Category: Uncategorized

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This Is the First FUE Patient in North America

Guillermo started his FUE in 1998 and followed his hair loss with us since then. As he got older, he lost the central forelock which shows prominently in the before photos that he is holding. As you can see, his FUE is nothing short of normal looking. We published the first article in the world on FUE in 2002 based upon 6 years of clinical research and the rest is history. Every hair surgeon in the world, having read the article, started performing FUE. It took years for most hair surgeons to perfect the technology.

See original article here: https://newhair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/mp-2002-fue.pdf


2019-02-20 08:28:13This Is the First FUE Patient in North America

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Brain starts to eat itself after chronic sleep loss

An article that appeared in the New Scientist of May 27, 2017 suggests the brain goes into overdrive in mice who are sleep deprived. We know that people with chronic sleep loss have an increased risk of dementia. Cells in the brain called Astrocytes start to break down more of the brain connections as debris builds up in chronic sleep deprivation. Also, critical brain connections are eaten up by these Astrocytes after they are broken down. The article says this process is a one-way street. The article points out, as many other article do, that we need sleep and can’t have a healthy brain without it. Some other studies I read suggest that a human needs at least seven good hours of REM sleep each night to maintain good brain health. If you are studying for an exam or dealing with the challenges of life, you need to be able to think clearly.


2017-06-12 20:19:43Brain starts to eat itself after chronic sleep loss

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Fo-Ti, PABA, and Solving the Gray Hair Problem

Hello Mr.Rassman.

I heard a lot about Fo-Ti which is a Chinese herb which gives colour to hair. We can Find it in so many websites now I have two questions.

  1. I am aware that grey hairs cannot be reversed . But If I take Fo-ti atleast can I prevent my existing hairs from truning grey??So many Fo-ti suppliments are available in the market. Please go through the following site which contains the reviews of an over the counter medicine called Shenmin. Folica.com and more information on Shenmin.com
  2. I also heard about PABA which also helps giving colour to hairs. I think that is an FDA approved medicine will it be of some help in preventing my hairs from turning grey? If it is what is the recommended dosage for adults?

Sorry for such a big question. But you know my questions are always long.

Gray hair

  1. I believe there are just as many Chinese men and women in this world who have gray hair compared to those of other races in other parts of the world, which makes me think that if something as simple as taking a fo-ti supplement really stopped gray hairs, there would be a disproportionate amount of the Chinese population with black hair. That being said, I’m not an herbalist and my opinion on these types of treatments has been generally poor, because there’s really not much regulation on them and most of the claims people attribute to them are old wives’ tales. Here’s an article about fo-ti on About.com that you might find helpful.
  2. Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is a chemical found in the folic acid vitamin and also in several foods including grains, eggs, milk, and meat (source: RxList). PABA is reported to be used for giving color back to hair if the graying was caused by stress or malnutrition, but I can’t find any studies to back up the claims and I have no personal experience with it. Because PABA is a supplement, the FDA does not approve, endorse, or verify claims; I also do not approve, endorse, or verify those claims.

Feel free to try these supplements if you want, but always remember that it is a buyer beware market and there is a lot of money to be made on false hopes and promises. Reviewing supplement information online is often quite daunting due to the seemingly hundreds of websites using unproven claims to sell you things, which helps spread the legend and creates a blurred line between what is real and what is fantasy. For further reading, I’ve written about the problems with supplements before.

Photo: CNN’s Anderson Cooper doesn’t mind his gray hair.

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Suggestion for 19 Year Old with Thin Hair

Hi, I am 19 years old, I have experienced hair loss since about 16. My receding hairline is getting really bad, and i have a bald spot thats just getting bigger in the back. The entire top of my head is also thin now. It is extremely embarrasing and depressing. I feel like I always have to wear a hat. I have been using Rogaine extra strength for about a year now, and its not working, but im afraid to discontinue since I may lose even more hair. If I try to style it, it comes out in large amounts (at least 10-20 hairs), so i dont anymore. My parents are telling me this is normal, but my dad didn’t start losing his hair till his mid 30’s. Im also afraid a doctor visit will be too costly ( I pay for my own college and parents wont help with doctor bill if I go). Please give me some suggestions. Thanks

You are playing with fire with regard to your hair loss. First, find out what is wrong with it by getting your hair mapped out for miniaturization and establishing a diagnosis. If you see me (in California), I will not charge you for the visit and I will map out your hair for miniaturization as well. If you are not able to see me, you can find a doctor in your area by using the physician search at ISHRS.org. Some doctors offer free consultations, but not all. With a diagnosis, you can have either peace of mind or a treatment plan with a Master Plan for your future hair loss. From that point, you’ll have a better understanding of what your future holds (in terms of your hair loss) and what your options are.

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For Hair Transplants should I start with FUE or FUT?

Thank you, so I have longer hair (shoulder length) I usually see that the strip or shaved fue area is somewhat in the middle of the back of head. I’m thinking of getting a minor procedure done as in just a touch up for the hairline. I’m estimating 1500 to 2000 grafts at most (this is based of my research and pics of other results)

My question is that I wouldn’t feel comfortable shaving my whole head, i know with the strip it’s just the area that is cut that’s shaved so it’s not as noticeable, but with fue could it be a lower shave on the head or i there a reason for such a central donor area? I’ve also hear that it’s best to do strip first then fue for later transplants as to keep the donor area in better condition is that true? Sorry for the bombardment of questions, but thank you so much for your time.

In building a Master Plan with my patients, I like to try to predict the final hair loss pattern my patient is likely to develop. Based upon that prediction, I often recommend strip surgeries for men who are likely to get advanced patterns of balding and FUE for those who either are unlikely to go that route, or are not showing it just yet but have frontal hair loss. Most patients who come in already have their minds made up as to what type of procedure to get. Make sure that you are not starting too young (https://baldingblog.com/need-master-plan-think-hair-transplants-photos/). With FUE you don’t have to shave the front or top of your scalp.


2020-12-04 11:54:09For Hair Transplants should I start with FUE or FUT?

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Surgical Hairline Lowering Is Not Permanent?

I have read in a couple of blogs on the web that the surgical hairline lowering procedure is not permanant -ie. in 10 years after the procedure, the skin can stretch back and pull the hairline back to its original position. Is this true?

It may be true. Many brow lifts (just the reverse of hairline lowering) will stretch back. As we get older, the skin loosens and stretch-back may occur to some degree.

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From a Reader — A Note to Teenagers About Hair Loss

Well doc, I’ve got to hand it to you. You’ve solved all my problems. I’m 20 years old, and had been losing hair for over 2 years now. I was worried,stressed,depressed.. dreaEverything you can imagine.

I also tried all the products on the market that claimed to stop hair loss- creams,oils,herbal ‘remedies’. I didn’t use propecia though,it required a prescription which would mean I’d have to tell someone I was losing hair. No product seemed to work. Suddenly,long after I stopped using these products, my hair loss stopped.

Finally, I realize that my hairline was just maturing. All thanks to your site. I never knew such a thing existed!

Anyways, the point I would like to put across is to teenagers, who seem to be flooding your site with questions. The point is, your hair will be there till you are in high school, and till you graduate from college(assuming you arent unusually old for school). These are the two places where girls would superficially judge you (and where you’re just looking for thrills). After high school and college, its a different world. Girls turn to women, and they’re looking for more than just arm candy then. Your hair would NOT matter as much as you’d think.

So don’t worry about your hair too much; even if it’s rapidly falling,it would take a while for you to bald completely. And by then,you’d be through the superficial stages of life. And remember, nothing really causes hair loss apart from your genetics, which you cant change. So don’t worry about things that are not in your control.

Otherwise,there’s always Dr.Rassman ;).

Thanks for the comments! For those that still don’t know what a maturing hairline is, you should certainly read Maturation of a Hairline — Moving From Juvenile to Mature.

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FUE Expectations

How long does it take to work?

There is no standard answer. I have seen men that showed great results in 6 weeks, and others with no results in a year when they had a poor surgeon or surgical team.
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Taking 1/3rd Proscar Tablet?

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Many thanks for the detailed and trustworthy information you offer your readers. It is a true resource amidst the unreliable heresay elsewhere.

I am a 29 y.o. male — I started Propecia 1mg 4 years ago and it worked great until this summer when my hair started falling out quickly. My doctor increased my dosage to 1.67mg, which I filled with generic finasteride at Target(thank you again for pointing out the great deal there). It has only been a month, but I am hopeful it will work again.

Recently, my regular dermatologist (not the prescriber) asked whether the pill I am taking is scored and evenly distributed. I inquired with the pharmacist who said it was not scored and likely not evenly distributed. He knew of no generic finasteride that is.

What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of taking 1/3 of a tablet that I am not sure is evenly distributed. I looked in the archives and was able to dig this up, but it seems like the answer was inconclusive at the time and I am wondering if anything changed. It also dealt with Proscar, not generic finastertide.

Thanks so much

I am not an expert on drug mixing, but I believe that the various ingredients are homogenized, so as it is made into a pill there’s no irregularities in the mix. If the ingredients were irregularly mixed at a pill level, then in theory it could be irregular from pill to pill… and I’m not sure if the FDA would allow that. I’m not well versed in pharmaceutical manufacturing policies, though.

As for taking the 1.67mg finasteride, if that is what your physician prescribed you, I’m not going to argue with that. There have been times where I’ve increased the dosage recommendation for individual patients if they notice hair loss accelerating after being on Propecia for years.