I realize that everyone is looking for the magic treatment that is not expensive, but the point of my post was that there are risks that most of the users do not appreciate. I have no first-hand experience with such risks. Infection risks are theoretical, and they could occur with disastrous consequences in the ‘worst case’ I can think of.
2018-05-02 06:58:252018-06-19 10:27:06Are Your Comments About Dermarollers Real? Those of Us Who Use Them Are Somewhat Desperate.
I receive many questions each day, and because these two are both from young women with hair loss questions, I am posting both questions in this one entry.
I am 21 year old girl. Till now i didnt hav any hair problems . But for the past 4 to > 5 months i am losing my hair like anything. My hairline is gettin broader andn is gettin thin these days.Neither of my parents hav balding problems nor anyone in our whole family.Wat should i do so that i can get my lost hair back? Is this possible to get all the lost hair ?? Which shampoo shd i use?
I would first have a good doctor see you and look for medical causes of hair loss (there are many). The following problems are amongst those that should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, various gynecological conditions and emotional stress. It is also important to review the use of medications that can cause hair loss, such as oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin and prednisone. Many other medications can also contribute to hair loss so if you are taking any drugs of any type, then that should be looked into as well. The following laboratory tests may be useful if underlying problems are suspected: CBC, Chem Screen, ANA, T4, TSH, STS, Androstenedione, DHEA-Sulfate, Total and Free Testosterone.
It is possible that a medical condition may be the cause of your hair loss, so before you jump to conclusions that you have genetic hair loss, I would have you checked out for these conditions. The shampoo you choose will have no impact on the hair loss so I always tell people to use what they like, what feels good, what smells good and what makes your hair look good. Also, please read my previous blog entries on Female Hair Loss.
I am a 22-yr.-old female and am experiencing thinning hair all over my scalp, with several spots void of any hair. Possibly related elements of my history include irregular periods, dermatitis and eczema (both on-scalp and elsewhere), a family history of thyroid disease, an often-unbalanced diet due to graduate school lifestyle :-), recent emotional stress, and use of 0.1% Tacrolimus ointment (one potential side effect of which is alopecia). I know you cannot diagnose me sight unseen, but I have one question I hope you can answer:
If one’s hair loss is related to use of a medication, stress, or a dietary deficiency, is the hair loss usually only temporary if the behaviors causing it are stopped?
Thank you very much for your time.
Sometimes the hair loss is temporary and sometimes not. The key is quick and accurate diagnosis and taking the proper action to go after the cause of the hair loss. The outline given to the first question above is appropriate for your medical work-up as well. If there is a genetic component, then the hair loss may be additive to the other contributing factors.
Hello doctors.
I’m 34 and started using Propecia at the first sign of hair loss six years ago. The results have been fantastic and I have experienced no side effects. My wife and I are planning on starting a family soon and even though I’ve read on your site and others that it’s safe to keep taking propecia, I do have my concerns. I am also concerned on the lack of long term propecia studies. If I just want to maintain my current hair, or at least slow down the loss of it, do you think switching from Propecia to Rogaine foam would do the trick? Or would all the hair I’ve kept because of being on Propecia still fall out in less than a year?
Thank you very much.
Propecia has a very short half life of 4 to 6 hours, which is the time it takes half of the drug to be cleared from your blood stream. Therefore, it should be out of your system in one day. There is no evidence to suggest that it would affect your fertility or have an impact in conceiving a child. The results of studies on the drug crossing from your semen to your wife are (according to what I read in the research papers done by the drug company) almost nill. For those patients who are still wary of whatever side effects it may possibly have on their unborn child, I generally recommend that you do not take Propecia for one week prior to the act of conceiving, during your wife/girlfriend’s very fertile period, which is about a week long. This should not have any deleterious effects with your hair loss.
I know you recently stated that you were reviewing the progress on transplants using body hair. Have you done any case studies? Do you believe this will be a viable alternative to those prone to scarring with donor hair taken traditionally from the scalp. Since many like me have a chest full of hair with, I’m assuming limited donor hair due to previous surgeries.
I have had three previous surgeries, none within the last six or seven years. My last surgery having been performed by Dr. Bernstein. I have had considerable hairloss since my last surgery. I am thinning to about a 5A. I have two linear keloid scars in the back of my scalp. Not to mention some cobblestoning in the front of the hairline, that is very difficult to hide with the increased balding. I would really like to have surgery soon, but I am worried about further scarring, and receiving transplants producing little or no real hair growth for my money and time. By the way, I am African American.
I would suggest that you consider another visit with Dr. Bernstein. With that said, body hair transplants are still unproven and are experimental procedures only, at this time. In African Americans, the risk of keloid scarring is higher than in Caucasians, and you have a higher risk of keloid scarring on the body than on the scalp. In addition, the recipient site will almost certainly develop white scars. In an African American, these scars may become very noticable, far more than in Caucasions. Read the past blog entries for my previous posts about body hair transplantation here, here, and here.
Can you get traction aloepecia from checking your hairline. I probably pull my hair back to check my hair like 10 times a day, very infrequently it might even be for an entire hour total. Could this cause any permanent damage?
No, if you don’t pull on your hair, you will not get traction alopecia
2020-08-21 03:53:332020-08-18 07:20:43Constant pulling back on my hair, will I develop traction alopecia?
I started to lose my hair at 19 due to MPB. After a year or so, my hair texture started to change rapidly and my hair changed from normal hair which you can style to pubic-like hair.
It looks horrible.
My question therefore is: what can you do about acquired progressive kinking. I am already taking finasteride which seems to do little against it.
Generally when you lose hair from genetic balding, your hair thins out (miniaturize) and fall out. It generally does not change in texture to a point it starts to kink. Maybe you should see a dermatologist as there may be a series of genetic hair diseases that can cause kinking.
This 22 year old, very obsessed with a very early thinning of his right and left corner hairline, went to a doctor before seeing me. The doctor recommended 1500 grafts for him. In my opinion, there was not way that such a recommendation was warranted because (2) he was too young to have a hair transplant, and (2) if he was over 26, it will would not require 1500 grafts other than for the doctor to pay his car expenses. There seems to be a license by doctors to victimize patient at will, and as a patient comes in holding the doctor in great esteem, this is a full abuse of his license and his profession. I condemn this practice, all too common by doctors in this field of hair transplantation. In the photos you can see marginal thinning and with his hair shaved, some thinning is clearly present. This will be best treated with finasteride which will probably reverse the process but unfortunately, the doctor won’t make any money for prescribing this medication
I recently got started with Min 10% topical and Fin 1mg, I have been noticing uneven heartbeat and uneasiness at the right side of my chest. Is this something I need to worry about, should I discontinue it?
Heart palpitations and chest pain can be caused by minoxidil, especially at the 10% dose you are taking. It is clearly being absorbed into your blood stream and probably making you hypotensive
2021-08-23 01:33:202021-08-21 10:34:11Palpitations and chest pain with minoxidil
I am a healthy 22 year old male. I have a head full of hair but I have noticed along with my dermatologist that I have started to experience hair loss.
I want to thank you with your diligence in your answering of questions. I started Propecia and psychologically induced side effects on myself, after thorough research I was able to curb those thoughts and part of that I owe to you.
I have a general wondering that perhaps the increase in sex drive from Propecia could be confidence based? and the same being a lack of confidence in the drug as the basis for the adverse effects. I also read from a doctor that in clinical assessments the effects are even rarer then the clinical trials, his experience stating 3 in 1000 being affected.
I have seen some men report an increased sex drive on Propecia although this is not common. Yes, once a man is freed from the burden of balding, they may be better on their sex side of life. Self confidence is necessary in good sexual performance.
The photos below are of a 24 year old man who started taking Propecia (finasteride) at the age of 18. At 21, he switched to Avodart (dutasteride), but on seeing no improvement or reversal of his hair loss he switched back to Propecia, which he has maintained through today. His donor density is 25% less than the average Caucasian, which obviously means that his supply of donor hair is limited. Plus, he has black hair and very white skin and he is miniaturized to 90%.
I suspect that the hair he has is only there due to the Propecia routine he has followed strictly over the past 6 years. Starting hair transplants at this time would be the wrong thing to do, as it most certainly will accelerate the remaining hair loss. With thickening products and the use of Toppik, he does not look balding and I suggested that he continue that approach until it fails to work. Only then can the transplant option be used, but he will have to give up any thought of crown hair and accept only a frontal hair transplant.
2007-04-11 15:35:152007-04-11 15:35:19Patient Kept Hairline with Propecia, but Density is Poor (with Photos)
