Category: Uncategorized

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Teen Using Procerin to Try to Regrow Hairline

Hello, I am now 17 and I’ve noticed my hair loss (or receding hairline) about a year ago. The strands of hair around my hairline are uneven with the rest of my head and I knew it’s not gonna last long.

I’ve tried Procerin for the past 3 weeks now (since it seemed like the “safest” way for treating it) but I still shed the same amount of hair than before I started taking it. So much for that.

Then I started to read about stem cell treatments that might come in the next few years, and it sounds promising. Do you think I should wait until cell injection treatments are available? Or am I just fooling myself and should I go with treatments like Rogaine?

ProcerinAt 17 years old, I wouldn’t be surprised if what you’re seeing is a maturing hairline. Have you seen a doctor or are you just treating yourself with over the counter supplements? You might not be experiencing male pattern hair loss, but rather, the maturation of your hairline (a totally normal part of getting older when your hairline goes from juvenile to mature). For more on that, see here.

Procerin is essentially saw palmetto (an herbal that hasn’t been scientifically proven to stop hair loss, though many people on the internet swear by it) with a fancy label and some added vitamins. You can learn more about Procerin here. You’ve only used it for a few weeks, but I wouldn’t expect it to do much for your hairline regardless of how long you used it. Rogaine is proven to regrow hair, but I wouldn’t expect much in the hairline from that either (works best in the crown).

Future treatments are just that — future. There’s no timetable for them to actually make it to market. We’ve been hearing hair cloning would be popular by now, yet it is still in the early stages of trials. We’ve been hearing the cure would be available by now, yet there is no such magical elixir, pill, or lotion available. It’s up to you to decide how long you want to wait for something to maybe become available.

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Genetic Markers for Balding? (from Reddit)

A 2017 gene study of 52,000 40-69 year old males tried to identify genes associated with balding, and they identified over 250 genetic markers common in bald men. They then tried to use it to predict MPB with some success. Total of 61% in the lowest risk group had hair loss, with 14% of it being severe. The highest risk had 58% with moderate to severe loss. https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006594

Even after identifying this many genes its far from perfect. We can logically deduce it’s more likely that there is no MPB gene. Genetics increase susceptibility, but that applies to everything else. This also explains why most old men will exhibit recession, and why everyone recedes to different extents.

Interesting. Thanks for the information.

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Telogen Shedding Years After Genetic Hair Loss Was Detected?

I have heard that early androgenetic alopecia can present itself as an episodic telogen shedding. Can this happen also at an advanced stage, say, 8-9 years after AA was first detected?

Genetic balding first presents with miniaturization in those that are impacted. The miniaturization usually is progressive with thinning hairs that can be seen by a doctor’s video scope and the hair bulk can be measured with the HairCheck instrument. Continued shedding is common, as the hair loss process is progressive

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Girl Told Me I’d Be Ugly Bald

I responded with, “If I go bald, then I’ll just have to deal with it and go on with life”. It felt so empowering to embrace the fact that I might be bald someday. If she thinks I’m ugly, then that leaves another 4 billion potential females who might find me attractive. This girl and I are just friends by the way and I don’t think she knows my hair is thinning.

Society has prejudices. This is well illustrated in two observations: (1) Since Eisenhower was president, no president has been elected that has been bald because society thinks that bald men can’t be trusted. Men’t Fitness magazine did a study that showed that society felt different about bald men vs hairy men. I think that is why our sexy movies stars have good hairlines. (2) I ran a talk radio show called The Inner Man for a year in Los Angeles. Although my focus was not hair issues but religion, sex or social issues, I remember one show where I talked about hair and societies attitudes about it. One man called in and he was the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for a Billion dollar company (he did not say who he was just what he did). He told me that he would never hire a bald man because bald people couldn’t be trusted. As a side note, he said he was completely bald but he was trustworthy, different than everyone else.

People who are superficial don’t look below the surface of most things (balding included). I am sure that your ‘girl’ friend would not abandon her friendship with you if you started losing hair. She would be very supportive.

 


2020-04-20 17:49:37Girl Told Me I’d Be Ugly Bald

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Can Propecia Cause Problems With My Endocrine System

Dr.Rassman, I’m thinking of trying Propecia. In your medical opinion can taking it long term also decrease total testosterone and bioavialble testosterone? I’m worried about it causing problems to my endocrine system.

Propecia is used by millions of men everyday and there does not appear to be any issues with their endocrine system. Testosterone levels often rise when a person is on Propecia.

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Testing Hormones Before Starting Propecia

Do you think its a good idea to get all your hormones tested before propecia so you have a baseline to compare against? Propecia can raise estrogen, testosterone, and aromatase levels because of the lower DHT which helps balance these right?

There is no need to test your hormones before taking Propecia. While your theory may be valid, there would be no value in measuring high or low hormone levels. Why? Of course some values may be high or low, but what will you do if they are? Stop taking the medication? On the contrary, you are taking the medication to change some of these hormone levels! More specifically, the DHT hormone levels. So in the end, the hormone measurements only end up being a matter of curiosity which has been extensively studied by scientists before the drug was approved by the FDA.

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Hair Loss And Chemotherapy – The Cold Cap

I am about to undergo Chemotherapy for breast cancer and I have been told that I will lose my hair. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?

We have written about a device called the Cold Cap before HERE

Many patients over the years have written to us about the successful use of the Cold Cap at preventing hair loss from Chemotherapy. You can review our previous posts on the subject. For reasons unclear to me, I have been told that many cancer oncologists resist this approach under the analysis that if there is metastasis in the tumor, the reduction of blood flow to the scalp limits the amount of chemo-drugs to the scalp skin. The value of not loosing ones hair seems far more advantageous to a remote risks that were brought up by some opposing doctors.

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The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery

Dr. Rassman
Firstly let me tell you how much I have enjoyed your blog comments for the many young men and women suffering from hairloss. I am a 33 yr old male, who is scheduled for hair transplant surgery in a month. I have learned from your comments and want to ask you some questions. I have hair loss in the frontal/tempural area with thinning in the crown area. The thinning has improved since I started taking Propecia last year, no side effects thank God.

  1. Is 33 a good age?
  2. My doctor is Dr. [name removed] and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. Can you give me an opinion on this qualifications?
  3. I was concerned with scars, and felt comfortable since he is also a Plastic Surgeon, is my assumption correct?
  4. I am also concerned with shock fall. Is it permanent? How much help does Propecia offer?
  5. My doctor has not done a miniturization study on my scalp, that concerns me, although he did examine me the first time and I am scheduled for anohter consult. Should I request this?
  6. I also use Nizoral shampoo, and it seems to help, what have you heard about the benefits of this product if any?

Lastly, coming from a father that is a Vascular Surgeon, I know that confidence in the physician is important. I just did not get a second opinion, and have been trying to educate myself as much as possible. I feal my chances are pretty good, I hope to get strong results. I thank you again for your comments and help you offer on-line…..with the high pace life physicians lead its unlikely. I commend you for that.

Your father is correct in stating that confidence in your physician is very important. That being said, BaldingBlog is not a place for a medical second opinion. You should either address these issues with doctor or formally make an appointment with another hair transplant surgeon for the second opinion.

Credentials are important and being a member of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery may make it more probable that he is a good doctor. I am familiar with doctors with such credentials who I would not have as a surgeon, though. I, for example, have refused to become a member of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery because there is no formalized training for the accepted doctors and no peer review for what they do. When I received my credentials for General Surgery, I had completed 5 years of formalized, supervised training before I was allowed to take a series of written and oral examinations. The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery credential only requires that the surgeon does 100 surgeries (without any supervision) and pass a written (very easy) examination. That does not make them qualified in my eyes. Now with that said, many of the doctors who have received the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery credentials are good doctors and quite competent, while some are not. It continues to be a buyer beware situation for the hair transplant buyer (see: The Truth About Cheap Hair Transplants).

I have addressed shock hair loss before. Propecia in a balding male will reduce the risks of shock hair loss. If Nizoral shampoo is working for you, then use it. I feel strongly on the mapping out of the scalp for miniaturization. I do not like doing things blindly, because then I really could not lay out a good Master Plan.

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I Just Started To Lose Hair Possibly From Taking Hormones

I started to lose your hair this July. About that time I also went on hormones, DHEA, and antibiotics. Could these medications have caused my hair loss. I recently stopped taking these medications and think that the loss may have slowed and some reversal may be going on. Is this possible

I believe that considering the short period of use and the known relationships between DHEA and hair loss, it is reasonable to expect that the hair loss you had might be related to the medication. You think that the hair loss is reversing upon stopping the medication so it is reasonable to expect that your progress will continue. You need to determine the status of your hair in and around your head, get the hair and scalp mapped out for miniaturization and hair bulk with the HAIRCHECK instrument. From changes in hair thickness (in bulk) you will know where you are going with your hair loss and if it has stabilized. Good hair transplant doctors’ offices will do these test for you.