Category: Uncategorized

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Early 20s, Desperate for Hair Treatment that Works

I’ve just recently discovered your website but have found it very informative. I am 23 and have a family history, on both my mother and father’s side, of male pattern hairloss. I too have been suffering, and in the last three months my hair loss has accelerated to such a degree that the hair on the front and top of my head is becoming increasingly thin, and my hair line is dramatically rising. I have recently started using Kirkland minoxidil (having used Rogaine whilst at university but then stopping as I couldn’t afford it) but not only is my scalp flaking a lot, but I am also losing a lot of hair on a daily basis. As I’ve only used it for under a month, do you think I should persist with the treatment as I have a years supply?

I have also recently bought dutasteride on the internet, having used propecia for 3 months but with no affect, only spots on my forehead. I realise that it takes longer than three months for the tablets to work but do you think I should see if the Dutasteride works as I am awaiting a two month supply in the post, or go back to propecia? Ultimately my hair loss is getting me down a great deal and being that I am so young and as this treatment is quite expensive, would it be better to save up for a hair transplant, and if so do you have any contacts in the UK that are not only reliable but might also be able to give me some impartial and helpful advise. Thank you so much in advance for your response as you can see my hairloss has left me really sad and I would really appreciate any advise you can give me. Many thanks again

There are many, many young men in a situation similar to yours. I can’t say for sure what you should or should not do, as you are not my patient — but my general advice would be to give the Propecia more than 3 months (8 months is my minimum trial period) to see any benefits. Especially at your age with early hair loss, Propecia tends to work better than minoxidil. I do not recommend dutasteride, not only because it stays in your system far longer than Propecia, but also because there have not been enough studies (to my satisfaction) that show any long-term effects the drug may have in a younger person, such as yourself. To find a doctor in the UK, I’d suggest looking at the ISHRS site’s physician search. Good luck.

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Scar Length

I am 25 and about a Norwood 2. Of 10 Uncles, father and Grandparents, one has been a Norwood 5 (mom’s father) the rest 2/3 or 4. My father had no hair loss. I had a hair tranpslant a year ago. It is pretty good, however there is not as much density in my temples as i would like. The doctor transplanted 600-800 hairs, and the scar left behinid is about 4 inches – it seems like a long scar (I have quite dense hair). Is this a normal lenght for such a small hair graft? I have been for a consultation and have been told that I have at least 7000 hairs remaining on the back of my head. I am considering if I should have more grafts in the temples, but i am not sure if i should, considering i am not sure how much more hair i will lose. Would another transplant of about 600 hairs make a huge difference? I would love to have the hair line if possible, but I am not sure what to do. Also, I am on Proscar, is it as effective as propecia, and does it REALLY stop further hair loss in the front hair line (temples and or the mid area?) Thank you.

If you are taking Proscar, make sure you cut the pills into 1/4 or 1/5th size. The higher does could cause more side effects.

Your narrative above leaves me uncomfortable. As a Norwood Class 2, I would want to see you before I draw conclusions. Temple hair transplants in a Class 2 is unusual. That bothers me a bit. Can you send me digital pictures to the email address on the Contact page, or come in for a consultation with me?

Scar length reflects the size of the area removed. For 800 grafts and a 1.2 cm width, the scar might be 4 inches in length but should not be more than 1-3mm wide in normal healing. I can not comment on your remaining supply, other than to guess that with normal densities and normal laxities, a man should be able to supply 8,000 grafts of 16,000 hairs from the sides and back of the head. This number can vary between patients.


2005-12-15 15:44:31Scar Length

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The Entire Family Is Losing Hair

My wife and I and our 6-year-old and 3-year-old are experiencing all the same symptoms. We have owned our house for 8 years and we lived in it for 5 years before we moved out of state for 2 years. We left it the home fully furnished with a neighbor checking in for us every month. We are back living in our house for about a year, and we all started losing our hair 1 week ago. We all noticed that we started losing hair within one week of each other! What is going on? I can’t believe that no one person who has had this problem has not come back to update us! Does this just mean there is no hope for answers and a positive outcome?

There is clearly something that is causing this common problem, such as Black Mold growing in the house or toxic chemicals in the ground or air.

Speak with your doctor and ask to have someone from the department of health to look into it for you. There has to be a cause for this.


2018-08-15 09:21:53The Entire Family Is Losing Hair

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Sebowash

Four months back i had thick and shiny hair, then it started off falling very severly. I then went to a dermatologist. He advised me SeboWash, but there are many side effects with its usage, so now i am in dilema whether to use it or not. Is it safe to use?

As your dermatologist prescribed Sebowash (fluocinolone acetonide), I suggest you see that doctor ASAP to address your concerns.

Here’s info I found about SeboWash at CiplaDoc.com —

  1. Sebowash is to be used as directed by the physician. It is for external use only. Avoid contact with the eyes. In case of contact, wash eyes liberally with water.
  2. This medication should not be used for any disorder other than that for which it was prescribed.
  3. The treated scalp area should not be bandaged or otherwise covered or wrapped so as to be occlusive unless directed by the physician.
  4. Patients should report to their physician any signs of local adverse reactions.
  5. Discard contents after three (3) months.

And here’s a little more from Wikipedia —

Fluocinolone acetonide is a corticosteroid primarily used in dermatology to reduce skin inflammation and relieve itching. It is a synthetic hydrocortisone derivative. The fluorine substitution at position 9 in the steroid nucleus greatly enhances its activity. A typical dosage strength used in dermatology is 0.01–0.025%. One such cream is sold under the brand name Flucort-N and includes the antibiotic neomycin.

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Why Does Estrogen Stop Hair Loss? (from Reddit)

Women who have the same genetics as men don’t lose all of their hair in patterns because they have high estrogen levels, which protect their hair, and low testosterone. This is not rocket science. The best treatment for hair loss is to have your testicles taken off before you start losing your hair and then your hair will react to its genetic as a female would do. Very radical of course and not something I am suggesting.

We need to seriously find out why Estrogen can grow a hair full of head in a NW5 man… why aren’t scientists focusing on that? Anyone done any research on this? from tressless


2018-09-19 06:11:50Why Does Estrogen Stop Hair Loss? (from Reddit)

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Sensigraft and Folligraft

Hello Dr. Rassman. I wanted to thank you for having this blog and answering questions.

Sorry this is long, but…I’m a 27 year old guy who’s been receeding for 6-7 years, it quickly became a Norwood 5 and stayed there. What’s worse is I have a preppy, young looking face and overall appearance (which I enjoy and would like to keep), so the baldness clashes even more. I currently wear a fairly good hairpiece, but want to find a relatively permanent and hassle free solution, which brings me to my main question.

Have you heard anything about the non-surgical hair replacements like Folligraft and Sensigraft? I haven’t been able to find much information online either way (I always look for other places not on their website, so I know it’s not a marketing scam). My main concern is if it “breathes” to where you can sweat without being uncomfortable or itching (that’s a slight drawback of the hairpiece). The other would be the approximate cost, since I can’t afford a good HT. I obviously don’t want to blow a couple thousand dollars I barely have on something that may not even completely work, but I’d like to be able to have something more versatile (i.e. different hairstyles or able to be more comfortably active).

If I want to have the friendly youthful look, would you recommend staying with the ‘piece and save up for a good HT, or for hair cloning if it (hopefully) becomes available in the future? Or are the cosmetic treatments an idea worth looking into?

There is a fair amount of material on these websites — Folligraft.com and Sensigraft.com. Both appear to be like a membrane that is glued to the scalp. The scalp must be shaved to apply the Folligraft membrane and the manufacturer claims that it is porous so that the membrane may cut down on the sweating. As the hair grows, it almost certainly will impact the security of the membrane. It sounds like it requires a great deal of maintenance, probably driving up the costs, but clearly you can check them out at their websites and go from there.

If anyone uses either of these, I welcome your comments… but I don’t have any personal experience with them.

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Excercising Head Muscles Stops Hair from Falling Out?

Hi doc, Im 23 I have always had a naturally high forehead with thin blond hair but over the last year or so Ive noticed that my windows peak is more prominent than usual and the sides of it are ‘coming in’ a bit so I have a small strip at the front of my head and very high temples. I have been paranoid about my hairline since about 16 and recently it just seems it that its actually beggining to recede. Baldness does not run in my family btw! Im not sure if its my imagination but the hair on top my head does no longer feel as thick as the sides. My question is:

Are there any renowned H/T doctors in the UK i could look into? And also is the hair transplanted permanent or will that eventually fall out? Ive read somewhere that excersizing the muscles in your forehead and scalp can help reverse balding (something to do with circulation – ie: why do bald men have hair at the side and back – is it because eating everyday works these muscles?) Proffessionaly speaking – is there any evidence in that?

This is another great rumor about hair loss, ranking right up there with hats and naughty thoughts causing hair loss. Hair loss is caused by a combination of hormones (DHT mostly) and genetics (in combination with hormones even if it does not run in your family). Transplanted hair is permanent because it comes from an area of the scalp that is genetically pre-programmed to be resistant to the main hormone that causes hair loss, namely, DHT (DiHydroTestosterone). Therefore, with the possible exception of some rare disorders, it will not fall out.

Incidentally, there are muscles at the back of your neck and on the sides, but none to speak of on the actual scalp. Exercising the muscles in your forehead will give you wrinkles and a really strong eyebrow raise when you want it, but unfortunately will do nothing for your hair. There are surgical procedures that can lower the hairline. For doctors in this field all over the world, go to ISHRS.org, but keep in mind that each and every doctor needs to be evaluated by you very carefully. It is very important to do your own research.


2006-03-20 16:50:13Excercising Head Muscles Stops Hair from Falling Out?

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Sexual Dysfunction Side Effect from Finasteride Diminishes Over Years

Greetings Dr. Rassman,

I’m one of your patients (procedure in 3/07). Things are going well. You gave me a bottle of Propecia to try and I just started taking it about 3 days ago. I had been holding off taking it until I did some more reading (OK – I’m a slow reader)

I found this article; I thought it might be a good addition to your Blog:

MedicalNewsToday.com – Finasteride For Prostate Cancer Only Short-Term Risk For Sexual Dysfunction

Best regards

Thank you for the information. Of note, the article reports:

The 2003 results of that trial, conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group in more than 18,000 men, showed that finasteride could reduce a man’s chances of getting prostate cancer by almost 25 percent.

and…

The authors, who surveyed more than 17,000 men 55 and older for seven years, reported their results in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. … The study suggests that finasteride will cause little or no sexual dysfunction for most men who decide to take it, conclude the authors.

The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute. Citation: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djm023


2007-08-21 13:35:33Sexual Dysfunction Side Effect from Finasteride Diminishes Over Years