Balding Blog – Page 1910

November 4, 2005

Patchy Hair Loss and Alopecia Areata – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have patches of hair coming out on my head. It looks like someone hit me with a shot gun and every place the buckshot went, I lost a patch of hair around it. It started a couple of years ago and then stopped, but did not get better. What should I do? Will a hair transplant fix this?

Block Quote

It sounds like you have Alopecia Areata. This is an autoimmune disease that has genetic origins. You need to see a dermatologist. Hair transplants usually fail to grow in the patches of hair loss if the disease is active. Visit the National Alopecia Areata Foundation website for more information.

November 4, 2005

Changing Hair Characteristics – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hello i am 19 and i noticed that me hair was thining last year while i was a freshman in college. i also started to notice that the hair on the side of my head and in the back some wouldnt grow as fast and became very curly and dark.i was wondering if this would have somthing to do with the thinning. it was just kinda weird to have 2 differnt kinds of hair on my head. i started taking propecia about 4 months ago and started to notice results within the first 2 weeks, no more hair falling out. i was wondering since the hair loss was so sudden as was the curly black hairs if this could have something to do with a chemical inbalence of somekind. i was thinking maybe thyroid or somthing. if u have ne advise i would be happy to hear it. thanks

Block Quote

It sounds like you are experiencing male patterned genetic hair loss and the Propecia has started to reverse it. Wait for a full 8-12 months and you may find that the hair will return to your normal thickness. Get a working diagnosis from a doctor with a good microscopic assessment, so that you are not blind to the things that are going on. You will want some ‘metrics’ (numbers) on the amount of hair miniaturization you have before the Propecia takes full effect, so that you can gauge the changes over time. You should have a Master Plan for the many years you have in front of you, so that as you age and your hair loss problems progress, you will have a better idea of what your options are. For more information on a Master Plan, see the NHI Master Plan page.

November 4, 2005

Hair Loss InformationFamily History of Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello doctor. Thanks for your time. I have medium length wavy hair. I have notice recently a lot of hairs coming out in the shower and sometimes on my pillow. My fringe feels thinner and i feel a little bit thinner on top, but my hairline does not appear to be very receding. I’ve also had an itchy scalp of late. My brother suffered hair loss aged only 21 and my uncle also lost most of his hair before he reached 30. This would make me believe it is hereditary hairloss but my hair doesn’t appear to follow the pattern that i’ve read about. Could there be another reason? Thanks.

Block Quote

You need to be examined by a good doctor and the diagnosis of genetic hair loss needs to be made with objective criteria. A close microscopic examination of the scalp (all over) will show indications of patterned hair loss common in the genetic cause of hair loss in men. Please, before you jump in and start taking drugs, let’s make a diagnosis and map out the full impact of the genetic balding now. Then, knowing what you have in store for you, Propecia would be a good drug to combat your hair loss (assuming you are a young man) and a repeat microscopic examination of the hair in different areas of your scalp will show the areas that are most improved with Propecia.

November 3, 2005

CosmeticTrichoGenesis – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What can you tell me about a company called Current Technology and a procedure called CosmeticTrichoGenesis(CTG) that they have the patent. You sit under a chair with a hood for approx. 12 minutes 1x per week and it emits small amounts of electric energy to both stop hair loss and enhance hair growth. Although not FDA approved, I am seriously considering taking advantage of the treatment. I think I’m a good candidate and not ready to go the transplant route. My wife’s hair salon just got a chair and I know several clients who are very pleased. Please let me know what you’ve heard about the procedure and its efficacy and or results. Thank you.

Block Quote

The new names never cease to amaze me. As I have been reviewing questions people have written to me for this blog, fancy new names of “magical” cures continue to come in from various individuals surfing the net. This one is all in the name. Cosmetic implies elective fixes to improve looks, Tricho means hair, and by linking the two words together you get the loose meaning of “hair improvement therapies”. Genesis means growth, and implies that there is something that stimulates the hair to improve the cosmetic appearance of a person. There is nothing new here, other than the combination of colorful words.

November 3, 2005

Thinning of Transplanted Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

How big of a problem is the gradual thinning of transplanted hair — have you seen cases where a transplant looks decent but then some years later looks crummy because it thinned out too much?

Block Quote

In about 30% of the male population, men will lose some of the hair we call permanent hair from the sides and back of the head. If that would have been you, then you might lose hair in the transplanted area. There are other causes of hair loss, so seeing a good doctor should help you with the diagnosis. I would want to look at your donor hair and see if there is significant miniaturization in that area. With loss of donor hair, we should see some miniaturization in the donor area.

November 3, 2005

Hair Coloring and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

sir,
i sm 20yrs of age. i use to have very thin hairs. i not use any hair oil or any hair ointment, but use to shampoo twice a week. Also i have habit of applying my hand on my hair regularly, but now the problem is that my hair starts falling & shine is also lost. Please tell me if applying hair color is safe or not. so please send me the related information.i shall be highly thankful to you.

Block Quote

Daily washing of the hair is a good idea, but being gentle is important. Fine hair is more fragile then coarse hair, so damaging it is a real consideration with a strong massage or heavy handed brushing. Ask a good hair dresser for advice. Careful coloring should not be a problem provided that high quality materials are used by a professional skilled in the art.

November 3, 2005

Propecia and Minoxidil Together – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr.
I realize Minoxidil does not work on the front of the head (hairline). I have the classic receding hairline problem and I’m curious if you feel Propecia is worth taking in an effort to (possibly) reduce the receding hairline problem (or at least prevent it from getting any worse)? Also, is it any more or less effective to use both Minoxidil AND Propecia at the same time?

Thanks for all your great work.

Block Quote

For men, I generally like to start off with Propecia first, and if there is no benefit in about 8 months, then add Minoxidil. If there is still no benefit, then transplantation may be the only option, if the hair loss is bad enough. I don’t like to do two things at once, because if you use both Propecia and Minoxidil and they work, the treatment that was responsible for the benefit (it might have only been one of them) is something that you will never know and therefore you will be ‘hooked’ on both for life. For women, there is no Propecia option, so Minoxidil is the only know effective choice available for hair loss.

November 2, 2005

Daily Hair Treatment Regimen – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doctor,
Thank you for this excellent resourceful blog! My hair has been thinning excessively since past 6 months to the point that i can no longer apply gel since it shows my scalp. there has also been some hairloss. If I keep my hair dry my scalp hardly shows nevertheless hair is thinning. I recently got on propecia and some other natural treatments. Here is my daily regimen:

Propecia – early morning when I get up

Saw Palmetto – 12 hours after propecia 320 Mg (so that it starts working on the DHT since Propecia has a shorter half life and I doubt its effect will last 24 hours (does it ?)

Nizoral Shampoo twice a week

Biotin and B vitamin supplements

Zinc supplement

regular Multivitamin

I have some questions:

How effective would this regimen be and is there anything else I can add on to it ?

When can I expect to see the results ? (re- thickening of hair and reversal of some hairloss i have had. )

My hair loss seems more on the area right behind my frontal hairline. Vertex is fine.

Family history: Dad started losing his hair slowly at age 35. Grand father had hair till 60. Mom’s brother is 48 and has full head of hair. and his father had hair till 55. I am 27. Please advice. I am passing through a lot of emotions.

Block Quote

Your maximum response to Propecia will be up to two years, with fully 60% seen in the first 8 months or so. Be patient and wait it out for the full course. The approach you are using seems good. The Propecia does have a half life of 5 or so hours, but there is some discussion that Saw Palmetto may block the full benefit of the drug if it competes with the 5 alpha reductase inhibition. I can not certify this problem one way or the other.

I always recommend that the degree of miniaturization that you are having is documented by a good doctor. This will, at the least, tell you if the drugs are doing their job. Long term planning with a good Master Plan needs to take into account everything from your response to conservative treatment and the probable pattern of your hair loss. Minoxidil may be something worth trying if you do not get a good response from this regimen.

November 2, 2005

Hair Loss InformationPrednisone Stopped My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 38 (female) and have had thinning hair for a while. I was prescribed Prednisone for a different problem (poison oak) and went through the treatment process. I noticed while on the drug for awhile that my hair stopped falling out. Have you ever heard of this? It seems that every other time prednisone is mentioned, it causes hair to fall out rather than stopping it. I’m wondering if a low level dosage is ever prescribed as a treatment for hair loss. Once I finished the prednisone, my hair started falling out again.

Block Quote

There are many causes of hair loss other than classic genetic female hair loss (alopecia areata, various autoimmune processes, etc..) that might be helped with steroids, while the genetic process might be harmed by these same drugs. You need to have a good working diagnosis made by a competent dermatologist to ascertain what you have. Steroids can be dangerous when used long term, so be sure you are properly managed by a good doctor.

November 2, 2005

Using FUE to Fill In Old Donor Scar – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Some 5-6 weeks ago, i had my first FUT procedure for about 1600 grafts that were harvested by removing a donor strip from the back of my head, but this time its not because my hair is thinning but to increase the facial hair density. I must say that i’m now very concerned since i begun seeing those infinitely many cases who had bad experciences with the donor scar visibility(detectibility) even at this early stage of my procedure. I would like to know the validity that successful FUE could be used to conceal the donor scar so that i can wear my hair short assuming that my scar is (2-3)mm wide and not raised plus that am a good candidate for FUE. Thanks

One of the particularly good uses for Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is to address the donor wounds of the traditional strip harvesting methods used in standard hair transplantation. The frequency of significant scarring (a width equal or greater than 2-3 mm) is about 5% in the first procedure and 10% in the second. FUE works well to fill in these scars if you are in the unfortunate few that get significant scarring.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):