Would a vasectomy stop MPB?
No, but castration can stop MPB. Vasectomy does not alter any hormones. It only prevents any sperm from exiting.
Hi Doc. I am a 26 yr old male who has had some slight receding/thinning over the past few years only in the very front, the rest of my hair is pretty thick. I have been considering propecia for awhile but have been spooked by the numerous sites/forums warning about the side effects. There are literally hundreds of comments from men saying they have suffered severe and long term side effects. I know most doctors say the side effects are minimal and only occur in 1-2% of men but it just seems there is way too much negative feedback out there for that to be the case. My biggest fear is long term side effects or that my hair will be worse off than it was if I stop taking the drug. Are these negative comments being blown way out of proportion or are there more serious/long term effects that haven’t been discovered yet? Here are a couple of the sites I’m refering to if you are curious.
Thank you for any feedback you might have.
The Internet is a wonderful source of information and resource. Unfortunately, there are many inaccuracies and misinformation that cannot be reliably checked or corrected.
That is one of the many reasons why drugs such as Propecia (finasteride) are only available after you talk with a doctor and is only prescribed by doctors. While I realize there are loopholes where patients can get around without seeing a doctor, it is not something you should take lightly.
Even before considering taking Propecia, you need to be diagnosed by a doctor by having a physical exam with objective measurements and records so that the doctor can track your progress. In other words, you need a miniaturization study. Furthermore, all these questions should be asked to your doctor for a more personalized treatment plan. While Propecia (or any other drug for that matter) can cause side effects, if you are an ideal candidate for this therapy you may benefit from the medication. The side effects are a risk, but then again if you experience the side effects there are other options. Moreover you can stop taking Propecia and the side effects go away since the drug only lasts a day in your system.
Finally, consider all the negative comments you have ever read. Those experiences and comments are the stories or opinions from others. There are just as much even more positive comments that I see everyday from my patients who take Propecia. You are not any of those people. And if you want to be proactive about your hair loss problem you need to start somewhere. That somewhere may not be Propecia, but seeing a doctor who can help you.
Your final choice may be clearly (1) taking the drugs finasteride or minoxidil, (2) taking every potion and lotion that promises to cure your hair loss, or (3) accept progressive balding for your future look. There are many balding men — 50% of all men eventually have some balding in their lifetime and many of them think ‘bald is beautiful‘.
Just received this email from a man asking a question I’ve never been asked before….
I was told to get a birth control, grind it and put it in a bottle of shampoo, and it would make my hair thicker. Would that work?
I have a few questions…
- Who told you this?
- What do you think? Take an educated guess…
- How would you (being male) get a hold of birth control pills? You’d need a doctor’s prescription, unless you take the pills from your girlfriend/wife. In that case, instead of hair you would probably end up with a baby.
No — birth control pills used topically will not thicken hair. There may be a misconception that since hair loss is related to the male hormone DHT that a female hormone agent such as birth control pills may work. This is NOT true.
Hi, it seems as though I can order Avodart from most Canadian online pharmacists without a prescription…is this for real, or is this a sign that it’s probably fake?
Yes, it seems that on the Internet you can order prescription drugs (without a doctor’s prescription), buy someone’s grandma, and even order military jets.
Real or fake, you still need a physician’s prescription to get these drugs legally in the United States. It is not meant to be punitive for the consumer. It is meant to protect the consumer, for as harmless as these drugs may seem, there are side effects and long term consequences associated with its use. Even more important is a good doctor will address if the medications are needed. Why take a medication if you do not need it?
I read that they are able to grow certain body parts such as teeth using stem cells, cant they find some type of cell attached to the regrowth of hair? just wondering
I am afraid it is not so simple as you present it. The theory is good (stem cells will be a source of new hair), but that is simplistic. The problem of trying to grow hair from stem cells has defeated many researchers who see billions of dollars in successfully cloning hair from stem cells. The chapter of that book has not be written yet.
In a verbal presentation at the ISHRS conference a few years back, a few patients who had stem cells transplants taken from hair growth centers in experimental circumstances not only grew a few hairs from the stem cell transplants, but parts of bone and muscle also appeared. I don’t know about teeth. Clearly, our ability to take control stem cell growth is limited.
Dear Doctor,
Hi I’m a 16 year old boy attending my last year of high school. The problem is that I’ve noticed my scalp is thinning. My hair has always been quite thin but its getting REALLY thin now. I’ve taken a blood test, and the doctor said that I had low Iron. Could that be the problem? I’m taking iron pills and eating right to get my iron level up again. Besides from thinning hair I am also noticing that I feel dizzy sometimes, and my stamina has really gotten bad.
I’m really concerned about this, because my hair thinning is quite noticeable, you can even see my scalp with enough light.
I should also point out that I have greasy hair and that its infected with dandruff.
I have bought some special kind of shampoo to improve my hair loss state, so we’ll see how that goes.
My question is: Do you have any advice for me? What should I do? Should I buy any specific products?
Thanks in advance
Sounds like you need a relationship with a good doctor who can make your diagnosis (rule out male patterned balding which does happen to 16 year olds). Low iron is absolutely a cause of hair loss. Dandruff is not a cause, nor is dandruff an infection. We replace our scalp skin regularly as old skin get shed (dandruff when the shedding is more rapid) and new skin grows from below. You can wash out the dandruff with shampoos that are designed to get the flakes out.
For a diagnosis, you need to get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to rule out genetic balding, which would show a normal donor hair area and thinning elsewhere. Low iron should show miniaturization of the hair all over the head.
I am a 21 year old male and have noticed that if pick up my hair around the temple regions of my head, more scalp is visible than if i do it nearer the middle of my head. I dont seem to have a receeding hairline (maybe developing a mature hairline though). However i have noticed that many girls and young children have the same sort of idea on their head (scalp more visible around temple areas if hair is standing up) So my question is, Is the scalp generally more visible aroud the temple than it is in the middle of your head for example? Thank you.
The hair density above the ears is often less than the density elsewhere (like that of the back of your head). When people develop Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA), it is often seen first in the sides above the ears because the density there is as much as 30-60% less than in the scalp elsewhere. The answer to your questions is to have your hair mapped out for miniaturization, and if you have genetic balding or DUPA, it will clearly show up.
i am a 21 year old white male who has been balding since around age 17 and it hasnt really worsened that much of 4 years does that mean that i will not be severely bald(its not that noticeable)
There’s not much I can provide over the internet, as I am not a fortune teller. Get your hair mapped out for miniaturization and you then might intelligently guess the future.
Hi,
I go to the gym 5 days a week starting at 6:45am in the morning till 8:30am. I do a workout which involves weights and cardio. I also take a protein supplement called whey.
I just want to know if it is wise to take propecia AFTER the work out at 9:30AM. I am really use to this time now. Also I heard that propecia decreases hormones and as a result will not help you improving in body building. Is this true?
Thanks for your help
Really, you can take it anytime. I generally recommend taking it upon waking up, first thing in the morning. Testosterone levels peak in most men in early morning. Blocking the formation of DHT should not impact bodybuilding.
I am 21 years old and I think that I’m thinning. I have a prominent widow’s peak. My father (his white haired front view is shown here) and my grandfather both have balding (like the picture you showed of Dave Letterman on February 2nd, but the ‘pancake’ size area in the middle remains strong on both of them). I expect that I will keep my ‘pancake’ just like my father and my grandfather, but if I lost it, could it all be transplanted (including mywidow’s peak)? Can you tell me from my picture if I am losing my hair? I took a picture of it for you to see.
A widow’s peak can be created with a hair transplant. Many people (including me) think that it is a sexy look for people with narrow faces, and it works in a transplant when the surgeon is artistic. Some people have a widow’s peak with the hair direction pointing to the side instead of pointing front. This ‘cow lick’ in a widow’s peak is a bit more difficult to reproduce, but it can be done if the widow’s peak is eroding even with a ‘lick’. For an example of what I mean, see the photo below — click to enlarge.
The unusually good picture sent by this man (below) shows thinning behind the forelock and I took the liberty to create a zoomed version of the photo to show the difference in densities under magnification (click to enlarge).
His father’s hairline shows that the forelock is strong and I suspect the widow’s peak is a family trait (see photo below — click to enlarge).
Referring back to the son’s photo, I think that you can see this young man has reduced density and miniaturization when comparing the central part of the scalp (just behind his forelock) to the forelock. It looks like this young man will bald behind his forelock, possibly more balding than I think that his father shows now, but the strong forelock and widow’s peak may hold even if the hair around it falls out.
After the recent FDA approval of the HairMax LaserComb, there have been many brief articles written based upon the press release that the product’s manufacturer had sent out. Most articles I’ve seen have been essentially disbelief that a product like this could’ve been approved, while other articles were simply rehashing what the press release stated.
The following comments regarding the HairMax LaserComb were written by a well known dermatologist. He asked that his name not be used, but agreed to let me post this:
“I think it is the physician’s responsibility to inform the patient about the proven value of any treatment, regardless of any stamp of approval, be it perceived or real, from any organization. This product has had some “approval” in Canada for some time, yet it does not receive any acknowledgment or significant medical approval by practicing physicians, and certainly not by dermatologists whose credibility would be potentially significantly damaged by such commercial endorsement. I think we all recognize that there is still no good study to substantiate or prove the validity of this treatment modality. Promoting this product without the strength of good science puts any physician in a category where public perception might be that ethics and science are colliding with monetary gain and marketing advantage. The decision to advocate this therapy at this point in time where the support for its validity is at best weak, can have consequences. I don’t believe it is sufficient for physicians to hide behind the notion of FDA approval in order to legitimize this modality.”
Hi
I am a 23 year old male. Over the last 6 months my hair density has decreased to about 40% on top of my head (mpb zone), but also the sides and back (to maybe 70%). I went to a doctor 2 months ago who diagnosed me with mpb because of observed lower density in mpb zone, she did however not look for miniaturization (I asked her later about this). I have been on propecia since then, and may have noticed an increase of shedding, but this could of course also be due to accelerated loss.
I didnt realize the sides and back were thinning until recently. Another observation: The hairline in back of my head has always contained a lot of short 3 cm hairs. These hairs have started to fall out extremely fast, it comes out 6-9 by just pulling them slightly.
My questions:
1) Does this sound like DPA, DUPA or something else?
2) Can propecia cause shedding in sides and back?
3) Will a DUPA patient have any benefit of hair cloning (whenever is comes out)?Thank you
It might be DUPA, and mapping out your head for miniaturization will show miniaturized hairs in the sides and back reflecting over 20% of the hair population if it is DUPA (Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia). Propecia should have no impact on the permanent hair in the sides and back of your head, so even if Propecia caused temporary shedding and hair cycling, there will be no impact on the permanent rim of donor hair. Hair cloning is still a pipe dream at this point, but if it were here today, one would clone the non-DUPA hair so it would be a reasonable alternative to becoming bald.
Be sure that what you have is actually DUPA before you get depressed. It may simply be other causes of hair loss, so be sure that you also get a medical workup for other causes of hair loss (e.g. thyroid disease).
I have a comment on laser treatments. I went to a supposed hair restoration clinic in Minnesota and they used the low level light. They had a saleswoman who was very persuasive and guaranteed results in three months. I did this cause I was scared of propecia and wanted something more permanent. Well after six months my hair continued to fall out. I told them I would like to stop and be refunded and they refused. So beware of this supposed technology
Comments like this emphasize the old adage, ‘Let the Buyer Beware’.
I had a hair transplant 8 months ago and the doctor told me that my growth is slower than normal as my hairs are shorter than he would have expected. I am taking Avodart. Could this medication have an effect at slowing my hair growth?
We really do not know a great deal about Avodart and what it might do to a new hair transplant. In theory, transplanted hair from the back and the sides of the head should not be impacted by Propecia (finasteride) or Avodart (dutasteride), but one might make an argument that Avodart is very strong and could be prolonging the telogen cycle for hair growth. In theory, it might also prolong the growth cycle when it start growing. Frankly, this is all speculative, but an interesting theory for an interesting question.
What do you recomend for the front Line. I am on Propecia and Roggain right now. Will those medications help me?
If you are genetically balding, then Propecia (finasteride 1mg) should work to slow down or stop the hair loss, even in the frontal hairline. It depends upon where you are with your balding pattern. You should get your hair mapped out for miniaturization, which will show where you hair loss may be going. Once you know where your hair loss is going, then you can make decisions about Rogaine or Propecia (or both). They both have value, but a doctor needs to tell you the value and what to expect.