Category: Other

Dr. Rassman,

What are the various muscles of the scalp, and what purpose(s) do they serve? Does the location of these muscles have anything to do with the classic male balding pattern?

There are no muscles actually in or below the scalp except the temporalis muscle extending from the side of the head and somewhat up the sides, the frontalis muscle below the forehead skin, and the occipitalis just in the very back of the head. All of these muscles end (roughly) at the scalp and form a fibrous tendon like fascia called the galea, which covers the bony skull and periosteum.

There is no connection between hair loss and the muscles of the head.

From the article:

Take Richard Lippa, a professor of psychology at California State University at Fullerton. His studies show that gay people are twice as likely to be left-handed. He also collects photos of hair whorls — those circular swirls you see atop a man’s head. He says about 10 percent of the general population have whorls that rotate counter-clockwise, but about 20 percent of gay men have counter-clockwise whorls.

Full text — Step by step, researcher looks for sexuality clues

This is almost a year old, but it got lost in the shuffle and was just rediscovered. Hair-whorls towards the backside of the head generally swirl either clockwise or counterclockwise. There is a connection between the direction of the swirl and the right or left handedness of an individual. It is interesting reading. Draw your own conclusions.

From the article —

The Alfie actor has found a holistic treatment called mesotherapy, which injects vitamins, minerals and hormones straight to the scalp.

‘Jude enquired about this treatment last November as it’s quite popular in LA,’ reveals a source to the London Lite.

Full text — Jude Law Gets Help For His Hair Loss. Hurrah!

If the article is correct and the photo accurately reflects Jude Law’s appearance, he has a receding hairline. According to the article, he has sought treatment using mesotherapy with injections into the scalp and is opposed to a hair transplant. See our past posts on mesotherapy — here.

My son is 19 years old he had a spot the size of a half dollar on his head that went bald. after a few months the hair started growing back, but its real dark. His hair is Blonde.

Patchy spots of hair of a different color may be associated with a genetic predisposition or a mole or can be just normal. He may have had ring worm and the regrowth of the hair came in pigmented differently. You may want to have your son follow up with a dermatologist.

I recently pulled out a few hairs at the front hairline and noticed some were thinner than others.I did the same at the back of my head where the hair meets the neck and found the same thing. Are there different thickness hairs all over your head or is this miniturization? I dont understand as i thought the hair that meets the neck could not be lost?? Is it normal to have some thinner hairs all the way round the head where the hairline starts??
Thanks for a great site, your help is much appreciated!

Generally, if there is no miniaturization (no balding) present, most hair on your scalp will have the same thickness except for:

1. the very front of the hairline
2. the nape of the neck
3. the temple prominences on the front-side of the scalp

hello dr rassman,
first thank you for your help. i found this on some hair loss forum.

L-carnitine-L-tartrate promotes human hair growth in vitro

Source: Experimental Dermatology, Nov 2007

Thank you for sending this. This is an interesting read. It is important to recognize that things that work outside the body do not necessarily work inside the body. Pinpointing these stimulants has value in ongoing research.

Today is the last day in our Pico Blvd office in Los Angeles. We’re moving to a beautiful and completely remodeled office space in a medical building in Century City (just a few blocks down the road). Starting April 28, 2008, our NHI Los Angeles office will be:

2080 Century Park East, Suite 607
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Our first Open House in the new office will be next Saturday, May 3rd from noon-2pm. If you’re able to attend, I welcome you to stop by to see the new place — and of course, to meet with patients, have a free consultation with myself or Dr. Pak, and to see a live hair transplant surgery.

Anyway, I’ll post some photos of our new place once things get settled. In the meantime, things have been busy with the move (anyone that has moved to a new home in the past can surely attest to that — and moving an office is just like moving a home, except with more computers and surgical equipment), but I’ll make a point to have the blog updated in the same frequency as you’ve come to expect!

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