Balding Blog – Page 1713

November 10, 2006

Hemorrhoids and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Excessive bleeding from hemorrhoids for a period of four days triggered hair loss which has persisted and has fallen out over a period of four months. I have an iron deficiency although I am not anaemic. Worringly, my hair loss has not occurred on the back and sides (a characteristic of AGA). Do you think my hair will regrow?

Iron loss from acute and chronic bleeding can cause hair loss. It is a controversial issue. A link between iron deficiency and hair loss is not fully shown in every study and that is why iron-deficiency screening is not routine for people with hair loss. However, studies show that whatever the cause of hair loss, having too little iron in the blood makes it worse.

Treatment of iron deficiency is easy and patients with accelerated hair loss due to iron deficiency will respond beautifully to correction of their iron deficiency. You may also be predisposed to AGA and iron deficiency has just triggered the ‘genetic switch’. The good news is, even if this is the case, your hair loss should improve considerably with treatment of iron deficiency.

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November 10, 2006

Generic Proscar Big Enough to Be Cut into .5mg Pieces? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I just started a regimen of 5% minoxidil/retin-A a month and a half ago and would like to add .5 mg/day finasteride to my regimen.

Is the generic 5 mg proscar big enough to be cut into 10 sections with a pill cutter?

Is propecia due to be generic in the U.S. anytime soon?

I doubt that you can cut a pill in 10 equal sections unless the pill is large enough — and the generic Proscar (finasteride 5mg) that I’ve seen is not that big. That being said, you can always try! It actually looks to be equal in size to 1mg Propecia, if that helps any.

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is still under U.S. Patent protection and will not be available anytime soon in generic form (at least in the United States).

The combination of minoxidil and retin-A is a combo that I do not particularly like, and you might want to try Rogaine Foam as an alternative.

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November 10, 2006

2 Weeks After Using Hair Dye, My Hair Is Falling Out! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 28 year old female who has always had very long, thick and strong hair. I’ve dyed it for YEARS. Now, suddenly, my hair is falling out and baldness is not found on the woman’s side of my family. After I brush and after I wash I can literally pull out the hair by the handful. It’s scaring me to death. I dyed my hair about 5 weeks ago, and 3 weeks ago is when I began to notice this. Could it be connected? My scalp didn’t feel burned or hurt, so origially didn’t think it could be related to the coloring. However, I at a loss and I’m loosing my cool. Please help! Thanks so much.

It is normal to lose 100 hairs a day. You might consider stopping the hair coloring process to try to surround what is happening. That being said, I am sure you are noticing more hair falling out than what you are used to. It may be a phase or it may be a sign of a medical illness or a genetic balding process. Genetic balding does not necessary mean that your mother or father were balding. Hair loss in women can sometimes be caused by underlying medical conditions, so it is important for you to be evaluated by your own physician before we proceed. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions and emotional stress. It is also important to review the use of medications that can cause hair loss, such as oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin and prednisone. The following laboratory tests are often useful if underlying problems are suspected: Estradiol, FSH, LH, SHBG, Prolactin, T4, TSH, ANA, Iron, TIBC, Ferritin, Free and Total Testosterone. You may benefit from a miniaturization study to examine your hair under a hair densitometer to document the health of your hair.

November 9, 2006

Hair Loss InformationWhy Do Hair Loss Treatments Not Work in the Frontal Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is there a reason why rogaine and finasteride only work on the vertex but not the receding hairline/frontal area?

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Many aspects of the mechanism of action of Rogaine and finasteride (Propecia) are still unknown, and for that same reason we do not know why they work on the vertex better than the temple and frontal area. I can guess that reversal of frontal hair loss is very rare, because by the time the treatments are started, the balding has gone too far as it starts earlier. Crown balding is slower and from the time it is first recognized, it often early in the thinning process. As such, reversal of crown loss is much more common with these medications, particularly in the young man under 35 years old. However, finasteride does work to slow down or stop hair loss in the frontal area, particularly if caught early enough.

November 9, 2006

Did Johnny Depp Have a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc, Johnny Depp totally had a hair transplant. Compare this pic of him wearing a tuque or beanie or whatever Americans call it:

http://www.johnnydepp-zone.com/deppartment/nocolor/13.jpg

to this pic in the same head-gear:
http://www.johnnydepp-zone.com/deppartment/nocolor/09.jpg

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Those photographs seem to show slight differences in the corners of the hairline. Could this be a hair transplant that caused this difference? Possibly. I’d guess that it’s probably the photography leading the viewer astray.

November 9, 2006

Hair Multiplication Won’t Give a Full Head of Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr,
I have been looking at articles in relation to hair cloning recently and something caught my attention. Researchers are warning that the first available hair multiplication procedures won’t give a full head of hair. If this is the case do you think hair multiplication will be able to give a full head of hair in the near future? Do you think these kinks will be ironed out? Your views on this would be much appreciated.

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The solution where one hair can make many, is years away. We really do not understand the process and can not replicate it at this time. Too much hype, in my opinion and years away from a solution. When ever I report this, I get many emails that knock my pessimism — but I can’t please everyone.

November 9, 2006

When Can I Get My Hair Transplant? I’m 22 Now! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am only 22 and started losing hair at around age 20. I have been on propecia for roughly 4 months and it has already completely stopped my hair loss. I would rate my hair coverage about a 7 now. Given the fact of my age and great propecia results would a hair transplant be a viable option now given the fact that I dont think I will get the growth I am after from the propecia drug alone? Cheers

Taking Propecia for only four months is a relatively short time. I would wait out a full year before concluding what will happen to you. Get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to get detailed metrics for what is happening on your head. When this is done before and after starting Propecia (after 12 months or so), then you will get an idea what nature has in store for you. Do not rush to a hair transplant now. Give the drug a chance to become effective first. Even though you’ve already started the Propecia, it’s still not too late to get your scalp mapped! It’s better to get the mapping done now, rather than not at all.

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November 9, 2006

Undescended Testicle and Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Is there an increased rick of testicular cancer from finasteride? The product literature says something like that, although I don’t completely understand it. Would finasteride be contraindicated in someone born with an undescended testicle?

Undescended testis is a congenital disorder that is seen in male infants. Most cases will spontaneously improve within the first 4-6 months. If it persists untreated after this age, it will increase the chance of infertility and testicular cancer in adulthood.

Propecia is not indicated for use in pediatric patients, and women should not handle crushed or broken Propecia tablets when they are pregnant or may potentially be pregnant due to the possibility of absorption of finasteride and the subsequent potential risk to a male fetus genital system. Your question may be referring to the animal studies on finasteride. Exposure of pregnant monkeys has shown to cause genital defects in their male fetuses.

After complete development of testicles and when they descended to their final location, finasteride should not cause any problem.

Finasteride is not related to testicular cancer in any way that is documented in the literature that I can find.

November 9, 2006

Topical Hair Thickener and Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,

I am 33 years old and have been gradually thinning, a diffuse thinning… since my mid twenties. I did not pay much attention to it because my hairline was always strong, but recently that has began to thin. I am trying propecia and it has seemed to halted the hair fall, but no new regrowth to speak of. I was wondering if using a topical like prothik can hinder hair growth while experimenting with propecia?

You can use a topical like Prothik or DermMatch to camouflage your balding scalp while using medications, or even after hair transplant surgery, before your own hair is thick enough to cover the thinning area. DermMatch is best to use when there is still hair to cover the scalp and does not work well in frank balding. In some patients with diffuse thinning who are not candidates for hair transplant surgery, this might be the only solution.

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November 9, 2006

Finasteride Graph – Comment Needed – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Check this out- http://www.geocities.com/bryan50001/GRAPH8.GIF

You can very easily see what the graph indicates, PLEASE comment why this could be like this? Is finasteride effect still “active” despite the fact that it’s out of your body (half life) after a couple of hours?

Another question, is it possible to develop more breast tissue due to suppressed testosterone levels as an direct cause of finasteride use?!

Take much care doc!

The effect of finasteride is through inhibition of the enzyme, 5 alpha-reductase. This enzyme is responsible for conversion of testosterone to DHT, which is the active form of hormone on hair follicles. Although finasteride gets eliminated from plasma in a few hours, its inhibitory effect on the enzyme remains for a long time, so you don’t need to take it more than once a day and that is probably why a once a day dose is recommended. What this graph shows is DHT levels, not effect of the drug over time. The recommended dose reflects the results on controlling hair loss, not DHT levels.
In the study of finasteride in men, the incidence of breast enlargement was not significantly higher than the patients who were just given placebo. Less than one percent of the patients may experience breast tenderness and enlargement, which may be simply related to the placebo effect of the medication on some men. I have seen direct effects on breast tissue stimulation with finasteride at the 1mg dose and these man are clearly very sensitive to this drug. Please note that finasteride actually increases testosterone levels by about 15%, not decrease those blood levels as suggested in your question.

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