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Did Actor Joel McHale Have a Hair Transplant?

I just ran across a collection of photos on some celeb gossip site. I never realized Joel McHale from The Soup and Community had hair issues, but his hair looks good now. What do you think, did he have a hair transplant?

Joel McHale

The change you see in the photo on the left (with an isolated forelock and hair loss around it) to the photo on the right (with a full frontal hairline) is often what I see when I do a hair transplant. I would think that he had a good transplant job done. Now it looks like a mature hairline as opposed to someone going through frontal hair loss. If I were the surgeon, I would have produced a slightly less concave shape bringing down the corners about another 1/4 inch.

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Procerin Info

Dan wrote…

a website called consumer-review.net/hair-loss.html rates a product called procerin higher than propecia, procerin’s website, procerin.com elaborates on their product. I was getting ready to order some procerin, when my wife heard your ad on the radio and I checked out your website, and read about dutasteride. Are you familiar with procerin ? Also could a dermatoligist prescribe dutasteride to patients before it has fda approval ? please advise

The product you described, like many other similar products, adhere to a very loose standard for the health food additives which are naturally found in the environment. There are many natural herbs that are poisonous as well. There is no requirement for any of these products to prove effectiveness or safety, unlike those that go through the rigorous FDA process. This is the reason that I maintain what I believe is a healthy skepticism for these ‘natural’ products. The same is true for my attitude for prescribing dutasteride for hair loss, which has not been shown to be both safe and effective for hair loss. I am familiar with hearsay reports that the libido impact is greater for dutasteride than with Propecia and the drug has a very long half life, which means that it takes months to get out of your system. If you should take dutasteride and develop a libido problem (for example), it may take 6-12 months for it to rectify, while with Propecia is would disappear in days. I personally would not be against prescribing dutasteride, but I have not done so yet. My motto, like any good doctor’s philosophy must be “Above all, do no harm”.

Also, it should be noted that the link on that consumer-review.net site you mentioned is an affiliate link to the Procerin site, meaning that Procerin pays that site if people use their link to buy the product. In that regard, it would seem that it’s in that site’s best interest to highly recommend Procerin.

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Did Propecia Make Me Shrink in Height?

Hello Mr Rassmann,

I wonder if propecia causes to lose bone density.Maybe it seems unreasonable to you but after I have started using propecia at 17 years old, I believe that my height decreased.I am 20 right now. My height was 6ft 1 and now it is 6 ft.Is that possible? My last question is does propecia affect muscle size and muscle growth.I also think my muscles become weaker since I have been using that medication.

Thank you for your help

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) should not impact bone growth or muscle mass. It sounds like you need to see your doctor to get to the bottom of your problem. The solution is not with me over the internet.

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Propecia and Ejaculation

For the first time ever when I ejaculated I noticed it has a strange yellow discoloration. Can this be a side effect of propecia? If so, should I quit taking it or lower my dosage?

Some people report that the quantity of the ejaculate is less when taking Propecia. Maybe the reduced volume is responsible for the change in color. The reports on the quality (potency)of the sperm indicate that is just as effective at lower quantities. Taking a lower dose pf Propecia makes no sense if you want the full benefit of the drug, but unofficial reports indicate that half the dose (1/2 mg) will be 80% as effective. Since you are concerned, I’d suggest paying a visit to the prescribing doctor to find out what he/she recommends.


2007-04-04 12:32:26Propecia and Ejaculation

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Difference Between Androgenetic Alopecia and Female Baldness?

What is the difference between androgenetic alopecia and female baldness???

Androgenic alopecia is due to androgenic hormones, such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Male baldness is predominantly caused by androgenic alopecia and drugs such as finasteride (which block DHT) can help. Drugs like finasteride do not usually help women, because the androgens in a woman are often not responsible for the hair loss. It is worth noting that we all have DHT, and it is just that some men are genetically susceptible to DHT and its affect on hair.

Androgenic alopecia has a distinctive balding pattern, as classified by the Norwood Chart:

Norwood Chart

 

Female alopecia also has a distinctive balding pattern, as classified by the Ludwig Scale:

 

While a minority of females have balding caused by androgenic alopecia, the cause of the majority of female balding is not yet clearly understood. As such, there is no clear medical treatment for the majority of female balding. At best, doctors try to rule out other causes of balding by searching for common medical conditions that may cause balding as its symptoms. This also applies to men when they do not have male pattern baldness. These medical conditions include anemia, thyroid conditions, and many more. What is more frustrating is that even when a medical condition that may contribute to the hair loss is found and corrected hair loss does not completely reverse and patients continue to lose their hair. This suggests that female hair loss is genetic (just as male hair loss is genetic).


2008-08-29 11:26:32Difference Between Androgenetic Alopecia and Female Baldness?

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Propecia and Provillus Combination

ProvillusI would really like to know if its a bad idea to take propecia and another hair loss treatment Provillus at the same time. I’ve been doing it for a month now and hair loss has only increased. Provillus has saw palmetto in it, a DHT inhibitor, could all this be too much and making things worse. I’m using rogain as well.

I have reviewed the ingredients in Provillus and there is nothing in it that should react with Propecia (finasteride) or Rogaine (minoxidil) adversely from that I can see.

The claims by the company are hard to believe, because they lack scientific study. The FDA may gripe over the claims of DHT blocking, but I am not a government agency.

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“Diffuse thinning as hair loss is the worst”

I feel as though I’d rather recede than diffuse all over top. Just so it’s easier to estimate a future transparent. My hair is long on top and when dry, it looks thick like Joe Jonas hair. When wet you can see the diffuse thing and patchy areas. I’m only thinning on top. I do have a recede hair line in the temples, but it’s not bad/I’ve had it since I was 18 – with actually fully thick hair. I’m 25 now. Been on fin and min for almost a year.

You should see a doctor. Diffuse thinning is a difficult problem and needs an assessment by an expert, like me. I would do a HAIRCHECK to see if I would find a pattern to your hair loss thinning (https://baldingblog.com/haircheck-test-how-it-is-done-and-what-its-value/). To find one in your area see ISHRS.org.


2019-12-10 10:59:15“Diffuse thinning as hair loss is the worst”

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Propecia and Working Out

Hi.

I’m 35 and loosing hair. It’s likely that Propecia could be one good solution. However, from what I understand Propecia blocks DHT by limiting the creation of testosterone which is why it can stop balding process.

Now, I am working out seriously 4 times a week and trying to add on muscle. Muscle growth is due to testoterone. My question: how can my work out be still beneficial in terms of muscle growth if the testosterone is lowered because of use of Proprecia.

Thanks for your time.

Propecia does not decrease testosterone. It decreases the byproduct of testosterone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is what is implicated in male pattern hair loss. Taking Propecia increases testosterone by about 15% and benefit (although not proven) muscle building. Propecia can also apparently be used to mask muscle enhancers. You may recall from the recent Olympic games the controversy surrounding Propecia — Olympic Athlete Banned from Competition for Propecia Use.


2006-07-12 10:32:47Propecia and Working Out

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Dishonest Doctors Are Still Out There

I am 23 years old and I want to tell you my story. I was worried sick as I saw my hairline starting to climb. I went to a doctor in Toronto who said that I was going to go bald and needed to take swift action to prevent it. After listening to him, I went into a panic, took out most of the money I saved to go to graduate school and got transplanted with 2700 grafts. The doctor lowered my hairline also (about 1/4 inch) as well and transplanted the entire front, top and back of my head. I did some comparative shopping when I was investigating who to see about my problem and found that the price he was charging me was very competitive at slightly under $4/graft Canadian ($10,000 in cash). After the transplant was done, I found my hair falling out faster than before. The doctor told me that the new hair will replace far more than I lost and that I was lucky to get to him before the the hair had fallen out. It is now 10 months since my surgery and I am worse off now than before the surgery. I have less hair and a hairline that is nothing like the pictures the doctor showed me when I was shopping. I am very depressed, so much so that I feel that what I did to myself has created a monster. I needed to tell someone about this, but I am not sure what I am asking of you. What would you advise your son to do if he screwed up like this?

This is a tragic story, one that is hopefully not common today. To be blunt, you got taken advantage of. To do 2700 grafts on a 23 year old with little or no balding and only a receding hairline is not only malpractice, but (in my opinion) it is criminal. You got scammed and fleeced. The doctor who preyed upon you took advantage of his position, breached the Hippocratic Oath and probably violated the law.

I speak over and over again on the importance of commanding this process. You need to meet patients directly, one on one, and see the results for yourself. You need to examine the practice of the doctor you are intending to do the surgery to find out about his/her ethics. Their patients will tell you what you want to know. I can remember an unethical, scummy medical facility from many years ago that gave out a list of patients to call for references. I knew that these doctors were crooks, so when I got the list, I called down the list of patients. What each and every person on the list told me was that they would never recommend their doctor, that they were deformed by that doctor and that they felt cheated, raped, and ripped off. What I also learned from the patient victim that gave me the list is that he never called the patients on that list, because he assumed that these people were 500 good references for the doctor — clearly not the case.

What you should have learned here is that you must protect yourself from the unethical doctors out there. I would certainly notify the governmental agency that controls the doctor’s license. In America, you can file suit and clean up if this was the criminal process that it sounds like. Elective cosmetic surgery is a Buyer Beware business. There are good doctors out there who do practice ethical medicine. So for our audience of readers, I hope that you learn from this young man’s mistake — learn that it is your job to research your doctor before you buy.

I feel empathy for you. If you would like to talk with me, please set up a conference with me at 800-NEW-HAIR.

For more information, please see:

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Propecia Is Growing Hairs, But Can I Still Have a Transplant?

Hi Dr. Rassman! Propecia is slowly regrowing some hair on the front half of my head, and even a few in the hairline. If I were to get a transplant to “fill in the gaps” one the new hair is regrown, will it go through shock loss or should the Propecia protect it like it usually does?

Yes, you can have a hair transplant to the balding area while you are being treated with Propecia. The drug should prevent shock hair loss if you do have the surgery, but the timing of transplants should be tied to a Master Plan which will ensure your long term results. The timing includes just how much of the balding area is transplanted and this depends upon not only the donor density, but the size of the balding area now (and in the future) as defined by a good mapping of your scalp for miniaturization. I cannot answer your specific question as it applies to your problem without an examination, because really it depends on:

  • Your expectations.
  • The degree of miniaturization you currently have and the extent of that miniaturization process.
  • The length of time treated with minoxidil and/or finasteride.

Your worst case scenario should be put in front of you, and this will depend upon your age, your expectations, possible donor scarring for strip harvesting, your family history and who you take after, etc. Get the point?