Balding Blog – Page 1876

January 17, 2006

Bald After Radiation for Brain Tumor – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Had breast cancer, surgery, chemo, radiation. Then had a brain tumor that they thought could be taken out without radiation (kills follicles, and absolutely left me BALD! I was a hairdresser that went to graduate school with beautiful long blond hair. I CAN NOT find another woman that is as bald as I am. My whole head is permantently BALD. I tried every product on the market and nothing helped because the follicles were killed by total head radiation. I can not work, stay away from longterm partner that I knew since 1973 that I was in love with. I don’t work, have no friends left (my move, because I could not stand their pity). Stopped going to my support groups, and have tremendous stress now. My son is alone too, diagnosed with diabetes after given a medication for bi-polar disorder. I was adopted, and my family has never called me. So I am left completely bald – wear wigs w/pajamas if I have to go out. Thank you for letting me write this since I feel like a grieving “bald” widow !

I was left totally bald 4 years ago from head radiation after removal of a brain tumor. I cannot find another woman as young as I am, or ever older that me, that this happened to. Totally stressed out and won’t go out of the house. Probably will lose my house. Have NO self esteem. Tried everything, creams, lotions with no results. Hair Club for Men and Women (HCMW) are hostile to women, could not afford permanent program. Have alot of wigs, but NO SELF CONFIDENCE/ SELF ESTEEM and have just about given up on the hope of a solution.
Thank you.

Have no pictures/ HCMW took pics of top and back ! I kept asking to talk to someone that had my extent of permanent hair loss that they kept telling me about – but did not for a year. Instead they had me talk to a potential client. Very sad.

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There is no cure for what you are describing. You had bouts of cancer and beat it. That should tell you that your glass is half full, not half empty. We are the writers, directors, and actors in our own lives. Sometime we need help to do that job and a good psychiatrist/psychologist or counselor may help you direct your ‘play’. Get the help you need and make your life come out they way you want it to be. I have seen many handicapped people who have overcome many liabilities. A relative of mine died from breast cancer and she went through hell trying to beat it. Her life was taken and yours was gifted to you. Do you think that there was a purpose to your survival? Take a look at National Alopecia Areata Foundation. What this should show you is that there are many people working on your type of problem and many people managing their lives with it. Their glass is half full.

I met a lady with alopecia universalis (no hair on any part of her body from genetic causes) who wore a wig and used make-up for eyebrows and lashes for her eyes. Her alopecia could not be detected at all (she chose to look like a hairy woman), and she was fashionable and dynamic in her social and professional life (radio show host and former spokesperson for the alopecia afflicted). She told me that she made a decision that her alopcia was just a handicap and she quickly came to deal with her life when she was young. Living life for life’s value was more important than obsessing over a problem for which there was no cure. She was victorious, something I wish for you.

January 17, 2006

Transplant Hair From My Back – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My question is about donor sites. I have a rather extensive amount of back hair and, if possible and practical, I would like to transplant said hair (in conjunction with hair from other, more typical, donor sites) as part of a transplant to correct my scalp baldness. While I still have hair on the sides and the back of my scalp, I do have a lot of baldness all across the top of my scalp, which I assume will require lots of grafts. Can back hair be considered donor hair?

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Body hair is not a productive source for hair as traditional sources from the sides and back of your head. Unless you have significantly depleted the donor hair from the traditional source, I would not recommend hair from the body (an experimental procedure of questionable value). I have performed hair transplants on the baldest of men with great results. They have gotten hair from back and sides in each case. For example, see Class 7 Patient ZU from the NHI site.

January 17, 2006

Taking Supplements with Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr,
I’ve learned a great deal from your site. I have two questions — one general, one specifically for me.

1. I read that you encouraged the use of propecia in the AM. I take a multivitamin and calcium citrate in the morning, and therefore I take propecia at night to offset the risk of an interaction. I also take creatine pills at various times in the day. I’m on no other drugs or supplements. Is there any problem with taking any or all of these pills/supplements together? I’m especially concerned about the creatine and its potential role with testosterone.

2. Some background info:
– I’m in my early 20s
– I’ve been using propecia for about 16 months because of a maturing hairline at the temples.
– My hair is black, extremely thick and curly, and my facial hair is extremely coarse as well — Before 2 years of laser surgery I had 5 o clock shadow 24 hours a day. In terms of facial hair, I made Richard Nixon look like a backstreet boy!

That being said, I’m under the impression that I have more testosterone than most guys, and that 5 MG Proscar pills (which I will cut in half) might work better than 1 mg Propecia. The only reason I contemplate doing this is that I think -although it’s hard to tell — I’m still losing ground on my hairline. I’m also going to reinitiate minoxidil-use at night.

Avodart sounds very promising, but I’m willing to wait until it gets FDA approved for hairloss. I’m under the impression that will never happen.

Basically, I’m looking for your input on this matter. In addition to 2.5 MG of finasteride daily and minoxidil, is there anything else you can recommend to keep as much — if not all — of my hair as I can?

I look forward to your response

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The medications you are taking should not be negatively impacted by Propecia, so I would still suggest taking Propecia in the morning.

I am not certain that you have more or less testosterone than others to explain losing hair on the top of your head — probably just strong genetics. The strong beard again points to strong genetics and the DHT effect on those genetics. Male pattern balding is caused by DHT (so is your beard). Taking 1.mg vs 2.5mg of finasteride may or may not make a difference in terms of reducing hair loss, because there is no conclusive data for better results with higher dosage of the drug. If you find that 2.5mg of finasteride works better for you, then you should continue doing it, but you must be aware that the higher dose does correlate with more negative sexual side effects. I recommended that to stay healthy, eat a balanced diet and exercise. Crash diets may accelerate hair loss. I would like you to email some photos of your hair for further evaluation. If you truly have hair loss, I would be happy to email back more insights.

January 17, 2006

Discoid Lupus and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Female. I was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus Erythematosus about 4 years ago. It started out as a little bald spot, now most of my hear on the top is gone. I am not sure what to do, I have at the cortizone shots, I have used the clobex shampoo,noting is working. I am constatly getting new bald spots it appears to always be active. Is there anything I can do to slow down the hair loss? I have kept my hair short for almost 20 years. I am tryin to let it grow back enough to be able to push the front part of my hair back to cover up the spots.

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Autoimmune diseases are a known cause of hair loss and a difficult problem to control. To get control of the hair loss means getting control of the autoimmune disease. This requires the expert hands of a doctor specializing in such diseases, such as a dermatologist with a particular interest in this.

Hair transplantation works if the disease in the scalp has been inactive for a number of years and this is best determined by biopsies along the edge of the bald area where normal hair may exist. The presence of inflammatory cells may show active disease (from your history this is your case) so a number of areas must be biopsied (must wait until the disease becomes inactive). When the disease become inactive in the scalp (it may remain active elsewhere), biopsies will show that it is inactive. With inactivity present for at least 2 years, a series of test hair transplants will show if the skin will support hair transplant. Representative areas must be selected for the test transplants and FUE can be the source of the transplanted donor hair. Before embarking on this process, however, a supply/demand assessment must be made with goals clearly defined. With a disease only 4 years old, it is probable that you will have to wait some time before undergoing any type of restoration assessment and hopefully when it reverses, you will see some hair return in the affected areas as an indication that inactivity in the scalp may be on the horizon for you.

I have successfully transplanted a series of patients with inactive alopecia areata with nice results. I would suspect that you might be a candidate some day if you are fortunate enough for the process to stop progressing in your scalp. I have no other suggestions for the moment other than continue with your treating physician and have hope.

January 17, 2006

What Type of Dermatologist Should I See? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

First, thank you for your wonderfully informative blog.

1) I’d like to see a dermatologist about my scalp. Would any dermatologist be okay or should I make sure it is a dermatologist specializing in hair loss? (I’m currently between III and IV on the Norwood chart. Also, I my skin seems unnaturally dry in those areas, and there are two tiny red sores that I discovered about the same time my hair loss began three years ago which have never gone away; so I think there may be a correlation.)

2) I’m in San Diego. Do you (or your associates) or anyone you can recommend in my area accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance?

Thank you very much for your time.

Insurance for medical work-ups for hair loss is covered by many insurance companies, but you will have to investigate your benefits from your present carrier. Hair transplants, on the other hand, have not been covered by insurance companies unless there is a burn or accident associated, and again, the benefits are defined as ‘covering’ those injuries for cosmetic surgeries.

If you are a male or female with hair loss, then your doctor should be able to make miniaturization mapping of your scalp. Some dermatologists do this, so you should ask their staff before you set up a visit. People who call themselves hair experts can be found in the physician search on ISHRS.org in your local area. My closest office is 120 miles from you, in Los Angeles.

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January 17, 2006

I Don’t Want to Play Doctor with My Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m 22 and over the last year my hair has been thinning fast. Thinning, really bad itching all over my scalp and a receding hair line. This last year i have had three major surgerys and one minor one. Also I have been under extreme stress. Plus both my grandfather and father are bald or going bald. So i really dont know were it could be coming from. I have been to hair loss clinics and doctors and been told and given different things. 5% Minoxidil, Enhanced anti-androgenic pill with saw palmetto and other herbs, some shampoo, laser light therapy and just yesterday i got propecia. What should i do? I’m scared that I am starting to play doctor with all these products. PLEASE HELP

It sounds like you are grasping for straws and may or may not find a solution. First you need to KNOW if you have genetic hair loss, like what is in your family. With measurements on miniaturization made, you can then establish a base line from which drugs like Propecia can be valued by comparing the changes in miniaturization over time. I would drop everything else, and focus on getting a diagnosis before the Propecia gets going too far, just for comparisons. Propecia may be your best approach, but you still need a Master Plan to know what is going to happen to you.

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January 17, 2006

Hair Transplant After Alopecia? – Balding Blog

I have several bald spots at the back of my head.I went to see an MD and a blood test was done all are normal and MD said that i am having alopecia. What is the approximate price of hair transplantation? i am only 26 years old / female and i don’t want to be bald this early in life. please respond. thanks

There are many types of alopecia. If you have one of the autoimmune causes of hair loss (that is what it sounds like), then hair transplantation does not work until the disease has burned out (generally you must wait for at least a couple of years and be certain that the autoimmune process has ended often requiring a biopsy). I need more information on the type of alopecia you have. See the Female Hair Loss category for the answers to your concerns that may have already been written.

January 16, 2006

Moser Clinic – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello!

Here in Austria we have a hair restoration clinic named Moser Clinic. This is a quote from their website:

“Unlike scientists in America Karl Moser and Dr. Krugluger integrated the experience and know-how of organ transplantation into their research. They found out that the time when the hair is removed from the donor area until it gets placed into the recipient area is the most critical and the major reason for reduced hair growth after the transplantation. During this time the FUs need a perfect, humid environment.

While other clinics still use a saline solution for intermediate storage, the Moser Medical Group developed its own solution to stop hair loss after transplantations. After the FUs have been dissected, they are stored in this solution where they are treated against disturbance of growth, until they get implanted. ”

Well they claim they know how to make the hair not fall out after a hair transplant. Could such things be true or is it simply a hoax?

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The Moser Clinic is a highly respected organization and the work of Karl Moser and Dr. Krugluger has been presented to the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery), where I was in the audience. They are credible scientists. Their solution appears to reduce the hair loss shedding immediately after the surgery. I would be interested in trying it, but I am prohibited from using it for many reasons including:

It is not FDA approved in the United States
The technique appears to have many nuances and I would want to master them before trying it on people
I do not perform human experimentation

I spoke to them about the FDA and offered to cooperate with them and help them get it through the FDA process when we met this summer in Sydney, Australia.

January 16, 2006

African American Hair Expert – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m an African American female and want to know which is better for my hair, pressing with a hot comb or using a non lye relaxer (like Precise). Also, I have hair loss and hair is very thin. I had a hair restoration in June 2005 by Bosley. Can you please recommend things I can do to improve my hair? Do you consider yourself an expert in dealing with African American hair?

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I believe that I was the first person to place follicular units into an African American and started the trend that allowed for the use of small grafts in African hair types. As you may know, hair transplantation is a ‘peg in a hole’ surgery, but African hair is curly (like a cork screw) and therefore placing it into a round hole can be a difficult challenge to the inexperienced hair transplant surgeon. I guess that would make me an expert for transplants into African American hair types.

With regard to your other question, I am not an expert in the best ways to ‘relax’ hair, but I see problems with those individuals who have this done improperly. I am an expert in the complications of such treatments. I would have to examine you to make any recommendations.

January 16, 2006

Female Hair Loss from Diet Pills? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am getting bald in the top of my head and also on the left side of my head. Not sure what the problem. I was told that if you took a lot of diet pills in your younger days (of which I did) that would cause it. Please help me on this matter. It is very embrassing to go bald at the age of 42. Not that is matters but I am a black female.

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Actually, race and sex do matter since certain backgrounds tend to produce certain types of hair loss. In your case, diet pills taken many years ago are not high on my list of causes for hair loss, although extreme diets and conditions such as anorexia and bulimia definitely do weaken hair and cause loss. For a final and accurate answer, you would really have to be examined and tested by a hair doctor (get your scalp mapped out for miniaturization) or a dermatologist, but I suspect you might want to review the many previous blog entries about Female Hair Loss to understand the various causes of hair loss that must be considered.

On a more positive note, hair loss in certain hair types (for example African-American hair or kinky/curly hair types) gets better results from replacement surgery and/or other treatments. Depending on what type of hair loss you have, you may still have many options for treatment, so don’t despair!