Female Temple and Sideburn Hair Transplant (with Photos)

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I have lost my sideburns and thinned out my temples after I had plastic surgery. Can you put the hair back with hair transplants?

Yes, complications of hair loss in face lifts and brow lifts are the most common type of hair transplant I perform on women. Here is a great example of the before and after picture on one such patient with red hair who had more than one face lift. Note that the entire side burn area was bare ‘before’ the hair transplant as was much of the temple hair. When the face is lifted tightly, the side burn and side hair around the ear is often either weakened or removed during the repair process. The more facelifts a person has, the greater the price to hair loss and my role in restoring the hair becomes more critical. Women want to pull their hair back as a styling option and many face lift patients can not do this. Clearly, this red-head can wear her hair in a bun showing off the side hair as she did as a younger woman.

The photo on the left is before, the photo on the right is after. Note the scars from the last recent face lift she had on the picture on the left. The transplants hid the scars nicely. Click to enlarge.



I Think My Hair Is Growing Back

/by William Rassman, M.D./7 /

I used to have beautiful hair. Over the past year and a half I have been under a lot of stress. last summer i noticed two bald spots in my hair. they were the size of silver dollars. i went to a place where they said i had androgenic alopecia (they weren’t doctors) and now i wear a hair piece in my hair. it is hot, uncomfortable, and i can’t help but feel self concious. it’s also expensive, and i’m only 25 and can barely afford it. i’m a single mom.

i’ve worn the hair piece for about 5 months.

lately i’ve noticed that my hair has been growing faster, and my mother looked within my hair piece and says my hair may be growing back (my stress level has diminished quite a bit)

i was wondering (besides appearance) if there would be signs that this conditon is going away.

will my head be a little itchy, will i feel stubble? will the hair grow in and be thinner from the scalp at first (not like a telogen hair) and then grow in thicker? what kinds of things do you recomend I do to make my hair grow back, because i can’t live without hair anymore, and i’m not rich, and can’t afford medical procedures or cosmetic ones.

should i get a b12 shot, or purchase the ssublingual pill?

please help. i want to be normal and pretty again.

If you feel stubble, the you can assume that the hair is probably growing back. Hair cycles every 3-7 months (approximately) so if the hair loss is short term, you may see it reverse in that time frame. Wearing hair systems will cause traction alopecia and I would advise you against this, and suggest that you just style around your area of loss, if possible.

There are many medical conditions that need to be evaluated, so consider seeing a doctor and reviewing the Female Hair Loss category.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, woman, women, female, hair cycle

Propecia Effectiveness Studies?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

hi dr rassman, are there any studies to show the ratio of propecia users who have used for several yrs and then the drug loses its effectiveness, for instance 80% or 8 out of 10

There are no studies I am aware of that show such information. There are some general observations that I have made about finasteride which are strictly my opinion, however. Finasteride works better:

  1. in younger men or when the hair loss is more recent (less than 2 -3 years)
  2. in the crown for restoring hair
  3. to prevent rather than restore hair in the front
  4. to prevent shock hair loss after a transplant if it is started prior to the transplant
  5. when the initial results are impressive, rather than at the end of the 5th year when the progressive nature of the hair loss continues with its slow progression
Tags: finasteride, propecia, hairloss, hair loss

Does Propecia Slowly Lose Effectiveness Over Years?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Dear Dr.Rassman,

Im trying to decide if I’m going to start taking propecia or not. On many places, including this blog, I have found similiar questions – is the positive effects of propecia time limited?

I think most people understands that this is very individual, however, if this product slowly losing it’s positive effects (4-6 years), why use it in the first place?

It feels like you are buying a couple of years of halted hairloss just to, 5 years later, wake up and face the reality – again.

Please advice, Im 24 years young with a Norwood II, I think it’s a good time to start fighting hairloss now but Im not to sure if I want to use propecia yet!

I am sure that Propecia keeps it effectiveness over many, many years. The issue is one of your progressive hair loss that comes with the genetic male hair loss process. The thing that we do not know is whether the loss stabilizes at a final pattern that will be better than had you never taken the drug. I suspect that the answer is that prolonging the hair loss process over many, many years buys you time and in this time frame, it is possible that better and more effective long term approaches to hair loss will materialize. Take the drug rather than lose the hair, and then when the new treatments become available (it is inevitable) you can move to the next generations of solutions for hair loss, whatever it be.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

Human Growth Hormone and Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./4 /,

Doc, all the recent talk about baseball players and Human Growth Hormone got me thinking about whether or not a person injecting HGH is likely to speed up their hairloss.

I know certain steroids will definately speed up hairloss but HGH, to my knowledge, is not considered a “steroid”. Shopping around the internet for propecia/proscar (not the generic kind) I came accross a site that offers HGH under the name Jintropin. It has some great benefits listed, but injecting HGH must have some serious side effects.

I believe that you are correct. I have had a number of patients who were taking HGH and had acceleration of their hair loss.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hgh, human growth hormone, steroids

I Had My Eyebrows Tattooed and It Created A Bump

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I had my eyebrow tattoed twice. It created a “bump” after. It looks ugly.Could you please recommend what to buy in order to restore the hair growth for my eyebrow. I would appreciate any input please. I am frustrated everyday looking at my face on the mirror daily. On top of that, brown spots started to grow on my forehead. I tried every skin bleaching cream & sun block with high SPF, but did not clear it.
Please help.

Tattoos are permanent and they tend to change color with time, many turning a green hue. Restoring hair growth may not be possible. Most women that lose eyebrow hair get the loss from plucking the eyebrow and producing traction alopecia. Eyebrows are more sensitive to permanent loss from plucking than head hair. However, hair transplants work nicely in the eyebrow to restore them. We have an office in San Jose, which is where I believe you reside (that’s the location you provided, anyway).

I am not sure what the bump is that you are talking about, nor do I understand the brown spots that are growing on your forehead. Without seeing you, there is little I can offer. May I suggest that you see a dermatologist?

Tags: tattoo, eyebrows, hair loss, alopecia

Burning on Scalp Months After Coloring Hair

/by William Rassman, M.D./3 /,

Hi,
I;m really hoping you can help me. About 7 mths ago I had my hair coloured. Since then I have had a burning sensation on the right side of my head, my right ear and on the back of my neck. I have also noticed much more hair falling then I have seen before, my hair is starting to feel thinner and its scaring me to death.
I was very breifly examined by a dermatologist and she said it look like sebhorric dermatitis. I have used all the shampoos and the zinc spray she gave me and I still have no relief from the hair fall or the burning. I have no idea what to do. The top part of my scalp feels tender when I touch it. Is it possible I could be allergic to something in the shampoo? If you have any suggestions at all I would be so so greatful.
On a side note I have tried tea tree oil and the flakes seem to be almost gone, but still the burning and hair loss are there.
Please help

Since you started with a dermatologist, I would suggest that you go back. The symptoms you mentioned (burning on the right side of your head, ear and the back of your neck) could be a neurological problem. People who had hair coloring come to me with a wide variety of complaints that I often have difficulty relating to the hair coloring process. Sometimes the complaints are related to skin problem that are precipitated by the chemicals in the dying compounds used. Sometimes they may have nothing to do with the hair dying process or the chemicals used. Most professional stylists use commercially safe compounds.

The dermatologist can help you assess all of these issues.

Tags: hair color, dye, hairloss, hair loss, scalp

Meet Jenny (Video)

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

This is the first video of a new showcase of interviews with everyday people (both men and women) about their experiences with thinning hair — whether just noticing random people, family members, or even losing hair themselves. Based on the response I get, more of these style videos will be added to the site. Please feel free to post a comment or email me privately with your thoughts about these.

So please meet Jenny. She’s in her mid-20s, born and raised in Southern California. These are her opinions.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, video, female, interview

Shaving The Recipient Area Prior to Transplant

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Dr. Rassman:

I would appreciate your comments regarding the following: I have read of a debate or difference of opinion between hair transplant doctors on the value of shaving a patient’s hair in the recipient area prior to the transplant. Some doctors are proponents of having the patient cut the hair very short in the recipient area. These doctors claim that closely trimming the recipient area hair results in maximum density and no transection. Their contention is that when recipient areas are trimmed short, the doctor has an easier time of placing new recipient sites in the place of absent follicular units and alongside miniaturized follicular units. Also, by clipping the hair short, there is a lower risk of transection of existing hair. The final argument in support of clipping the hair short is that hair exits the scalp at an exact angle and the only way to precisely match that angle is to clip the hair short. Some doctors are so convinced of the benefits or trimming the hair in the recipient area that it is not an option for the patient. They are insisting that the patient do it.

On the other hand, other top transplant docs believe that it is not necessary for a patient to closely crop the recipient area hair and that while it may make things easier for the doc and the techs who do the graft placement, it does not lead to better density or less transection.

What is your opinion? Does closely cropping the hair in the recipient area give a better result? Is it of no value? Or, does the answer lie somewhere in-between?

There are many views and theories on this topic. Instead of making it complicated, I believe it is the doctor’s personal preference which (you may argue) may have a direct impact on the outcome. At NHI, we only cut the part of the donor area hair that we will removed just prior to surgery so that the surgery can be easily hidden after the surgery. On rare occasions, we will ask the patient to allow us to clip the recipient area hair (usually when we have complicated plugs to remove). We place a great deal of importance on the absence of detection and if a person shaves the head or cuts it short, it is an announcement that the person has had a hair transplant. I have trained many doctors on how to keep the hair long so that social disruptions are minimized and have learned to work between the longer hairs.

Tags: hair transplant, haircut

Questions About Propecia Shedding

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Dr. Rassman,

I’m a 24 year old male and I’ve been losing my hair for the past 6 months at a fairly rapid pace – significant amount of hair loss in the shower, comes out when i run my hand through, definite loss of density, temporal recession, etc. This whole process really took me by surprise.

Yesterday, I began taking propecia and I’m hoping to keep a decent head of hair at least into my 30s. I’m concerned, however, about the potential for “propecia shedding.” I’ve read a great deal about it on your blog and I’m wondering if there are certain factors that make it more or less likely. For example, does it follow that because of my relatively rapid hair loss and noticable miniaturization (more hairs in telogen?) that I’m more likely to experience this shedding?

Also, does sudden, rapid loss indicate that propecia may not be effective for very long or be less likely to stop balding in spite of my age?

thank you so much for your time and this fantastic resource.

Everybody reacts differently to drugs. The shedding that you are talking about is very rare and a transient process when it does occur. You may be over-reacting to what you read. I cannot predict how you will respond, but if you have genetic balding, then Propecia should give you some relief within a few months and you will see its final impact in about a year. Only time will tell. It may be frustrating, but you need to take Propecia for 6 to 8 months to see its effects. You may want to visit a doctor who can examine your hair under a hair densitometer for miniaturization so he/she can quantitatively track your hair growth, hair growth/loss pattern.

Tags: finasteride, propecia, shedding, hairloss, hair loss

Genetic Grafting?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

hi dr rassman,
Have you heard about GENETIC GRAFTING? This clinic in Philadelphia claims to do that: https://www.ferrarihair.com/grafting.htm

What are your thoughts about it?

I would be more than suspicious about what “genetic grafting” really means. The site suggests scam or deceptive advertising all over it. There are no doctors or credentialed folks listed on that site. It seems every other website or clinic claim they are the “world leader”. Who are they leading?

Tags: genetic grafting, hairloss, hair loss, scam

Hair Cloning Is Not Right Around The Corner

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

I read an article in the LA Times dated April 17, 2006, about the haircloning process. In your opinion, when will the hair cloning process be available to the public. Are you involved in the research of the hair cloning process?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Almost every day, I get some form of this question. Sometimes they get posted here, sometimes I just reply with a link to the Hair Cloning category. The idea that hair cloning is around the corner has no basis, yet the rumor persists. I do not believe that we will see anything for a good 5 + years, maybe 10 years or something between. I stay right up front in this process and stay in touch with everyone doing the various types of research. This is not a recreational activity for a good solid researcher.

Tags: hair cloning

Testosterone Cream for Women

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Hello,
I am 56, female, and have had hair thinning/loss at the hairline for the past few years…. have tried everything without success. In February I began taking bio-identical estrogen ( cream) and natural progesterone capsules – not specifically for hair loss – But I have noted that my hair thinning is worsening. I was dx with low thyroid and am taking 1/2 grain of Nature T (Armour) thyroid…. I also just started taking a small amount of Testosterone cream…. Do you have any advice re: whether any of these thinks could help – or if I should cut anything out??? My MD says that if I keep my testosterone dose small it should not affect my hair problem…Thank you so much…………..

It is difficult to answer your question, because you have many factors that may be contributing to your hair loss. You state you have hypothyroidism, but it seems you are taking a natural herb to treat the condition. I am curious if it has brought your thyroid hormone back to normal levels. I am also not sure why you are taking testosterone cream or the estrogen cream. Is it for hair loss? Either way, it seems you are in the care of a doctor and you should consult with him/her for any changes in medication or seek another doctor for a professional second opinion. BaldingBlog is not intended to give professional medical opinions (especially without a formal face to face physical exam).

If I can be of any help, estrogen cream and testosterone cream are not commonly used for hair loss. Testosterone can produce balding in women. Female hair loss is a difficult problem to treat and I always advise readers to rule out any treatable medical conditions (such a hypothyroidism) before seeking general hair loss treatments.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, female, women, testosterone

Amino Acids to Treat Hair Loss?

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /

hi doctor, i’m hearing that by taking amino acids such as arginine and lysine can stop hairloss and even grow hair back. is this true, there are alot of products which stimulate the body to produce more hgh. i’m 29 by the way and starting to thin for the last couple of years.

Amino acids are merely building blocks of protein. A healthy diet contains plenty of proteins, minerals, vitamins, and other nutritional ingredients. So taking amino acids is like taking supplements. Unless you are malnourished, it is my opinion that taking amino acids will not have any significant impact on your hair growth or hair loss. If you are concerned about your hair loss and would like to seek medical treatment or medical advice you can make an appointment with a good doctor.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, amino acids, vitamins

I Was Told I Don’t Have Good Density for Transplant

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

I had my second consultation with Dr. Bernstein in Fort Lee recently, and He told me that with a 1.3 rear hair density, I was not a great candidate for a transplant. I already have atleast a Norwood 4a and I don’t see what I have to lose (pardon the pun) by what I think would significantly improve my appearance if for a while. What is your opinion on this?

Telling me your donor density in one area does not tell me enough about your donor hair quality or your hair health. Asians often have donor densities of 1.6 and Africans have donor densities of 1.3. Do you have Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia? What is your age? These two questions are very important. For an African or Asian man under 25, a donor density of 1.3 without Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia may make a good candidate with high quality hair, while a Caucasian with Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia present and an effective density of 1.3 might make a very bad candidate for a hair transplant for many reasons. I am sure that Dr. Bernstein knows the answer to these questions and you should speak with him about it. I need more information to give you more help here.

Tags: density, hair transplant, hair loss, hairloss