Category: Uncategorized

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Removing a Hair Transplant

hi, i’ve had two hair transplant procedures in the past. over the last couple of years i have just been shaving my head. i feel very uncomfortable going anywhere without a hat because of my scars. i would just like to be able to shave my head without the scars being so obvious. they are mostly right at my front hairline. can i go to a physician to have the transplants removed? and if they are removed will my scalp where the transpants are taken out heal so those little puncture holes are not as noticible? or could a procedure such a dermabrasion or laser help to smooth out the area? thank you

Without seeing you it would be difficult to make an assessment. Please send photos to the email address on the Contact page.

Generally, it is difficult to put you back in time to the days before you had your hair transplanted. With that said, we can reverse it in many ways, and sometimes it might be brought back to the “before” status. I like to tell my patients that I have good news and bad news about hair transplants: they are permanent, so get it done right the first time. If you are amongst the unfortunate that did not time your procedure correctly with current technology, then the good news is that there is a great deal of experience now in removing or hiding the ugly plugs of the older types of hair transplants.

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Does Hair Loss Take a Vacation?

hey doc, ive asked you questions before and your answers are very helpful for me. i was wondering if hair loss ever took ‘breaks’. For example have it progress to a certain stage and stabilize for a few years then continue where it left off. how big a role does stress play in mpb as well, i feel like i’m losing so much more hair during my school semesters than during the summer months.

Not exactly. Unfortunately, hair loss doesn’t take a vacation for veterans on Veterans Day, for fathers on Father’s Day, nor for fools on April Fool’s Day…

In my practice, I find that hair loss sometimes occurs in spurts and is not necessarily a constant phenomenon. Stress can precipitate genetic balding, so it would not be a hard to reach a conclusion that the stressful times at school are causing you to lose hair. See a hair specialist or a dermatologist to discuss this phenomenon more in person.


2007-11-27 13:34:47Does Hair Loss Take a Vacation?

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Repairing bad hair transplants is something I have done since I started doing Hair Transplants 29 years ago

See the following link for a repair: https://baldingblog.com/repair-of-hairline-transplants-photos/ which can be used when the hairline is unnatural, straight or pluggy; however, this man has low corners which suggests that the grafts might best be removed with FUE to allow for a more normal position and general mature shape of the hairline.

 


2020-12-05 15:41:28Repairing bad hair transplants is something I have done since I started doing Hair Transplants 29 years ago

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Does Long Hair Shed More?

I grew out my hair a while ago and noticed way more hairs falling out in the shower and kinda freaked out too. It turned out that I was just noticing it more because it was longer 99% sure the answer is no, but wanted to ask just in case. I’ve been on finasteride for almost 10 years now and it’s worked really well, but around a month ago I decided to grow our my hair a little (it’s still pretty short, just longer than before) and I’ve noticed considerably more shedding when washing my hair, on the pillow etc. Is it just coincidence? Am I just noticing it more because it’s longer? Did anyone else experience actually more shedding with longer hair?

When hair is miniaturized, long miniaturized hairs are easier to pull out if you brush or comb roughly.

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Restoring Hair Is Impossible Unless it is Surgical!

Can hair really be restored? Most of the things i have read say its impossible unless its implants and that’s not certain to work? I also wish to now how much it would cost to treat. roughly? Due to not being well off. regards

Hair transplants will work for most, but each case is different and costs will vary depending on how much hair you need. You’re never going to be able to get 100% of your hair back. Medication like Propecia or minoxidil does work for many men, but again, each case is different — no two people will respond to medication exactly the same. Since you are asking about general costs, they can be from about $10/month for some medications (generics), to the $3,000-$10,000 range for surgery.


2009-02-10 08:35:22Restoring Hair Is Impossible Unless it is Surgical!

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Does Propecia Have Any Heart Related Side Effects?

Hello,
are there any side effects on Propecia that affects the heart? I know that right now it’s not part of the official listing on Propecia’s side effects, but as an expert, I believe you hear a lot from people who’s taking it and might have any information regarding it.

I started taking propecia about 2-3 weeks ago. Since yesterday I started to feel a strong pump in my heart every now and then, specially at night, and it seems to intensify when I lay down. The strong pump is a bit odd, it feels like an uncomfortable tension in my chest, and it’s also slightly respiratory.

Ps: I’m 25 years old, weight 175 pounds. Don’t have any heart issues, and never felt this before. I also take another medicine, an anti-depressant: Zoloft.

Congratulations for the blog! Thank you.

I have not had any patients in the years I’ve been prescribing Propecia that developed heart related side effects. If you have heart related issues, you need to speak with your doctor ASAP. It probably is unrelated to Propecia and can be a very serious medical condition.

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Resuming Activities After FUE

Good site…I had a strip procedure(5080) Feb./06…Pretty good results…I recently went back for a Fue procedure(1050) to touch up the middle, temple and on a part of the scar from the previous strip…

  1. How long should I wait before working out and running?
  2. How long does it take for the newly implanted grafts to settle in their new home?

Thanks and keep up the great work in helping others..

Thank you for the compliment. Where is your doctor? He/she should’ve supplied the answers to your questions as a matter of routine. These are the most basic of questions that should have been explained to you before your surgery.

To answer your questions:

  1. You can generally resume exercise after one week and you can run a marathon without difficulty (not to say that hair transplants will help you run better, but you get the idea). I always restrict heavy lifting, weights (under 40 lbs with proper lifting techniques), sit-ups, and pull-ups.
  2. Most grafts are relatively secure after a day or two.


2008-03-05 16:05:10Resuming Activities After FUE

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Does Spironolactone Cause More Hair Loss?

Hello Doctor Rassman,
Does spironolactone cause more hair loss? I seen a lot of people on the internet that claims propecia make their hair worse and others says that this is reflex hyperandrogeincity and their argument was “when DHT lessened testosterone increased alot and cause more hair loss!” but what about Sprio? I heard it decreased testosterone itself and also block androgen receptor, so how it could cause more hair loss?

I’ve always said the Internet is a great source for information, but not everything you read on the web is factual and true. If you want to treat your hair loss with a medication, you need to speak with a doctor. Anecdotal statements or claims found online will mostly mislead or confuse people.

Spironolactone does have theoretical anti-androgen factors, but clinically I have not seen or found credible evidence that it helps with androgenic alopecia. But I do understand that there are patients and doctors who use it as a treatment option. I do not.

Propecia (finasteride) does treat androgenic alopecia. It is not meant to cause hair loss. It is meant to grow hair. I understand there may be controversy on the Internet of Propecia’s side effects and some patients have strong feelings regarding those side effects. My opinion is that each and every individual talk with their doctor and discuss the side effects and understand the risks and benefits. In my practice, many patients use Propecia… and have been using it for over 10 years with no issues.

We can all sit on our ivory tower and debate the biochemical relevance of drugs and mechanisms, but in the end the results (hair growth) is what matters.

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Revising Scalp Scar from Non-Transplant Surgery

I am sending this message, wondering about scar revision surgery on the scalp. I have extensive scarring from a surgery when I was younger. I was born with a hairy nevis on my head and had to get it removed…all this happened before I could remember. I now have been living with the scars ever since. The doctor who did the surgery did a great job because the scarring isn’t terribly bad. It’s probably about a 1/4 inch (maybe smaller) in size and runs pretty much the length of my scalp forking off in the front and back, with the front fork being considerably smaller than the back one. I am 20 years old now and have been wanting to have something done about this ever since grade school when kids would make fun of me when i got my hair cut short. I know it’s not possible to completely remove the scar but after all the strechting that has been done to my scalp is there anyway to “hide” it better with some sort of surgery/hair transplant??? What about z-plasty???

ALL surgical cuts will leave a scar (as it did on your case). A Z-plasty is an elegant approach to reduce the size of the scar, but you will still be left with a Z-plasty scar. In either case, a hair transplant procedure works wonderfully when transplanted into such scars, but before I point you in that direction, you need to have an expert look at the scars and examine your head. Please send pictures and I would be happy to review your case (please reference this blog posting when sending the photos).


2006-11-29 15:35:24Revising Scalp Scar from Non-Transplant Surgery

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Does Transplanted Crown Hair Grow Slower Than Other Scalp Areas?

Hello Dr. Rassman. I got a ht done just under 6 months ago and i’ve noticed that the crown has shown little to no growth while the top front half of my head has shown a significant amount of growth. Could it possibly be the crown is the last place that sees the new hair growth?? the difference between the front and crown is very drastic and looks as if no hair was even transplanted in the crown. Im on week 25 so should the new hair in the crown have grown by now or is still too early? also, i still have those little red dots on my crown area but nowhere else on my scalp.

thanks in advance

Little red dots on your recipient area may reflect folliculitis and this can, on occasion, kill the transplants if not treated in a timely manner. You need to discuss this with your surgeon as he/she has a vested interest in your outcome.

I have often seen differences in the rate of growth from front to back or right to left. I would not worry a great deal if this is a rate dependent variable, unless you do not see the results you expect by the 8th month. I would expect some growth in most patients by now, but again, see your surgeon and discuss your concerns.