WRassman,M.D. BaldingBlog
    • Menu

    I’ve Been Rejected By Hair Transplant Doctors and I’m Desperate!

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Transplantation

    I am a 19 year old male, with a naturally high hairline. You can also call it receding if you like, it goes beyond that curve. It’s been like that since I was born. My hairline from centre of my brow is 5cm, top of my brow is 4.5cm. I do not suffer from genetic hairloss, nor does either my family bloodline. When I say genetic, I say this, because when I took minocycline, an antibiotic to help with acne, it made my skin very weak, dry, and fragile, thus some hair fell out because of this. I went off the medication, and I stopped dropping hair. Problem is, I’ve lost the hair I had while on medication, and hasn’t grown since. But I can live with that. It’s only a minor thinning area. No biggie.

    I am the only one cursed with this dreadful big forehead in my family. My dad’s forehead is a bit bigger than normal, but mine surpasses his. I have to cope with this everyday of my life, and I finally decided to take up the courage, fight my embarassment and ask doctors around my area. When I finally gained the courage to pick up the phone, I was deeply disappointed as I was excluded, turned down, and rejected hair transplant.

    I have contacted numerous hairloss centres and they rejected me for a hair transplant operation to lower my hairline. I feel truly disappointed at this point in time. They only offer treatments for people have lost/losing hair. She only recommended me rogaine, which is unnecessary in my case. I still have a clear vision of a lower hairline of about 2cm-2.5cm.

    I am not doing this because I want to look pretty, I want to have a lower hairline, because I no longer can cope with the comments I receive from people. It really affects my daily life. I was made aware of my forehead from my sister, which I never was aware about, and ever since, I have been getting more comments. When I meet people, they would look up at my hair line, not at my face when talking. It makes me so uncomfortable, and the rest of the day I feel so bad and cannot stop looking in the mirror, thinking “I will never get help, even the doctors rejected me”. How many times must I be rejected because of my hairline? Friends, family, now doctors?

    I guess in the end, my question is: Can I get hair transplants to lower my hairline from elsewhere? Are there any other possible ways to lower my hairline by 2cm to 2.5cm?

    Hair loss is indeed a dreadful situation for those who are afflicted with the unfortunate fate of the hair loss gene. Add to that a congenital high hairline and it can certainly impact a person’s view of themselves. While I sympathize with the negative social implications of a high / receding hairline in your teenage years, hair transplant surgery is permanent. It is not a short, quick fix. In other words, at your age it is almost impossible to predict how much balding you will have and a quick fix may just accelerate your hair loss. You need to start by getting your hair mapped for miniaturization and have a Master Plan of how to tackle your hair loss problem. You may be a candidate for medications such a Propecia. Propecia will not lower your hairline, though. Your “clear vision” of a 2cm to 2.5cm lowering of your hairline may be attainable, but the timing may not be right due to the risk of further hair loss.

    Finally, you can probably have a hair transplant elsewhere by doctors who will gladly accept your money. But, that would be in the doctor’s interest, not yours. Whatever you do, even if you find someone to do the surgery, please get another opinion and just don’t get on the first bus that comes along.

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

    Dr Cole’s Body Hair Transplant Instrument

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Transplantation, Other Surgical Procedures

    Dear Dr. Rassman,
    I am interested in body hair transplantation. Dr. John Cole does this procedure using special instruments he invented that have improved the results of BHT somewhat. What is your opinion of this procedure and how well do you think it works?

    Body hair transplantation is still considered experimental in my opinion. Furthermore, body hair does not have the same growth cycle as scalp hair and most of the body hair is dormant (not growing). Thus, the success or growth of a body hair transplant is highly variable and rarely will more than 50% of the body hair be growing at any one time. Body hair also has a finite length of growth and a different texture than scalp hair. These factors make body hair transplants somewhat controversial. With respect to the instruments, there are many doctors who invent specialized instruments for their practice. I do not know enough of Dr. Cole’s particular instrument to comment on its efficacy other than to quote Shakespeare, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” — From Hamlet (I, v, 166-167).

    Tags: hairtransplant, hair transplant, body hair transplant, bht, body hair, hairloss, hair loss, cole, instrument

    20 Year Old Just Had a Hair Transplant to Cover a Scar

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs, Hair Transplantation, Post-Operative

    Hello Doctor,
    Thank you for taking the time to read this. I find your site highly informative and at times humorous. I’m a 20 year old student; recently I had a hair transplant (around
    1000 grafts) at the back of my head to cover an old scar. Judging by my close relatives, I will not inherit hereditary baldness.

    It has been four months since the transplant and the grafts are growing quite well. However I have fairly long hair and the growth is slower than I would like. Could I use minoxidl to boost the growth rate? Also can you please explain the initial loss of hair that occurs with minoxidil usage, what causes it?

    Once again thank you for reading this.

    I am pleased that you enjoy reading my blog and that your hair transplant went well. However there is not much you can do in accelerating hair growth. Rogaine / minoxidil will not boost the growth rate. As you are only 4 months from surgery, I would expect more growth over the next 3-4 months, so be patient.

    With respect to the hair loss that sometimes occurs with the use of minoxidil, it is believed that the hair loss occurs from the “resetting” of the hair cycle.

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

    Dry Skin Build-Up on Scalp

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    Dr Rassman,
    I am 24 years old and have been experiencing hair loss since last Sept. I have been on Propecia since Oct. and have since seen less shedding and some slight improvement. What is the most distressing is that I have diffuse thinning all over the top and crown of my head and, most terrifying, no family history of hair loss. My question is this, I have a lot of material build up in my scalp, what I think is white, dry skin, or it could be i’m just not washing my hair thoroughly enough, whatever it is, it’s very noticable and when i try to brush it out, hair sheds along with it, especially when I try to style hair in the front and on the bangs. I have been using T-Gel and the amount of build-up is less however there is still some on the scalp. Is this affecting my chances of hair regrowth? And do you have any recommendations?
    Thanks

    Sorry, I cannot diagnose your condition over the internet with just descriptions. You need to see a doctor who specializes in hair (like hair transplant doctor) or a dermatologist if you feel you have a skin problem.

    Tags: skin, dry skin, scalp, hairloss, hair loss

    Where Did My Hair Genes Come From?

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    Hi Doc, I am 34 and I have receded about an inch at the temples. By this age, my father was at a much further along in the balding process. My maternal grandfather receded but never went bald. I’m just trying to figure out who’s “hair” genes I might have inherited. If it was from my father, would my balding develop at the same age and at the same speed as him? Is the next most likely person to pass on the hair gene my maternal grandfather? I hope so!

    I have answered this question many times, but I will briefly summarize again: genetic hair loss does not follow specific predictable patterns. Many have hypothesized and observed that male pattern hair loss is slightly more dependent on the mother’s side. In the end if you have the gene, you will go bald according to the genetic balding pattern you inherited. As there are probably many genes involved in the inherited pattern, until we can define those genes and quantify how many there are and how they work, we can not predict what may happen to you as you age and may bald. Someday, everyone will have their genes mapped out and with that mapping, we will be able to tell much about what will happen to us in the future, not just with regard to balding, but to predicting diseases like cancer in their earliest stage. I hope that this all unfolds in my lifetime, but clearly for the young man like you, I am sure that it will unfold in your lifetime and when your children ask this question, my replacement will answer it with precision.

    Tags: hairloss, hair loss, genetic, gene

    Joint Pain from Propecia?

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs

    by taking propecia(1mg per day) i was having knee joint pain & it was getting normal after 4-5 days of stopping the intake of propecia. this i have tried after a gap of few days,still the effect is same.i am regular user of minoxidil 2% since last 2 yrs. earlier before that for 1 yr i had applied minoxidil 5% & have satisfactory results out of it. please advice.

    I have never had any of my patients experience joint pain from the use of Propecia. I will make a note to ask the Propecia drug representative from Merck. Aside from the medication side effect, have you explored the possibility of an inherent joint problem such as arthritis that may be coincidental with the use of Propecia?

    Tags: finasteride, propecia, joint, pain, hairloss, hair loss

    Hats and Hair Loss

    May 31, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    My question is: can hats cause baldness? I have heard that they are in no way related to losing your hair unless they are too tight and cut off circulation. However, I heard someone explain that if you wear a hat, sweat can accumulate in your hat, and your sweat contains DHT and if you have a predisposition to Baldness all the DHT coming into contact with your scalp can make you lose your hair even quicker than normal. Any truth to this?

    I was on a TV program a few years back called the Big Urban Myth Show on MTV and answered this very question. Hats causing hair loss is an urban myth. Men wear hats to cover their baldness.

    So to repeat — hats do not cause hair loss.

    Tags: hats, hat, hairloss, hair loss, mtv, myth, urban myth

    In The News – Viagra for Hamsters?

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Other

    This isn’t hair-related, but I can stray from hair stuff just for a moment or two. From the article:

    The “little blue pill” given to treat impotence might also help people overcome jet lag faster, a new study in rodents suggests.

    Hamsters that received small doses of sildenafil, sold under the name Viagra, adjusted more quickly to laboratory simulations of a six-hour time-zone change than animals in the control group.

    and also…

    But in the jet lag experiment, the tiny doses given to the hamsters were too small to trigger erection.

    Read the rest here — NewScientist.com – Viagra reduces hamster ‘jet lag’

    Maybe someday soon you’ll take a smaller dosage of Viagra to avoid jet lag and not have to make excuses. Interesting stuff.

    Tags: viagra, sildenafil, hairloss, hair loss

    Follica

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /Other

    Dear Dr.,
    I see that Follica Inc. have lincensed a technology developed at Penn university. The research suggests that new hair follicles can be produced in the skin with the protein wtn. Apparently this protein can make lots of new follicles in the skin. If this is the case would it lead to an end of male pattern baldness? Surely, any new follicle made would be affected by DHT. What are your thoughts on this new approach? Many thanks

    Yes, I read of them as I was skimming the Scientific American website. It seems the research is relatively new with good potential. There have been many that promised the world, but delivered little. With regard to the ‘new hair’ I really don’t know the answer to your question. Lets keep our fingers crossed!

    Scientific American – Bye-Bye Comb-Overs? Hair Follicles Found Able to Regenerate

    Tags: follica, hairloss, hair loss, regenerate, follicle

    Dealing with Unhappy Patients

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Transplantation, Other

    Dr. Rassman, how do you deal with patients that are not happy with their results, or suffer complications, such as shock loss, grafts not growing, and incorrectly misplaced hair. How often do you encounter this? Thanks.

    My philosophy on patient care is that a doctor and patient relationship should be a partnership. Both parties should understand one another and treat one another with respect. I found that through the years from my days as a surgeon, mutual respect and partnership have always kept my patients happy. Setting realistic expectations are much of it, and listening to what people are telling you helps work through the partnership. We have had monthly open house events for the past 14 years where patients who have had surgery show off their results and prospective patients can talk to them and see what they got. Prospective patients can also see a live surgery (just imagine that we were doing this for 14 years on monthly basis in every office we had). Of course there have been unhappy patients along the way, but the partnership and respect goes a long way in resolving any unforeseen issues and a good dialogue usually does not pit one side against the other.

    Tags: hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, patient, doctor

    Masturbating to Avoid Acne While Taking Finasteride?

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs

    Hi Doctor,

    I’m 23. I’ve been taking Proscar 5mg for over 6 months and see some improvement. However, I keep getting mild acne. When I stop the medication, the acne stops. However, recently I started masturbating observed the acne stopped even during medication. Are the two activities connected? Do I continue masturbating to avoid acne? Please advice, thanks.

    That’s quite a question…

    If you are taking Proscar (finasteride 5mg) for the treatment of hair loss you are over doing it and overdosing. You should take one quarter tablet of Proscar a day. You will not gain any benefit by taking the extra dose.

    I do not see any correlation between acne and masturbating. And I highly doubt you just started masturbating to observe this phenomenon and must be pulling my leg on this aspect of your question.

    Tags: masturbation, masturbating, acne, propecia, proscar, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

    Virtual Reality Hair — The Adhesive Makes it Sticky

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /Hair Pieces / Systems

    DenverChannel.com – Company Claims Hair In An Hour, No Joke

    From the article —


    “It’s paper thin, it’s a membrane. The hair is injected or looped through it so once it’s on, you can’t feel any types of bumps or ridges like conventional hair pieces used to be,” said Alan Humphreys of Virtual Reality.

    Just to be clear, this is not a hair transplant with permanent hair that grows. It is a taped-on hair product that costs $3000 to $6000 per year. At times it is difficult to tell the difference between wigs and medical treatments or surgeries (just look at the ads in the Yellow Pages and you will see what I am talking about), but in the case of this product, even the article has quotes from people on the street that provide mixed reactions. At least this news article is balanced.

    Tags: hairloss, hair loss, wig, hair system, membrane, virtual reality

    Eyebrows Overplucked

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    Im trying to grow my eyebrows back as i want them reshaping due to overplucking how long would they take to grow back?

    Overplucking your eyebrow or any hair may cause permanent damage and the hair may never grow back. At that point, the only solution to get eyebrow hair back is hair transplantation. If you’re looking for a temporary solution, I found an overplucking remedy at About.com. No idea if it works — I don’t pluck.

    Tags: eyebrow, eyebrows, overplucking, overplucked, hairloss, hair loss

    I Want to Grow Chest Hair!

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./8 /Other

    I am 22 yrs. and I have very little hair around my nipples but no hair on my chest. Is there any way I can grow chest hair?

    No. There is no practical way to grow chest hair. I guess you could try minoxidil, which is known to grow hair, but it might get you a big dose of the medication if you apply it all over your chest. At your age, I would advise you to wait it out. If you have any Native American lineage, you may not grow chest hair at all. And some men just don’t have much chest hair.

    Tags: chest hair, hairloss, hair loss, nipples

    Female Hair Loss While Trying to Conceive

    May 30, 2007/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs, Female Hair Loss

    I’m 32 yo woman trying to conceive. What options are open to me in stopping hair loss and stimulating regrowth? My dermatologist tells me its hereditary and I’m out of luck until birth. Any suggestions?

    The only medical option is Rogaine. If it is hereditary or genetic, there is not much you can do. Any medication is dangerous for a new fetus and it is not something I would recommend until you deliver your baby (a long waiting period, I know).

    Tags: rogaine, minoxidil, female, women, woman, baby, pregnant, pregnancy
    123
    Older Entries
    Page 1 of 12

    Videos

    Podcasts

    Ask Dr. Rassman

    * Your questions may be published (without your contact information).

    [contact-form-7 id=”27935″ title=”Sidebar Contact”]

    Over 21 million women and 35 million men in America suffer from hair loss. For many of these people, the psychological impact on their life is debilitating.

    Dr. Rassman is a world leading expert in hair loss with over 25 years of experience and over 50,000 satisfied clients.

    About

    This site exists to educate about hair loss and hair restoration.

    William R. Rassman, M.D.

    Categories

    • ACell
    • African American
    • Age
    • April Fools
    • Density
    • Diseases
    • Drugs
    • Drugs (Cause Hair Loss)
    • Favorites
    • Female Hair Loss
    • FUE
    • Hair Cloning
    • Hair Loss Causes
    • Hair Pieces / Systems
    • Hair Products
    • Hair Transplantation
    • Hairlines
    • Megasession
    • Other
    • Other Surgical Procedures
    • Personal Stories
    • Photos
    • Pigments
    • Podcasts
    • Post-Operative
    • Repair
    • Repost
    • Scalp MicroPigmentation
    • Scarring
    • Thinning
    • Tidbits
    • Training
    • Videos

    Archives

    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • June 202
    • May 202

    Links

    Disclaimer

    This site is intended to educate the public on hair loss topics based on personal experience and opinions from Dr. William Rassman and contributing physician editors. Information provided on BaldingBlog.com should not be used for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment.

    Scroll to top