Balding Blog – Page 1716

November 6, 2006

How Many Hours Does Minoxidil Stay Effective? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr Rassman, I thought I recently heard you say on this site that minoxodil stays effective for 22 hours, did I hear you right? Because my thoughts are that I would like to cut down my use of minoxodil to once a day if it would have the same effect and save $ or did I misunderstand what you may have been saying? Thank you. Great blog.

Minoxidil is a twice daily treatment for best results. You might get benefit once a day, but why take it once if twice a day is better (and the recommended dosage). It is not a very expensive medication, so go for it the right way.

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November 6, 2006

5 Months After Transplant, Still Redness and No Growth – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had a transplant in late-May. I still show no results and it is almost November. I also still have redness on my scalp. Shouldn’t I now show some hair growth? Should this redness have subsided by now? Finally, is Tricomin shampoo supposed to speed up growth?

If the redness and the lack of growth concerns you I would follow-up with the doctor who performed your surgery. Not everybody reacts exactly the same to the surgery, but it is relatively rare to see redness continue after the first month. With respect to growth, it may take up to a year to see the complete results. I would not put much faith in Tricomin shampoo to speed up the newly transplanted hairs. After 8 months, if you do not have styling length hair, then you might have a failure of the transplant, but wait it out before drawing conclusions.

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November 6, 2006

11 Year Old Girl Has Gray Patch of Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My daughter is 11 years old. We recently noticed a gray patch of hair along with a pink spot on her scalp. What caused this? She had braids this summer and it was not there. Please help because shse is being teased at school now.

Sometimes it is normal to have patches of hair that is different in color. I doubt it had anything with having braids. You may want to have your daughter seen by a dermatologist if you are noticing something different on her scalp. There may be a medical condition that may be causing the change in her scalp and hair pigmentation (such as ringworm, which is common in children).

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November 3, 2006

Hair Loss Information2 Months Post-Operative Trichophytic Closure (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I thought it would be nice to share a 2 month post surgical donor wound (still a bit light pink) with hair growing out of the wound from a trichophytic closure. By the 4th months, this wound will become virtually invisible.

For more information about the trichophytic closure technique, see Techniques to Minimize Donor Area Scarring.

Click the photos to enlarge.

Trichophytic

November 3, 2006

Hair Loss InformationAny Danger to Grafts From Humidity 4 Days After Surgery? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor,

i Had hair transplant surgery in Thailand. First day was a rest day. Second day i went to his clinic and washed my head. third and fourth day I went shopping in thailand and nowadays the weather is quite humid there.

My question is When I was shoping (3rd and 4th day after surgery I had light exercises and in the hot climate in Thailand I began to sweat because of the of humidity. SO i quickly reached the hotel room and cleaned my scalp with baby shampoo as the doctor advised. my question is , is there any danger to the grafts because of this humidity and sweating?

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After the second day, your hair transplant grafts should have firmly set in and humidity/sweating should not affect them (even light exercise). For more on physical exercises after surgery, please see Resuming Physical Activities After Surgery.

November 3, 2006

What Can I Ask My Doctor? Nobody Has Any Clue How to Help Me! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I think the biggest frustration is the fact that we search sites and find answers like: You should ask a local doctor… but the problem is that doctors either don’t know or don’t take the time to find out. I have been “undiagnosed” for almost 2 years. Severe hair loss (50%) burning scalp after hair fall, outer eyebrow loss, fatigue, hair growth on arms, visual changes, etc. but no abnormal hormone tests, no thyroid issues. It makes no sense and I can’t just keep asking doctors because they truly don’t know. I need to find out if I had TE and I was genetically predispositioned to FPB and it is DHT I need to be targeting or whatever. It gets very old when you watch your hair fall with no hope of stopping it. Please let me know if there is anything else (disease) I can research. Thank you.

I am sorry to read of your frustration and its unfortunate that this isn’t the first time I’ve read or heard similar stories. Its quite often, in fact. Even as a hair specialist, I sometimes do not have all the answers as to what is causing the hair loss. Many times doctors are just acting like mechanics. They fix a problem without fully understanding the cause.

In your case, the symptoms of visual changes, hair growth on your arms, fatigue, and burning sensation are very troubling to me. You need to find a doctor (I realize that is the hard part) that can sit down with you and find what is going on with you and explore all possibilities from Lupis to Multiple Sclerosis to Sarcoidosis to other female diseases like Chronic Telogen Effluvium. Many of these conditions require a biopsy and the diagnosis can be made under a microscope. There’s little I can do via the internet without examining you, and I don’t have any local recommendations in your area. I wish there was more I could say to help, but at this point my hands are tied.

November 3, 2006

Topomax and Lamictal Causing Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am on Topomax and lamictal for epilepsy and have been experiencing hair loss problems since starting the topomax that seem to be worsening. I have been told it is a side effect of Topomax. Will this stop on its own? Is there anything I can take or anything I can do to mitigate the impact of topomax on my hair?

This is a subject you and your neurologist need to discuss. Many of these medications do cause hair loss. Drugs like minoxidil may work for men and women, and if you are a man, then Propecia may also help, but when the medications are working away at your hair as a side effect of the drug, then alternative drugs may be worth trying. This is a difficult problem, but you can not sacrifice your health for your hair.

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November 3, 2006

Too Much Chlorine and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello doctor,

My building water supply has too much chlorine in it in the ‘hot’ water. I have to take head bath with luke warm water so I have to mix hot and cold.

Is this the cause of my increased hair loss and thinning on the crown since moving to this building?

Does your opinion agree with traditional Ayurveda on this?

Swimmer Chlorine in our tap water and hot water should not cause hair loss or increase your hair loss. It is an urban myth. If it was true, a disproportionate number of professional swimmers would be bald, as they are in a chlorinated pool all day long.

For readers that aren’t familiar with Ayurveda, it is a traditional, holistic treatment of medicine from India. From Wikipedia — “Ayurveda deals with the measures of healthy living, along with therapeutic measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony. Ayurveda is also one among the few traditional systems of medicine involving surgery.”

So if you’re asking if I agree with Ayurveda that chlorine is causing your hair loss — no, I do not.

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November 3, 2006

Nourkin and Toppik – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Are Nourkrin and Toppik ok to use together?

I’m female aged 23 and have been suffering from hair loss for 3 years. I have been using both products for a few months so far.

Nourkrin is a food supplement which contains marine based extract of proteins and polysaccharides, Vitamin C, Silica, Horsetail, and IgG. It is mostly used in UK. Toppik is a topical medication and contains Keratin, Ammonium Chloride, Silica, DMDM Hydantion, and Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate and it is in particular (fiber like) form that sticks to the hair follicles to make them look fuller. There should be no negative impact with using them both, but you need to always remember that even these simple substances have risks at some level.

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November 3, 2006

Is Propecia Stopping My Beard from Growing? – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman
I’m 20 years old, and I’ve been using propecia for one year. I would like to know, if one side effect of propecia is stopping the development of my beard-hair. I’ve heard that DHT is responsible for the development of beard hair and finasteride stops the production of DHT. Is this right?

That is an interesting question. Beard hair develops as you go through puberty as a secondary sex characteristic and DHT is one of the agents that cause its growth at puberty and beyond it. I have heard reports from a few patients that beard growth has been slowed by finasteride as was a maturing hairline slowed. It would not be what I would expect and neither are reported as a known side effect of finasteride. When I started Propecia, it did not reverse my nose hair, ear hair, my beard (which I hate) or my excessive chest hair (although one patient did report to me that his chest hair went away with Propecia).