Posts

Posted on

12.5% Minoxidil?

Hello. I recently came across a website claiming to sell Minoxidil 12.5% solution. Do you know if this is legit? I haven’t heard of the FDA approving such a solution, and if it is available on this one particular site, why isn’t it available at major drug/retail stores? Also, same question for 5% minoxidil solution w/out propylene glycol (which irritates my scalp)also “allegedly” available at this site. I just don’t want to get scammed if I do decide to purchase either of the above products. Thanks a lot for your time and information.

Note: I can’t really answer your question, as I have not researched the FDA issues and am just pulling from my general knowledge on the laws by which I practice under. That being said, I’m willing to take a stab at it…

Doctors have the ‘power’ to mix up medications for their patients under many state laws. These do not have to be FDA approved because they are not bottled and sold to the public. The FDA does not get into protecting one patient from one doctor, just lots of people from medications. The doctor should generally use medications that are safe and effective and if one doctor is producing 12.5% minoxidil, I would suggest that this doctor has special knowledge on the safety and effectiveness of this drug. Higher and higher doses of minoxidil can drop blood pressure, so it is not without risk when and if it is used. The same applies to the use of propylene glycol in the mix.

A couple years ago, I had a reader write in with a question about 15% minoxidil he could buy from his doctor, so apparently that is also available in some places. I don’t concoct my own minoxidil mixtures, so I’m not unfortunately not the most knowledgeable about this.

Posted on

12 Year Old Has Alopecia — Is a Hair Transplant Possible?

Hello Dr.

I hope you answer my question. My 12 yrs. old daughter has been diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia at UCSF. Her hair has been thinning in the front and at the temples. We have been using the 2% Rogain for 3 weeks, as recommended by her Dermatologist. The hair in the back of her head seems normal. CBC, TSH, Iron, ANA were normal.Ferririn was 18, a bit below normal.

This is starting to affect her emotionally.

Is it too soon to think about hair transplant? should we wait until she is 18 or more? Please let me know.

Thank you for your time

It is extremely rare or unheard of for a 12 year old female to have androgenic alopecia. Androgenic alopecia (AGA) generally affects men past their puberty who are genetically susceptible to the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Does your daughter have hormonal irregularities? You need a good dermatologist to make an evaluation of her and I am not saying that the docs at UCSF are not good doctors, but a second opinion may have value. There are other forms of Alopecia and considering her age, I would want to explore all possibilities.


2007-10-01 15:31:5412 Year Old Has Alopecia — Is a Hair Transplant Possible?

Posted on

12 Year Old Daughter Has Bald Spots Since Birth

My daughter is 12 years old now, and when she was little and her hair finally grew in, she had a bald spot right in the center of her head. Her doctors told me not to worry about it, but I awalys have. I thought as she got older her hair would get thicker, but it never has. Yesterday, my daughter show me another spot on her head which is almost bald, I called her doctor, to find out what to do. She is doing research as I write this to you. I was hoping for anything you could share with me. My daughter is so upset and I can not comfort her with any kind of reasoning. Please get back to me. Thank you.

This is a situation where face to face discussion and examination is critical. This is not an internet problem. You need a skilled doctor (dermatologist in your area) to examine her and then render an opinion. If she is upset, not taking her to a good doctor does more damage than need be.

Posted on

12 Days After Transplant And Hairs Haven’t Fallen Out Yet

First – thanks for a wonderful blog!

It’s been 12 days since the transplant procedure and while almost none of the transplanted hair have fallen out yet, much of the transplanted fat tissue (I assume) is still clinging in small beads to the hair. Is this the “crusting” that many people write about? Any suggestions as to how to remove it – or is it just a matter of time before it comes off.

Also curious is that the small hairs have not fallen out yet… assume this is normal and just be patient and wait for them to fall out? Seems like the key to this whole process is to get on with your life and check your head in 8 months!

The crusting by this time can be removed by washing and then with the hair wet for a good 10 minutes, layer conditioner on the crusts and let it sit there about 10 minutes. Then, gently with your finger tips, rub these crusts — you should see them fall out. There is little danger in losing the grafts at this stage in time as long as you are gentle. The little hairs will generally fall out between 10-25 days after the surgery.

Posted on

12 Days After Hair Transplant (with Photos)

I wanted to show some 12 day post-operative photos of a very early Norwood Class 5 patient after one procedure of 1588 grafts. I get a lot of emails from people ask me what they can look like with good post-operative washing, and this is a good example of one such patient that kept the recipient sites clean. While there is still some slightly visible redness, he is less than 2 weeks out of surgery and this should subside soon enough.

Click the photos to enlarge.

After

 

Before