Balding Blog – Page 1478

April 17, 2008

Diffuse Patterned Alopecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman!

I’ve been said I have male pattern baldness by a doctor. I’m currently 21 years old I lose my hair since I was 14. From reading articles over the internet, I think I have DPA (Diffuse Patterned Alopecia). My hair is thinning on the top, but remains thick on the sides. I have loss at the temples and crown in a diffuse way, but not restricted to these places (also thinning all the top). I currently take Propecia since I was 18. I don’t know if it’s helping, but I take in case it would be worse without it.

I’d like to know what causes DPA. Is it really androgenetic? Can it be from poor diet and life style? Is it reversible? What are the best options for treatments? Thank you for your attention and this excellent website!

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Diffuse patterned alopecia (DPA) in men is mostly genetic in origin and Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a good way to treat it. Have you had your hair mapped out for miniaturization to be sure? What is the result of your hair pull test? This test may point to a diffuse telogen effluvium. I can not really diagnose you via this site without examining you first.

April 17, 2008

The Sun Bleached My Beard, Now I Wonder If My Facial Hair is Ruined! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i am 18 years old i have dark brown beard and i layed out in the sun for about 10 minutes and noticed when i looked in the mirror my beard lightened to a lighter brown. I Dyed my beard black a couple times using just for men beard dye and i got a very bad reaction and a burning sensation on my mustache and now every time i try to grow a mustache it looks tinted with blonde and very weak i did this in october of 2007, Do you think i have permantly damaged my roots or is there anyway i can grow a healthy mustache again or anything i can take or rub on it that would help, please i dont look right without a mustache i need any help or advice anyone can give me thank you.

Any bleaching of the beard will be short lived if you shave, as the new hair growing out should be your normal color. I don’t know if you burned your hair with chemicals as they may be one of the few ways to get what you seem to be describing. Best to see a doctor.

April 17, 2008

Could I Take Propecia To Slow Down My Unwanted Body Hair Growth? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr Rassman,

I have been a long time reader of your site, and find your advice highly useful.

My question is: I am a 24 year old male. I am not suffering from any noticable hair loss (I think), but my younger brother is. I also have alot of body hair, esp on the shoulders and the back. Would propecia be useful as a proventitive measure, and slow down the growth of unwanted body hair as it is linked to DHT.

Regards

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is not documented as a way to slow down body hair growth. This is your genetics working in its full glory. With that said, a couple of patients have reported to me a decrease in body hair with the drug.

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April 17, 2008

21 Years Old and Anti-DHT Drugs Don’t Work for My Hair Loss! – Balding Blog

im 21 and have had MPB for quite a few years i tried propecia 1st for a long long time and it did not work, basically with procecia its a low dosage for anti DHT and what was happening was I was still losing hair at the rate i was losing before. i took it for about a year. then tried avodart for 8 months and that damaged my hair even more i think because the Anti DHT dosage is higher.. anyways bottom line is, you have any idea why these anti DHT products arent working? or why my body wont take them? it seems the higher the dose,the worst the situation gets… not sure where to go from here, any suggestions doctor? thank you

You need a good doctor to work with you! Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and Avodart (dutasteride 0.5mg) are prescription items so you must already have a doctor, right? These DHT blockers do not always work at noticeable levels if your genetics are moving very fast.

The way I manage it is to get a baseline by mapping out your scalp for miniaturization and then look what happened over time by analyzing again in a year. This way, I know what is happening and can put a number on it. You need to have a Master Plan with a doctor who cares about you and is competent to manage you.

April 17, 2008

16 Year Old Losing Hair, Prescribed Betamethasone – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Well I just turned 16 today but a few weeks earlier i started to notice my hair thinning on the left side of my head. When i was in school last year i had a bald patch show up by itself like completely bald. My mom took me to the doctor and they gave me this betamuthisone lotion stuff. i used it but i don think thats what made it grow back. Now im noticing this thinning on the left side and im scared im going bald. could it be maturing of my hairline? My hair is not thinning in the crown. Im going to have my mom take me to the doctor soon.

knowing that many others are having the same problem does no calm me down whatsoever. i wanted to know if i should use rogaine or take oral pills which id like very much because i know its good to do something about it this early. So im glad i noticed but maybe it because i stopped working out vigorously? I was on the wrestling team thi year and its extreme conditioning and my hair was growing really thick and fast when i was in it. now that im not in wrestling and lay on my bed im wondering should i start up again myself? My pubic hair growth has slowed as well. please tell me if i should take propecia or any of that.

please dont tell me not to worry because i will even if you say not to. im just curious as to what i should REALLY do about it.

Betamethasone is a steroid cream that on occasion is used to treat itching. It is not good to use it regularly. Your doctor may have given you the medication to treat other conditions, but it will not grow your hair back.

Genetic loss can start early, even around the age of 16 (although it is not extremely common). I can’t tell you if your hairline is maturing without seeing what you’re talking about, and I doubt your lack of rigorous exercise is the cause for this. As for pills, Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a prescription medication and you must meet with a doctor. The drug was only studied for age 18+, so that is the only data available. I’m not your doctor, and I can’t just tell you what you need to do without examining the problem. I would definitely see a doctor in-person to know what is going on.

Good luck and happy belated birthday.

April 16, 2008

Woman Experiencing Significant Hair Loss In Transplant Area 10 Years After Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a female who had a mini graft (hair transplant) 10 years ago. Over this past year I have noticed significant hair loss in the area where the transplanted hair is. When I say significant, I mean the hair on my head is now see through! Why is my transplanted hair falling out? Is there a way to tell which hair is the transplanted hair? I read somewhere that hair transplants in women aren’t as successful as they are in men, because as women age we tend to lose density to our hair. Because of that, all the hair on our head appears to thin, and that includes transplanted hair. Any truth to this?

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Women with genetic hair loss will often find progression into the back and sides (called donor area in men) as they age. What you are probably describing is that you are losing this hair and the transplanted hair (which was moved from that area) has some of that hair in there… so what you are probably seeing in the previously transplanted area is the same thing that is happening on the back and sides of your head as well. If your doctor examines the back and sides of your head, he/she will probably see miniaturization that reflects what you are witnessing in the previously transplanted area.

You’ll note that I’m using the word “probably” a lot in my answer, and that is simply because I don’t have enough information to provide a response of real substance. Photos and an examination would help tremendously.

April 16, 2008

Normal Characteristics of Regrowth from Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, you e-mailed me a back a few months ago about Propecia questions. I have some more. I’m up to about the middle of the 7th month on Propecia and up until about the sixth month it seemed like the loss (bi-temporal hairline only) was continuing unaffected. However, recently I have seen between 5-10 really healthy looking hairs showing up way forward in the hairline, far from where the bulk of the remaining hair is. Also, the actual loss seems to have halted and some very fine “baby hairs” are visible around the temples and the hairline. I recently cut my hair very close so I could more easily tell what was going on. My question is since i can’t tell what is miniaturization, new loss, or regrowth, etc., are these normal characteristics of Propecia regrowth and if there are little hairs coming in around the hairline, how much more is possible (theoretically)?

I can’t answer that question, as each of us respond differently to the drug. What you are doing now makes sense. By cutting your hair you will see the new growth on your head. I have actually seen a few young men return their frontal hair from taking Propecia daily, although it is rare.

April 16, 2008

Lost Hair From Previous Transplant Due to Shock! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had four sessions done between 12 and 15 years ago. My hair looked great. About a year and a half ago I noticed that my transplanted hair started thinning out in the front making my hairline look rigid. I recently had another session (same doctor) and I experienced a shock factor – which I didn’t experience before. It has been six months since the last session and the results are not promising – the hair that I lost due to shock has not returned and I believe many of the new grafts have not started to grow.

Do you know why –
1)My transplanted hair started to thin out in the first place
2) Why the hair I lost to shock (transplanted area) has not returned and why the new hair is not as prominent as I thought and
3) Do I have hope? Help.

First, you must wait another 2-3 months for long telogen cycles to reverse. I have never seen a previous hair transplant lose hair and then not grow back. I have seen about a dozen men who have lost previously transplanted hair, and it always came back. If the new grafts did not grow, then I would worry if that ran in parallel with your previous lost grafts. Ask your hair transplant doctor and get his/her advice after another 3 months, then write again to let me know the status (reference this post when sending).

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April 16, 2008

Is Thinning on the Sides Ever Normal? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

my hair appears thinner on the sides of my head, I do not mean the temples, but the area above the ears and side burns. is this a normal part of aging or MPB? does everyones hair thin a little on the sides? or does this mean I am heading toward an extremely advances form of hairloss?

I am on proscar and I have already had a transplant (to the frontal region) with a reputable surgeon in Ontario, Canada

thank you for you input

Some men will thin out their donor area. You should be your hair mapped out for miniaturization to see if you are developing a problem in the permanent zone. One should quantify the thinning. Without a good examination of you, I really can not tell you what is going on.

April 16, 2008

In the News – Study Shows Baldness and Heart Attack Risks Aren’t Linked – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

From Reuters –

A new study of more than 5,000 men calls into question the idea that baldness can signal a greater risk of heart disease.

Dr. Eyal Shahar of the University of Arizona in Tucson and colleagues found little difference in the heart attack risk between men with full heads of hair and their balding peers. Hair loss also wasn’t related to thickening of the lining of the carotid arteries, the main vessels that supply blood to the brain. An increase in the lining of these arteries, known as carotid intimal-medial thickness, is a warning sign of atherosclerosis.

The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. To read the rest of the article, check out — Study debunks heart attack-male baldness link.