Hair Products – Page 24

March 24, 2010

Hair Growing Slowly 19 Years After Chemical Burn – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

19yrs ago, my hair was burnt w/relaxer on the scalp and then combed out removing my hair. the forehead and top of my head were most effected. Though i’m 37, the hair has slowly been growing back. so im wondering if there’s a hair regrowth product for someone who lost their hair through mal-treatment instead of balding

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This is a very difficult question that I can not provide a straightforward answer to without examining you. Based upon a 19 year history since the initial injury, it is highly probable that the hair will not be significantly better over time, nor are there any treatments I can think of that might work after that much time.

March 24, 2010

Leaving Shampoo on the Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman, I just have a question. How long should one leave the shampoo on the hair? I ask this ’cause I usually leave it on for quite some time (around 10 minutes), could this affect (or benefit) my hair or cause any other effects (hair falling out, etc)? Thanks.

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You can leave the shampoo in your hair as long as you like. It should not cause hair loss, nor will it grow hair. It’ll just be a longer shower. Follow the directions on the shampoo label if you are still worried. Is there a particular reason you leave it in your hair for 10 minutes? That does seem quite excessive.

March 10, 2010

Reishi Mushroom Inhibits 5-Alpha Reductase? – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I know that you don’t put a lot of stock into herbal remedies for hair loss, but an article I found on the Reishi Mushroom does have some interesting information regarding the mushrooms effects on 5-alpha-reductase.

Perhaps you’d like to look at this: Study

Thanks for you wonderful blog and let me know what you think in regards to this helping at least slow hair loss.

It would not surprise me to find finasteride type of molecular formulations in things that grow. The original finasteride was identified in the Amazon rainforest as the natives ate tubers that had DHT-blocking abilities. In the naked native people it was clearly seen that the children did not develop their external genitalia (their penis) until they were close to puberty, there was something wrong. The drug finasteride (a DHT blocker) was eventually formulated from the analysis of this tuber. The sexual side effects were also identified in some of the children who were hermaphrodites, probably caused in the first trimester of the mother’s gestation. So I would want to know more about the Reishi mushroom (pictured at right) before you use it, and I would take Propecia (finasteride) rather then take a gamble on anything unknown. Propecia is taken by millions of men, so we know the side effects, rare as they are.

March 3, 2010

Melanotan and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi there,

To get a tan I started using the drug melanotan II for a few weeks(i know im stupid). When I stopped a month later hair loss started. It’s getting worse every day. Before I used it I never encountered hair loss.

I know you maybe not know anything about melanotan but was wondering if there could be a connection between my hair loss and using melanotan or is it just coincidence it happened?

I’m really looking forward to your reply.

I’ve posted before what I know about Melanotan — and I still know nothing. I’m not any more familiar than I was a few years ago when someone asked about it. I did try to find some kind of connection for you by searching with Google, but I came up empty.

It could just be coincidental or perhaps you had an allergic reaction of some sort. I don’t know enough about you (age, for starters) to really provide a path for you to go. At this point, you may just wish to wait it out or see your doctor for an exam.

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February 18, 2010

ProFollica – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr.Rass . Please go through the following website and give your comments.

Profollica.com

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You want my comments about their website? Sure. The generic sounding “ProFollica” name reminds me of so many other hair products, which they probably chose to capitalize on the other treatments that advertise more. Their website has a nice blue color behind the content, but the main background looks like the floor of a fraternity bathroom after a night of binge-drinking and eating Skittles. It looks like a rainbow exploded. I’m also not a fan of the prominent use of stock photos of smiling, well-coiffed men (or the other photos of pensive men with great hair, perhaps considering a purchase of this garbage). The site tries to debunk some myths in its filler content, but it gets some of them wrong. One of the myths it correctly debunks was one I hadn’t heard before in all my years of working with hair loss patients — the one about hair loss not being caused by “thinking too much”. They’re right, using your brain can’t harm your hair. Thanks for clarifying that, ProFollica team!

But I suppose when you asked for my comments, you wanted my 2 cents on the product itself. I could point you to probably a dozen past blog entries about these “treatments” that aren’t FDA approved and aren’t going to do what they claim… but I’ll just break down the three main ProFollica selling points from their site, followed by my commentary:

They claim their shampoo removes sebum. Sounds good, except sebum doesn’t cause hair loss.
They claim their shampoo and lotion will reduce scalp DHT. Wouldn’t it make more sense to inhibit the DHT rather than just washing it away after the fact? Also, scalp DHT is only 1 of the 2 types of DHT.
They claim their supplement will help blood flow to the scalp. Again, sounds good, but blood flow to follicles isn’t the cause of genetic hair loss.

Before the parade of “they can’t get FDA approval because it is too expensive” emails come in, just realize that they can’t get FDA approval because they make grandiose claims that can’t be backed up. The FDA would require companies to outline all side effects and provide actual factual information about success rates — something products like this gladly avoid, because if you had the real facts you’d be less inclined to waste your money. Luckily for them (and unluckily for you), since these products are considered supplements they aren’t required to go through the approval process like pharmaceuticals would be.

February 16, 2010

Hair Loss InformationCan I Strengthen My Hair to Prevent Hair Loss from Relaxer Chemicals? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am an African American female and experiencing hair loss. I currently use home relaxers on my hair because it’s easier to manage. What can I do to strengthen my hair to help prevent the hair loss? Thanks

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Keep in mind that I am a hair transplant doctor. With that said, from my point of view there is not much you can do to strengthen hair. Despite all the hype, there really is no secret formula. Use what works for you. Eat a healthy diet. Minimize chemical exposure to your hair. I generally will not name supplements and shampoos to give credibility on how to make one’s hair stronger. If this isn’t satisfactory, a hair stylist might be able to recommend some products he/she is likely ready to sell you.

February 9, 2010

Japanese Nizoral Study – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Have you seen this study? Japanese Nizoral study

Very small sample, but very interesting. Any comments?

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Nizoral Studies are great, but often difficult to dissect from a scientific perspective. Reading about the final results is one thing, but one must always have critical thinking. What I mean by this is that you must think of the motivation behind a study, and if the researchers will benefit from it (for example, by selling more product). Also, the methods used and the sample size are very important. The list goes on and on. Because of this, most studies are fairly weak.

The study in question about Nizoral is almost worthless with only 6 people enrolled. It reads more like someone’s homework assignment. One can not draw statistical significance to the data shown and without it, there is nothing worth believing.

February 5, 2010

Using Toppik to Provide More Density After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If you don’t have enough density to cover a full Norwood 6 with a transplant, what is your opinion of doing light coverage and then using Toppik and/or other concealers (for life) in order to give the appearance of more hair?

Toppik I’ve posted a couple cases about this. Those with very fine hair will have a harder time obtaining coverage, and the use of concealers with the transplants can work quite well. So yes, I absolutely think it’s a good idea if you want to use these camouflaging agents.

See these posts for some good examples:

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February 2, 2010

Libido Increased with Finasteride, So I Want to Take Saw Palmetto with It – Balding Blog

Due to libido increase from taking finasteride I am thinking of going on a combination of saw palmetto and finasteride.

Is this a good idea and if so what dose of both should I take.

Kind regards

Saw palmetto has not been proven to affect hair growth. There are many articles and much misinformation on the Internet about saw palmetto as a hair loss treatment, but there is no good science to back up those claims. If you insist on using it though, each person seems to have a different take on how much to use, as there isn’t any standard dose. I’m not sure what connection you’re making between libido and saw palmetto, though.

I don’t know how much finasteride you take, the frequency you take it, or how long you’ve been on it, but in my experience, the increased libido that you have from the medication has been a short term finding. Most people return to their normal sex drive in 2-4 months, so I’d wait it out.

February 1, 2010

I Developed Dandruff After a Chemical Burn – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
I was burnt by hair chemical 26 months ago. I visited the doctor who advised me to use Clobex shampoo and gave me some pills. This was just for 10 days. I healed immediately. However, 6 months later, I developed scales of dandruff. I wash with Head and Shoulders shampoo for sensitive scalp but it doesnt seem to help me. I have some patches all over my head, the scalp is very itchy. Please help me. What should I do?

Thank you

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It’s been over 2 years since your chemical burn, but I do not know even if there is a connection between that and the dandruff. The timing of the dandruff onset could be coincidental, or perhaps you’re seeing something like psoriasis. Clobex is a psoriasis treatment. Maybe it’s time to see your doctor again.