Category: Uncategorized

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Transplanted Hair Fell Out After I Had Spinal Surgery

I had a hair transplant 8 months ago to supplement the hair transplant I had 25 years earlier. This recent hair transplant was to soften the hairline and add fullness. After about 3-5 months the hairgrafts were successful and I was quite pleased with the result. However, in late January I had major surgery (spinal fusion with titanium implants). Since that time it appears that many of the recent grafts have fallen out revealing the crude hairline from my original hair transplant and less fullness than before spinal surgery. Is this a form of “shock loss”? If so, will these grafts recovery and grow hair?

It is highly unusual for transplanted hair (taken from the correct donor area) to fall out. In the few instances I have seen it, every time I have observiced ‘permanent hair’ falling out for some reason, the hair returned. This was never in response to another surgery (e.g spinal surgery), but rather usually a response to another hair transplant. If this is truely hair taken from the permanent zone, it will almost certainly return. What I said abobe applies to men’s permanent donor hair zone.

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Hair Loss from Coronal Brow Lift Scar

I had a coronal brow lift in Feb. 2009. I had a wider than desired scar. I also had a spot the size of a quarter of permanent hair loss. The plastic surgeon who performed the brow lift has tried to do a scar revision by excising the scar. But I am 3 weeks post revision and I see where all along the new revision scar I have hair loss. The line where he cut is pencil thin, but I have hair loss in front of the scar.

Is this going to be permanent like before? I thought that maybe the staples I had in initial surgery were the problem. But he used sutures to do revision and I still had hair loss. Why is it that every time my scalp gets cut I have hair loss in front of the scar? And what can be done to fix this?

Thank you

This is a real problem. You must wait out the course (about 4-6 months) and then you will know if the surgery succeeded. I suspect that you will see that the scar is the same or worse and the hair loss may not go away. I see many female patients with this problem and end up transplanting most of them with good results.


2010-10-01 08:50:50Hair Loss from Coronal Brow Lift Scar

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Transplanting Hair Based on Which Direction I Comb It

If i part my hair from right to left, would it be a good idea to transplant more grafts on the right side compared to transplanting the same amount on each side?

If the balding need exceeds the supply of donor hair, then weighting the hair during a transplant from the parted side makes great sense… something that I do often to get better coverage.

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Hair Loss from Seborrheic Dermatitis in My Eyebrow?

Hello Dr Rassman,
I have recently been diagnosed with seborrheic derm in my right eyebrow by a dermatologist. I have read in previous Balding Blog posts that you don’t believe seb derm causes hair loss as it is primarily a skin condition, and that loss could result only if there is manipulation of the hair follicles and I agree with you! But, my case is such that I am losing anywhere from 3-6 hairs a day in my right brow (which is the only place I have this issue…white flakes that adhere to the follicle and cause weakening of the hair and then soon loss) so I was wondering if you think this means I might not have seb derm?

Afterall the doc just listened to my symptoms and as I was still speaking wrote out a prescription without even looking at my brow! I am thinking it is a condition which mimics seb derm what do you think? I am planning on eventually getting a transplant when the loss subsides but I can’t seem to control the problem first! He put me on desonide and ketoconazole cream which did nothing for the hair loss of flaking and just exacerbated the condition. Any insight you can give I would greatly appreciate. Thank you Doctor.

If you weren’t happy with your dermatologist’s review of your eyebrow (you said he didn’t even look at it before prescribing medication), you should consider seeing another dermatologist that will examine the hair loss.

As for me, I honestly do not know. It is strange that you are losing eyebrow hair on only one side. Perhaps it is temporary and the hair will grow back? Give it time. Don’t jump on the surgery solution. Follow up with your doctor. If this is of any comfort, I have yet to see someone with one good eyebrow and the other bald, unless, they are pluckers or pickers.

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Transplanting over another graft that has not grown

When a person gets a hair transplant, I know that it can take over 8 months and in some cases up to a year for 100% of the transplanted grafts to fully grow in (well, the ones that survive at least). At the same time I know that a person can often get a second hair transplant by 6 months which means that some of the grafts from 1st procedure might not have erupted yet. With that being said, what happens in that second procedure if a graft is transplanted into or near the same spot where a graft was transplanted during the first procedure and just hasn’t grown yet? Will it damage the first graft? Or will you just end up with two grafts growing from that spot; so basically like one big follicular unit?

I don’t believe that if one transplants over another hair graft, the second graft will add hairs to the first, making the follicular unit larger. A second follicular unit will arise in the area. Follicular units are controlled, I’m size, by the genetic mechanisms of the stem cells in these follicular units.

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Hair Loss in the Crown — Genetics or Dreadlocks?

Hey, I’m 22 and worried about hair loss. I noticed my hair thinning out in the crown area when I had dreadlocks, which I have since cut off after seeing a dermatologist. I don’t experience a great deal of hair loss, but the crown area has thinned out a bit and is more noticeable in bright lights.

I have purchased minoxodil (which the dermatologist said was optional) but am yet to start using it as I wanted to watch my progress in case if I didn’t actually need it. Advice?

I don’t know anything about your hair loss history, but early crown hair loss is typical of male pattern baldness, which means it may be caused by your genetics. The loss you’re seeing could be unrelated to the dreadlocks. Then again, the dreadlocks wouldn’t be helping the situation, as you’re running the risk of developing traction alopecia.

Minoxidil does work for some in the crown, but I’ve found that Propecia for young men with early loss (particularly in the crown) works even better. Both Propecia and minoxidil are optional (they are for treating a cosmetic issue, not to save your life), but if you want to save your hair, the option you’ll want to try becomes clear. I assume you want to treat your thinning crown, or you wouldn’t have written to the BaldingBlog.

So if your dermatologist saw early crown loss, I’m a little surprised you weren’t prescribed Propecia… though again, I’m not your doctor and don’t know about your hair loss history. Perhaps there’s something else that I’m not aware of at play.

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Traveling to the United States to See Dr Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman, I’m a 22 years old living in Brazil and I have been balding since I was 15 (right now norwood class 3). I’m thinking about going to a hair doctor to start taking propecia and maybe even do some kind of hair transplant, but I would like to go to a doctor as good as you. Do you usually do transplants in people around my age? I would love to see some photos.

I was also thinking about travelling to the US next year and have a consultation with you. How should foreigners proceed?

Thank you very much!

TravelTo start, you can send me photographs to the email address on the Contact page. Since there is the obvious distance between Brazil and my office in Los Angeles, the internet will be the easiest communication tool (specifically, email) so that it can be determined if you’re even a candidate. We can also setup a phone consultation, if you’d like to go that route.

I do not have any hard rule on what age I will consider a hair transplant, but generally I like my patients to be at least 25 years old. I have, however, transplanted men of your age when the hair loss pattern is fully defined and maturity is there.

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Hair Loss On One Side of Head

i’m 25. i started noticing thinning hair in the temple area at the age of 21-22 so i shaved my hair. i kept it like that for 2 years. i started taking propecia for 12 months while my hair was shaved and added rogaine in to that. After the 2 year period i let my hair grow out and to my surprise the front temple hair line looked good. i kept it long for a couple of months, but after a while i started losing hair again on my right hand side. keep in mind i’m still using propecia and rogaine. i want to know if its a faze that my hair has to go through, or if this hair loss is gonna be permanent. its only happening on one side of my head.

The frontal hairline is often not symmetrical You need to evaluate your scalp with miniaturization studies to see just where your hair loss is going. The focused question is — Where are you going with your hair loss? You need a few measurements over time to find out if the Propecia is failing to work. If the hairline has gone up quite a bit, you might be a candidate for a hair transplant, but first you need to be evaluated. Dr. Pak and I are based in Southern California (as you’ve indicated that you were), so please consider paying us a visit.

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Trichodynia

My question is with regards to Trichodynia. I’m not sure if I have it or not. But I’ve been having some minor pain off and on in the crown region of my head for 3 months. I have not lost any hair in that region (I’m a NW2) and have been on Propecia for 4 1/2 years. But I’m afraid of what might be causing this sensation, I hope it isn’t associated with hair loss in that area. Are there any treatments for this pain sensation??

The pain hasn’t progressively gotten worse or anything, but it did start overnight, it wasn’t gradual at all. Could it be an allergy of some sort?

In all fairness, how do you expect me to diagnose your condition this way? You need to see your doctor (perhaps a dermatologist) and get a good physical exam.

The minor pain you’re describing can be anything from normal male pattern baldness to a neurological disease. See what I mean? It’s such a broad spectrum of possibilities that I don’t want to get into discussions about treatments for a condition you might not even have. You can learn a little more about it at Wikipedia.


2009-05-08 09:11:06Trichodynia

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Hair Loss with Bald Spot Above Ear

This is a follow-up to Hair Loss from Propecia:

Well i also moved a couple of months before this happened. Also about two months before i moved, i dyed my hair. So im wondering if this could be telogen effluvium? Ive dyed my hair alot in my lifetime and it has seemed to make it thinner but never any hairloss of the front. And if it did it grew back and I just didnt pay my hairline much atttention back then. My Mom’s dad was bald. But thats about it. My dad has a receding hairline but he is 57, and he still has plenty of hair and i dont think he will ever go complety bald. No one else in my family is bald. I also have an almost bald spot on the side of the right ear and my hair is thinner on the sides and the top than the back. I have no good hair doctor in my area so please help.

Please send me photographs. With a bald spot now above your ear, it is possible that you have other causes for your hair loss, rather than pure genetic causes with MPB. Singular bald spots may indicate a series of other etiologies, including infectious or autoimmune causes. Any good dermatologist can address this and even with pictures, there is no substitute for a direct examination by a doctor. Dermatologist are all over the US. See the American Academy of Dermatology to find a dermatologist in your area.


2006-03-21 09:02:08Hair Loss with Bald Spot Above Ear