Biocapillation

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

I heard about a procedure called biocapillation. It claims to be able to, in some instances, stop balding (from what I’ve read). What is this procedure, and how effective is it?

I have not heard of this procedure. Based on what I have read from my search on the internet it seems to be a scalp treatment. It is not a medical procedure or medication or surgery. I have also read it can be expensive.

If you want to know what this procedure is about, your guess is as good as mine. You can look up the same stuff I did via a search on Google.

If you want my personal opinion of how effective it is, I cannot tell you because I have not seen anyone or read of any scientificly proven results. It was reported as a miracle cure by a medical group that promotes it. I don’t believe in miracles for hair loss cures. As I have stated numerous times on BaldingBlog, it is a buyer beware market. If you ever decide to try it and it works (or doesn’t work), please let me know with before and after pictures.

Tags: biocapillation, hairloss, hair loss

Propecia Stopped Working, So I Added Rogaine

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

I have been on Propecia for 2 1/2 years but about 6 months ago I noticed that the Propecia was no longer doing its job so I started on Rogaine as well and have been using that for 6 months along with the Propecia. The crown of my head has not gotten worse however the thinning area has spreaded throughout the scalp and I fear it is only getting worse. What do you recommend I do?

There is no cure for androgenic (male pattern) hair loss. Drugs such as Propecia slow it down and at best sometimes grows some hair. Just because you notice more hair falling out does not necessarily mean Propecia has stopped working. Instead it is not able to keep up with your ultimate fate. Adding Rogaine may be of benefit, but again there is no cure or 100% stop to the hair loss. Even surgery (hair transplant) cannot cure balding. At best, it redistributes the hair so that you can maintain a look for maximum cosmetic benefit.

If you are noticing a rapid rate of hair loss, you can consider seeing a doctor for a miniaturization study to document the rate of hair loss and review any medical or surgical option for a complete master plan.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, rogaine, minoxidil, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss

Hair on Back and Sides of My Head Are Becoming Dark and Thick

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

Hi i am 21 years of age and i am thinning quite badly in the front. I was wondering if you could tell me about the effects of exercise on DHT?

Also more importantly my hair on the back and sides is becoming incredibly dark and thick. It will not grow much beyond 1/2 inch and is impossible to style etc because of this. it is very dark compared with the rest of my hair. is it normal to have this extent of thickening in the non-MPB areas of the head?

Thanks

Usually, with the thickness of hair around the back and sides of the head (when compared with thinning hair in the front for those who have genetic hair loss), the issue is one of contrast. I suspect that it is not that the hair is getting thicker around the back and sides of the head, but maybe you are getting thinner in the front. You need to get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to find out exactly what is happening to you.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, sides, miniaturization

Are Thinning Eyelashes and Eyebrows Related to Thyroid Problems?

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

I keep noticing that people with thinning eyelashes and eyebrows keep mentioning thyroid problems. I take synthroid. Can this cause my problem? The lashes are also curling the opposite way that they should. Hoping for an answer. Thank you.

Thyroid disorders can affect hair growth. In particular, low function of thyroid can cause loss of hair in the eyebrows. Patients who suffer from hypothyroidism (decreased function of thyroid gland) may lose their eyebrow hair, especially the hair in the lateral one third of it. I am not aware that thyroid diseases or its medications can change the curling of the eyelashes. See a doctor to further evaluate this.

Tags: eyebrow, eyelash, thyroid, hairloss, hair loss

Has Britney Spears Made Baldness Trendy?

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

Fashion blog Styledash asks the question, “Will Britney make baldness trendy?”

What do you think? Do my readers even care? Let me know. I realize it is just celebrity gossip, but I can’t seem to go to a supermarket checkout line without seeing another photo of Britney Spears with a shaved head.

Tags: britney, spears, shaved head, celebrity, gossip

What Does a Hair Transplant Donor Scar Look Like? (with Photos)

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

How the donor area exactly look after HT ? I have no idea…does it look very ugly and scary ? My doc is not exploring it completely….plz help me sir.

If your doctor does not answer this question for you by showing you patients so that you can examine the donor scar yourself, then go to another doctor who will do this for you. You should be frightened if you are not getting good answers.

Take a look at the two sets of photos below. These patients (who both had Follicular Unit Transplantation) consecutively came into the office for a routine follow-up visit. All scars were easily covered by the combed hair and to see the scar, a comb had to lift up the hair. Click the photos to see full-size.

Patient 1:

 

Patient 2:

 

For further photos of donor scarring, see Trichophytic Closure Photos.

Tags: hairtransplant, hair transplant, donor, scar, scarring, photos, trichophytic

Juri Hair Flap

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


You recommended a Dr. in Oakland’s site for hairline lowering. On his site I saw a procedure called the Juri Hair Flap.

Sounds too good to be true, 4 weeks and you have all your hair back. Can you tell me more about it?

The Juri flap has been out of favor for some years now. The inventor has apologized for this surgical procedure, and to me that says a great deal. In the old days (prior to 1992 or so), there were many radical procedures for treating hair loss and most have been abandoned today in favor of follicular unit hair transplantation, which has a very low complication rate and a very high patient acceptance. The Juri flap points the hair in the wrong direction (to the sides and backwards) and when balding progresses, it leaves a big hole in the balding area, which is hard to cover. For advanced balding (nobody can ever tell where they will end up) the look is quite bizarre. I spoke to Dr. Kabaker (the Oakland doctor you asked about) and he does not recommend them today for balding but may use this technique in rare circumstances such as: accidents, people who lose parts of the scalp, severe but localized burns to the scalp, etc..

For more about the Juri Hair Flap, see Dr. Kabaker’s site — Kabaker.com

Tags: kabaker, oakland, juri, hairloss, hair loss, hairflap, hair flap

Balloon Expander Technique for Hairline Lowering

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

I am an 18 year old girl with a naturally high forehead (about 8 cm). I’ve heard of hairstyles you can have that don’t make your forehead look as high (such as getting bangs), however, it’s a bit hard for me since my hair is also thin and I don’t have a lot on the top of my head. I’ve read your responses to other people on lowering hairline options, such as the “balloon” technique. I’d simply like to know what the procedure is called, as I am in Australia. Also, is it safe and does it leave scars?

Generally there are two surgical options for hairline lowering for men and women with high foreheads. The first option is a traditional hair transplantation surgery. For a good example of this, please see: Female Hairline Restoration After Brow Lift.

The second option is a hairline lowering technique, a more extensive surgery like a brow lift (just in reverse). Balloons are usually not necessary to accomplish lowering the hairline, but when it is done, it requires putting a balloon in your head and expanding your skin over the course of few weeks or months to stretch your skin. The excess skin is pulled down to the desired forehead level. We will be doing one of these balloon expanders in the next few weeks on a patient.

Tags: hairline lowering, lower, hairloss, hair loss, balloon, expander

Slit Marks and Mild Pitting in Part of My Hairline After Hair Transplant

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

i underwent a couple of strip transplants and i got slit marks and mild pitting in some sections of the recipient area including part of the hairline. a surgeon told me about microdermabrasion or dermabrasion (laser or mechanical), the pitting on my head is not so severe and i don’t think that a FUE extraction of my pitted monofollicular is the logical thingh to do. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

thanks.

Get a second opinion? I cannot help you without seeing the results and examining you in person. Mild pitting can be an unfortunate consequence of such surgery, especially if the grafts sites are too big or too much skin was transplanted with the hair grafts. I have heard other doctors describing microdermabrasion/dermabrasion to correct such problem, but these techniques may remove pigment from the skin that is worked on. This means that you may end up with a shine on the skin and some skin discoloration, which may look even worse.

Tags: slit, pitting, hairtransplant, hair transplant, dermabrasion

Losing Concentration/Focus with Taking Propecia

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

Dr. Rassman

Have you had a hair transplant procedure done on yourself? If so have you ever tried or are you currently using propecia? I have been on propecia for about 2 months now and I find that my concentration/focus is severely lacking. I am currently going to grad school so you can see why this is a big problem. Whats your thoughts on the matter?

Thank You

I have had two hair transplants on my crown and I take Propecia daily. I have not had problems like you are describing. Are you stressed? Try stopping the Propecia for a week and see if the concentration problem resolves. I would doubt that it would have this side effect, but there are many men who talk themselves into problems from the use of Propecia, a placebo type of effect.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, concentration, focus, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss

Testing Hormones Before Starting Propecia

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

Do you think its a good idea to get all your hormones tested before propecia so you have a baseline to compare against? Propecia can raise estrogen, testosterone, and aromatase levels because of the lower DHT which helps balance these right?

There is no need to test your hormones before taking Propecia. While your theory may be valid, there would be no value in measuring high or low hormone levels. Why? Of course some values may be high or low, but what will you do if they are? Stop taking the medication? On the contrary, you are taking the medication to change some of these hormone levels! More specifically, the DHT hormone levels. So in the end, the hormone measurements only end up being a matter of curiosity which has been extensively studied by scientists before the drug was approved by the FDA.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hormone, hormones, hairloss, hair loss, dht

Yasmin and Female Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./6 /, , ,

I wanted to ask you a question re Yasmin, which I have been taking for almost a year now.

I experienced heavy hair shedding postpartum which could be contributed to the delivery itself and to my then overactive thyroid. My thyroid has been stable and normal during the last 5 months. After stopping for 2 months, I started experiencing heavier hair shedding recently. Since my thyroid is fine, plus no other deficiencies were detected (iron, zinc, B12), could Yasmin be the culprit? Or are other hormonal issues I should be aware of? I didn’t take the first pill of this new cycle and the shedding seemed to slow immediately. Should I consider an alternative contraceptive and will I have regrowth?

Thank you for your time.

We’ve answered a similar question on the contraceptive medication, Yasmin. As we’ve explained before, Yasmin is a combination of drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. Loss of scalp hair is a reported side effect of this medication. The hair loss from most birth control pills is benign and self limited. Losing hair in this situation is thought to be through inducing hair follicles to go into the telogen phase. You should stop taking Yasmin and speak to your doctor regarding alternative birth control medications or methods.

Tags: yasmin, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman, birth control, bcp

Why Do I Have a Patch of Thin Hair Above My Right Ear?

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

Dear Doc,
I have been experiencing hairloss for the past 8 months. I still have a good amount of hair it’s just become alot thinner. My problem is that on my right side about 4cm above my ear I have a patch that has gone extremely thin. It’s not bald but it looks as if someone has got a pair of clippers and shaved a chunk of my hair hair off – it looks rather odd. The other side is fine. Why do think this has happened? Thanks.

Some people have a different genetic trait in the area above the ears. It is usually on both sides and frequently present for a long time. There are a variety of hair conditions that can cause patchy hair loss or thinning. You need to see a good dermatologist for an examination and an opinion. You should also get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to see if this is happening in other parts of your scalp.

Tags: thinning, balding, patch, miniaturization, hairloss, hair loss