Category: Hair Products

Hi doctor my hair have been thinning for about 3 years (now i am in my late 22 of age), but i didnt notice till now shedding in the temporal area (only receding in the frontal hair line ), i am confused some are telling me that I have “Seborrhoeic dermatitis” but other dermatologists are telling me that I have male pattern hair loss -Alopecia. My question is does Seborrhoeic dermatitis cause the hair to thin like the dht effect or only makes the hair fall-knowing that in addition to my thinning I have some acne production especially on my nose and face areas-I am using Nizoral Cream 25 and Squad med shampoo to control Seborrhoeic dermatitis which is controllable using these medications. Does possible that I have both Seborrhoeic dermatitis and Male Pattern Hair Loss – I used monixidil 5% which resulted in few tiny hairs and I used propecia but i quiet it after 6 months due its sever sexual dysfunction and i am shifting now to Saw Palmeto —What is your comment doctor on saw palmetto on inhibiting DHT!! Thanks A lot Doctor”

It is certainly possible that you have both seborrhoeic dermatitis and male pattern hair loss. The two are not connected and seborrhea does not cause hair loss. Saw palmetto is not a good DHT blocker, as is claimed by many. There are only two DHT blockers that are proven to work (finasteride and dutasteride). You need to be managed by a good doctor.

I am a 20 year old male. About a month or 2 ago i started using a new shampoo, which around that time my scalp began to have a significant amount of flaking and peeling. It was mainly along the hairline on the left side of my head. This flaking continued until recently when i switched back to the old shampoo i was using. The flaking is almost completely gone, but on the side of my head where the flaking was occuring, the hair is thinner. Was the thinning caused from having such a dry flakey scalp and will it grow back as my scalp recovers?

As I have not examined you, nor do I know enough about the products you used, I can not answer the question about your scalp flaking. What I can offer is a small tip — if you wait out a period of about 6 months, the hair should return back to its original thickness, that is, unless you have some ’cause’ that requires a doctor’s attention. There is never a substitute to being examined by a good, caring doctor. Since you are concerned, I would seek out a dermatologist’s examination.

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I just started a regimen of 5% minoxidil/retin-A a month and a half ago and would like to add .5 mg/day finasteride to my regimen.

Is the generic 5 mg proscar big enough to be cut into 10 sections with a pill cutter?

Is propecia due to be generic in the U.S. anytime soon?

I doubt that you can cut a pill in 10 equal sections unless the pill is large enough — and the generic Proscar (finasteride 5mg) that I’ve seen is not that big. That being said, you can always try! It actually looks to be equal in size to 1mg Propecia, if that helps any.

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is still under U.S. Patent protection and will not be available anytime soon in generic form (at least in the United States).

The combination of minoxidil and retin-A is a combo that I do not particularly like, and you might want to try Rogaine Foam as an alternative.

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People have been using over the counter hydorcortisone cream (anywhere from 1% to 2.5%) on their scalps and reporting hair growth. What is your feelings on hydrocortisone use on the scalp?

People report many things but verifying that what they report is true is another story. I have heard of hydrocortisone cream on the scalp, but there are no good medical studies to prove this grows hair and I suspect it might even hurt. Hydrocortisone cream can cause your skin to weaken and even potentially cause hair loss and make no mistake that medications put on the skin do get absorbed into the body. Long term use of topical cortisone can produce a variety of problems.

Good Day Dr. Rassman,

I am a male in my early twenties and suffering from genetic hair loss. I was wondering if applying a topical Corticosteroid like Clindamycin 2% in Gen-Clobetasol for treating my scalp irritation would have any negative impact if I start taking Propecia? Also, is there any data available showing the benefits of using a shampoo like Nizoral or Neutrogena T-Gel while on Propecia?

Thank you for providing this service, I appreciate your time and expertise in responding to my questions.

You should not be experimenting with drugs. Clindamycin is an antibiotic and using strong steroids can have a balding side effect. To my knowlege there have been no clinical studies showing synergistic benefits of using special shampoos and Propecia.

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Hello, I cant seem to find a good answer for my question, I seem to get different answers, every where.

My question:
Im 24 year old, and suffer from mpb, i get bad sideeffects from propecia, my libido disappears.

So im only on minoxidil, 5%, and I have some really good results. But how long can I keep these results without a DHT blocker?
What would you recommend, as an topical dht blocker?

Thank you

There are no FDA approved topical DHT blockers. If Propecia kills your libido, try a half pill a day and then if that does not work, try a quarter of a pill per day. There will be some benefits for DHT block at that lower dose. Just like Propecia, you will lose the effect of minoxidil if you stop using it, but minoxidil, when it works, can last for years and years. The new Rogaine foam is reported to produce better skin absorption and blood levels than the standard minoxidil. That should mean that Rogaine foam may be more effective than the standard minoxidil.

For time and financial reasons, how effective is it to start and stop minoxidil within propecia treatment? In other words, can I retain whatever I gain from Minoxidil as long as I’m still taking propecia.

I’m on propecia right now and would like to try the Rogaine foam, but don’t necessarily want to be committed to taking it for life without it being a waste.

Thanks for your help.

Stay on the Propecia and add minoxidil foam, but use the minoxidil foam for at least 8 months prior to concluding if it works. If there is benefit beyond what you got from Propecia, then you should stay on both, probably for life. The two drugs work differently and they can have added value to each other.