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Hair Loss InformationThe Woods Technique – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is the Woods technique a viable option to consider for hair transplantation?

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This technique is undocumented and has never been explained. This doctor has kept his process secret, including the yield and growth rate of the transplants. Woods has chosen to do his technique without any peer review and not publish it in recognized journals. By making his technique secret, he has succeeded in creating a mystique (a cult) that he has promoted on the internet to create hype.

I have had the opportunity to see a couple of his patients and the recipient sites are not as clean or as natural as ours (I believe he creates larger recipient site wounds). In addition, the scarring in the donor area is evident on his videos and on his patients. Doctors in Australia tell me of significant failures in his hands based upon patients that have come to them. Although bashing doctors is at times fashionable for competing doctors to try to gain a competitive edge, Woods has failed to fulfill his basic responsibilities with the Oath that doctors take when they are given their diploma to practice medicine and surgery. That failed responsibility (to share knowledge and educate patients and colleagues to improve the quality of medical care) increases my skepticism about his work. Creating secrecy does little more than to make a sect that confuses the public and people who may get sucked into marketing hype and then ask obvious questions, wanting to know facts. I have tried to find out what he does, if only for curiosity. For now, however, Woods chooses to do his thing under the cover of secrecy.

For more info on the New Hair Institute’s published FUE technique:

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Taking Multiple Hair Loss Drugs at the Same Time – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m am a 22 year old male and have been balding since i was 17. I have been taking Proscar, saw palmetto and applying minoxidol for about one year now and there is definite improvement in the crown of my head but not alot in the front. I have just ordered dutasteride over the net but i still have some proscar left. I was wondering could i take them at the same time, not take the proscar and just take the dutasteride, or maybe take the dutasteride and not take the proscar?

When you play doctor, you sometimes undo what you are trying to do. I know it’s been mentioned on this blog many times before, but for the readers that aren’t familiar with the various hair loss drugs, Proscar (5mg) is the same medication as Propecia (1mg). Propecia is FDA approved for treating hair loss, and Proscar is a prostate drug. Many people will cut Proscar into quarters to achieve the benefits of Propecia, but for a reduced price.

Dutasteride and Propecia are both very good DHT blockers, with Dutasteride probably stronger. There is no point to take Propecia if you are taking Dutasteride, but I have warned the young men out there that there is no FDA clearance for Dutasteride in young men for hair loss use.

Saw Palmetto may be a competitive inhibitor to Propecia and/or Dutasteride. That means that when Saw Palmetto hooks on to the DHT receptor instead of Dutasteride or Propecia, it will compete with these drugs. Saw Palmetto is a weak DHT competitor, making the stronger drugs less effective. You may be undoing what you want to do.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

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Experiencing Pain from Propecia Use – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr.Rassman
I am a 20 years old guy. I have a bad family history with hair loss. The same thing happend to me 1 year ago. I decided to take propecia 2 weeks ago. The problem is that in the first 5 days i had testicular pain.Than it was better and better and now i dont have it anymore. I asked my doctor,but he didn’t tell me why it was happening.Can you tell me why did it happen to me?
Thank you for your time.

I am not familiar with testicular pain from Propecia. It is not a known side effect and I have had no patients report such a problem to me, despite the many patients who I have prescribed this drug to.

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Hair Loss InformationThe Magic Bullet for Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi DR. RASSMAN.
HI I would like to tell you a little story about me… I am 39 and I started losing my hair in 2000 and I took the advice of tricoligist a person who studies hairloss. THIS person told me all the wrong things like saw would stop my hairloss..!!!! it did not!!!!! I am so mad because if I started on propecia I would not have this thin spot on my vertex. I would like you to go this web site and look at these products and tell me what you think of these products and services. I would like you honest opinion..PLEASE!!!! LET ME KNOW

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I’ve removed the link you provided as to not give free advertising to that site.

I have looked over the site you asked about, and I have read your email carefully. The only DHT blocker that is FDA approved is Propecia. The drug Avodart has been reported from reliable sources to be more effective than Propecia, but it is not FDA approved for hair loss (it is FDA approved for prostate problems, however). Many of the other substances listed on this site are not proven, yet there are claims appearing all over that say these products are good at preventing or reversing hair loss. The site appears to sell everything they review, and that puts out an alarm for me. I do not cash in on FADS, but rather use my knowledge and extensive education to help my patients use what works.

You made a mistake years ago; do not make it now. If you have genetic hair loss yould should be on Propecia. Using other approaches may not hurt, but I would question the value of them.

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Thinning Hair Since Age 14 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
I’m 20 yrs old and i have been losing my hair since i was 14. I’ve noticed my temples are receding quite rapidly and on top of that, my scalp is looking more thin. I have a brother whos 3 yrs older than me and hes been losing his hair as well since he was a teen except his temples aren’t receding as bad as mines. My Father is 45 and his hair looks natural for his age even tho hes its becoming more thin.

i have never tried any hair lost products and i’m at the point where i want to do something right now before its all gone. If you can please give me advice on what to do or recomend me doctors in the L.A. area that can help, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You Very Much.

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You need to be examined by a doctor who will look for a variety of conditions, including:

  1. Male pattern genetic hair loss (shows miniaturization in a defined pattern and sounds like what you may have)
  2. Alopecia, including a variety of other inherited forms that are not traditional male patterned balding

Only an expert doctor in this field can make the diagnosis. With the gravity of this in a young man, I would suggest that getting the best medical advice is what should drive you at this time. I can not make a diagnosis without examining you, but I would love to see you in one of my offices. There will be no charge for the examination.

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Hair Loss InformationReverse Reaction from Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctor i have been using the propecia for the last 5 months and my hair got thinner and softer . I started to use the prpecia 1 year ago for two weeks and i had the same symptoms i quite using it and my hair got back to normal. This is really disturbing me that i have overall thinning which i was never worried about beacuse i was only try to keep the corner of my frontal hairline.I have type early 3. in my family there is not anyone that has ever loose hair on top of their head.They all have thick hair.

They all have 3A .Now i have been worrying about thinning hair which was never the case. Is there any way propecia might have a reverse reaction on some patience, beacuse the body might see the dht blocker as a virus and fight back to the madicine by producing more DHT. Is it possible that this could happen in some .Thanks doctor for your time.

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To my knowledge, this is not a known side effect of Propecia. If you are a Class 3A and that is your family pattern and you think that (a) this is going to be your final pattern, (b) you can live with it, (c) you believe that it is a side effect of the drug, then stop the Propecia. Whatever the benefits that are claimed by the drug company, the decision to take this drug is yours and only yours. I have met some men who for their own reasons, abandoned their recommended Propecia treatment. This becomes a personal choice and like everything in life, we make choices and deal with the consequences of those choices. Propecia is not for everyone.

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New Medications for Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

They are suppose to come out with new meds ..beyond avodart that are suppose to work well do you know about this???

I am unable to answer this question. I do not follow the FDA applications for new drugs nor the clinical trials that are in the early stages of development. What I do follow are those drugs that reach the ‘end of that pipeline’ and at this time I am not familiar with drugs at this stage of development from which to calculate a time-line.

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Hair Loss InformationSlimy Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
Recently I noticed that my hair has a slimy feel to it when it gets wet, and then it will dry as if it has gel in it, very hard. I have always lost hair in the shower, but it seems that this is increasing with the slimy hair problem. Another symptom that I’ve had is extreme scalp itch, but no more than normal dandruff visible to be the cause of it. This summer I spent a great deal of time in the swimming pool, but no one I’ve been with is experiencing similiar problems. Also, I’m taking Adapex for weight loss and wonder if this might have some correlation with my symptoms. I’ve tried researching my slimy hair and came up with a process used on wigs called decutilization, where layers of the hairs cuticle is removed for some reason. However, I can’t find anything to do with my own hair having this problem or how to fix it. A friend suggested that my hair had lost it’s acidity, but home remedies and ion hair strippers have not helped. Please help me figure this out. I want to solve the problem so my normally soft healthy hair will return. Thanks so much.

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Swimming daily will reduce the wax (sebum) what protects the hair from drying and becoming brittle. Maybe that summer is now over, the problem will go away. You might think about whatever you are using as hair products as a possible cause of your problem, so stopping or changing the entire regimen of products may be helpful, particularly if you change only one at a time.

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Female AndroGenetic Alopecia (AGA) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is it normal to drop between 30-50 strands of hair when washing if you have female AGA and using 5% minoxidil for 3 months already?

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The average person will lose about 100-150 hairs per day and replace that same number with new hair growth. I believe the proper question is: After 3 months of Minoxidil 5%, should I see results? The answer to this question is that if Minoxidil was to work on your hair loss problem, you should see a positive effect in this 3 month time-frame. Three months is the minimal time needed to get an effect of Minoxidil for losing hair but the impact on the visible effects may not be seen for up to a year or more.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Transplant in Black Woman – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a black woman age 27. Seven years ago I had thick black hair. I used chemical products on my hair and got my hair styled by various hair dressers. Fine bumps developed in the back of my head, I attended a doctor and I was told that there were keloids. About a year after I conceive and gave birth to my only daughter that was in 1999. I relaxed my hair again and this time I am not sure if it is as a result of the keloid but my hair started thinning at the front and it is getting worse. I try to keep my hair up to hide the bald spots and this has affected my self esteem some what. Can this problem be rectified. Can my hair grow back or can I have hair transplant to make it look normal again?

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This is a very complex problem that would require an examination of your scalp. Without seeing you, I would be loathe to suggest what to do. See a good dermatologist first, then see if he/she recommends another expert. Bald areas in the scalp are easily treated provided that there are no disease contra-indications for transplantation. Keloids and a variety of diseases that cause Alopecia need to be evaluated.