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I Developed Keloids on My Knee and Ears — Would It Be a Problem On the Scalp?

Following a scrape on the knee and an ear piercing I developed keloids. Would this present a potential problem if I were to undergo transplpant surgery?

Yes, it may present a problem, particularly since you developed a keloid after a single needle piercing.


2007-10-16 08:32:25I Developed Keloids on My Knee and Ears — Would It Be a Problem On the Scalp?

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I Cut Off My Dreadlocks After Seeing a Bald Spot

I’m a black female and two years ago I wrote to you guys about dreadlocs and hair loss. I cut them off and kept my hair almost to the bone most of 2007. Last year, after growing my hair back for a few months I cut them off after experiencing very localized alopecia at the back of my head along my ears (about an inch inside my hairline). I thought that maybe it was reaction to the hair dyes I used so I cut it all off and started over and was all growing in nicely. Well now a year later I’m having the alopecia problem again.

I’d been growing my hair since I trimmed it in June. But when it started getting cold here it started to get the itchies behind my ears, something I remembered from the previous time I lost my hair and whenever I’d wash it, it would have lots of hair coming out. I thought maybe it was because I did my hair in styles that I kept for a week (and therefore losing on in day a weeks work of shed hair)but deep down I knew it was much more then that.

So I looked in the mirror yesterday and saw the bald patch, much larger then what I had last year. I just don’t understand what’s going on. If you drew a line from ear to ear, my hair is much denser from the front to that line, I get thick braids when I style that part of my head. At the back it’s much finer. I’m really at a loss as to what could be going on.

I don’t use relaxers, artificial hair dyes (only pure henna), I don’t use heat to straighten my hair and I’m as gentle as possible when combing my hair. Can you shed (no pun) some light?

What I tell black women is that anything they do to their hair can cause hair loss if it is done often enough. It’s a general statement, but I see it almost every day. Hair straightening with relaxers does it, pigtails do it, dreads do it. Perhaps you are best served with a good afro, but if you’ve already lost a considerable amount of hair, that might not be an answer. Wigs work, but the attachment mechanisms can cause hair loss. It’s a huge catch 22. I really can’t give you any kind of solution without at least seeing what the problem is for myself.

If you’d like to visit my office for a consultation, I may be able to come up with something. I might suggest hair transplants (I’d need to see you first), but then again, that is an expensive solution and it still may not help 100%. Just don’t let any doctor recommend a hair transplant unless he/she is honest and straightforward with you. Good luck.

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I Cut My Scalp — Will the Hair Regrow?

I shave my head with a disposable razor, I accidentally cut myself on the top of my head, which left an open cut/wound, it started bleeding for about 30 minutes, then stopped. I’ve been treating the wound with Cocoa Butter for the last(2)days. Will my hair grow back in the area that was accidentally cut?

If it is just a superficial cut on the skin, yes, your hair should grow back. If there is a bad scar, hair will likely not grow on the scar itself.

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I Cut My Head and Had Stitches — Will Hair Regrow There?

Hi.

I cut the back of my head quite badly a few weeks back. I had stitches put in and now they have been removed. The cut is healing well but the problem is that there are 2 cuts with a gap in between. Currently I have a large-ish bald patch covering the whole area.

My questions are:

A) Will the area between the 2 scars ever grow back the hair

B) Is there anything I can do to encourage the hair to regrow.

Thanks.

Without seeing you, I can not tell you the answers to your question. The scalp frequently scars and the scar can widen. If that is the case, you may end up with a bald area where the scar forms.

Sometimes there is an area around the scar which has temporary hair loss. If that happens, it usually regrows in about 6 months. Best to see a doctor who knows about hair for an examination if you’re concerned.


2012-09-12 10:17:46I Cut My Head and Had Stitches — Will Hair Regrow There?

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I continue to shed and have some more questions

How long after a hair has been shed should you see the regrowth come through? Is telogen effluvium common in men or is it nearly always MPB? Is fin useful to prevent hair shedding?

Some simple answers: (1) telegen effluvium is rare in men, (2) young men with hair loss usually have male pattern balding and (3) finasteride is not useful in telogen effluvium. Please, for your future hair health and looks, seen a competent expert in the hair field.


2020-10-05 12:00:47I continue to shed and have some more questions

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I Considered a Hair Transplant, But I Can’t Take Propecia

Hi Doc,

Thanks for such a wonderful site, it’s been very useful.

I’m 25 with thinning hair. I have taken propecia for couple of months but I have stopped it because of side effects. I have considered hair transplant but from what I read on your blog, you mentioned that it’ll be really bad to do hair transplant without taking propecia at the same time. So what are my options if I can’t take the drug, should I even consider transplant.

Thanks a lot.

I don’t think I’ve ever stated that it was bad to have a hair transplant if you are not taking Propecia. If you can find a BaldingBlog entry where I did please let me know.

I often advise patients to take Propecia to prevent possible shock hair loss. However this is after a personal face-to-face consult on an individual basis and after I make an assessment of what the possible long term balding pattern might be. Everybody is different and there are many patients that have hair transplants without taking Propecia, but there is some risk of acceleration of the hair loss without it. The degree of miniaturization will be proportional to the risk of shock loss. There are some 25 year olds who do not have a great deal of miniaturization and they will be a lower risk for shock loss than a person with extensive miniaturization. Maybe a short term use of Propecia to protect yourself from shock loss would be worth trying. If you are considering a hair transplant you should see a good hair transplant doctor to have all your questions answered in person. Remember, there are some absolutes and if you have a hair loss pattern indicating extensive balding is probable, then you must be able to walk that line with your doctor so that you can keep you hair and understand the risks as well.