My friend Dr. Robert Bernstein was recently featured in a couple of segments on the Fox News Channel’s morning show, Fox and Friends. I got the 1st segment posted in a video below:
I can’t figure out how to embed the video for the 2nd segment (“After the Show”) on the page, so I’ll just link to it below. I hope I’m not spoiling any surprises, but in this clip, Dr. Bernstein gets asked about treating a seal for hair loss. And no, they were not talking about the singer.
I have a question about the number of hairs a race typically has. Since Caucasians typically have 100K as opposed to Africans who have 60K, is African hair, strand per stand, literally thicker, or something? Because at least I usually see Africans and notice Caucasians have almost twice as much density on their head.
Hair thickness has nothing to do with hair density. You find fine, medium, and coarse hair in all races. African hair mats together and gives the illusion of more fullness.
Hi,
I was wondering if it was normal for hair to grow out in different directions? I took a month course of Accutane 2 years and in conjunction with the hair loss, my hair feels a lot more brittle and different in texture. Specifically my scalp, I have this dime sized spot on my scalp that grows opposite to what the rest of my hair does. I know this sounds weird but it becomes even more noticeable when my hair isn’t shaved down.
Did Accutane do something to change how my hair grows?
Accutane (isotretinoin) does impact the quality of hair that grows, but it should not change direction. I would suspect that because of the changes in your hair character, the different direction of hair in one area was more easily noticed by you.
Snippet from the article:
The ‘baldness calculator’ – said to be the world’s first reliable tool for predicting hair loss – has been a huge hit with men in other countries.
The program calculates the exact age at which someone will go bald or have lost most of their hair or provides reassurance by predicting that they will still have a full head of hair in old age.
Read the rest at Telegraph UK
A PR firm sent me the press release and apparently the Telegraph in the UK got the same release and ran with it, presenting the article above. This “baldness calculator” is a clever way to market a caffeine-based shampoo called Alpecin, but I don’t know how this thing can claim to be accurate. It’s guessing the year you’ll lose your hair based on these factors you feed it — age, number of hairs lost daily, current hair loss pattern, scalp dryness, how often you wear a hat (???), stress, activity level, family history of hair loss, location (which apparently is limited to the UK), marital status, and career. Most of the questions are yes/no, and some have zero relevance. And surprise, surprise — when the answer is “calculated”, the solution is a special shampoo! I am completely and utterly SHOCKED (note sarcasm)!
For fun, I asked one of my employees to go through the steps of the “calculator” to see where he’d end up. It determined he’d go bald at 60 years old (though he’s not in the UK, so he had to choose a region that he doesn’t live in and probably has never visited). How’d it come up with that age? Your guess is as good as mine. He’s got miniaturization on the top of his scalp already (he’s been taking Propecia to maintain it), so clearly 60 years old may be completely wrong (who really knows).
My verdict: Fun way to try to sell you a shampoo, but to call this “accurate” is completely ridiculous. In fact, it’s laughable. Determining the age you’ll go bald is just not that simple, folks. If you want to try it yourself, go here, but keep in mind what I just wrote about the accuracy. Perhaps their claims for the shampoo are equally as accurate?
Snippet from the article:
[Shaun] Williamson and [Duncan] Bannatyne had hair transplants performed by Dr Bessam Farjo at his medical centre in Manchester. He says: ‘The biggest difference I find after the procedure is in the patients’ outlook.
‘You can see the change in their self-confidence and self-belief – they are smiling and making more eye contact. For many people, losing their hair is a burden, and then it is gone.’
Read the rest — Revealed: New techniques that may have helped James Nesbitt beat his baldness
Admittedly, I don’t know who any of these celebrities are, but Dr. Farjo got a good mention and our friends across the pond will likely find this article interesting for the celeb factor.
Dear Dr. Rassman,
If you watch the attached videos of Eric Lindros (former professional hockey player), would you assume that he has had a hair transplant or is that a hair piece? I would estimate that the videos are 5-8 years apart. If it is a transplant, the results are exceptional. In the first video, he clearly has signs of a receeding/thinning hairline. Conversely, in the second video (interview after his retirement) he has a full head of hair. What are your thoughts?
– Youtube – Eric Lindros in 1997
– Youtube – Eric Lindros in 2007Thank you in advance for your time. Best Regards.
Here are side by side still shots from the videos you linked to:
The comparison with the 1997 pictures show Eric Lindros is a Class 3 Vertex balding pattern (front and crown). From the pictures, I can not tell if it is a hair piece or a hair transplant, but he is doing something to give himself hair. When the hair is combed forward, a lot can be hidden. Perhaps he started on medication like Propecia or Rogaine. Propecia was FDA approved in late 1997, so he could’ve started it soon after. I really am just speculating, of course. For all I know, it could’ve been witchcraft (though I’m 99% convinced it wasn’t).
Snippet from the press release:
Despite the worldwide economic downturn in 2008, more people continued to seek treatment for hair loss, according to statistics released today from a recent member survey conducted by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) — the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss and hair restoration. The extrapolated worldwide number of hair restoration patients treated in 2008 was approximately 811,363 (236,468 surgical patients and 574,894 non-surgical patients) — up 26 percent from 2006.
Read the rest at Marketwatch.com
These are some interesting statistics. If you’re considering a hair transplant, you’re obviously not alone. Hair transplants have never looked better, and with fees drastically reduced now is the time!
Hello,
I would like to know what you think about the sauna. Average 80°Celsius (170° Fahrenheit). Some say it can damage hair follicles. Some say this is good for blood circulation system, helping the flow of blood to the scalp. Who to trust?Thank you in advance. All the best.
Hair is above the scalp and it is dead when it appears from the skin. “Damage” is a relative term, because while you could dry out your hair and lose the luster that the oils bring to it, a sauna will not impact the hair that has not grown out through the skin yet.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Snippet from the article:
Two prostate cancer patients who had been told their condition was inoperable are now cancer-free as the result of an experimental therapy, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester announced today.
“We were all pretty shocked,” says Dr. Eugene Kwon, an immunologist and urologist at Mayo and leader of the clinical trial in which the experimental therapy was being used. “These results were far beyond anything we ever envisioned.”
Read the rest — Mayo reports dramatic outcomes in prostate cancer study
It’s not hair news, but prostate cancer treatment is probably more important to report on anyway. And in a related story, the pharma company that makes the aforementioned experimental therapy had some good news of their own — Medarex shares up as prostate cancer drug shows promise.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Snippet from the article:
GREY hair may be unwelcome, but the processes that produce it are now better understood and could be protecting us from cancer.
Cells called melanocytes produce the pigments that colour hair and their numbers are kept topped up by stem cells. Hair goes grey when the number of stem cells in hair follicles declines. Now Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan and colleagues have found what causes this decline in mice.
Read the rest at NewScientist – Grey hair may be protecting us from cancer
This is a long stretch from a prominent researcher. I will not celebrate my gray hair because of this article.
