Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

In the News — Prescription Drugs Can be Dangerous!

Snippet from CNN article:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday ordered the makers of certain antibiotics to add a “black box” label warning — the FDA’s strongest — to alert patients of possible tendon ruptures and tendonitis.

“The new language will strengthen the existing warnings,” said Dr. Edward Cox, director of the FDA’s Office of Antimicrobial Products.

The FDA is requiring the label warnings and a medication guide for fluoroquinolone drugs, which include Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Noroxin and Floxin.

Full article — FDA orders ‘black box’ label on some antibiotics

This is another non-hair loss related post, but an important one that needs to be addressed. One of my most challenging problems are requests by friends to just prescribe an antibiotic for them for their flu symptoms. These friends feel that what they asked had no side effects and no risks so I should not be concerned. It just makes me slap my head sometimes.

The above referenced article shows that commonly used antibiotics which include Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Noroxin and Floxin have dangerous side effects. If we really knew all of the side effects, I am sure there would be more. The best thing to do is to take NO DRUGS unless the doctor knows what he/she is treating and the risks of treatment. Too many drugs that were thought to be safe are now known to be unsafe. Many of these drugs are killers. A good doctor earns his wage by not prescribing drugs at the drop of a hat. Mull that over.


2008-07-09 16:03:59In the News — Prescription Drugs Can be Dangerous!

Posted on

I am a 24 years old and am thin throughout my scalp (photo)

My mother and aunt have a similar problem. What should I do?

Clearly you are very thin and have a see through appearance. If this is in the female side of your family, it is most likely genetic. First, you want to make sure that it is not caused by some medical condition.

Female hair loss is a difficult analysis and requires many tests, not just thyroid testing. I simply can not write a textbook on the subject on this site, but here’s a list of past posts that may help you understand what you’ve got going on:

  1. Female Genetic Hair Loss Is Different From Male Genetic Hair Loss
  2. Birth Control Pills and Hair Loss
  3. Woman With Thinning Hair After Family Tragedy
  4. Diseases Causing Women’s Hair Loss
  5. Female Hair Loss

The first step in evaluating hair loss in women, after a detailed history and physical exam, is to rule out any underlying medical causes of hair loss which can be treated. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions and emotional stress. Furthermore, over 50% of women going through change of life hormone fluctuations (menopause) experience significant hair loss. It is also important to review the use of medications that may cause hair loss, such as (but not limited to) oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin, and prednisone. The following laboratory tests have been recommended to rule out the aforementioned medical conditions:

Some common blood tests for female hair loss:

  • Sex Hormone tests
  • SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) used to test status of male hormones
  • Estradiol is a sex hormone
  • FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) *not hair follicle but follicle in the ovary*
  • LH (Luteinizing Hormone) is a sex hormone
  • Free Testosterone
  • Total Testosterone
  • ANA (Anti Nuclear Antibody) used to test for Lupus or other autoimmune diseases
  • TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) used to test for hyper or hypo-thyroid disease
  • Test Iron status
  • TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity)
  • Ferritin
  • Iron

Assuming that you do not have a medical cause and it is genetic female hair loss as seen in your aunt and mother, then one of the better cosmetic treatments for this is Scalp Micropigmentation: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/smp-for-women/


2017-11-06 17:43:46I am a 24 years old and am thin throughout my scalp (photo)

Posted on

In the News – Soccer Star Wayne Rooney Gets His New Hairline Into a Video Game

Snippet from the article:

While it might be too late to shoot a new box cover for the UK version of FIFA 12, Electronic Arts managed to give Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney’s in-game model a quick makeover to reflect his recently transplanted hairline.

Read the rest — EA Sports Pioneers the In-Game Hair Transplant

Wayne Rooney has apparently been candid about his hair transplant, so I guess it is only fitting that the video game character representing him was updated for his new look. I think the new hairline still looks a bit too high (based on the photo in the article), but I would know for sure if we got a picture of his wrinkled forehead when he looks up.


2011-08-11 17:39:00In the News – Soccer Star Wayne Rooney Gets His New Hairline Into a Video Game

Posted on

28 year old female who has seen many doctors about her hair loss (from Reddit)

I have been to 4 different doctors about my hair loss and none of them gave me a diagnosis or treatment recommendation other than Rogaine. I am not happy with the results of the Rogaine and I want a solution to find out what is wrong with me and what can I do about it. Any suggestions you might offer will be helpful.

You most likely have some component of female genetic hair loss. I look at you and would ask: How can I help you if you came to see me. Assuming that your blood tests and medical history was clear of causes for hair loss, I would do the following:

1- Perform a hair transplant in the frontal 1 1/2 inches where there is clear balding

2- Perform Scalp Micropigmentation for the rest of your scalp where your hair is thinning as hair transplants don’t do well with thinning hair in women (see here: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/smp-for-women/)

See if you can find a doctor who can do both of these processes. If not, consider coming to Los Angeles, as we do offer travel subsidies.

female hair loss Tx plus SMP

Posted on

In the News – UK Sexual Advice Group Studies Erectile Concerns

Snippet from the non-hair-loss article:

More than two-thirds of men who contacted an email advice service run by a leading sexual advice charity had erection problems, which were frequently linked to loss of sex drive, according to research in the October issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

The study by UK researchers also found that a large number of men from the Middle East and Indian subcontinent sought email advice on problems with premature ejaculation and masturbation. Previous research has suggested that these issues are often related to arranged marriages.

Read the rest — Email Sexual Advice Study Highlights Problems Raised by Different Ages and Cultures

This isn’t about hair loss, but it’s interesting nonetheless. The frequency of libido or erectile dysfunction (ED) problems reported are far more common than previously thought. Granted the results are just from email surveys, but the report just scratches the surface of a common problem.

The real question is — how much of this reflects the physiology of these men? I suspect that the ED problems reflect not just the physiologic changes of aging, but of the social fabric that men fall into. Such things like alcohol consumption, depression, marriages that lost their vitality, etc… are amongst the problems that cause the libido and ED problems.

One particularly interesting bullet point from the article says that most of the masturbation related worries come from India, and I’d estimate 95%+ of the “masturbation causes hair loss” emails I get come from the same area (even though I’ve written over a dozen times that it is just a myth).


2011-10-09 10:58:31In the News – UK Sexual Advice Group Studies Erectile Concerns

Posted on

3 months microneedling + minoxidil (photo)

Very nice results from just using minoxidil plus microneedling. The corner hairline was the focus and the arrow shows his starting point


2020-12-17 09:05:433 months microneedling + minoxidil (photo)

Posted on

Increased Sex Drive on Finasteride and Watery Semen, Should I Keep on It?

The response to finasteride is variable long term. Everyone is different. I tell people that it is a balancing act, balancing the positive benefits and the negative side effects against each other. The decision here is, therefore, yours to make. If you had ED problems that got worse, I would tell you to stop the medication for risks of PFS, but for people with increased sex drives, there is no evidence that prolonged use of finasteride is a problem.


2020-05-11 09:07:04Increased Sex Drive on Finasteride and Watery Semen, Should I Keep on It?

Posted on

3 months on finasteride and minoxidil (photos)

This is an amazing sequence of photos taken every week for 9 weeks after starting on finasteride and minoxidil. If he keeps up on this routine, it looks like he will get his hair back


2021-01-11 11:39:163 months on finasteride and minoxidil (photos)

Posted on

Infection present at 12 weeks, will it harm my grafts?

I developed an infection and met with my doctor who put me on antibiotics. It seemed to get better. I am worried about it harming the grafts in the recipient area. Is that a problem?

It is hard to tell from the pictures if the infection is under control but your doctor will tell you that and you should see no significant pimples or redness. If the infection was promptly treated, it will not harm the grafts. The good news is I see early growth already.


2020-07-02 08:23:04Infection present at 12 weeks, will it harm my grafts?