Category: Uncategorized

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I Want to Sue My Hair Transplant Doctor!

Dr. Rassman,

Hi doctor. I wish I could be writing to you under different circumstances, but I’ve got a major problem that I need some advice on. I had a hair transplant with a doctor here in Canada about 10 months ago and I really, really hate the results. This doctor completely ruined my appearance. I’m considering legal action due to what I feel are unethical practices. A couple thousand dense-packed grafts were placed in the hairline (some of them were placed at the wrong angles), and many 2-hair grafts were also placed there. My hair is dark and coarse, so it just does not look right! I’m considering electrolysis to try to undo this and maybe start over elsewhere. I need help!

Electrolysis

It is quite hard to remove hair by electrolysis and lasers without creating hypopigmentation (loss of skin color) in the area where the grafts are taken out. Surgically removing the hairline could work, but it would require real expertise in doing this. Hairs transplanted in the wrong direction / angle should be a real concern and some of the solutions can be as difficult to achieve as the actual problem you are trying to solve.

I always tell the patients I see to talk with their doctor. Most doctors care about the results you got and the doctor should be able to address your problem in detail. I always tell patients that the good news and the bad news about a hair transplant is that it is permanent. It is very hard to undo them if they are not done properly. I couldn’t tell you if legal action is the way to go — what I can do is try to help get you back to normal looking. You do have a very real problem, but I would have to see you in-person to determine what can be done to help your particular case. Whatever happens, you must know and set realistic expectations on what can be achieved with any ‘repair’ that you undergo.

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I Was Diagnosed with Mild Alopecia Areata After I Was Prescribed Propecia

Im 24 and I noticed my hair thinning approximately two years ago. However it was hardly noticable. My dermatologist said it was due to hereditary and put me on Propecia. About three months later my hair began to fall out rapidly (about 200 plus hairs in the shower alone) from all over my head. It later slowed down to around 80 plus in the shower and has been consistently falling out at this rate for around a year. It seems to be affecting the top of my head more that the sides but it is hard to tell since it is diffuse loss. I saw a hair specialist who diagnosed me with mild diffuse Alopecia Areata. He prescribed a topical to apply once at night which in a few weeks stopped my hair loss completely. My question is will the hair I’ve lost ever grow back?

The diagnosis of diffuse alopecia areata is best made with a skin biopsy. Have you had that done? You have two diagnosis of genetic balding and alopecia areata…. both are not good from a hair loss perspective, but both can be treated. You need a confirmed diagnosis first and foremost. The treatment of alopecia areata is highly specialized. Some doctors use steroids to suppress the reaction in hope that the autoimmune process can be reversed. I wrote about a special treatment for this disease before — see Alopecia Areata in a Patient with a Miracle Cure (with Photos).

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I Wonder If My Forelock Will Remain

I wonder how persistent the forelock is. My father – 55 now, has a receded hairline (V) shaped. It has thinned in the frontal region in recent years, but no real crown thinning.

My question: I’m 24, and already have a deep V shaped hairline, but I wonder how permanent it will remain? Or, whether the forelock can be expected to disappear as well.

Also, what extend does baldness proceed? Who makes it to a norwood 7 pattern?

You need a good diagnosis, including miniaturization mapping and a solid measurement of the hair bulk in the top and crown of your head. The same can be done for the forelock to let you know if you are actually losing hair in the forelock now. As a generality, if the forelock remains strong by the time you are 30 years old, then you may keep it into the years to come. As for percentages of men that make it to the advanced balding stages, see here.

At 24 years old, you need good metrics that should be repeated every year, and with what you report (your deep V hairline) you should consider finasteride. Talk to your doctor, as it is a prescription medication.

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If I Don’t Like SMP to My Donor Scar, Can I Have FUE Into It Later?

Hi, if you do scalp micropigmentation to correct a donor scar with non-permanent ink. Can you later do FUE into that scar afterwards if you don’t like the results of the micro pigmentation. How long do you have to wait before doing it ? Must all pigments be faded ? Are there any risks ?

Thanks

Since we have been performing Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP), there have been various clinics that started offering something like SMP, but with non-permanent ink. Non-permanent ink is just like makeup or just drawing something on your head with a pen, in my opinion, so you don’t have to worry about other procedures (it will erase off like a pen eventually).

On the other hand, SMP is permanent… but like all tattoos or cosmetic/medical pigments, it fades to a lighter color over the years. You may need a touch up, but it will NOT just erase. SMP is great to disguise an old hair transplant scar if you are going to shave your head or buzz it short with a zero guard.

There is no issue if you choose to have another hair transplant (strip or FUE) after the SMP, or even transplant into the scar if that is what you want. It just means that there will be more scars (linear scar from strip or hundreds of FUE scars) and you will need to pay and go through the entire SMP process over again if you want to hide the new scars. Very few patients have actually had another transplant into the scar, because our satisfaction rate is extremely high.

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If I Quit Smoking, Will My Hair Regrow?

While it is a reasonable hypothesis that smoking can cause hair loss, will giving up smoking lead to/assist in hair regrowth – or is the damage that has been done by smoking permanent? i.e is it reversible?
Thanks in advance.

Generally it is believed that damage from smoking is additive. We know that about the lungs, heart disease, and emphysema. We also know that for those that stop smoking, the additive impact does slow or stop, but the smoking-induced coronary disease or emphysema does not go away. Now if you extend that logic to hair loss, then by stopping your smoking, you may stop whatever balding smoking is causing, but it would not reverse.

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If I’m a Norwood 1 in My Late 20s, How Likely Is That to Be My Final Pattern?

Hello,

I am curious about something. I have read several of your blog entries where you write something like “if at this age somebody doesnt look like pattern X, fully advancing to pattern Y seems unlikely”. I would consider myself looking like Norwood 1, perhaps a bit from 2. I have to completely pull back my hair to notice a tiny hint of a corner recession, and I have had that since I was 17 (I am 29 now). Men from the mother’s side all have full hair, men from the father’s side tend to start balding. However, my father started to bald at something like 23, and never had hair as strong as mine. On top of that, I can still see a few (rather thick) hairs left from what used to be my juvenile hairline (which was really low).

Now, I know a definitive needs to be done with scalp mapping and bulk measurement, but statistically, with the hair status I have, how likely is it that my final pattern will be norwood 3 or higher?

At the age of 29, I can not tell you what is going to happen to you over the next 10 years. It’s possible the tiny bit of corner recession you see is actually just a matured hairline. Without photos, I have no way to know what you’re seeing. I don’t have a statistic to give you, but it is possible to remain a Norwood class 1 for years.

The best way to estimate what will happen to you is to look at your family pattern. If neither side has balding and you are presently a Norwood 1, then it would be likely that you will remain without any significant loss for years. But since your father’s side has some balding, you very well could have the genes. That said, I wouldn’t worry about unless you start to see some thinning.


2013-03-08 15:14:49If I’m a Norwood 1 in My Late 20s, How Likely Is That to Be My Final Pattern?

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If Propecia Can’t Stop Progressive Hair Loss, How Can it Regrow Hair?

If Propecia eventually can’t stop the natural hair loss progression, then how does that explain it growing hair again in people who take it?

Every drug has limitations. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) has its greatest effect in the first two years, but it’s important to note that it still works even after those first two years by slowing the hair loss. The drug may reverse hair loss in younger men, particularly if the loss occurred within the past couple of years.


2008-05-09 10:51:02If Propecia Can’t Stop Progressive Hair Loss, How Can it Regrow Hair?

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If you think that finasteride is not working!

Before i started fin my hair was okay, diffuse thinning but i could hide it really well. After i got on fin, my hair got way worse, especially after a month of using it. People started making comments, stuff i never used to hear. I started thinking the drug was making my hair worse. Now i’m 2 and a half months in, and my hair is sooo much better. I don’t even have to try to hide my hair anymore, or do any special hair styles to hide my thinning. I’m excited to see what my hair will look like 6 months in. Don’t lose hope

The key with this drug is persistence. Stay the course and most people see value either with slowing the hair loss, stopping it and occasionally reversing the hair loss


2021-03-02 07:39:29If you think that finasteride is not working!

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I’m 17 Years Old and Just Found a Bald Spot!

I just recently noticed a bald spot on the back of my head. I’m only 17, and both of my parents (who are in their mid 40’s) are yet to show any signs of baldness. Yet, I appear to be going bald before I’m legally even adult.

If you guys could help me out, that would be great. I’m sort of freaking out right now. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much!

It could be early balding or possibly something else. Genetic balding can skip generations and come from either side of the family line, so just because your parents aren’t showing any hair loss, it doesn’t mean you’re automatically in the clear.

I strongly suggest that you see a good doctor and get a proper diagnosis. Sorry, there’s not much I can offer you advice-wise beyond that.