Hair Products – Page 82

August 4, 2006

Hair Coloring Agents – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I am a 56 year old man and I started having grey hair when I was about 20. I have a full head of hair and little or no receeding. I have tried hair coloring like Just for Men and it burns my scalp and gives me terrible rashes for days. I have tried the Grecian Formula type of treatment with varying degrees of success, but it seems to yellow my hair and I am also concerned whether it is safe or not- I believe it contains lead? Finally, I think (or possibly I am imagining) that I am seeing very slow improvement with Melancor. Is this product safe?

Any advice that you could give me about Melancor and also the Grecian formula type hair treatments would be greatly appreciated.

I am a doctor, not a hair stylist. The answer to your questions would best be obtained from people who use or recommend the products. I have no way to tell you about the safety or ingredients. I did try to look it up, but there are only slanted views available in the public domain. Sorry.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

August 2, 2006

Transplant Scar Width – Balding Blog

Are all the modern hair transplants now performed with a scar that is 2 to 3 mm in width? If I felt around my head for the scar, would I be able to feel it? If I used mederma for the first 3 months or so, do you think the scar would be softer and smoother, and thus less obvious when you feel around for it?

Most scars following a hair transplant in the competent hands (your doctor is in that group) will fall within the 2-3 mm width upon healing.

I am not sure if Mederma really works since I do not have direct experience, but I do not believe that there is any harm to using it. You can read previous posts on Mederma here and here.

August 1, 2006

Artificial Hair Implanted with Lasers? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doctor.

I lost 50% of my hair and I found in Lebanon a place called Advanced Hair Studio Center. They make fiber hair and stick it by using Laser. As I know before this is banned in Europe, did you have any advice for me to do it? If yes please advise me if 3000 pcs is enough to cover 40 square centimeter?

Block Quote

If the fibers are being put into the skin, you will almost certainly run into rejection and infection issues. Artificial hair is dangerous and banned in most countries.

July 31, 2006

Hair Loss InformationCan a Holistic Approach Stop My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Thanks so much for your site.

I am a 26 year old male in Toronto, Canada, experiencing what seems to be a Norwood 3V hair loss pattern. When my hair is dry no scalp can be seen but when it is wet the scalp can be seen at the crown. I’ve noticed slow thinning/falling out of the crown hairs over the past 2 years or so. I don’t want the situation to get any worse, but before I get a miniaturization map done or start propecia etc., I wanted to know if a change in diet is likely to either stop the hair loss or even stimulate hair growth. An internet article I found at http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Hair/hair_loss-nutrition.htm says taking high doses of Vitamins B, C, E, Zinc, Magnesium etc. and eliminating animal proteins from the diet has been proven to be effective in many cases in stopping hair loss or even stimulating hair growth. Are these claims true? If not, what are my options?

Also, do you know any good scalp dermatologists who could perform the miniaturization map in Toronto?

Many thanks for your time.

Block Quote

Holistic medicine has not been proven to reverse hair loss. I can not give you a doctor reference, but I would suggest using the physician search at ISHRS.org to find a doctor in your area. Be sure to do your research.

July 25, 2006

Hair Loss InformationShen Min, Hair Loss, and Foolishness – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi ..im 25 yrs old and have started taking an herbal hair growth supplement called Shen Min …100% all natural …ive been on it for about a week and notice my hair is falling out more..especially when i wash it i have more hair end up in my hands..i read in some posts that this is normal…but man i dont wanna lose all my hair if it’s not normal….should i stay on it ??

Block Quote

First, let me say that losing hair may be normal for you. What you want to do is postpone what is happening to you as long as you can and reverse it if that is possible. Clearly what you are doing is not working, right? With that as a focus, read-on!

I’m speaking here as a physician in the United States, so my comments are based on regulations (or lack thereof) in the USA.

Herbal supplements are not regulated by the US government or health agencies, because they are not medication. And because it is not a medication, it should not make medical claims. When it comes to herbal supplements, it is a “buyer beware” market. Shen Min is making medical claims that have no basis that convinces me that it has any more value for growing hair than rubbing grass on your head.

No matter how many times I write about the many unproven products out there for hair loss, there seems to be a neverending barrage of people looking for magical cures for things that have no magic to it and is only a shortcut for disasterous hair loss. What surprises me is that men will do anything possible to avoid really solving their hair loss problem. Every day that a balding man loses in addressing his hair loss properly, is a step he’s taking to becoming balder and balder and balder and balder… until there is permanent balding. I sometimes grow frustrated with saying the same thing over and over again, but I will persist because it is important to educate people. Get a proper diagnosis by getting your hair mapped out for miniaturization , and then if there is genetic balding, finasteride is the only FDA approved oral solution for stopping or reversing it. As a hair transplant surgeon, I make my living putting hair back in the bald man, but if you think this through, why would I tell you the way to avoid my transplant option? The answer is clear to me — it is best for the patient. I even mapped out the hair on one of my sons and put him on Propecia because I knew, I absolutely knew, he had genetic balding. Much of the hair that he was losing reversed and unlike the person who asked the question about Shen Min and got sold a bill of goods, my son got what he wanted — his hair back.

July 24, 2006

Chemical Burn from Foil Highlight – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

A customer is claiming she recieved a chemical burn in my salon but I don’t think it is the correct diagnosis. She claimed that several days after she recieved a foil highlight with bleach she noticed a bald spot in her hair. She was not burned on the skin and the hair is not broken off but a bald spot is present. She felt nothing unusual during the service but insists it is from the foil. Is it possible we are responsible even with no scalp irritation or does it seem more likely there is another explanation.

Block Quote

Your question is a delicate matter in terms of liability and almost certainly will have legal implications. All chemicals and or medications may have a potential for side effects. It is impossible to know the cause of your customer’s hair loss without examining her scalp and hair. We all look for a cause and effect relationship, but sometimes the two may not be related and be serendipitous in terms of cause and effect. It is possible that the bald spot was there at the time of the bleaching (and not noticed) or that it would have developed, even without bleaching. Unfortunately, this person has control over what they will do about the bald spot. Aggressive lawyers may see $$$ while a doctor may look for a diagnosis like alopecia areata. The decision on her response is clearly out of your hands. In conclusion, there may or may not be a relationship with the bleaching she underwent. Even if there is a relationship, you may have done nothing wrong.

July 24, 2006

ScalpMed and Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I started Scalpmed and stopped taking Propecia. About that time I experienced hair loss. That was about 4 months ago. I thought that Scalpmed would do a better job. Do you think that it was not the right thing to do?

Block Quote

I would suggest that you get back on Propecia, for its possible benefits. The result of stopping Propecia means that you played “catch-up hair loss” which means that you lost all of the benefits of the drug, something that happens over a period of about 4 months. I have seen some wonderful results and am generally enthusiastic about this drug as part of a master plan for stabilizing hair loss (at a minimum), but without the drug, you are exposed to the impact of DHT on the genetically impacted hair follicles.

ScalpMed appears to use minoxidil as an active ingredient but it does not stop the DHT from doing its job. Restart Propecia and pray. For more on ScalpMed (or Scalp Med), please see here.

July 20, 2006

Any Products That Work Around the Temples? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

I have recently been placed on a treatment of Propecia for a receding hairline and first stages of thinning of the crown. After reading information on this drug I have noticed that it apparently has no proven effect on hair loss around the temples. What products would be useful to use along with Propecia to increase my chance of actual hair growth and/or thickening? Thickening shampoo’s? Serums? Vitamins?

Thanks.

Propecia, I am certain, will slow down or stop the hair loss in many areas where genetic balding from the effects of DHT is occuring — that includes frontal and temple hair. As I have said before, many patients report that the frontal and temple hair loss has stopped with Propecia. I have seen two patients with full reversal of frontal hairloss, although this is unusual. Merck (manufacturer of Propecia) can not promote it for something that is not documented for in the FDA studies. The other cosmetics/shampoos/conditioners that thicken hair shafts by making them absorb water or vitamins will not impact the hair loss process.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

July 20, 2006

Gray Hair in Young Man – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 23 years old and have a worsening problem with grey hair. At 18, a few strands of hair slowly started to turn grey from the tips (not the roots). The graying would spread to the rest of the hair till it was completely grey. Over the past 5 yrs the grey hairs have increased and I now have about 30 grey strands all in the same area, in an area of about a few square inches. I don’t have grey hair anywhere else on my head and do not know how to stop it. I have been taking multivitamins and get plenty of exercise as well. Also, it seems odd that the grey hair is all concentrated in one area. Please advise me as to what you feel could be causing this and what I should do to treat it.
Thank you.

People gray in sections of the scalp before it spreads to other areas. I have seen people who had a single patch of gray hair in an otherwise normal head of hair that is dark. This could be in people who are very, very young (children have it at times). This is a genetic variation when it occurs. Other than the use of hair dye, there is nothing that can be done. You call this a problem and from a social point of view it clearly can be, but from a medical point of view, the hair at this point on your scalp is completely normal. If you do not like what is happening to you, you can use a variety of safe hair dyes to solve the problem.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

July 19, 2006

Coloring Hair Before Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I color my hair, would this be a problem if I wanted to get a hair tranplant down the road. Would it have any effect on the procedure?

Coloring or dying your hair should not have any significant impact on a hair transplant procedure. I generally tell those people who do color their hair, to have it done within a few days prior to the HT procedure.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):