Balding Blog – Page 1773

July 19, 2006

Norwood Classes vs Mature Hairline – Balding Blog

I am a 28 yo male who’s hairline has been receding at the temples since I was around 16 years old. It is now at around a Norwood 2/3 although there is very little recession at the front. I realise it is either slow mpb or a mature hairline from reading your very informative answers to other guy’s questions but I wanted to ask you whether its possible to recede to a Norwood 3 and remain there? I noticed miniturisation in the areas which have now receded but there doesn’t seem to be any further miniturisation. Also there is no hair loss at the crown area (yet!!)

Everybody is different! You may recede to a Norwood Class 3 and stay that way for the rest of your life. Your hair loss should stablize by your late 30’s. If you are still concerned about hair loss, you may benefit from seeing a doctor who can quantitatively record the miniaturization of your scalp hair and give you more information on its extent. If the miniaturized hair is only found in the frontal area, then you may be more confident that the hair loss will probably not progress significantly beyond what you have already experienced. On the other hand, if there is miniaturization in the crown or further back in the front (even it there is no balding at this time) then the prognosis may not be as good. In this later situation, the drug Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is the best way to arrest the process.

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July 19, 2006

Ingrown Hair or Abscess? – Balding Blog

I had an emergency c-section almost 9yrs ago.. prior to.. another c-section 7yrs ago thru the same vertical scar that never healed right..its very wide towards the bottom. my question is, i shave down there and ive noticed 2 ingrown hairs that have grown thru the bottom of my scar. They honestly have been there for about 6months.. because i didnt know what to do about them. But now, one is very badly infected and is swollen. so much infact, that my scar is looking more wide. its very sore and im scared and dont know what to do about it. how can i ease the pain and maybe help the swelling to go down so i can get a doctor to pull the hairs at my next appointment (aug 1st). thank you for your time.

You need to see a doctor. I do not know how bad your “ingrown” hair looks like, but you may have an abscess or a wider scale infection developing. Of couse, these are the worst case senarios. I would call your doctor to move up the appointment or visit a walk in clinic.

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July 19, 2006

Coloring Hair Before Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I color my hair, would this be a problem if I wanted to get a hair tranplant down the road. Would it have any effect on the procedure?

Coloring or dying your hair should not have any significant impact on a hair transplant procedure. I generally tell those people who do color their hair, to have it done within a few days prior to the HT procedure.

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July 19, 2006

16 Year Old Girl Wants Lowered Hairline – Balding Blog

Okay so, I am a 16 year old female and I have done constant research on lowering of the female hairline (which is very difficult to find, most sites only direct me to men with balding patterns) and I am desperate to know if there is any way to lower the hairline without grafts while still looking natural. Due to my high hairline, my forehead looks rather un-shapely. I envy those beautiful girls with such a proportionate face and wish that I did not have the haunting insecurities of my own. I have brought this up with family since I know I am very young for something drastic like this. Please help me. I appreciate your time and am looking forward to your reply. Thank you.

There are procedures to lower a hairline and this procedure is often done on women. It is a more complicated procedure than a regular hair transplant surgery so a standard hair transplant surgeon may not be comfortable performing it. Some (like me) are not uncomfortable doing it. Most of the doctors that perform these types of sugeries are plastic surgeons. I would consider performing the procedure on a 16 year old female, provided I see maturity, understand the motivation, the teen shows a normal and healthy mental state, and have parents who understand what the procedure is and what it means with all of the risks associated with such a surgery. In other words, I want to be a good doctor that does what is in the best interests of his patients.

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July 18, 2006

Hair Loss InformationThe American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman
Firstly let me tell you how much I have enjoyed your blog comments for the many young men and women suffering from hairloss. I am a 33 yr old male, who is scheduled for hair transplant surgery in a month. I have learned from your comments and want to ask you some questions. I have hair loss in the frontal/tempural area with thinning in the crown area. The thinning has improved since I started taking Propecia last year, no side effects thank God.

Is 33 a good age?

My doctor is Dr. [name removed] and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. Can you give me an opinion on this qualifications?

I was concerned with scars, and felt comfortable since he is also a Plastic Surgeon, is my assumption correct?

I am also concerned with shock fall. Is it permanent? How much help does Propecia offer?

My doctor has not done a miniturization study on my scalp, that concerns me, although he did examine me the first time and I am scheduled for anohter consult. Should I request this?

I also use Nizoral shampoo, and it seems to help, what have you heard about the benefits of this product if any?

Lastly, coming from a father that is a Vascular Surgeon, I know that confidence in the physician is important. I just did not get a second opinion, and have been trying to educate myself as much as possible. I feal my chances are pretty good, I hope to get strong results. I thank you again for your comments and help you offer on-line…..with the high pace life physicians lead its unlikely. I commend you for that.

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Your father is correct in stating that confidence in your physician is very important. That being said, BaldingBlog is not a place for a medical second opinion. You should either address these issues with doctor or formally make an appointment with another hair transplant surgeon for the second opinion.

Credentials are important and being a member of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery may make it more probable that he is a good doctor. I am familiar with doctors with such credentials who I would not have as a surgeon, though. I, for example, have refused to become a member of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery because there is no formalized training for the accepted doctors and no peer review for what they do. When I received my credentials for General Surgery, I had completed 5 years of formalized, supervised training before I was allowed to take a series of written and oral examinations. The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery credential only requires that the surgeon does 100 surgeries (without any supervision) and pass a written (very easy) examination. That does not make them qualified in my eyes. Now with that said, many of the doctors who have received the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery credentials are good doctors and quite competent, while some are not. It continues to be a buyer beware situation for the hair transplant buyer (see: The Truth About Cheap Hair Transplants).

I have addressed shock hair loss before. Propecia in a balding male will reduce the risks of shock hair loss. If Nizoral shampoo is working for you, then use it. I feel strongly on the mapping out of the scalp for miniaturization. I do not like doing things blindly, because then I really could not lay out a good Master Plan.

July 18, 2006

Is There a Pill to Prevent Shock Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What is fallout/Shockloss? Is there a pill or something I can take after surgery to prevent it, or is it temporary and nothing to worry about?

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I just made a post related to this yesterday (see How Long Should I Take Propecia Before Transplant to Prevent Shock Loss?).

Shock loss occurs when the follicle becomes ‘insulted’ by swelling and inflammation, causing the hair to shed from the follicle. The follicle then enters a resting state and may never go back to an active state (if there is genetic balding in that particular follicle) or after a period of time it may go back to an active state and grow normally again. We suggest taking Propecia before the surgery to help minimize shock loss after hair transplantation because the hairs that are genetically impacted have the greatest risk of permanent loss from the shock of the hair transplant process. Propecia minimizes this risk.

July 18, 2006

Newly Transplanted Hairline is Uneven – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 49 yr old male. My transplant is a month old [editor’s note: not with NHI], and the only thing that bothers me is that the hairline is not even. It looks not receding enough on one side and too receding on the other. I’d rather have two receding sides. But that would mean removing some of the plugs? Is this possible and would the scars be very noticeable?

At a month, the hair transplants can not be removed. I would suggest that you wait out the period that it takes for full growth to occur. It will be easier to accept the lower hairline and move the higher one down to it, rather than the reverse.

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July 18, 2006

My Hairline Was Too Low, So I Plucked Some Hairs – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

When I was 19, I thought my frontal hairline was a little too low, so I unthinkly grabbed some tweasers and plucked out some of my hair from the left towards the middle of my frontal hair line (on more than one occassion).

Ever since then, my hair has not looked quite the same in that area and I occassionally experience a slight burning sensation there.

I am now 22 and am wondering if there is anything I can do to ease the burning sensation around there as well as encourage the regrowth of hair in that area. It just does not look quite natural and like it did before I did this plucking.

Have you heard of a situation like mine and do you have any specific recommendations for a situation like this?

I would really appreciate your help and advice.

Local irritation from plucking hair is common in people with chronic picking of their hair (trichotillomania), The hair loss from your frontal hair line is likely permanent, especially if you have transitioned from a childhood hairline to a mature hairline which is normal at your age. You should see someone like me (or find a doctor in your area at ISHRS.org) to determine a long term plan defining what to expect.

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July 18, 2006

How Long Should I Take Propecia Before Transplant to Prevent Shock Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr Rassman,
I have been reading your blog for quitesome time and have benefitted a lot from it. I have leant from you that propecia is helful in preventing shockloss. I’m planning on a HT session say like in a month. Would it help me in countering shock loss if I started using propecia today?…or should I be on propecia for a specific period of time say like 6 month, before I go for a Transplant.?

If you have been evaluated by a doctor and have a diagnosis of male pattern hair loss, Propecia may benefit and prevent or reverse the hair loss. Propecia may also prevent shock loss from a hair transplant and I generally recommend that it is best to take it one month in advance of the surgery if possible. Certainly, being on it as early as possible is best, but even the day of surgery will work better than none at all. The enzyme that makes DHT is at work all of the time and blood levels of Propecia are achieved in an hour or two, so hopefully some value should be there even if first taken the same day of the transplant surgery for the prevention of the transplant shock you asked about.

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July 18, 2006

Hair Loss Acceleration from Propecia Means It’s Working? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman, thank you for your very imformative site!!

If after starting Propecia, one’s hair loss temporalally accelerates, would this be a sign that the drug is working and that regrowth is likely (i.e., would one be better off if they actually see accelearted loss versus not seeing it)?

When regrowth occurs with Propecia, is the initial hair very fine or does it grow back as normal hair?

Sometimes it is thought that Propecia, when it is working, may accelerate the cycling of the hair. If this happens, there is a possibility that hair loss might worsen temporarily after starting Propecia. Most people who are responding to Propecia should be minimizing or preventing further male pattern hair loss and that is what most people tell me.

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