected sebaceous cyst. A skin cyst can get infected and turn into an abscess cavity. The infected cysts usually drain on their own if not treated. Any kind of infectious or inflammatory process can cause reactive hair loss in the immediate scalp skin. In most cases, hair loss is reversible and does not need any intervention, but I have seen the hair defect permanent in a few patients. Your father needs to first ’see a doctor’, then expect to wait a good 6 months before findoug if the balding spot clears up. If there still is a bald spot after 6 months of observation, he may see a hair specialist for further diagnosis and treatment, including a limited hair transplant by the end of a year with no hair growth.

February 9, 2007

Cigarettes and Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi

I am a 22 year old male. I just started to lose my hair about a year ago and have been on propecia for 3 months with some slight improvement. I am a smoker and was wondering that if you smoke while on propecia do you limit propecia’s effectiveness to grow new hair more than a person who does not smoke. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

There is no information on smokers who take Propecia. Best to stop smoking for your general health, but alas, maybe your parents have already told you this.