Category: Uncategorized

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Exercise, Alcohol, Sunlight, and Hair Loss

Hi Doctor,

Although my hair is thinning, I still do have a relatively full head of hair. I have three questions:

1) I realize that it is not proven research from a credible source like the AMA, but I wanted to know what you thought of the following: (Prostate Problems)

“Changes in the level of several hormones are involved with prostate enlargement, but the key one is a version of the testosterone, known as dihydrotestosterone (D.H.T.). Reducing levels of D.H.T. reduces the size of the prostate. D.H.T. levels go up with alcohol (especially beer) consumption and with stress, and come down with zinc and Vitamin B6. Zinc also cuts down the rate at which testosterone is converted to D.H.T.”

Thus, can regular consumption of alcohol (including beer) contribute to MPB in your opinion?

2) Several anecdotal studies have found a relationship between aerobic exercise and hair loss. Do you think regular aerobic exercise could prevent MPB, or at least prolong it?

3) Is moderate exposure to sunlight a positive or negative if you have short hair (i.e. direct sunlight goes right through to your scalp) and you are concerned about MPB? Should I wear a hat to prevent sun damage or have my scalp exposed in order to soak up that natural vitamin D?

DHT is partly responsible for prostate enlargement… and the prostate will often shrink by taking DHT blockers. Anything that increases DHT levels will probably increase testosterone levels as well, since DHT comes from testosterone and is a breakdown product of it in the metabolic pathway.

I found the link you sent quite interesting and probably true, but I do not believe that exercise can prevent or slow down male pattern baldness (MPB). As well, there has been no connection between sunlight and balding, but based upon all of the claims with using a laser to stimulate hair growth, if that was true then sun exposure would have at least the same benefit.


2007-11-28 13:36:32Exercise, Alcohol, Sunlight, and Hair Loss

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Sexual Stimulants and Finasteride

Hi doctor,
Does taking sexual stimulant tablet or testosterone booster, prevents finasteride to work full?

Ask the doctor that is providing you sexual stimulants or testosterone boosters before starting or stopping any medication (including finasteride). Generally, what do you mean by a sexual stimulant? Viagra? Or some pill you buy from the back of a men’s magazine? There are many items that could qualify as a sexual stimulant.

Testosterone is an anabolic steroid that is generally illegal to use without the supervision of a prescribing doctor due to many side effects, such as liver damage. It can also cause increased androgenic alopecia (AGA) so if you are taking testosterone (or boosters), clearly that will ‘pull’ in the opposite direction of finasteride on your hair loss, thus defeating the purpose of using finasteride at all.

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Eyebrow Transplant of 189 Grafts (with Photos)

Hi doctors,
Are eyebrow transplants something that men have done? My eyebrows are not that thin but I am very particular about them, border line obsessive. Can I have maybe a couple hundred grafts done just to fill them in around the edges? Is this something that looks good when all is said and done?

Yes, we’ve transplanted the eyebrows of many men. I have a patient that sounds like what you’re describing, with great looking results that strengthened the overall brow by filling in the edges (and thankfully he’s given me permission to share his photos below).

This man had a eyebrow transplant procedure of 189 grafts about two years ago.

Before (with lines drawn in):

 

After (189 grafts in 1 procedure):

 

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Shock loss from complications of FUT (photo)

These scars may occur as a complication of an FUT strip surgery. Sometimes they just happen and sometimes it occurs when the wound is closed under tension. Wait a period of six months and then, if it does not go away, you might have to consider doing something about it like Scalp MicroPigmentation which works very well for scars in the donor area provided that it is not too large. There is a good chance it will grow hair within six months.


2017-09-15 12:08:41Shock loss from complications of FUT (photo)

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FDA Approval Costs Too Much for the Poor Snake Oil Salesmen

Hi Dr,
first of all thank you for doing this blog. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions and would really appreciate any answers. Firstly I know that you usually recommend FDA approved products in your blogs i.e. propecia and minoxidil and dont recommend any product that is not backed by the FDA. I actually emailed 2 companies (procerin and revivogen) who both make hair loss products and claim that they are really effective in treating hair loss and asked them that if their product is so effective why hasn’t it been approved by the FDA like propecia and minoxidil. They both gave me similar answers which consisted of 2 reasons:

a) getting FDA approval costs millions of dollars i.e. it is very expensive and that is something we dont have, and
b) our products are natural i.e they are not medicines and therefore they cannot be approved like propecia and minoxidil.

Can you please tell me if these answers make any sense?

Secondly I was looking at the revivogen scalp solution as a possible treatment to my hair loss (i’ve tried minoxidil and am allergic to it and am abit worried about the side effects of propecia) and came across a video (on YouTube) which contains an interview of the Dr that developed it, he gives a scientifc explanation of how the product combats the effects of DHT and allows the hair to grow.

I would really really appreciate it if you can watch this video or atleast a part of it and give us your opinion on this Dr’s scientific theory regarding revivogen. Many Thanks

You said it all in the first paragraph above — the makers of those products “both make hair loss products and claim that they are really effective in treating hair loss“. To be sure that this is the case, it MUST be scientifically studied with a good peer reviewed (that means unbiased) process. I agree that there are a number of ways to get there and these are all not necessarily FDA routes, but some analysis must be in hand to really substantiate the claims. If I told you that I have a pill that will make you live to at least 100 years old, would you believe me without proof? Of course when you are 100 years old, I could say “I told you so” — and if 1000 people took that pill, possibly one man will be around to make that claim at 100.

It does bother me that we have such proof with the drug Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and we know the possible side effects (which if they occur you can stop the medication and make the side effect go away) and yet people still seek out the unproven products with slick marketing. We really do not know the side effects of these other products, because it is not in the interest of the various companies to promote side effects, and as there is no FDA involvement they have no legal reason to list all possible side effects. If you are a man with male pattern baldness (MPB) and don’t take Propecia (finasteride 1mg), what you lose while you fool around with these other products is your valuable hair, which will be lost forever.

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Should a Norwood Class 3 Person Consider Himself Lucky?

You may have touched upon this question before but I was looking for clarification. In an early post (I’m talking a few months ago) you mentioned how a norwood class 3 would rarely, if ever, progress to a norwood 6/7. By this, can a norwood 3 consider himself quite lucky in the sense that he’s probably not going to experience crown loss? What exactly did you mean by this?

Norwood 3Everybody is different. If you have stabilized your hair loss pattern at a Norwood class 3, then you will probably not progress to further balding.

You are born with certain traits ranging from eye color, skin color, dimples, to hair loss patterns. I would not say having one trait is better or luckier than the other. I believe about 8% of men are born with a Norwood 6/7 trait. Does that mean those men are unlucky? For example, Michael Jordan is likely a Norwood 6. Would you consider him unlucky?

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Female Genetic Hair Loss

Hello,

I am a 25 year old woman and I have been losing my hair since the age of 12. All of the women in my family have been affected, but I am the first to lose it as such a young age and actually have it the worst. I am generally bald in the front and have thin hair everywhere else, but it’s not bald. I currently am using a weave, but I’ve noticed that is has actually become worse and I’d really like to lose the weave and have a natural hair line. Is New Hair catered for men only, and if not, can I be helped?

Desperate in Brooklyn

First of all, you should see a good doctor who knows about hair loss in women. Since you are in New York, I would recommend you set up an appointment with Dr. Robert Bernstein at (201) 585-1115. He has offices in Manhattan and New Jersey and can address your unique problem. It sounds like you do have genetic female hair loss, but first let’s get an expert to determine it. You must have a full check-up to determine if you have any metabolic diseases as well. For more questions and answers about female hair loss, please click here for previous blog entries.

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Should I Replace Propecia with Minoxidil?

What about Regaine Minoxidil 2% thats sprays the hair. Is it effective? This way I avoid having the side effects of the propecia.

Minoxidil is effective on its own, but for men, I’ve seen a greater response to Propecia and it is what I recommend for my patients. Minoxidil (available over the counter without prescription) is not a substitute for Propecia (by doctor’s prescription only).

If you’re considering switching from Propecia to minoxidil and have been on Propecia for a while and saw benefits from it, I have no doubt that you will lose lots of hair if you swap one for the other. It should be noted that both medications have their risks of side effects, although quite small.