Hair Loss InformationHair Loss Product Warning Labels – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Why do hair loss products say “do not use if you have no family history of hair loss”? By using these products if you don’t have a history of hair loss cause one to start losing hair? Please answer this question instead of telling me to get a miniaturization done or to use Propecia.

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I do not know the reason why they have the warning label you mention, nor do I even know what product you are referring to. If you are concerned, you can call or write the manufacturer and find out. Or perhaps you can try the product and test your hypothesis.

I often advise people who are concerned or worried about their hair loss to at least get a screening for miniaturization of their scalp hair, because you need to know WHAT you have BEFORE you treat it. Blindly buying hair growth products would be a waste of your money if you don’t know the cause of your hair loss or the degree of hair loss that is actually present. Likewise, blindly taking any of these products may leave you ‘not knowing’ if they are actually working. The same is true for taking Propecia or minoxidil when you do have androgenic hair loss because it could mean that you would also be throwing your money away if it does not work on you. This is why I recommend that miniaturization tests are done to grade the hair loss (if you have it) and then measure it (as it responds or does not respond to whatever you are treating it with) over the time that the treatment is being used. If it seems like I do make this recommendation too often on this blog site, well, that’s just what good medicine and good science is about and this is ‘my’ personal blog site and the way I like to run it. I try like hell to focus on objective things and I am not emotional about products that ‘claim’ but can not ‘prove’ value. This is why this site has become very successful in just a year.

For the record, the decision to take Propecia or any drug should be a decision made between the patient and his doctor. If I seem to advocate the efficacy of Propecia, it is due to the fact that it is the only FDA approved and well studied medication that has been shown to grow hair or slow down androgenic hair loss with any reasonable predictability. I am not a spokesperson for Propecia (nor do I have any financial interest in the success of Propecia). As a medical doctor, I base my medical opinion on safe and ethical medications and I require that all claims and issues of safety and effectiveness meet FDA approved guidelines.

Hair Loss InformationScalpMed, Diane 35, and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there,

I’m a 25 year old female. Four years ago, I took Diane 35 for about 6 months. During that time, I noticed hair falling out. My doctor at the time said that it was a “normal cycle”, and not to worry. At the end of the 6 months, though, I had lost about 60% of my hair. Not in patches, luckily, but just all over my head. It hasn’t grown back. It could be genetic, cause females on my father’s side have thing hair, but it’s so frustrating having HAD it thick before.

Do you have any recommendations? I’m thinking about going on Scalp Med to sort of provide a “boost” to the hair follicles, but I’d imagine that because it’s essentially Rogaine, it will stop regrowth if I stop medication.

I appreciate any advice you can give me.

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Minoxidil might help, but what are you really treating? You need to get a diagnosis to find out if you have genetic hair loss. To get that diagnosis, you need to have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization. You also need to be sure that you do not have other causes of female hair loss, which include eczema, malnutrition, autoimmune disease, drug reactions, infections, genetics, etc.

ScalpMed might help, but what is in it beyond the minoxidil? Diane 35 has hormonal effects (Antiandrogen / Estrogen) so messing around with your hormones may be positive or negative. It varies per person.

Hair Loss InformationRogaine, Advecia Questions – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am female, currently taking Diovan/hct and Synthorid. I have tried Rogaine, however I had a reaction from it (my face became very puffy and swollen). Once I stopped, the swelling stopped. Do you think I would have the same reaction with minoxidil? There is also a product called Advecia. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. The hair loss is so depressing. Thank you for your time

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Advecia (according to the search I performed online), contains:

  • Saw Palmetto Extract 4:1 37.5 mg
  • Green Tea Extract 600 mg
  • Phytosterol Complex
  • Beta Sitosteral 125 mg
  • L- Arginine 1500 mg
  • L-Lysine 600 mg
  • Grape Seed Extract
  • Proanthocyanidins 265 mg

Frankly, I don’t have any idea if this works. Your guess is as good as mine.

With regard to minoxidil, the symptoms you listed are known side effects possibly reflecting either an allergy to the medications or an unusual topical reaction to it.

Hair Loss InformationTopical Caffeine for Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Have you heard anything about whether topical application of caffeine can slow/stop hairloss and if so, what is your opinion on this?

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MonkeyNo, I have not heard of this.

My opinion is that there are many products, methods, and systems sold claiming to slow/stop hairloss and that it is a very lucritive market for business people since roughly 50% of men are bald. My motto on BaldingBlog has always been “buyer beware”. We know that smoking can reduce blood flow to the scalp and if there is any relationship between blood flow and hair loss, there would be basis to say that topical caffeine could have the same effect as smoking.

By the way, I have heard of monkey semen shampoo a while back that was to slow/stop hair loss. I haven’t heard much about it lately. Either it didn’t work or monkeys didn’t want to cooperate.

Natural Food Contaminants – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Many, many times I have answered questions from this audience reflecting that ‘natural food’ or ‘natural ‘herbs’ may not be safe. From my readings I found this reference to Green Tea, a valuable suggested antioxidant with possible cancer properties. Clearly, all of these product are not created equal so this is just a warning for those of you who think that natural is always safe (let alone effective). There is never a guarantee that the products that you buy actually contain what you are buying. To get what you think, you need to be sure that these products are using ‘Good Manufacturing Processes” (GMP) and known term of art for quality manufacturing. The following piece comes from the ConsumerLab.com Newsletter:

CANCER PREVENTION SUPPLEMENTS (GREEN TEA, LYCOPENE, AND SELENIUM) JUST RELEASED — Certain foods and nutrients are associated with reduced risk of cancer. Many of these are anti-oxidants, scavenging free radicals that can otherwise damage cells. Supplements containing three popular ingredients — green tea , lycopene or selenium — were purchased and tested.

But problems were detected in three green tea products : Two were contaminated with lead and another contained only 71% of its claimed level of EGCG, a key compound in green tea. One selenium supplement contained only 38% of its ingredient .

Is My Hair Loss from Nizoral? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi dr. Rassman. recently I was prescribed an antidandruff shampoo called nizoral 2% ketoconazole. I used it religiously and initially felt some relief. but i was only supposed to use it 2-3 times per week and instead i used it every day. now i have noticed tha ti have a bunch of white hairs or hairs that are both white and black on the same follicle or new brown hairs. I have also noticed that i have lost quite a bit of hair on one side in the front and increased itching/burning in that area. I am only 17 years old and am positively not suffering from male pattern baldness ( i have hair like growing down to my eyes). but I am wondering if you think that the hair i lost in front with nizoral will grow back or if i permanently damaged my scalp beyond repair. Also note that there is no pain anymore that i have discontinued use of it for a month. but the shedding associated with it only stopped a couple of weeks ago

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Possibly, you are allergic to the chemical in nizoral (2% ketoconazole). If your hair loss is due to an allergic reaction to medication or “chemical irritation,” then it will likely return back in 6 to 8 months after the offending chemical has been removed. Check back with me if there is no regrowth after 6-8 months.

How Can Follicles Be Unclogged? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman-

Is it possible for hair gels or styling products to have any effect on hair thinning? Could they hasten the hair-loss/thinning process? I recently read on your website that chemicals could possibly seep into hair follicles. How can these follicles be cleared out or “unclogged”? Thank you for your time and insight.

It would be unusual for hair gels to be the cause of hair loss/thinning. Yes, certain chemicals can seep into your follicles and cause damage, but these are not the simple typical over-the-counter products you see at the drug store on the shelf, but things like dyes and chemicals that straighten or color the hair. The chemical has to be toxic to your follicles to impact their growth or the character of the hair. Good washing should suffice to keep your scalp clean of sebum and other oils.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Using Hair Gel Containing Alcohol After Transplant? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I was wondering if using hair gel that contained alcohol was bad to use if ive had a HT.? I use a l’oreal product and saw on the back it contained alcohol denat., and a whole bunch of other things that i ive never seen before..whats your take on this subject?

After the recipient site of the transplant is healed (usually a week or so) then you should be able to use any reasonable commercial grade hair products like what you mentioned above. Alcohol based products may dry the skin, so be careful that the skin is kept soft and with enough natural oils to protect it.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Scalp Itching – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have experienced pruritus mainly to the crown since I was a teenager. I have used all types of products, prescription and OTC, including Nazoral, Neutrogena products, etc. The only one that I have found to be efficacious has been Neutrogena T-Gel. It stinks (literally), it produces sun sensitivity, and it dries my hair. Do you know if continuous daily use of this product will impact my health? I have heard that chronic exposure to coal tar may cause cancer. I do appreciate your professionalism and your desire to help those of us who have issues with the prospect of balding.

You might try hydrocortizone cream (0.5%) applied two or three times a week to the scalp. It should not be used more frequently than that, because it could be absorbed with high doses. If you keep its use down to two or three applications directly to the area every 12 hours for 2-3 applications, you might find that the problem will disappear. What you are calling Pruritus may actually be other conditions, and a dermatologist might give you the diagnosis you need.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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So Many Products, So Little Results – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello. I’ve been experiencing hair loss since the age of 17, I am 20 now. Being in the National Guard and full-time in college, it’s a given I’m under alot of stress. I first noticed my hair started receding at the temples. I began using Rogaine 5% with some success as well as Procerin tablets. Some of the hair began to grow back. I stopped using both products in September of 2005 until December 2005. In December, my hair started to fall out in mass amounts in the shower. I began to use a solution called “Nutrifolica” and Procerin again. Since then, the temples have recovered, but I now have a very distinct patch of scalp showing almost dead center down the the top of my head. It starts from my part in the back, straight forward. It’s weird because the “crown” isn’t really receding (yet, I guess). But it’s fading all the while I’m applying Nutrifolica and taking Procerin twice a day, and using Rogaine after the shower. Oh, and I also tried the Nisim system to no avail. It seems there’s something new on the TV every week on infomercials but it costs $90 for a month supply. That adds up quick.

What are my options? (if any). I’m just completing my freshman year of college and have multiple to go, I’d like to keep my self-esteem in tact, I’m very conscious about my hair.

VacuumYou sound like a bright young man, so I must ask why you are not being smart when it comes to your hair problem? You are selling yourself ‘things’ that you see on TV which are promoted to cure problems with hair loss where the promoters are all profiting from the ‘buy’. Ask a fertilizer salesman what will make your flowers grow, and he will show you his fertilizer products. Ask a vacuum salesmen why you have allergies, and he will tell you that dust in your house is causing it, because the vacuum cleaner you are using is missing the allergens. But what you need to know in the second case is: Are your really allergic to dust? If not, then the $500 vacuum cleaner that this fellow is selling will only serve to make your $500 more foolish and reinforce the idea that maybe you were taken to the cleaners.

I always tell my patients on this blog to first find out if your are losing your hair to genetic balding by seeing an expert who can make a firm diagnosis by mapping out your scalp for miniaturization to determine what is happening to your scalp and hair. If you do have genetic balding, there is a wonderful treatment that really works in young men called Propecia. You could approach this scientifically and know what is happening or you can call that fertilizer salesman for some potion or lotion that will meet his needs and take some of your hard-earned cash.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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