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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Hair Loss

Several years I had hair loss patch the size of Half dollar and my two end finger nails were lines and pecked. I was diagonosed as having alopecia areata. Treatment w/ cortisone shots did not help. in last year or so I developed more of these loss of hair and sometimes it itches. I had biopsy done and the results “the findings are suggestive of (but not diagonostic for) collagen vascular disease such as lupus erythemaous. The blood test shows that I’m negative for Lupus. What is the outlook in terms of medication, regrowth and outlook? Is there any thing to grow hair? will a transplant work?

Sometime blood tests for SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) are not completely accurate. I recommended that you visit a rheumatologist to further your evaluation process. SLE is one of the many causes for hair loss. Hair can regrow if your cause is due to SLE or any reversible disease that arrests and then subsides. Some people will have lost their hair permanently, even if the disease goes away. Hair transplantation will not work if you have an active disease causing the hair loss, but if the disease is known and is not active, then a hair transplant will work, that is, unless it gets reactivated. Again, it is best to see a rheumatologist and a perhaps even a good dermatologist who focuses upon such problems.


2006-01-10 10:27:51Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Hair Loss

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FUE in Stress-Related Hair Loss

Rick asked…

Unlike the 62 year old man, I’ll soon be 48 & my loss started about the age of 25, gradually. Now, I am about a VI hair loss on this website’s Norwood Scale & will this new minimal hair transplant I saw on Ch. 4, Bruce Hensel, work for me ? I think the root cause(no pun intended !) is primarily stress. Many thanks in advance.

Stress is one of the four causes of hair loss in the genetically prone individual. Yes, the minimally invasive surgery, the FOX™ Procedure (Follicular Unit Extraction) can work, but before embarking upon that route, plan on a visit to a competent doctor’s office. If you are in California or the New York area, we have easy access. I assume that since you referenced NBC Channel 4 News, you are local to the Los Angeles area. If you would like more information from me directed at you and your condition, please call for a free consultation or at the very least, send me a photo of your hair loss from a series of views. A good digital camera will work, or call my office at 800-NEW-HAIR or fill out the form on my website and we will send you a disposable camera.


2005-04-27 12:05:14FUE in Stress-Related Hair Loss

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Taking Avodart Daily to Treat Hair Loss?

My MD has me on Avodart 0.5 MG once daily for hair loss and I have been taking it for about 20 months now and it seems to work better than the Proscar that I was taking the five years before.I just had my second HTP a couple of months ago and the HT doctor said the Avodart that I’m taking stays in my system fot 5-7 days and that I should not need to take it daily to have the same results. Where do you stand on it?

Avodart (dutasteride) does stay in your system for several weeks (5 weeks are reported for half of the drug to disappear from your system). In other words, if you take Avodart today only, half of the drug will be in your body in 5 weeks. In fact, the drug will still be detectable in your body for up to 6-12 months.

I do not personally recommend Avodart to my patients, because it is not proven safe for treating hair loss in younger men (the drug is a prostate medication, so the FDA approvals were based on tests of those men in an older age group). There are reports of sterility with this drug on men. I do have a handful of patients that choose to take Avodart despite my concerns, but that is on an individual basis. Likewise, my feeling on it is that you need to address these concerns with your doctor and decide on the appropriate treatment plan after understanding all the risks and benefits associated with its use. That stands true for all other drugs and medical treatments.

In general (to confuse the situation even further), the 0.5mg dose of Avodart is not generally used for hair growth, as 2.5mg is shown to produce a better effect. However, the 2.5mg will increase the side effects and the risks associated with it as well. All that is just more to discuss with your doctor. Read this study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology for more info — Dutasteride vs. Finasteride.


2008-11-06 09:57:51Taking Avodart Daily to Treat Hair Loss?

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FUE Scars

Do FUE procedures form scars?

Yes, there are scars anytime the body is invaded by the surgeon, or any time you cut yourself. The scars come about when the edges attempt to close the gap. The FUE scars are circular, so the size of the scar somewhat reflects the size of the wound. To answer the question appropriately, let’s talk basic math and then convert the math to logic.

The chart here shows the size of the cutting punch and compares the size of the wound that is created. The scar reflects the size of the wound.

 

Diameter Area % change from smallest wound size
0.75mm 0.44mm square (baseline)
0.9mm 0.64mm square 44 % larger than 0.75
1.0mm 0.79mm square 78% larger than 0.75
1.5mm 1.77mm square 300% larger than 0.75

 

The reality of these number are that the 0.75mm leaves almost no scar, because the edges co-apt and there is minimal secondary healing as the scar fills from below as the side skin grows over it. With all of the wounds from strip harvesting, the scars are long and the wound is much larger. Such ‘line’ wounds can be seen when the scalp is shaved.

The 0.75mm wounds are impractical, but the 0.9mm wounds are the standard used in my practice. So in answer to your question; scars are related to the size of each wound. The smaller the wound for FUE (for example), the smaller the instrument used by the surgeon, the smaller and less noticeable will be the wounds in their final healing phase. Please see this previous post, Size of FUE Procedure, for discussion on actual yield rates. If only a needle is used (like the one you get with a flu shot) I sincerly doubt that you will ever find the scar with the naked eye.

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Taking Propecia and Having a Child

Hi dear Dr Rassman

I am a 43 years old man which have taken Propecia (1 mg) for 7 months. I know taking the said pill for women is forbidden and they should not even touch it. So, if a man who is taking Propecia and want to bring a baby, he should stop using the pill before intercourse with his wife? I mean the finasteride dose not transfer through the sperm.

If the answer is yes, how long before intercourse the man should stop using the Propecia?

Your soonest reply will be appreciated. Thank you

After extensive studies in this very issue, we know that the drug is not transmitted to the woman through sexual intercourse. We have not seen the problems of fetus sexual differentiation in women who were fertilized by men taking this drug at the 1mg dose for hair loss. It is generally considered safe to have a successful pregnancy while a man is taking finasteride (Propecia).

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Full Contact Sports After a Hair Transplant

I train regulary in full contact fighting sports. How long would I be out from training after a hair transplant???

If your surgery was done using the FUE technique, 7-10 days should be adequate (or until the scabs have gone away) before resuming your training. For a surgery done using the strip technique, I would wait 4-6 weeks.


2009-08-11 08:36:52Full Contact Sports After a Hair Transplant

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Taking Two Drinks per Month During Pregnancy, Can Reduce the IQ of Your Baby

It has been well-established that heavy drinking during pregnancy causes problems for the fetus, but, after studying 500 newborns at the University Hospital in Erlangen Germany, they found higher levels of a particular chemical, Ethyl Glucuronide, in women who had two alcoholic beverages per month. They followed these babies to the age of 6 and found that these babies have a lower IQ than normal babies by 4 points. This suggests that even less drinking can also cause the problem and would obviously be a major problem for children.

Taken from New Scientist 28 July Page 13


2018-08-15 09:16:04Taking Two Drinks per Month During Pregnancy, Can Reduce the IQ of Your Baby

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I Gave up My Wig After Years.

I have been on topamax for 20 years and now wear wigs. I am completely heart broken. I had lovely hair. I was put on Topamax for a off label use for mood disorder when I could of been put on so many other different medications. It is so very sad. I am 47 and I have to wear wigs to look pretty. I stopped taking this medication (cold turkey) six months ago with no problem at all and have noticed no change so far.

I had a man a while back who did Scalp Micropigmentation after he took off his hair piece which he wore for 25 years. He went to the office and everyone commented that he should have shaved his head years ago because he looked good showing off all of that “nice hair”. (It was really the Scalp Micropigmentation as he had a Class 7 balding pattern but looked like a man with a fully shaved head of hair.) See here: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/bold-shaved-look/


2018-10-10 11:55:40I Gave up My Wig After Years.

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Teenager’s Eyebrow Never Grew Back After Shaving It 3 Years Ago

(male) I shaved a good bit of my eyebrow when I was twelve – I’m, fifteen now. In short, they never quite grew back right. Will rogaine work? If not, what can I do?

I don’t think that giving a 15 year old advice on medication should come from me. Assuming that you were of legal age to make such decisions on your own, minoxidil might grow back eyebrows… and then again it may not. See a doctor and have your problem managed. You should also get a parent/guardian involved in your situation.


2008-04-03 13:33:21Teenager’s Eyebrow Never Grew Back After Shaving It 3 Years Ago

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Genetics or Coincidence?

Is it a coincidence or not that both my father and my grandfather (his father) went bald, or is it because of the similarities? My father has an overbite (his top jaw is more in front of his bottom jaw), as did his father. My grandfather and father went bald at about the same age, which was their early 20’s, although my father said he noticed hair loss at around the age of 18-19.

My brother who does not share this bite similarity is now 26 has his hair, but has an asymmetric pattern which has been this way since his late teens, and has maybe matured/receded more since then, but he has a healthy head of hair.

I guess my main question is: since I also have this overbite like my 2 bald family members, does this put me at more of a risk of balding because I have a facial feature more like them, or is balding simply not relateable whatsoever to minor facial similarities. I guess my concern is inheriting genetics.

Thanks.

I wouldn’t expect facial features and hair loss to have relation. You can get tested for the balding genes with HairDX and that will give you an idea if you are carrying the gene for balding. It won’t tell you if that gene will express itself (or to what degree, or when)… but it’s something to go on if you’re concerned.