Dr. Rassman,

I had a hair transplant about 5 weeks ago. After decades of “living” (and I use that term loosely) with Ludwig 1-2 FPB, I cannot tell you how excited I am.

This note is just to thank you for all the information on this website. You cannot imagine how helpful you have been.

God bless.

Gratitude is the best part of the business I am in. Anticipating hair growth is part of the excitement. I hope that you get what you expect, but do not forget that when I do the surgery, you have a partner in the process and I, like any good partner, is there for better or for worse. The good news about this business is that most of my experiences are for better, and that type of outcome is because I take extraordinary lengths to be sure that the expectations of each patient is properly set.

Thank you for your nice note.

Does Lisinopril Actually Cause Hair Loss?

May 5, 2006/by William Rassman, M.D./21 /Drugs (Cause Hair Loss), Female Hair Loss

My Dr. told me that lisinopril doesn’t cause hair loss. You say it does. It is not listed as a side effect, so are you sure it does? I freaking out cuz my hair is falling out. I am 53 years old and had all blood work done and all came back fine. I always had thick thick hair and so does everyone in my family. I am wondering is it menapausual? I have no other syptoms and my periods are still very regular. Will it grow back in or what should I do??? Im so confused because everyone tells you somthing different.

Many drugs can potentially cause hair loss. Most of the times scientists cannot find the exact mechanism of why this happens. Likewise, scientists cannot find the exact cause of hair loss either, because there are so many different factors involved.

I have three important points to make with regards to medications causing hair loss:

1. Before identifying a drug as a possible cause of hair loss, you should find other medical causes.
2. People take medications for a health problem. You should not stop taking a medication just because you think it may be causing hair loss. Your health should come before your hair (especially if you are not certain that the medication is causing the hair loss).
3. Most importantly, you should follow up with your doctor for medication changes and concerns.

If you are taking Lisinopril, you likely have high blood pressure. You should NOT stop taking Lisinopril just because it has a rare side effect that you may or may not be experiencing. Stopping high blood pressure medications puts you at risk for strokes and other serious medical complications. There are other drugs that work just as well for controlling blood pressure as lisinopril. Recent studies suggested some relationship between lisinopril and lung cancer increasing its risk by 14%.

Some women who have genetic hair loss have it appear at about your age. The best way to make this diagnosis is to have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization. If you have genetic female hair loss, then there will be miniaturization over the thinning areas and miniaturization in the ‘rim’ of hair around the side and back of your head. Mapping out your scalp is the key to this diagnosis.

2006-05-05 11:35:552020-01-15 14:09:03Does Lisinopril Actually Cause Hair Loss?

Hairlines changing to mature hairlines are still hairloss caused by DHT right? Would propecia help slow or stop the hairline moving back to a mature hairline? I see some people with no recession at all. I want to be one of those people. If propecia doesnt stop a mature hairline, then what besides DHT causes this hairloss?

When baby seals (harp seals) are born, they have a beautiful white insulative coat. As they mature, they lose this coat. It’s in their genes. Likewise, for Caucasians, a maturing hairline in present in 95% of men nd it is in their genes (in part due to DHT). Thus theoretically, a DHT inhibitor like Propecia may halt the maturing hair line. You should note, however, I used the term ‘in part’ which means that there are other factors that may be responsible for the change, not just DHT.

There are few points to consider:

1. Male pattern baldness is not a maturing hair line. Otherwise it would be called a maturing bald line.
2. Propecia’s effect is best seen to work on the crown of the head and not the corners or the frontal hairline.

will curis cure alopecia universalis?

There is no information on the actions of this drug as it is not released at this time. The drug manufacturer would be banned from releasing such information until FDA studies are complete. See previous Curis posts.

Flax Seed Oil and Hair Loss

Apr 14, 2006/by William Rassman, M.D./312 /Hair Loss Causes

I have been taking propecia for over 5 years and have not had a problem with thinning hair, until the past 6 months or so. I started taking Flax seed oil 1000 mg twice a day (which has a combo of omega 3, 6, and 9) one year ago recommended by my eye doctor for a dry eye condition. Now I notice my hair on the crown and front has become thinner and soft, and it seems more hair is falling out daily. Is it possible I’m losing hair due to too much flax seed oil?

I doubt that flax seed oil caused your hair loss. I have not read anywhere that an omega 3,6,9 combo is associated with hair loss, but many people feel that we are what we eat. Simple vitamins in very high doses can be harmful, when in normal doses they are beneficial. The same may apply to flax seed oil, but I really do not know and would only be speculating here.

2006-04-14 14:29:402006-04-14 09:30:52Flax Seed Oil and Hair Loss

I am interested in investing in a laser brush for my hair, but wanted to know whether they were all more or less the same. Also, is there a possibility that this could affect fertility at all? Please advise. Regards

I doubt that the Laser Comb has any negative effects, including any effects on fertility. Low laser light is not like radiation, so its depth of penetration is very limited. Think of it like a flashlight, where it shines is where any effect may be. The major effect may simply be that it does not work. I believe that the portable devices are all similar to each other, so nothing stands out to me. They all may not work.

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I am a 27 year old Korean female and have always had fair, sensitive skin on my face as well as my scalp. I’ve had slight acne since my teens but lately I have noticed bumps on my scalp that itch quite terribly, followed with dandruff. The dandruff comes and goes in my life, but lately it feels worse. In addition, I have noticed an increase of white hairs, especially near the crown. This is alarming considering I do not have thick hair to begin with. My initial reaction is to pluck the white hairs out but now there are too many to count. I don’t have any unusual stress in my life. I would like to see a doctor but do not know what kind. I am really worried because my hair loss, itchiness of scalp, increase of white hairs near crown, red bumps on scalp, are getting noticably worse. Because I am in South Korea, I am having a difficult time finding a qualified physician to help me at this time. Whatever information you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

I sent you my photos so you can take a look. It doesn’t look so bad at this time but I don’t want to wait until I am bald before I take action!

Please help!

The simple answer is that you may be causing some of your problems. If you are plucking out the white hair and your head is slowly turning white, it is a self-defeating process as eventually you will be completely white and then possibly you will pluck out all of your hair as you become balder and balder. Plucking will produce traction alopecia and the plucking problem may cause some of the bumps you are talking about.

hi my name is Tia and i am 14 for the last 2 weeks my hair has been falling out…then i watched the Tyra Banks show and this girl with alopecia was on…anyways it has been falling out alot like up to 45 pieces a day and i am really sacred i do not ant to go bald ….how do i tell what is wrong plz help me….

It is normal to lose 100-150 hairs each day for the average person. Unless you have some medical disease or have been losing a great deal of weight, you should not worry about it. I don’t watch the Tyra Banks Show, so I couldn’t specifically make references to things that were said on the program, but I did find this link about wigs shown during that episode.

In your opinion how much longer till we see a better working product for mpb?

I must answer your question with two questions. What is wrong with the present hair transplant product? Is that the working product you are referring to, or are you talking about simply taking a pill to combat male pattern baldness?

After taking a propecia tablet. I urinate frequently. It seems I can’t control my bladder. This may seem like a strange thing to say but my penis looks smaller. Almost as if it is shrinking. I can’t get erect because I feelnothing. Should I stop propecia?

Let me get this straight:

1. You cannot control you bladder.
2. Your penis is shrinking.
3. You cannot get an erection.
4. You cannot feel your penis.

I would be at my doctor’s office now if these were my complaints!

If you are noticing increased urinary frequency (polyuria), you may have other serious medical conditions such as diabetes which can also produce neuropathies that can change your feelings from sensory nerves. You should definitely follow-up with your primary care doctor or the doctor who prescribed you the drug Propecia. I have never heard of a shrinking penis caused by Propecia nor any of the other symptoms you mentioned in combination.

The “take home message” is you need to go SEE a medical doctor.