Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

I Had a Unilateral Orchiectomy — Will That Help My Hair Loss?

Hi, I am a 23 year old with a receding hairline. I have been losing hair for over a year now. I recently had a unilateral orchiectomy following my diagnosis for testicular cancer last month.

I was wondering if the operation will help me in anyway with my hair loss. Could having one less testicle have an effect on my DHT levels and my hairloss? I have been on Propecia for 3 months now and am hoping that the medication and surgery will help me out a bit.

When a man has one testicle removed, the remaining testicle will enlarge and increase its output of testosterone to compensate for the missing testicle.

Posted on

Would Minoxidil Help If I’m Supplementing Many Hormones?

Dear Drs., thank you for all the info on this site. I am a 59 y/o female. During menopause, I experienced quite a bit of generalized hair thinning which concerned me. However, it tapered off, and I’ve lived with it. However, six months ago, my drs. found a pituitary adenoma which had shut down many hormones. I am now supplementing thyroid, prednisone (5mg/day), desmopressin, and, starting 6 weeks ago, hgh (nordutropin). I am not taking any other meds. My hair is again thinning pretty dramatically. I realize I need these supplements to maintain my endocrine system. However, my question is: do you think minoxidil might be helpful in my situation?

Thanks for your opinion.

Minoxidil may help, as it works independent of hormone supplements. It is available over the counter for women, so be sure to read the directions on the packaging for proper dosing.

Posted on

I Have a Good Amount of Hair and Want SMP To Fill In Thin Areas

Regarding your new SMP procedure I am very interested. I have been thinking about it for years and actually still have a good amount of hair and have had a hair transplant, which was not a great experience. I feel like the SMP can fill in the areas that are thinner than other, also covering up the linear scars? what is your opinion on that? Also, since I live in NY, what is the likelihood that your friend Dr. Bernstein will be offering this service? Thanks for all your help and keep up the good work!

Scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP) has had great success in camouflaging scars on the scalp (see here).

At this time, we are the only physicians offering SMP in the United States. We have a travel reimbursement program for those who wish to fly out to Los Angeles for a day to have the treatment.

Dr. Bernstein is not presently offering this service.

Posted on

What Is Wrong with My Hair Transplants? I Can’t Go out in Public and It Is Now 2 Weeks. (Photo)

You have terrible crusting which should have been washed off in the first day after your transplant with a good shampoo technique. Now, this will take weeks to come off. You should leave shampoo on your head for 15 minutes each and gently massage the crusts every time you wash your hair when they are waterlogged. Slowly, over a week, they will come off.

 


2018-11-01 06:39:25What Is Wrong with My Hair Transplants? I Can’t Go out in Public and It Is Now 2 Weeks. (Photo)

Posted on

I Have Been Treated for MRSA and I’ve Lost 1/3rd of My Hair!

(female)
I have been treated for MRSA for over two years. The worst is on my scalp. This was not in the form of boils but big patches of infection containing pus and scabs. I have lost most of the top 1/3 of my hair leaving me with large patches of red skin. At present I have a two inch square of raw skin on top of my head. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you

The best advice I can give is to seek medical help from your dermatologist.

You need to treat the MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) for obvious reasons, and since I’m not sure what your treatment path has been thus far or what your doctor has noted about your hair loss, I am not really in a position to provide much help. Your doctor can drain the infection or prescribe an antibiotic.

Posted on

You Say Norwood 2 is Just a Mature Hairline, But Can It Be Treated Surgically?

Hi Docs, thanks for the great site, it really helped me figure out my options. I finally got a check on what I thought was a receding hairline after seeing my brothers lose their hair and after a couple of checks with a hair specialist in the UK I was told I have a matured hairline but no apparent signs of real balding, recession or minituarisation. I was told that there was no apparent need for me to use Propecia or Minoxidil. I am aged 32 now and my hairline looked to have matured by around 21 and hasn’t moved noticeably since then.

My question is that you tend to mention on this blog that a Norwood 2 is approximately a mature hairline and you don’t consider this male pattern balding from a surgical standpoint – but on your New Hair Institute site you show Norwood Class II patients and count that as hairloss that could be treated surgically? Would this be strictly for a cosmetic adjustment of the hairline? (I realise it’s all cosmetic surgery but as in there’s no balding to cover, just a hairline change). Although I’m happy with my hair more or less, I’d still prefer a slightly straighter (closer to juvenile) hairline as I have quite a high, thin forehead and I’d be interested in surgery simply as a cosmetic adjustment.

Thanks for any clarification.

Norwood 2Hair loss is not a medical illness. Hair transplant surgery is considered cosmetic surgery. If you want to enhance your appearance, it is your choice. So for those with a Norwood class 2 or a mature hairline which is more like an early Class 3 pattern, we can certainly treat it.

The point I generally make in my medical practice and here on BaldingBlog is to have open communication between the patient and doctor. We give our opinions on what may be too low of a hairline and how it may not be age appropriate, but in the end each and every patient has a right to choose their own “look” and hairline.

There is nothing wrong with, as you put it, a cosmetic adjustment.

Posted on

Your Assertion About Normal Hair Loss is Misleading and Quite Untrue

Dr. Rassman:

In one of your replies to a question about Scalpmed, you stated that it is “normal” to lose 100-150 hairs per day. While this may be true for people with NW 0, it certainly is not the case
for NW2+. I would imagine that daily hair loss is PROPORTIONAL to the amount of hair left on the head. Your assertion is misleading and quite untrue.

Thank you

I’ve often said that a “normal” range of 100-150 hairs (sometimes even 200 hairs) are lost some days. While it is true that this is a generalization, the importance of a miniaturization (microscopic) examination of your scalp is all the more relevant if you believe you are losing more hair and not growing it back. For a man who lost 50% of his original hair, for example, the daily loss of hair will be half of the original daily cycling loss, reflecting the population of hairs that remain.

The one thing I stress most on this site is the importance of a miniaturization study and not just making assumptions based on the fixed number of falling hairs you may be seeing.


2008-01-10 13:05:29Your Assertion About Normal Hair Loss is Misleading and Quite Untrue

Posted on

I have recurrent folliculitis, can I have a hair transplant?

I am thinking of getting a hair transplant. Unfortunately I have chronic folliculitis on the back and sides of my scalp. It comes and goes in intensity. Nothing on the top of my head. Does this disqualify me automatically?

I would have to examine you, possibly even biopsy your scalp where the folliculitis is. Did you get a diagnosis? If so is it called Folliculitis Decalvans? If so, then you would not be a candidate for a hair transplant. I clearly need to know more.


2021-06-10 09:53:47I have recurrent folliculitis, can I have a hair transplant?

Posted on

I Have Two Crowns

I have two crowns on the top of my head. If I can expect to start thinning at the crown later in life, will it be from one crown over the other, or both? One of my crowns in more centralized in respect to the other. If only one were to experience thinning, would that be the most likely culprit?

Also, any news on the alleged hair loss creme that reduces PGD2 levels in men? It was announced in 2012 that because there are already cremes that reduce PGD2 levels for other ailments, that we could expect it on shelves as early as 2014.

Two crowns…. do you have two heads? The crown is the top of your head. Are you referring to two cowlicks or swirls on your head? If you were born with the genes for male pattern baldness, then you will lose your hair in a certain pattern as described in the Norwood classification chart (see here).

I am not privy to any new hair loss treatment creams that work. Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) was being touted as a potential baldness “cure”, but the last I remember reading about it was that it was going to start clinical trials in a couple years, not necessarily be on shelves by then. There’s a long way to go still before PGD2 is proven to work for humans beyond hypotheses and lab mice research.