Category: Other

My question is about the sox21 gene. I was ecstatic when the news broke that scientists have discovered the “hair loss gene.” I am wondering if there has been any progress with this, or even any attempt. Who is doing the research to further understand this gene and search for its connection with the cure for hair loss? Although its been less than a year, and the hair loss prevention field of science seems to move extremely slow, I still figured we would have heard more about this in the news.

I understand if you have no insider information on the subject, but I don’t know where else to go for the latest in hair loss related news. thanks.

The following response is by UK-based physician Dr. Bessam Farjo:

Response by: Dr Bessam Farjo United Kingdom

Of course it is very exciting whenever there is news about scientific discoveries in our field. However, do keep in mind that hair loss and restoration are very attractive subjects in the media, and I find some scientists or institutions take advantage of that to attract publicity and hopefully additional funding for their research. My understanding was that the group who studied the sox21 gene were not investigating hair loss nor were they interested in this subject. The study was on mice, not humans, and showed a relationship between this gene in the mouse and TOTAL body hair loss in it. This does not necessarily mean there is any relationship with inherited patterned hair loss in humans.

The researchers were speculating as a result of their findings that this may help in the future with hair loss research in humans. Significantly they also stated that they had no intention of investigating this further. As far as I know there has not been any further results or conclusions with regards to sox21.

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Learn more about the author of this article, Dr. Bessam Farjo, on his BaldingBlog profile or at his website.

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Hi there,

I have an unusual question! I have noticed mild temple recession over the past 6 months. I am not aware of my hair “falling out” in the shower or anything like that, but rather when I look at photos of myself of late, it is noticable that my temples are more receded. I still have hair in the temple point region, but it is not as thick or prominent as it used to be.

However, something occurred to me today. I have for the past 6-8 months been using a “self-tan” moisturizer, of which the active ingredient is DHA… The areas where I have noticed hairloss (frontal hairline & temples) are the exact areas where my hairline comes into contact with the tanning lotion. The instructions for the self tan state that you should avoid the hairline, as it may cause mild discoloration of the hair, which I have noticed in this area.

After googling DHA and DHT, my initial understanding is that it seems that there may be some correlation between the two? My question therefore is could the DHA in self tan be having an impact on my hair and causing slow but gradual hair loss? And if so, if I stop the self-tan, will the hair likely return in these areas? I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks

I do not know the connection to the tanning solutions and hair loss. If you think that it may be the cause, then stop using the self-tanner and see if your loss subsides. Most tanning lotions like that will advise to not let it touch the hairline, but that is because it could dye your hair.

dr rassman
i always see people on this site asking for your estimate on the cure of balding and you do not believe it will arrive in the next 10-20 years. what about a drug or some other method of permanently halting the hair loss, not necessarily regrowing, but just preventing the progression of the condition where then a hair transplant would compensate for the remainder of the lost hair? are you optimistic about something along these lines?…. looking forward to your response, as they are always very intriguing and informative

I think of myself as being an optimist, but with respect to hair, there is nothing as far as a cure that I see on the horizon. We (the medical/scientific community) haven’t even found a cure for the common cold, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV, etc. It’s not to say balding is low on the priority either. On the contrary, there is a huge market if someone can find a cure. Hair loss is genetic, and research into genetic cures is in its infancy.

Doctor Rassman, I’m currently taking dutasteride for hair loss. Under the microscope, is there a way to tell the difference between new hair growth and a minaturizing hair?

If you can always return to the same location on your scalp and visualize it with a video magnifying camera (check out part 1 of the 3 part series), you can see the difference in the hair thickness.

Keep watch here over the next few weeks and I will introduce a way to determine the value of drugs on hair thickness. It is a way to measure hair mass with an invention by Dr. Bernard Cohen. This is a picture of the device (see right), with more to follow in about 2 weeks when Dr. Cohen will produce a guest editorial on his invention.

Dr Rassman, have you heard of a company called adistem before? adistem.com

i only ask because i have come across a “vendor” in Thailand and i can’t decide myself if this is a genuine hair multiplication company releasing the product in a medically unregulated/less regulated area (like what the major HM companies say they are going to do) or if this is a well planned and neatly dressed scam?

The site and information is interesting, but there are few, if any, clinically reliable studies to hang your hat on. I was suspicious when, along with everything else, the fat you can inject in your scalp to supposedly regrow your hair is also being used for penis enlargement. Sounds like they are undermining their cause with this outlier treatment.

I’ll try to find out more about AdiStem and will post about it in the future if something presents itself. All I can seem to find is a press release from about a year ago that announces the distribution deal between AdiStem and the Thai company. I doubt something like this will ever be available legally in the US until stringent testing can prove safety and efficacy, but it all remains to be seen. I’m skeptical, of course.

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I love these photos! The international World Beard and Moustache Championship took place in Germany about two weeks ago and more than 160 facial hair combatants showed off their unique accomplishments. I believe this is just the German club’s awards, as the overall world champ is crowned every 2 years (unless I’m understanding it wrong). Here’s the official site of the World Championship here.

Nonetheless, check out the photos of this recent event at Yahoo!

Snippet from the article:

The government is liable for a military staff member’s hair loss due to extreme stress related to his duties, a local court ruled Sunday.

The Seoul Administrative Court ordered the Ministry of Patriot and Veteran Affairs to acknowledge 27-year-old Lee as a “man of national merit” and compensate him monthly for the loss of all his hair.

Read the rest at the Korean Times

And here I thought that the US had favorable courts rulings, but this one takes the cake…

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for your willingness and dedication to share your expertise and insights around this very important field of medicine. My question pertains to the relationship b/w serum testosterone levels & DHT. I am 38 and have been on both Proscar 5mg & Avodart.5mg as well as a slew of natural antiandrogens (eg, saw palmetto, etc.). I recenty increased my dose of Avodart to 1mg but have met w/ marketly increased shedding 2-3 months following the dose increase.

My question is if I could have elevated my free testosterone to a level that is allowing for more conversion of DHT in the small amount, say 10%, of DHT receptors that are not blocked. Is there a balance or fine line between the level of serum testosterone and DHT conversion that takes place? I’ve noticed that my hair shafts have thinned in diameter and lost pigmentation at the bottom and it seems to correspond to about 3 months of growth (I.e., aboth the time I increased my dose of Avodart). Could I have raised DHT levels by raising free testosterone or could I have induced a form of telogen effluvium shocking all my hair into a resting state? If so, can I expect subsequent regrowth? Your professional opinon is greatly appreciated.

On a side note, although this is a progressive,unorthodox, and off-label treatment regime, I am tolerating the treatments very well-very little side effects. Just want to try to understand the science better. Thanks-a-million!

You can not match one piece of a science to another and then create new science. You are doing many things to your hair and your body, all at the same time. You have no measurements taken (mapping out the hair for miniaturization and followed over time area by area). You may be shedding and this may be temporary, but only time will tell you that. I can not heal you with any insight other than what I have written before on this site.