Hey doc,
I want to know if there is any problem if I switch brands. Lets say i’m using brand A of generic minoxidil and switch to brand B of the same type (i.e: 5%), would there be any problems?
Thanks
As long at the minoxidil concentration is the same, there should be no difference. The FDA has rules that control the quality of the drugs and the claims in ingredients.
2008-08-14 08:33:582008-08-11 14:11:42Any Difference Between Generic Minoxidil Brands?
Several years ago, I was treated for testicular cancer. That included 4 rounds of chemo: Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin (BEP). Before chemo, I had a nice, full head of hair. I lost all of my hair during chemo. After the chemo, my hair was drastically changed. It was much, much thinner—especially on the top. After a while, I just started shaving my head. I assumed that there’s nothing I could do about it. I did a little searching and didn’t find anything conclusive
Your chemo may have induced genetic balding. You should be evaluated by a hair expert to quantify if you have a reasonably good donor supply left for a hair transplant. Another good alternative is shown in this post: https://baldingblog.com/smp-on-a-class-7-patient-completed-today-photo/ . This can be made darker but it looks great and it is all a specialized tattoo (https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/gallery/bold-shaved-look/#!). This is a completely headache solution for those with not enough hair for a hair transplant or for those who don’t want a hair transplant.
2020-09-10 03:15:262020-09-01 09:54:41Man with hair loss from Chemotherapy
Hi,
I’m a 40 year old female experiencing severe hair loss. I’ve had problems with hair loss for the past 13 years but last summer I went to a local salon to have the graying covered with some highlights. Whatever she used burned it because after that the hair strands are very thin and dry. I use alot of conditioner and it doesn’t help. I noticed that when after she washed the hair that it was severly tangled which resulted in her having to cut 3 inches from it to get the knots out from the burning. My hair was at that time past my knees with very few split ends. It is now around knee length and I keep it pulled up in a clasp. I have enclosed some photos to show the hairline-thinning-damage. I’ve been prescribed (Appearex) and don’t know much about it. Does this product actually help the hair as it states on the box that it’s a nail product? I have taken Lupron injections in the past and not sure if those created some of the hair loss but the problem is getting much worse and I don’t have a clue what to do about it. Thank you for taking the time to help others, and any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.
Appearex is a dietary supplement. Its generic name is biotin. Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin component of the vitamin B complex. As an essential nutrient, biotin acts as a coenzyme for the body’s carboxylation reactions and is a factor in maintaining healthy muscle, hair, nails, and skin. If you are Vitamin B complex deficient, then this may help your problem, but few Americans have such Vitamin problems with any reasonable American diet.
Because dietary supplements are essentially unregulated in the United States, you can not be sure what you are getting when you buy an over the counter supplement product. There are many preparations on the market (prepared or manufactured with different techniques that are not fully disclosed or regulated with different additives). With different preparations, the same supplement may not have the same effects or equal potencies. Because there is no regulation, the efficacy or the validity of such ingredients cannot be guaranteed. That is why you sometimes hear it is a “buyer beware” market.
There are many causes for hair loss. You should be evaluated by a medical doctor to rule out a medical cause for hair loss. If you are still not satisfied, you should see a hair transplant doctor to map your hair for miniaturization and a possible pattern for your hair loss.
2006-04-07 11:32:172006-04-06 13:36:13Appearex
This is part 2 of a series. For the first part, see Mapping Your Own Scalp for Miniaturization.
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Interpreting the Results:
Is miniaturization present? Hair shaft thickness should be relatively comparable from one part of the head to another. There are exceptions to this rule in the first 1/4 inch of hairline, the temple prominences, and the hair of the neck where the shaft thickness may be less than that found throughout the scalp. In any one area of the scalp, the hair shaft thickness may be reduced significantly in 20% of the viewed hairs. These reflect vellus hairs, not mature normal ‘terminal’ hairs — so any measurement below 20% can be thought of as normal without miniaturization.
The area of the head may have different findings. For example, frontal hair in the balding Norwood Class 3A will show varying degrees of miniaturization eventually leading to complete balding, while crown views of the hair may show no miniaturization whatsoever. The balding patterns shown in the Norwood classification chart will parallel the distribution of miniaturization as the balding process develops.
All miniaturization is not equal. Some hairs in any one part of the scalp may show different degrees of thinning. That is because the impacted hairs are self-destructive and different times. Eventually, those miniaturized hairs at the beginning of the destructive process will progress with more and more miniaturization until they just fade away. In the various stages of miniaturization, the hair’s growth slows (no longer growing at 1/2 inch per month) and they will lose their pigment (become gray or transparent). These changes will be appreciated by those of you who become experts on your own miniaturization process.
Now What?
This week, I’ll be posting a tutorial video on BaldingForum.com to show how the process works using the sub-$100 Celestron handheld microscope I mentioned in part 1 of this series. First though, you’ll need to get the microscope. I provided the links in part 1, but to keep things convenient here they are again:
Assuming you have the microscope, the tutorial video (Below!) will be a big help. It’ll not only show you where to map on your scalp, but it’ll also show you how to create files of your historical record on your computer and compare the pictures you obtain over time may give you insights into your balding problems.
I can’t tell you that balding men are more likely to get divorced, but I can tell you that when divorce occurs, many men seek a hair transplant because they want to start dating and look younger. Hair makes a man look younger.
Okay, so I am sure all of us have heard this theory before: “Masturbation contributes to hair loss”. I have done a significant amount of reading on this and to be honest, it is hard to know for sure. Different sources are saying different things. Some say that masturbation/sex accelerates male pattern baldness and others say it does not play a role at all. Putting aside everything I have read elsewhere and looking at my own experience with hair loss, I struggle to accept that masturbation has been a causative factor. I am 24 now and only began experiencing hair loss last year. So from the ages of 15-22, I was masturbating A LOT and didn’t experience any hair loss at all. So how could masturbation be a causative factor? I am curious to hear other peoples thoughts.
Your genes almost certainly kicked in causing your hair loss. Your years of masturbating have nothing to do with building up of stress, if anything it reduced your stress. You are, most likely, just developing a genetic balding process.
3.5 Weeks after a Hair Transplant, Is it normal to see pimples in the head so early on? I have maybe 3 or 4, one at the hairline and the rest in between my grafted area… I hear pimples on the head is a good sign that hair is trying to break through the surface, at almost 1 month post-op, is it possible to start hair regrowth? I do have fairly thick hair and my hair does grow fast elsewhere, just thinned in the front. I would be a 3 on the scale… Thanks!
Pimples are never a good sign. They do happen for a number of reasons after a hair transplant:
2006-10-27 14:36:332006-10-27 07:19:39Are Pimples on Scalp After Transplant a Good Sign?
I had 2500 grafts so far, and I may become very bald like my father and his father before him.
The maximum number of grafts reflects your donor density. In some people with low donor density, it might be 3000-4000, but if your donor density is very high, it could be easily 10,000 or more grafts. The average person is about 6000 grafts? I have transplant 10,000 grafts a quite a few patients wtih high density and likewise, I have had a few people whose limits were in the 3000 range. Cleaerly the more bald you are, the more grafts would would need, assuming you can afford the costs of the surgery. In my practice, over the years, once a patient has reached 6000-7000 grafts, I frequently perform more surgery at my cost. In your case, with just 2500 grafts performe so far, I suspect that you are coming close to your limit if your density is low and I doubt that you can support many more grafts without bcming bald in the back of your head.
2017-12-19 06:51:502017-12-16 06:53:50What is the maximum number of grafts that can be transplanted? (photo)
This is an article I wrote that was published in the Hair Transplant Forum International (volume 19, number 5), the official publication of the ISHRS. I’ve become more and more outspoken about the problem with ethics among some hair transplant doctors, and have written a number of posts about it on this site. I was pleasantly surprised that the ISHRS made my article the lead story on the front page. Here is the text of the article as I originally sent it to them:
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I am disturbed that there is a rise in unethical practices in the hair transplant community. Although many of these practices have been around amongst a small handful of physicians, the recent recession has clearly increased their numbers. Each of us can see evidence of these practices as patients come into our offices and tell us about their experiences. When a patient comes to me and is clearly the victim of unethical behavior I can only react by telling the patient the truth about what my fellow physician has done to them. We have no obligation to protect those doctors in our ranks who practice unethically, so maybe the way we respond is to become a patient advocate, one on one, for each patient so victimized. The following reflects a list of the practices I find so abhorrent:
The hair transplant physician community has developed wonderful technology that could never have been imagined 20 years ago. The results of modern hair transplantation have produced many satisfied patients and the connection between what we represent to our patient and what we can realistically do is impressive today. Unfortunately, a small handful of physicians have developed predatory behavior that is negatively impacting all of us and each of us sees this almost daily in our practices. Writing an opinion piece like this is not a pleasant process, but what I have said here needs to be said. According to the American Medical Association Opinion 9.031- “Physicians have an ethical obligation to report impaired, incompetent, and/or unethical colleagues in accordance with the legal requirements in each state…”
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Download the article as it was published in the Forum magazine, which includes quotes from other doctors (PDF file)!
I was interested in getting a strip surgery in a couple of years. I was wondering if it better for a person to get a large session done at one time such as 4500 grafts? Or is it better for a person to get a smaller session such as 2500 grafts, and then wait for a few months and get additional 2000 grafts? Also, I have noticed that doctors provide a discount after 2500 grafts. Are they encouraging people get larger sessions done?
On the hair loss forums I have seen a person picture where he got 4000 grafts implanted through the FUE method. This man paid for 4000 grafts, but his surgery resulted in a failure. In the end he lost money, and had to live in embarrassment for the rest of this life. I was wondering if the strip surgery has similar risks for large sessions?
It is not all about numbers. You need a doctor who understands the progression of your hair loss — how to address future hair loss along with present hair loss. You need a plan rather than just thinking of short term goals. Each and every patient is different, with different needs and different hair loss degrees. To some it may be reasonable to have a 4000 graft surgery and be done with the entire ordeal. But with 4000 grafts at one time may come a large donor scar. My point is that your surgeon should discuss all of these factors and give you a Master Plan tailored to your genetic hair loss pattern and your social needs.
We are all born with a finite amount of hair. Some people have more donor hair and some people have less. The availability of hair is a demand (how much you need) / supply (how much you have) issue that must be understood by everyone who is going to have a hair transplant.
The cost of the surgery, while it is a factor, should not be the main factor in your decision making process. Hair transplant surgery is permanent and I am always flabbergasted at the patients who seek out the lowest bidder. This is not like buying a car. The surgeon and the medical group, no matter what they advertise, are ALL different in their techniques and results. Not all strip surgery is the same and not all FUE surgery is the same. As you clearly point out with the failure of the 4000 graft FUE surgery you saw on a forum, the results will be forever and any hair loss from failed or poorly done hair transplants can not be priced just by doing another transplant. The hair supply reduces with every transplant, so losing money can be replaced by more money, but if the hair is gone, then there is no solution. Valuable donor hair reflects more value than losing money.
Of note, at NHI we discount after 2500 grafts (on the 2501st graft and beyond). The first 2500 grafts are still charged at standard cost. We were the first to advocate the Megasession way back in 1992, when hardly any medical groups were doing them, but we have rarely performed strip surgery in the 4000 to 5000 graft range because not all patients have the donor density and scalp elasticity for such surgery in one session.
I do know that you, the consumer, may be disillusioned by the belief that more grafts may be better, but understand that some doctors treat hairs as grafts. You can cheat by cutting 2 or 3 or 4 hair grafts in to single hair graft and artificially come up with more grafts while paying for the same number of hairs. In other words, a 2000 graft session of 2-hair grafts is equal to 4000 graft made up of 1-hair grafts. I am not stipulating that this is a common practice, but it is a practice I am sure that occurs when money is an issue and the perception of more is a marketing strategy. It illustrates again that not all hair transplants, not all doctors, and not all medical clinics are the same. Do your homework.
