Shedding for 6 Months Since Starting Propecia

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

hi! I’m 21 years old and 3 years ago i realised i was loosing too much hair, but nobody believed me.Now my hair is really thinner and i have lost a lot…i have been taking propecia for 6 months but it really has became worse…what is it happening? i though i was shedding effect but…6 months loosing hair because of the shedding effect? i was really better before taking propecia! should i keep it and wait or should i stopped? I mean…if it’s shedding efect it’s not so bad…but..i don’t know. could you help me? Doctors in Spain don’t take it serious…
Thank you!

You may be going through a very active phase of hair loss, genetically inspired. You need to consult with your doctor. If I was your doctor, I would have had your scalp mapped out for miniaturization so as you follow the progression of hair loss, there would be insights into the changes that may point to the cause.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

Special Razor For Shaving Scalp?

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

Hi their, I have alopecia areata. I first noticed my hair loss on my 48th birthday, within weeks I had lost 99% of my head hair and my eyebrows.

That was six months ago and in that time my hair has regrowen twice or three times in patches of white fluff. (my hair was quite dark before)only to fall out again. What I would like to
know is their a razor or something special I can get that will help me to shave my head without cutting my scalp. I am sick of the little tuffs that regrow only to later fall out and have been shaving my head with a razor and shaving cream that nicks it at the back where I can’t see. Thanks

I don’t shave my head, so I can’t give any personal recommendation — but I have heard good things about the HeadBlade. It costs $15 at Drugstore.com, but you can probably find it locally (check the HeadBlade site for a list of stores).

Tags: headblade, head blade, razor, scalp, bald, shaving

What Questions Should I Ask When I Get My Miniaturization Test?

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

Doc,

Thanks for this gem of a site! I’m scheduling my first miniaturization with the Hair Club for Men. Two questions:

  1. What questions should I ask the physician when we meet?
  2. Have you heard anything from your colleagues in the hair transplant world re: Hair Club for Men’s experience and success in restoring hair?

Thanks for your time!

  1. First and foremost, you should educate yourself on hair transplant surgery and hair loss. Just as you have found this site, you can find tons of information on the rest of the web. Just double check sources and make sure the information is credible. You can also use NewHair.com for extensive medical information on hair transplantation and hair loss.
  2. With respect to the reputation / success of other medical groups, it would be unprofessional of me to comment (positive or negative) on the matter since it would obviously be a conflict of interest. We have many suggestions in this blog on how to qualify doctors and you should follow that advice.

You need to know what the mapping of your miniaturization shows and you should ask the doctor what he/she might predict will be the eventual loss of hair (distribution/pattern) and the rate at which you might bald. If you are using medications like Propecia, you should be able to compare the progress or reversal of the miniaturization over a time period of months.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, miniaturization, test, doctor

Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia

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

I am a 54 year old Africia American Female that has Central Centrifugal Cicatrical Alopecia, is there hope? and if so what can I do.

Also called “hot comb alopecia” in the past, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) is a rare condition that presents with cicatricial alopecia in the central scalp. This lesion grows larger around its center and tends to destroy the hair follicles and causes permanent balding.

It was thought that this condition has to do with combing or use of oil for hair styling in African-American women. The cause of this type of hair loss is still not known and its treatment is difficult, as seen with this and other similar scarring alopecias. This condition that is usually seen in African women presents as an unusual sensation (pins and needles) on the top of the scalp followed by tenderness in those areas. There is no visible sign of inflammation in the area. Skin color may change to become fleshy and eventually hyper-pigmented (darker). Hair loss in this condition is usually permanent.

Tags: central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, ccca, alopecia, african, women, woman, female, hot comb, hairloss, hair loss

I Want a Hair Transplant, But I Am Concerned About Keloids

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

i am seriously considering a hair transplant on the sides of my hairline. i am a african american women who have had traction alopecia for quite some time now. i have a small keloid on my ear, and my dermatologist has been giving me injections to clear this up. he also told me that if i get any plastic surgery, there is a chance that i will develop keloid scarring. i do want my hair transplant, are there things that they can do to remove the keloid from the donor site?

Keloids are very rare on the scalp. Many people have stretched (flat) or hypertrophic (raised) scars, but actual keloids (they look like tumors growing out of a wound) are so rare that they are worth reporting in medical literature. You can test the donor and recipient areas with a punch wound and/or a needle and then wait it out to see if it forms keloids. That may be the best way to know for sure.

Tags: keloid, hairtransplant, hair transplant, african, alopecia, hypertrophic

Sensitive Nipples and Propecia

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

Hi Dr Rassman, I find your site very interesting and helpful. After living in denial for six months I have finally conceded that the balding process has begun and have started taking propecia. I have only been on the drug for a week however I am already noticing sensitive nipples.

I am much too concerned about losing my hair to be bothered by very mild occasional pain, however developing gyno is something that really worries me, especially as i already have a very slight case of it from puperty (despite the fact that I am fit and slim). I plan on speaking to my doctor about this, but I would like to know from your experience, does sensitive nipples always turn into gyno? Would I be premature in halting the medication based on this alone? Is there a chance that it could simply go away as my body adapts to the drug, or even if it continues not necessarily mean I will develop gyno?

Thanks for your time.

Yes, it is possible for sensitive nipples to develop into gynecomastia. I would try stopping it (you are early in the process) and see if the sensitivity goes away. Certainly checking with your doctor is important. Breast enlargement or nodules can occur with Propecia, but it is relatively rare (about 1 in 300-500 cases).

Tags: gynecomastia, nipple, hairloss, hair loss, finasteride, propecia

Luxiq, Singulair, and Hair Loss

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

Do Luxiq or Singulair cause hairloss? I have been prescribed Singulair for allergies and luxiq for scalp irritation.

Luxiq is a brand name for betamethasone topical steroid cream. Singulair is a medication for seasonal allergies. If used as directed they should not cause hair loss, but any medication can carry a small potential for hair loss. I suspect if you are losing hair it may be due to causes other than the medication itself. Before starting or stopping any medication always consult with the physician who prescribed those medications to you.

Tags: luxiq, singulair, hairloss, hair loss, steroid

No Results a Year After FUE to Fill In Dime-Sized Scar

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

Dr. Rassman,

I have a dime sized scar on the front of my head. I like to keep my hair buzzed with a number 1 or 2 and it is very visible. About a year ago I had a FUE procedure done in Detroit. Unfortunately there were no results. The scar is now pinker than before and impossible to hide. I was wonder if there are any other options? Would a scar revision reduce the amount of surface area not covered by hair? If so by how much? I am highly discouraged by the lack of success of the FUE procedure as I spent considerable money on it. Thank you very much for your advice.

FUE should have worked. Scar revisions can be a problem in the frontal area. I would have to see a picture of your scar (use a ruler next to it so I can get dimensions). Please send to the address on the Contact page and reference this post.

Tags: fue, scar, hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant, hairtransplant

Emotional Overeating and Female Hair Loss

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

Hello,

I am 20 years old and have been experiencing female pattern hair loss during the last two years. Most of my blood work is fine other than I was on the lower end of the normal range for iron levels and my TSH was at 5.7 so now I am on synthroid and my TSH levels are normal. The only other thing is that I sometimes emotional over eat but otherwise I eat a very healthy diet. Could emotional over eating cause hair loss?

It seems that the hair loss process was kicked off with thyroid problems and some anemia. To answer your question, stress (something you may handle with over eating) can cause hair loss as well.

Tags: emotional, over eating, overeating, diet, hairloss, hair loss

My Left Eyebrow Hairs Just Fell Out!

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

(female) Ok first off, I’m almost seventeen. About a month and a half or so ago, most of the hairs on my eyebrow fell out. It’s only my left eyebrow though, which is strange. I haven’t used any sort of cream on my face or taken any medications except for the occasional ibuprofen which I’ve taken before with no problem. I think I have an idea, but I’m not sure. I got bangs before the eyebrow started falling out and when my bangs started to grow out, I just pushed them to the left. So is it possible that my bangs irritated the hairs, causing them to fall out? I’m not really sure. Since I thought of that, I’ve been trying to bobby pin them back lately because it’s summer and I’m home a lot, but take the bobby pin out when I leave the house because it’s embarrasing and my hair covers it. But they’re still not growing back. I don’t know what to do. Any suggestions?

It is very peculiar that only one side of your eyebrow has fallen out. I highly doubt it was due to your bangs brushing up on them. As it has only been a month, high magnification examination would show what stubble is left and what it looks like. I would be curious to know if you have experienced any specific patches of hair loss on your scalp or on your body. There is a relatively rare condition such as alopecia areata that can manifest in the manner that you are describing. You need to see your family doctor to make sure your thyroid is OK. The most common cause of eyebrow hair loss is when a person picks or plucks it. However it is almost impossible to give you a diagnosis without examining you in person. Perhaps you can email me some photos (confidential) of course. Please reference this post when sending. Even better, if you can make a trip to Los Angeles, I can examine you in person.

Tags: eyebrow, hairloss, hair loss, bangs, hair style, alopecia, alopecia areata

Any Way to Stop Hair Loss Without Messing with DHT?

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

Dear Doctor I was just wondering : isn’t there a way you can stop/reverse hair loss without affecting DHT serum levels? I was on propecia for a short time and, due to sides, had to quit. My dermatologist explained that since propecia lowers your body’s dht levels it may also cause side effects in some people. He also said I could try a topical formulation of spironolactone and progesterone. Have you had any experience with those two products in your practice?

Alternatively what medication would you put me on ?(I am a NW 2-3V ; 30 years old) Should I just wait for new powerful medications to come out,but in this case how long before something new and possibly revolutionary appears? thanks in advance for your help

DHT is one of the causes for male pattern hair loss (androgenic hair loss). Drugs such as Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and minoxidil are the only medications scientifically proven and approved by the FDA for the treatment for male pattern hair loss. Drugs such as spironolactone and progesterone have not been studied extensively or have shown variable response for clinical effectiveness on slowing or reversing hair loss. As such, I do not prescribe those medications in my practice.

You can keep waiting for the next treatment to come out, but there is no telling when the next great drug will be available. Dutasteride is currently in clinical trials for treating hair loss, but I do not know when that will be completed.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, finasteride, dht, dutasteride, minoxidil

Would Minoxidil Be Unsafe for a Runner?

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

Hi there,

I am a 22-year old sportsman. I am considering Minoxidil, but for me it is VERY important is doesn’t affect my sport (running) at all.

My questions:

  1. Is it a drug?
  2. Can I have any physical problems such as high heartbeat…
  3. If I stop using it will I get even thinner than I was before the cure?

  1. Yes, minoxidil is a drug.
  2. Minoxidil can drop your blood pressure (that is what it was originally designed for) and as such, it can theoretically produce a higher heart rate if the blood pressure drops from its use.
  3. If you start minoxidil and it is effective, the hair will become dependent upon it so, if/when you stop it you will lose the hairs that grew because of it.
Tags: minoxidil, runner, activity, hairloss, hair loss, rogaine, blood pressure

Rubbing Areas of My Head Caused Thinning

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

hey dr
this is gonna sound weird but i used to work in a job that involved lifting boxes all day. i lift them on my right shoulder and the boxes would always rub the side of my head and right
eyebrow but i noticed the hair on the right side thinning and also the eyebrow on the right side missing hair and i figured out that all the constant rubbing over the years had caused it. i
have a full head of hair all over except these affected areas. ive made sure over the last year not to touch my head with the boxes but ive noticed no regrowth. i was just wondering if you could suggest anything to use on my the affected areas to promote new hair growth that wont maybe lead to further hairloss as ive heard a lot treatments like rogaine once stopped can cause further hairloss. thanks

What you are describing seems to be a form of traction alopecia, where repeated tension on the scalp and hair causes hair loss. Rubbing hair also puts a pull on hair that is near the end of its cycle. If you have constant traction, this type of hair loss can be permanent. You can try Rogaine in those areas to see if some hair will grow back.

Tags: alopecia, traction alopecia, hairloss, hair loss

I’m 14 and Losing My Hair — Is It Because I’m Over Weight?

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

(female)
Yes i am expiriencing hairloss and i am currently 14 years old only my uncle is lossing his hair but i say because he smokes i used to have very very thick hair and well now i have half of it and well i want to know what it is because im over weight or vitamins and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!! I am tired of seeing all my hair go down the drain and im only 14 please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not believe being over weight causes hair loss. However, there may be other health issues that you are not aware of that is causing your hair loss. You should see your primary care doctor for a physical examination and express to him/her these concerns.

Tags: teen, girl, female, woman, women, overweight, weight, hairloss, hair loss