I had sexual side effects on finasteride and my dermatologist told me to switch to dutasteride, does this make sense?
If your sexual side effects on finasteride are real, then it would be the same on dutasteride
Scalp Reductions
I met with a doctor last week who suggested that I take out the bald area. I am very bald so the bald area is very big. Is this a good idea?
Removing the bald area (scalp reductions) were very popular surgeries 10+ years ago. Thousands of men have had it done. You might even see them at airports, where they have a scar down the middle of their head, like they had brain surgery. Starting with that as my answer, I think that you will see (from everything else I am about to write here) that I am not open minded about this surgery. First, I should state that I am a victim of this surgery, having had three such surgical procedures to remove my bald spot (much smaller than yours, I suspect). I was scarred, but I got lucky in that I did not pursue more than the three surgeries, for had I done so, I would have been really deformed.
These surgeries have many, many problems associated with them and they have been largely abandoned over the past 10 years, largely because of the efforts of myself and a small handful of other doctors who have brought the complication of this surgery to the public. The most important issue to remember here is that when you are considering a hair restoration procedure, you want low risk and high certainty in the outcome. These scalp reductions produced many, many risks and the outcome was only occasionally successful. This is not a good procedure to do. For more information, please see Scalp Reductions on the NHI website.
Early hair loss (from Reddit)
If this is recent, it is may be early genetic balding
My barber noticed my hair thinning from the front, but didn’t see it as a serious sign of balding. Are there any scalp masks and serum oils to regrow my hair? from tressless
2019-09-03 03:26:032019-09-02 10:27:12Early hair loss (from Reddit)
Scared Hairless
I am 26 years and experiencing hair loss. I haven’t done anything different. This has been going on since Aug 04. Then it was not so bad but i noticed a difference. In November I went to my doctor & told them that it’s getting worse. She had my thyroid checked & it came back normal. She recommended a dermatologist. The derm said there’s nothing wrong. It’s getting WORSE. I wear hair pieces now so it doesn’t show. I’m to the point now that in every stroke of a comb/brush through, a quarter to half of my hair is in the comb just from that one stroke. I know this is not normal for me, this has NEVER been a problem before. can you please suggest where I can go or what my next step should be?
Sincerely, Scared Hairless
Your questions are very appropriate for hair loss in a young person. Now that we know you are healthy, then the most probable cause of the hair loss will be genetic balding if you are a male. The physical examination will determine if you have genetic balding as a female. This is a crisis for a 26 year old. Hair that is lost now from the genetic process (in men), will probably never return. For women, it will be a slow process over time with incomplete loss if the cause is genetic. The next step is for you to see a doctor who will consider putting you on Propecia as this is the only drug that can slow down, stop, or in some cases reverse hair loss in men. The use of a hair pieces/systems (wigs) will only make the problem worse as the glues, tapes and weaves will pull on the existing hair producing a condition we call traction alopecia. If you want to put the lost hair back, you should consider a hair transplant.
Elderly Woman’s Hair Loss
I am 68 years old, very active & healthy. Approximately 2 years ago I went through a stressful time & started loosing my hair. The stressful time is way behind me & im balding from ear to ear ( located where a headband would be placed. My dermatologist recommended I see Dr. Vera Price immediately. I want to have all of my blood work done ahead if time. What blood tests should I have done?
My initial reaction is to advise you to visit the doctor your dermatologist recommended. Once you’ve been examined by Dr. Price, she should know which blood tests to order. If you want to know ahead of time, call the office and simply ask.
Scraping Off Minoxidil Residue
Hi,
I recently started minoxidil topical (3 months ago) and have considerable dry residue on my scalp. I’ve been using a comb to scrap the residue off before washing with Nizoral. Am I doing any damage to my hair by scraping my scalp with the comb?
I’ve considered trying the foam, but changed my mind because of the bad feedback Ive been reading on the internet.
Thankyou for your help.
A good set of washes should remove all residue from your hair. The foam has alcohol in it and may not leave residue, but I do not have any other suggestions other than trying the foam. I am not sure what bad feedback you are getting over the internet, but if you try it and don’t like it, let it go.
2009-05-04 09:35:002009-05-01 08:39:02Scraping Off Minoxidil Residue
Erectile Dysfunction a Red Flag for Mortality, Cardiovascular Events
This isn’t hair loss related, but it is still important medical news —
In a recent publication, erectile dysfunction (ED) was found to be a robust predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in men with cardiovascular disease or those with risk factors for cardiac disease. The connection between the blood vessels of the heart and the penis show that the blood vessels of the penis mimic those of the heart when there is significant cardiovascular disease present. These findings were recently published online March 15 in the medical journal called Circulation.
Treatment of cardiac disease, once recognized, can reduce the risks of cardiac death. The findings suggest that ED is a manifestation of cardiovascular risk. They conclude: “ED is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular death and of major cardiovascular events in high-risk patients and represents a symptom of more advanced atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction.”
What does this mean? If you have erectile dysfunction, get your heart checked for the presence of advanced heart disease. Taking Viagra may work to solve the ED, but your risk of sudden death is higher amongst men with ED and heart disease. Sudden death is often the first sign of heart disease in 70% of men.
2010-03-29 15:35:072010-03-26 10:44:04Erectile Dysfunction a Red Flag for Mortality, Cardiovascular Events
Seeing Results a Month After Using a DHT Blocking Shampoo
I wanted to ask you a question regarding the DHT component of male pattern baldness. Four weeks ago I began using a shampoo and conditioning system which blocks the production of DHT and 5AR in the scalp. I have noticed a significant amount of hair growth from a point in the rear portion of my head leading to a point just over one third of the way towards the front of the scalp. the rest of my scalp has little hairs similar to a man’s shaving stubble except at a point in the middle of my forehead which has a long patch of hair which I can comb or brush down as bangs. My question is this: It’s already been four weeks with these results and how soon should I expect to see the full results?
I am using Nioxin System 3 Scalp Cleansing Shampoo and Conditioner along with a daily multivitamin supplement designed for healthy hair, healthy skin, and healthy nails. As I said, I’ve had some definite results thus far, and am wondering at which point I should expect to see the full results?
I was not aware that Nioxin System 3 Scalp Cleansing Shampoo contained a DHT blocker, so I looked to their website. The company states that it is a “vitamin-enriched, daily leave-in scalp treatment – delivering essential botanicals, nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins onto the scalp skin and hair to help safeguard against environmental residue and DHT buildup on the scalp.”
I don’t know how to prove that it does what it claims, and the FDA isn’t required to clear these types of products before they make it to market. It certainly is not approved by the FDA for claims of hair growth or as a DHT blocker, and as a physician I will not endorse it for that purpose.
The sebum containing DHT and requiring some blocker type of topical shampoo to manage it makes no sense. The sebum is not the problem. I would not expect to see any significant benefit in days or in a month, because the hair that grows out only grows at 1/2 inch per month and therefore there is no time for benefits to show. I am not sure what you are seeing, but it is not the result of blocking DHT.
Even More Hair Transplant Failures Keep Showing Up
Two more hair transplant failures showed up in our office last week from other doctors — one was an FUE technique and one was a strip harvest. I’ve written about the topic of surgical failures a few times already, and the last thing I want to do is scare people off the idea of having a hair transplant completely, but I want to keep our readers informed about what they must learn about the doctor or clinic that they’re considering for their hair transplant procedure.
When I talk about these failures, I mean that there is a large percentage of the transplanted grafts that didn’t grow. You have a finite amount of donor hair, so when there are grafts that are damaged or killed because of poor techniques in surgery, you’re losing your valuable donor hair (and you’re getting financially ripped off). So before you choose a doctor, try to research the doctor.
Does the doctor have a high failure rate? And how would you even go about finding out?
- Go to the medical board of your state and look up the doctor. Complaints are filed and published by the medical boards.
- Check out the Better Business Bureau, where people who are not satisfied with a service will voice their concerns.
- Ask your doctor about their malpractice record. How many cases have they had in the past 10 years? You can verify their answers by looking them up in the courts of your area.
The patients who present with these failures usually did little comparative shopping or investigative work. They may have based their decision on the cheapest price they could find or just whoever is the closest practice in their area, but what surprises me the most is that many patients didn’t get more than one opinion before having surgery. It doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion, and it’s worth noting that the New Hair Institute does offer travel programs for those individual from out of the area. Half of our practice reflects people who fly in, so just getting surgery from the closest place to your home shouldn’t be an excuse.
When you shop, you can get the benefits of our long experience by reading our featured post — Selecting a Hair Transplant Doctor.
Server Problems
Just getting over some server problems today — thanks for being patient. Things are looking stable now after the system upgrade.
2006-06-30 14:32:012006-06-30 14:32:01Server Problems