Posts

Posted on

If I’m Completely Bald, Do I Still Have Follicles? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Im completely bald! I have heard that Curis can stimulate the transition of hair follicles from the resting to the growth stage of the hair cycle.
(line picked up from a proper source). Does this mean it can help grow hair on my bald scalp too?

My question may be silly, but if im completely bald….do i have follicles on my head?

I’ve written briefly about Curis previously.

There are many steps that initiate hair growth in a hair cycle. I have heard that some people believe that there are 200 separate steps. If any one step is impacted by some disease or genetic balding process, the hair may not grow. This suggests that the elements of the hair are present even in the very bald person and there is much research going on to identify each step in the hair growing process and the critical proteins or genes that are needed to fix the process when it goes wrong.

Simply put, the answer to your question is a probable yes. How to get the hair to grow is another process completely. The good news is that there are many people and research groups working on the problem, but at this time there is no answer to each and every defect that has been identified, even in the experimental mouse trials that are being most used.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Hair Loss Medication Side Effects – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman
I have always thought about doing something for my loss of hair which is mainly in the front. I hear about all these products (propecia, procede, avacor) they all sound so great but it’s hard to trust on any of them since they don’t mention any possible side effects. I read about the gentleman who loss a lot of his hair when he used procede and I’ve heard that propecia may cause low sperm count. Are these side effects common? Is there any place where I can find such information? I guess most products (like medicine) have possible side effects. I just need to know how common this occurs. Thank you

I have no direct knowledge about ProCede. Avacor’s main active component appears to be minoxidil, which is cheaper if you buy it as generic minoxidil. Propecia does not reduce the sperm count, but can reduce the volume of the ejaculate that goes with the orgasm. Your sperm count should be as potent for getting your lady pregnant as before you took Propecia. The good news about Propecia is that it stays in your body less than a day (90% is out of your system in a day and effectively 99% is out in the second day). Keep priorities, do your research, and get a good examination by an expert doctor.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Taking Propecia and Viagra – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

First off I have learned alot from your web site. I’m sure all your readers are very greatful. I know I am!! My question is If someone already suffered from impotence and taking viagra or a simaler product for this would mixing propecia with it for hair loss be a problem. Is it a safe mixture in other words?

Block Quote

There is no difficulty taking Viagra and Propecia. They do not interact with each other. This way you can enjoy both good sex and great hair. That is a winning combination.

Posted on

Transplanting with Limited Donor Area – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have had several transplants over the last 20 years. My donor area is generally depleted and cannot support any large procedures. I have 1-2 very small (quarter size) areas that if some additional transplants were done only in these strategic areas my hair would appear much fuller. Considering the small amount of donor plugs needed could these be provided by smaller more random/scattered donor sites as opposed to the larger harvesting rows that are more concentrated in one area. Thereby minimizing the thinning effect we see in a typical donor area.

Block Quote

There is an art to making less hair look like more hair. I have many patients like you who have paid the price of the old antiquated procedures of the 1970s and 1980s. I have already written articles on the subject, but what I do for each patient is a one on one determination that takes the years of experience I have spent to develop the Master Plan for such person. Simply put, a good doctor, upon examination, should be able to determine the answer to your question.

Posted on

Transplanting African American Women – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 38 year old african american female. Like many other women of color, I began thinning in the top of my head as well as around my hairline. To make matters worse, my occupation requires me interact with many people in public places. Needless to say to go from beautiful hair to wearing a hair weave (to stop chemical processing) has damaged my self esteem(my hair is braided underneath a hair net). I am hiding my problem from family and friends and do not like being seen in public. I have acquired a biopsy and have been told that it’s probably due to genetics or stress. I have been to clinics that offer to match a hairpiece that is bonded with “medical glue” but the maintenance cost along with having to go back every six weeks for life did not appeal to me. I have not seen many photos of women of color with hair transplants; is this realistic? Please let me know if you perform this process; It is hard watching my self esteem deteriorate. Please help…

Block Quote

I am so glad you decided to write, because there is definitely hope for someone such as yourself and there is so little material available to TELL you that! You are correct – it is not generally advertised, but women of color do very well with hair transplant as a general rule. Because African-American hair is curly/kinky and because it matches the darker skin tones, you generally get good coverage and very nice results. You need to be careful if you do not have good donor areas, or if you have a history of keloids (abnormal scar healing), but for most cases you have a lot of options.

Clinics that offer glued attachments of hair to your head are not medical doctors and the products that they attached with the glues will accelerate hair loss and produce traction alopecia over time. Unless you plan on keeping this up, getting hair systems is not a wise choice.

The first thing you need to do is to meet with a respected hair doctor for a consultation. They may recommend a set of blood tests to rule out the many other causes of hair loss in women that can masquerade as genetic alopecia. You have had a scalp biopsy already, so you won’t have to do another (I’d bring those results to your doctor when you arrive for your appointment). Depending on your test results, there might be some drugs you can try before jumping straight into surgery.

In any case, please do not let this hurt your self-esteem. Studies show that women are especially impacted emotionally by hair loss, much more so than men and in more dramatic ways, even though men suffer it more commonly. Remember above all that there IS hope and treatments available. Go see your doctor! The fact that you have taken the time to write is an excellent first step.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationDoes DHT Cause All Genetic Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is DHT the cause of all genetic hair loss? I ask because I have DUPA similar to my mothers type of hairloss which is hairloss all over with not balding pattern. Whats the best way to attack this, thanks.

Block Quote

The answer is different for each sex.

Male: DHT is the cause for almost 100% of genetic male pattern hair loss. There are other genetic diseases and other weaker male hormones made in the adrenal glands that can cause hair loss. Other diseases include the various alopecias (e.g. areata and totalis) and unique diseases that are generally not found in the United States. We know that if your testicles are cut off (this was done in mental institutions in the U.S. many years ago when we did not understand mental diseases) hair loss can be prevented. When these men were given testosterone, they lost all of their hair in months, as was typical for the family pattern.

Female: Women have some male hormones just like men have some female hormones. When these ‘male’ hormones are produced in high amounts in some women (example would be tumors that secrete such hormones), we have observed the impact of these hormones as they contribute to hair loss in genetically prone women. With women, our understanding is not quite as good as with men, because in men we have recognized the role of a single hormone (DHT) as the major cause of most hair loss. You need to have a complete medical workup for hair loss before assuming that this is a genetic process. There are many conditions that cause hair loss in women and it is dangerous to assume that it is genetic unless you take the right tests to rule them out.

Posted on

RK19 vs Propecia vs Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

At age 59 what results can I expect from RK19? Can RK19 be used with Finasteride(propecia) and Minoxidil? Which is a Better program? Is a Dr.’s prescription required?

RK19 is a product that sells over the counter and can therefore be purchased from their website. Minoxidil can also be purchased without a prescription. Propecia, on the other hand, does require a doctor’s prescription. I have no personal experience with RK19, but after reviewing the photographs, I am more than concerned. The blonde picture was foggy, and the other two pictures seemed to have a scalp coloring agent in them. That makes me suspicious. Let the buyer beware, so use this as your guide in trying to figure out what to do. Please review what I have said in the past on this blog about RK19, as well as what I have said about safe and effective hair loss remedies.


Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Penis Dysfunction- What To Do? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Thank You doctor for the advice on Propecia. I have started taking it now and within days my hair has improved. Yes, i do get proper erections but when i think of my penis….i dont…so i guess psychology is playing a part in not getting erection.

Anyways, can you please suggest some tests which i need to keep doing to check if my testeterone levels are normal (what i mean to say is tests which can check if my sexual organs are normal).

Thank You

There are doctors that specialize in sexual problems in men. If you are penis-focused, you may be causing your own sexual dysfunction, that is why a doctor who specializes in sexual problems may be a good starting point. They will be able to help differentiate between physical and emotional causes. You can have your doctor measure your testosterone levels to see if they are normal.

I am glad to hear that Propecia is helping, but I would expect that the benefits of it will take months, rather than days.

Posted on

Eqyss MegaTek – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doc:

I am so sorry to bother you again. Can you please tell me if you ever heard of Eqyss Megatek? It is a conditioner & Shampoo for horses that folks claim grows hair stronger & faster. As I have mentioned before, I recently thinned rapidly and I need some help. I am hoping you have heard of this and can comment.

Interestingly, this is the second question I have received on horse hair products (see also: Mane-Tail-Groom Hair Products). I have no practical experience with horse hair products in humans, but from the inquiries I have made, some Europeans who had association with horses know about these products and swear by them. I would add horse hair grooming to what I offer my patients, but they may think that I am a horse’s ass for doing so.

Posted on

Bald Spots on 6 Year Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My 6 year old son has developed bald patches in his head. It began with one bald spot this summer and then traveled to the opposite side of his head. So now there are two bald spots. Now it looks as another bald spot is forming on top of one of the other spots. We have taken them to him to the dermatologist and they stated that is was nothing to worry about. They tested the spots and informed us that no fungus was located and that the patches should fill in on there own. I don’t see any impovement and want to that him to another dermatologist.

Do you have any idea what this could be and could you provide some suggestions.

Thanks in advance

Block Quote

I have addressed this type of question a few times before (search for “child”). There are many causes of hair loss including fungal and bacterial infections. In children, fungal infections are not uncommon. The presence of conditions such as alopecia areata are amongst the many possibilities, but if it just goes away as your doctor said, then waiting sounds like the thing to do. Most of these conditions are not life threatening. I wish I had more advice to give, but without seeing the child, it would be very hard to try to come to a conclusion over the internet.