Gray Hair in a 7 Year Old

Hi, My son is 7 years old and I noticed a strand of grey hair on his head. Please let me know as to how this is happening and what can I do to prevent it further.

This is a genetic process, so my initial thought was that genetics would be the likely cause. Something has probably triggered the premature graying. Some people feel that this is an errant gene, like a chimerism in your son. There are a series of vitamin deficiencies that could also cause it, including vitamin B-12, although these are found in many foods. Some disease syndromes can be associated with it as well. See DrGreene.com for more information.


2008-09-18 11:05:53Gray Hair in a 7 Year Old

Gray Hair, Changing Diameter?

When hair turns gray, does the diameter change?

From my clinical experience I can tell you that the gray grafts appear thicker than the non-gray grafts. This is evident in the single hair grafts. Now that you sent me this question, I should measure the gray hair diameter and compare it with the non-gray hair diameter over the next few weeks and maybe get back to you with a small research study. Thanks for the great question!

Grapefruit Juice and Finasteride/Dutasteride Absorption

Dear Doctor:

This is in response to a post that I saw regarding grapefuit juice and Propecia/Avodart absorption. Grapefruit juice inhibits the Cytochrome P-450 intestinal enzyme CYP3A4. It does not affect the hepatic enzyme apparently. Dutasteride is metabolized extensively by this enzyme. The serum level of any CYP3A4 substrate, such as Dutasteride, will be elevated in the presence of GF juice. Additionally, grapefruit juice takes quite some time to leave the body, so it’s effect is cumulative. If someone drinks 1 glass a day for 5 days, CYP3A4 will be significantly reduced. Additionally, one 8-oz glass of grapefruit juice inhibits CYP3A4 as much as 2-3 double strength glasses, so you don’t need much. Ketoconazole is also a very potent CYP3A4 inhibitor. Now, I am sure most readers would not be against elevated serum levels of Dutasteride/Finasteride as the effects of dutasteride (at least) is dose-dependent. However, many other drugs such as antivirals, statin drugs, antihypertensives, antiseizure medications, and many allergy medications are also CYp3A4 substrates. Elevated serum levels of these drugs can prove deadly, so as a general rule, patients should check with their doctors regarding any drug/food interaction.

Just my 2 1/4 cents. Thanks!

GrapefruitThanks for the information. There are some medications that do not do well with grapefruit juices, but here some other links to explore about this —

And there’s more links in a previous blog post here.

Grandfather Has Hair, Dad is Bald — Will I Go Bald?

I’m a 20 year old with a question about balding and family genetics. I have a maternal grandfather who is is almost in his 80s who has a huge full head of hair, and a father who is bald. What are my chances of going bald?

There’s no telling. The balding gene can come from the maternal or paternal side and can skip generations. There’s no easy predictor just by looking at the family history, but with your father’s baldness, you do have some risk.

Are my grafts in the safe zone? (Photo)

The safe zone for donor FUE measures no more than 3 inches high and the bottom of this area is at the bony prominence of the skull in the midline. It does seem that the zone has been respected in the middle; however, there is a suggestion that the left side, it may be larger than 3 inches.


2017-09-22 05:28:47Are my grafts in the safe zone? (Photo)

How many grafts would I need to fill in this area and reduce my forehead size?

I will assume from these pictures that your hair is coarse. The arrow I placed on your photo shows the location of the middle of the new hairline and a mature hairline shape. If I am right, then the number of grafts to do this job would be in the range of 1,200-1,300. If your hair is finer, then it will take more grafts. It might take 2,000 grafts to get a reasonable result with fine hair. Everyone is different so the amount of grafts required reflect not only the thickness of the hair itself, but the area that has to be covered. This takes an experienced surgeon to do proper estimates.

lower forehead

 

How Many Grafts Would I Need? I Am 28 Years Old.

To determine the necessary number of grafts, I need a frontal picture with your hair pulled back and your eyebrows lifted high so that your forehead creases. This will show me the anatomic point that allows me to determine the proper position of the hair line. The estimate will vary with the thickness of your hair. You will require more grafts if your hair is fine and fewer grafts for if your hair is coarse. If I had to guess where the hairline is, I would expect to do 2500+ grafts with fine hair and possibly 1600 grafts with coarse hair.

how many grafts would I need