Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

A Reader Gives Thanks to the Doctors of BaldingBlog

Dear Doctor,

I moved from Quebec to Vancouver (Canada) and I am waiting to get my health insurance here. In the mean time, no dermatologist accepted to see me.

Of all the Internet, which is a pretty big place, you have been the greatest thing. Not only for your knowledge, but also because of the way you speak, because it feels like you actually care. I’ve seen very few doctors like this in my life.

I don’t know if you are a real doctor or not, I don’t know what you have to gain from this, but thank you. The comfort I found in your blog combined with the quality of information was a great source of relief. I believe I am not the only one who feels this way.

Thank you

What a nice way to start the day!

Yes, BaldingBlog is written by real doctors. While we can’t give specific medical advice, I am glad you’ve found some useful information on the site. Your words are appreciated.

Posted on

Is Jared Kushner Balding?

The picture that was forwarded is a public photo. It appears to be a comb-over to cover a receding corner of the hair line. Of course, without seeing it directly, I can’t supply an opinion.


2018-06-22 10:36:36Is Jared Kushner Balding?

Posted on

About a Year Ago, I Met with a Doctor That Was Still Doing Minigrafts!

First of all I want to thank you for this great site.

In Dec. of 2006 I went to a T.P. doctor, mainly to get a prescription for propecia and to hear what he had to say about how good of a candidate I would be for a hair transplant. I found out at that time that he still used the mini & micro minigraft procedure, with magnification and backlighting.(no steroscopic microscope). In Dec. 2007 I was looking at his web site,and to his credit, is now doing follicular unit grafting using stereoscopic microscopes.

My question is this,how difficult is it for his staff to learn to use microscopes and to be cutting in follicular units instead of minigrafts? I guess what I really want to know is how much time should I give them, to learn the “new” procedure before I go back for another consultation?

Do you have any photos that show the difference between minigrafting and folicular unit graphing on the scalp?

Thanks again.

P.S. How much does a stereoscopic microscope cost? This doctor has been doing hair transplants for 14 years and is now just getting some.They must cost alot!

Cost for hair transplant at New Hair Institute… as low as $5 per graft.
Cost of microscope at a local scientific store… around $500.
Cost of a well done follicular unit hair transplant… priceless.

The difference between minigraft and follicular unit transplantation is small, but can be significant when you look closely at the growing hair. Minigrafts and micrografts transplant skin between the hair follicles and this skin can produce changes in the scalp at the point the hair exits the skin. There may be cobblestoning from the transplanted skin. Follicular unit transplantation only transplants the natural occurring units of hair as they exit the scalp and most of the skin edge is removed so that the point of exit of the hair is normal.

More importantly, the difference when using a microscope for dissection is that you do not waste good follicular units since you can see minute details (under the microscope).

For more details, read our published articles on the subject:

Posted on

Just How Bald is Bruce Willis?

Bruce Willis and Halle BerryI have a dispute with my friend that Bruce Willis in the movie Perfect Stranger is using “movie hair”.

Is that his real hair or not?

Honestly, your guess is as good as mine.

I don’t have access to the make-up artists and stylists that were on the set during filming of that movie (see photo above), and I haven’t had the opportunity to examine Bruce Willis’ scalp. It appears like he has a Norwood Class 4 pattern of hair loss from the above picture (no crown is showing), but I can’t tell for sure since he usually shaves his head completely in most of the pictures and movies I have seen him in. I would guess that the frontal hair shown in the above photo may be real. My reason for such thinking is this — why would Hollywood put hair on Willis’ head with a frontal balding pattern, when they could just as easily put it back to a pattern reflecting a period earlier in his life? I haven’t seen the movie, so I couldn’t really tell you if it was a purposeful choice.

Posted on

ACell update for NHI ACell for hair replication and ACell for scar improvement

Based on case reports of Dr Hitzig and Cooley from 2010, and the spirit of science we have tried to replicate the cloning claims by applying for clinical research through an institutional review board (IRB), also known as an independent ethics committee (IEC) or ethical review board (ERB), IRB.

We had two category of ACell trials:
(1) ACell to promote new hair follicle regeneration from plucked hair, thus creating two hairs from one hair as the plucked hair is assumed to grow back. This in essence is viewed by some as cloning.

At this time, at about the 3+ year mark, our patients who received ACell for hair regeneration have not reported growth and we had seen all of them at the 6th month and 12 month point in time. If you read the ACell update from ISHRS Alaska 2011 conference, it would seem the ACell cloning was only hype.

(2) ACell to promote wound healing and less scar formation. This involves ACell that is incorporated into the strip donor wound.

At this time, at about the 3+ year mark, some patients have reported less pain after the surgery and a better looking scar (those who have had more than one surgery to compare their own experiences). But the overall width (size) of the scar is not any better (smaller). In other words the scar may NOT be smaller, but they are less pink and seemed to heal faster.

In summary we have spent thousands of dollars applying for the IRB permission as well as materials cost as well as staff hours for not so stellar results. More importantly it is regrettable to those patients who have participated in hopes of unlimited hair to only receive nothing from their effort. ACell may have some place in wound healing and we still offer this option to our patients at no cost.

To be clear: ACell does not grow hair. ACell does not make the scar smaller. Acell may heal the wound better but there is no clear proof of this. This observation is merely subjective.

Posted on

Kelly Osbourne Going Bald?

Kelly Osbourne

What do you think about the news that rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s pop-singer daughter Kelly has revealed she is going bald? The article is here: InsideOnline.com

The article shows what can happen when hair is abused. If the abuse stops and she is losing her hair secondary to the abuse, then it MAY return. If she continues abusing it (which is what the article implies), it may become a permanent type of negative balding, just the opposite of what she is trying to achieve.


2006-02-22 10:26:59Kelly Osbourne Going Bald?

Posted on

Adderall and Finasteride Interaction?

Do you think a stimulant like Adderall can interact with finasteride in an undesireable way? I have been on finasteride 1mg a day for 6 months with no problems and great results. I started using Adderall for ADHD and I reacted very severely. I lost a huge amount of hair, broke out with acne, started to sweat, grind my teeth at night, and have testicle aches. From what I’ve read and from people I’ve talked to that isn’t common. Is the fact that finasteride and Adderall both influence what your hormones are doing in your body a reason to believe they were a bad combination?

Thanks.

We get questions like these all the time. What you are describing sounds pretty severe, so I would consult with your doctor and follow up on your symptoms to figure out what is going on. The internet is a great source of information, but be warned that it is also a source of misinformation. Talk to a professional in person — best to talk to a caring and competent doctor.

To answer the first question though… no, these two medications do not interact.


2010-09-23 14:57:53Adderall and Finasteride Interaction?

Posted on

Lack of bloodflow causing baldness, myth?

Can smoking cigs mess up your mpb from reduced circulation?

Smoking may have some effect on the blood flow to the scalp but there is no evidence that it accelerates the balding process. Stress is; however, known to accelerate the balding process and people who some often use smoking as a stress relief.


2017-05-15 08:12:18Lack of bloodflow causing baldness, myth?

Posted on

Advice from Someone That Has Had 9 Procedures

Dr. Rassman,

I’ve had lots of procedures done; I’ll say at least 9 since 1995. I’m 41 now. I know that’s a lot. I’ve had at least 4-5 done at one center, then about another 4 done at a well know hair transplant center here in DC. I’ve even had gaps of up to 4 years between procedures because of money issues. I’ve spent at least over $20,000.00 so far. I was never given a “Master Plan”. Every person only evaluated me, then asked, “How many are you looking to get right now?.” Me being new to transplant never really realized that once you start the process, you should, in my opinion, every year get as many grafts put in as you can afford. Well, I had really bad scarring in the back going across from one side to the other which was corrected a bit. My head of hair is not nearly as full as I would want it. Actually, right now it’s still very thin in spots here and there. Sometimes I’m just so depressed about it. Don’t make the mistake like I did. If you go for transplant procedure, get another job, work part time, anything to get that head full of hair. Too many procedures, cutting, stitching, etc. spells trouble. I know.

One of the groups did a great job of reducing my scarring in the back of my head. I was also told that in a couple of years ago that lab grown hair follicles will be available. Do you agree? I’m at that point where I feel this would be my last and only alternative.

You have a tragic story. You were not placed on this Earth to give doctors money every year to get hair moved and to manage scars on your head.

The only patients that have had over 4 procedures with me are those that were very, very bald (9,000+ grafts) or very, very obsessive (I fondly call them my ‘hair addicts’). Most people should be completed with 1-2 procedures. Informed consent requires doctors to tell you what is in store for you, what you can reasonably expect a hair transplant will do for you, and when it will be completed. That is the doctor’s moral and legal obligation and the fact that you did not have that happen, means that you must have been victimized from hopping around to different doctors. You should have held your original doctor accountable for finishing what he/she started (in a perfect world of course). I know, unfortunately, that many people who go to doctors that are not responsible or accountable are caught in a difficult position. My suggestion is that you consider going to a doctor who will give you the real scoop as to what, if anything, you can expect going forward. If you need repair work on the scar, that doctor should be able to let you know what is in store for you. As you are on the east coast, may I suggest seeing Dr. Robert Bernstein in New York. He and I literally wrote the book on repairs.

I want to also comment on your hope that soon, hair will be grown in a lab to solve the hair supply problem. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t believe that will happen in any reasonable timeframe to get you the extra hair you may need. Many doctors are promising lab grown hair in a few years, but the ignorance by these doctors seems pervasive on this subject. My opinion is that we will not see lab grown hair for more than a decade from now. So for the readers who are postponing decisions on hair transplants to wait for lab grown hair, you need to ask yourselves if you really want to wait until you are 70 years old to get the more youthful look.


2007-12-14 09:25:11Advice from Someone That Has Had 9 Procedures

Posted on

LaserComb Versus Bigger Laser Machines

Dr. I bought the hair max laser comb, i cant tell if it is producing results or not, my hair is still pretty thick, my question is, is there a difference in the hair max laser comb compared with the machine that you sit under, is there a difference in quality or the results you can expect?

Unless you have a camera that takes pictures at the exact and repeatable spot on your scalp, it is almost impossible to tell. One researcher (see: Analyzing the Results of the HairMax Laser Comb) used a small tattooed dot on an area of interest and took serial photographs at regular intervals to see if there is a change in hair count. I reviewed that particular study, as you can see in the above unfavorable reference. To my knowledge, no comparable study has been done so far for the lasers that you sit under.

With respect to your question asking if laser comb and the ‘bigger’ laser machines differ, well, the size comparison is obvious — one is a comb and the other is a big hood that you sit under. If you are asking if one is better than the other, I have no way of telling, but based upon the study of the laser comb, which was most unimpressive, I might think that the comb has very limited value. The subjective feedback of patients who have experienced the larger system seems positive, but there are no objective criteria for me to endorse. If you are asking for the results, I have no way of telling at this time.


2006-10-27 14:26:54LaserComb Versus Bigger Laser Machines