HairMax LaserComb Receives FDA Approval?

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

I received two emails recently about the HairMax LaserComb, so I’ll combine my response into one…

EMAIL 1:


I was watching The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch last night, and a representative from the makers of the Hairmax Lasercomb announced point blank that they had received FDA approval to make claims for hair growth. He mentioned something like 19 new hairs per centimeter. This is a big deal. I was expecting a bigger announcement, and now I cannot find any press release or report announcing Hairmax’s FDA approval. If the comb is in fact FDA approved to stop hairloss/regrow hair, it’s something I would consider adding to my regimen. Have you heard anything about Hairmax gaining FDA approval?

EMAIL 2:


Hello Dr. Rassman,
I recently read that the Hairmax Laser Comb has now been cleared by the FDA as a product which is “clinically proven to promote hair growth in males with androgenetic alopecia (Norwood II A to V with Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV)”. Here is the link: hairmaxforum.com

I’m a bit suprised that I have not heard more media buzz about this. Is this now the 3rd FDA approved method to treat MPB? I have read your prior posts on the subject and am just intrested to know what this new FDA approval actually means. Any thoughts? Thank you

This came out of the FDA and this is the exact wording in the final page of the FDA letter in January 2007:

Indications for Use
510(k) Number (if known): K060 305
Device Name: HairMax LaserComb
Indications for Use:
The LaserComb is indicated to promote hair growth in males with androgenetic alopecia who have Norwood Hamilton Classifications of la to V and Fitzpatrick Skin Types I to IV.

It is important for the readership to note that just because this is cleared by the FDA, it does not mean that it is guaranteed to grow hair. I would like to see an independent scientific study with adequate statistics, done by a third party. If I saw that, I would be comfortable in recommending it depending on the results the study found. I have not seen the company’s submission science, so I can not endorse this and would not recommend that everyone go out and buy one. Frankly, I’m just not convinced, despite FDA clearance.

Tags: hairmax, lasercomb, laser comb, fda, hairloss, hair loss

58 Year Old Woman Looking to Take Propecia

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

I’m a 58 year old woman, who is getting a lot of hair loss near the front of my head. This has been going on for about 6 months, and I’m not sure if I should start Propecia (correct spelling?) or Minoxidil. I’m hypothroid,and take a combination of armour thyroid, and synthroid, the latter being more a culprit in hair loss I’ve read. If my being hypothyroid will always keep me losing hair, is there any point to starting a hair serum/medication?

Women after menopause have been the subject of one of the studies on finasteride (Propecia). The study, involving 137 post-menopausal women with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) who were treated with Propecia vs. placebo for 12 months, could not demonstrate effectiveness of Propecia. Another study shows it might help, but the statistics are just not there. Minoxidil is the only FDA approved medication for women with hair loss at this point.

Hypothyroid condition and synthroid are both blamed for hair loss. Although hypothyroid disorders may increase hair loss, I assume your thyroid hormone level is corrected being on thyroid medications. If in doubt, discuss it with your endocrinologist. As I said before, there is no systemic medication for treatment of hair loss in women now.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, thyroid, hypothyroid, synthroid, female, women, woman, finasteride, propecia, proscar

Western Diet Contributes to Hair Loss?

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

Dear Doctor,

What is your opinion on “reports” that MPB was essentially unheard in Japan before WWII yet it’s common now? I’m specifically referring to this website (https://www.newstarget.com/z012893.html) which cites prevention magazine. The article starts with “For men, Dr. Klaper says that a low-fat diet may help slow down the balding process…” I’m concerned that my “western” diet might be contributing to my receding hairline. Thank you

Interesting reading! The author says, “We can blame the typical American diet for yet another unfavorable thing: Hair loss”. I don’t believe that there are any good studies that relate diet in various cultures to balding genetics. I know that wigs are hot businesses in Japan and Korea, but that does not tell much about the thrust of the article. The article speaks for itself. No further comments are needed by me. Thanks for the reference.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, western, japan, diet, food

Stopped Propecia, Saw Catch Up Hair Loss

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

Dear doc,

I am a 22 year old male with thinning hair and a family history of baldness. Last summer I started taking propecia, but was too lazy to renew my perscription after three months. Since then I seem to have experienced the “catch up” hairloss I hear so much about and now, five months later, Im thinking of going back on it and staying for the long haul.

My question is though, should I expect any diminished results from restarting the treatment? Does propecia somehow lose its efficacy if you stop and restart it? Is it worth going back on?

Thank you for your time.

I hear about catch up hair loss over and over again. So many men start and then stop Propecia and experience hair loss upon stopping the drug, which just shows that it was working. Just go back on it and stay on it this time. It will not lose its efficacy, but you may be more ‘down the road’ on the balding process for stopping it.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

Minoxidil with Azelaic and Retinoic Acid

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

Dr. Rassman,
Could you please comment on the the various minoxidil solutions offered by Dr. Lee (www.minoxidil.com) and whether his claims are substantiated. Specifically, I am very curious to hear your opinion regarding the use of azalaic and retinoic acid (either with or without minoxidil) as regrowth stimulants and DHT inhibitors. Are they of any benefit and, if so, are they likely to be any more effective than minoxidil alone?

Generic minoxidil may have enhancers added and they include axelaic acid and retinoids. I have no opinion in their isolated use, but when combined with minoxidil, they increase the blood supply to the area of application. This is a like a minor burn and it can be irritating to the skin. It, to my knowledge, is not a DHT inhibitor and I do not personally believe that it will make minoxidil more effective.

Tags: minoxidil, azelaic, retinoic, acid, hairloss, hair loss

Using Minoxidil with Toppik

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

Hi,

I’m 43, male and have just had a FUE. My question is how do i use Minoxidil if i already have Toppik in my hair? My surgeon has said that i should use Minoxidil for 6 weeks to help the transplanted hairs. Will this help? What if i don’t use the Minoxidil?

Regards and many thanks for this great service you are providing.

If you want to use minoxidil and Toppik, I would apply minoxidil first, let it dry, then apply Toppik.

There is no study to prove the minoxidil will help your transplant to grow faster. It may help, but nobody really knows. Your transplanted hair should grow regardless of minoxidil. It may help keep your existing hair from falling out.

Tags: minoxidil, toppik, hairloss, hair loss

Cigarettes and Propecia

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

Hi

I am a 22 year old male. I just started to lose my hair about a year ago and have been on propecia for 3 months with some slight improvement. I am a smoker and was wondering that if you smoke while on propecia do you limit propecia’s effectiveness to grow new hair more than a person who does not smoke. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

There is no information on smokers who take Propecia. Best to stop smoking for your general health, but alas, maybe your parents have already told you this.

Tags: cigarette, smoke, propecia, finasteride, proscar, hairloss, hair loss

Angry Letter to Procede from a Reader

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

This email was sent to me by a reader that wanted to share his letter written to the makers of Procede. I have heard similar stories already about this product. Two patients in the past 6 months developed hair loss that appeared ‘not to reverse’.

I question if this letter should also be sent to the FDA, whose job is to investigate substances that have deleterious side effects, therefore protecting the public.

I’m not sure where the reader got the address that he mailed the letter to. I tried to verify the address and came up with nothing. The makers of Procede, Youth Enhancement Systems, Inc, do not list an address on their website at all, and all of the phone numbers I can find there appear to have a Florida based area code. Nonetheless, I hope your letter reaches its intended destination.

Update: A reader sent this in —
Regarding the letter about Procede, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has the following address and phone:
4770 BISCAYNE BLVD, SUITE 1400, MIAMI FL 33137
305-576-6889 (tel), 305-576-6997 (fax)

Please read the following letter I wrote to PROCEDE. Beware!!!

02/05/2007

Procede
4201 Kellway Circle
Addison, Tx 75001

To whom it may concern:

I ordered your product and received it the beginning of January. I travel often for my work and was unable to use the product until this past weekend, February 2, 2007.

I followed the instructions to the letter. I waited the 48 hours recommended before washing my hair. During the first few minutes in the shower I saw hair circling at my feet and around the drain. By the time I got out of the shower and towel dried my hair I must have lost hundreds of hairs. My towel was covered with hair along with my shower and bathroom floor.

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am in the results. I went from thinning hair to contemplating shaving my head, because I have lost so much additional hair. The texture is that of a bad perm and it has been falling out all day!

I called your customer service number and was told that you would send me Minoxidil to help with the hair loss. Didn’t I buy your product to thicken my hair? I have lost 25% of the hair I had and your solution is to send me minoxidil.

Your product is a farce! It has done more damage to my hair than I can even come to grips with at this point. I expect a refund of my money in full and that’s just for starters.

My wife works for one of the largest Law firms in Philadelphia. You will be hearing from someone there shortly. I have asked her to make sure he is a balding man, so he can appreciate the way I feel.

I will expect a timely refund to the credit card you have on file.

Sincerely,

Tags: procede, proceed, hairloss, hair loss, balding, thinning, refund, product

Depression from Finasteride?

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

Dr. Rassman,

Thanks for running this blog, it really helps soo many people. My question is concerning finasteride on depression. I am currently in graduate school and losing hair since 6-7 years. The hairloss has been really significant the last 8 months. I started taking proscar, 1.25mg, since a month ago. I stopped once in between because I was feeling down a bit. When I started taking it again 15 days ago with lower dosage, I again felt a little down. I have never imagined that I could get depressing feelings but I am almost positive its the drug.

What do you know on this matter? How many of your patients felt this way? And when I say depressed-its really not that bad but I am not my regular self.

Thanks

I have not seen this side effect and I do prescribe finasteride to a large number of patients. I have received comments from some patients that they do not ‘feel’ the same. I tried to pin that feeling down, but I do not have it surrounded. Clearly, the decision to take the medication must be weighted against the liability of not having it on board. The same recommendation applies to depression, which has been reported in the literature:

Tags: depression, finasteride, proscar, propecia, hairloss, hair loss, medication

21 Years Old and My Insurance Paid for Generic Proscar

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

Hey Doc,

I’m 21 years old, and I’ve just picked up my first round of Proscar 5mg pills. If I start to see positive affects on my hair within the next 3-6 months would there be a good chance for me to get surgery for my hairline, and hopefully not have to worry about the rest of my hair getting any worse?

Also, the generic Proscar was paid for by my insurance without a problem and I was wondering if it would do the same for Propecia (I specifically asked for my doctor for Proscar just in case I had to pay)? I find cutting the pills a real pain and I would really appreciate taking 1 mg pills. Thanks a lot.

Some insurance companies will pay for finasteride, but sometimes when it is prescribed as finasteride or Proscar the pharmacist will know (in a 21 year old) that it is not for prostate disease. You might have been lucky.

You need to find out if you are really balding (genetic hair loss) by mapping out your hair for miniaturization. If what you are losing is just the juvenile hairline, transplantation is not advisable. Get to a good doctor to find out what is happening to you.

Tags: miniaturization, hairloss, hair loss, hairline, insurance, proscar, propecia, finasteride

Female with DUPA, Allergic to Minoxidil

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

Dear Dr.
I am 23 year old female who has been suffering from diffuse unpatented alopecia for the past 9 years. I have tried minoxidil, but I was and still is allergic to it. Although I am not a good candidate for surgery, I underwent transplantation and of course there were no results or improvements. It has emotionally brought me down and I keep wearing extentions to hide it.

Of course, I am disturbed that you had a surgery at all. I hope that your doctor told you that there would be no benefit from such a surgery. You are fortunate if you had no negative effects, because at times people who have surgery with Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) get into real problems both in the donor site and the recipient site. Extensions will produce more alopecia (we call this traction alopecia), which means that for the short term benefit of looking fuller, you will eventually lose whatever good hair you have left. Wigs may work better for you and the use of special products like DermMatch and Toppik may have more value in that they will not cause hair loss. If you are allergic to minoxidil, there is no real benefit to other medications in a woman of your age.

Tags: dupa, alopecia, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, women, woman, female

Why Is Minoxidil Foam Not FDA Approved for Women?

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

Why are certain minoxidil products approved only for men and not women?

Do minoxidil products work on the frontal part of the scalp as well as on the vertex?

I have a 21 yr old daughter who has hair loss. The thinning is most noticeable on the front of her scalp so I want to apply there, as well as on vertex. I would like to try the new Pfizer foam product because the topical solution is difficult to apply and makes her hair look greasy. It seems more goes on her hair than her scalp. But the Pfizer web site for the foam product says the foam is for men only and only for the vertex of the scalp. If minoxidil topical solutions work on the frontal part of scalp, why doesn’t the foam? Is it just that Pfizer’s studies on this product submitted and approved by the FDA only looked at application to the vertex?

You guessed it. The drug company can only claim what they can prove. By not making any statements about frontal use or women’s use, it does not mean that it is not safe nor effective. The risk (minimal) is yours for making the decision.

Tags: female, hairloss, hair loss, minoxidil, rogaine, foam, fda

Shaving the Remaining Hairs Before a Transplant?

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

hello,
i would like an offer for a hair transplant, i am 24 years old and have good donor hair. I would be willing to visit your clinic in california except, i had a few questions.

what would be the approxiamte price for 3000-4000 grafts if possible?
would my hair remaining hair have to be shaved off to complete the transplant? seeing that i am young and would not like “losing” half a year of my youth.

thanks in advance

You do not need to shave your hair before a hair transplant surgery. There are some doctors that request that you shave, because they want more visibility. From my clinical experience this is rarely the case. We (at NHI) routinely transplant hair without shaving the head. Shaving is more of a doctor’s preference and has nothing to do with the clinical outcome.

Before considering a trip to California for surgery, you should first send some photos and get in contact with me over the phone. You can email photos to the address on the Contact page or call (800) NEW-HAIR. Having a picture would be very helpful.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hairtransplant, hair transplant, shave

Using Minoxidil After Surgery

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

Hello Doctors,

Minoxidil after Surgery.

Thank you for taking our questions. I just recently had my second procedure done 1 year after my first 2700 FUS. This time we were only able to do 2005 because my scalp wasn’t very flexible. I have two questions and 1 request.

1. You mentioned in another posting that using minoxidil a few days after the surgery might help to speed up the growth process of the new hairs. How long should I wait before using minoxidil after my surgery? I had my surgery 4 days ago.

2. Should I start to do the stretching exercises after I heal to help produce better yield for my next surgery hopefully in December?

I do not believe that minoxidil accelerates the growth process after hair transplantation. I did a study where I used minoxidil on half the head and nothing on the other half. Both sides grew at the same time and rate.

Stretching exercises to the scalp are good 6+ months after surgery if your tendency is to be tight.

Tags: minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant, hairtransplant, growth, stretch

Can Washing Hair Too Much Lead to Hair Loss?

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

Hello,

I applaud your site. It’s a great resource. I visit it daily.

I was wondering if washing your hair too much can lead to or excelerate hair loss. As background information, I’ve been washing my hair twice a day for the last four years.
Thanks.

Frequent, gentle washing of your hair often will not cause hair loss unless you wash it too rigorously.

Tags: wash, hairloss, hair loss, shampoo