How Many Hairs Does a Man Lose From His Beard Each Day?

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

I’ve looked ALL over the ‘ net for the answer to ONE simple question: How many hairs a day does a man lose from his beard? I know it’s 50 to 100 for the HEAD — What about the beard, assuming you have a thick one, ( and I do ). Thanks.

I do not have a definite answer to your question, but lets try to examine your question scientifically:

Beard

  • Natural beard hair loss should be definitely less than the standard 100 scalp hair loss a day from observation alone.
  • The total number of beard hairs is significantly less than the total number of scalp hairs.
  • If you have a very thick beard, you can roughly estimate the total area of beard coverage is approximately 1/5th of the total area of scalp hair coverage.
  • If you assume the life cycle of beard hair is similar to the life cycle of scalp hair, then the adjusted ratio of 1/5th will dictate that you lose at least 20 beard hair a day.
  • However, this is a big assumption (to assume beard hair and scalp hair has the same life cycle).
  • Nevertheless, from direct observation, I have never seen my own beard hair loss on my pillow or in the sink or on my towel (and I too can have a very thick beard).

So I would guess that we lose a range of 0 to 20 beard hair a day.

 

Photo: World Beard and Moustache Championships

Tags: beard, facial hair, hairloss, hair loss

Bald Spot from Chewing Gum Incident Years Ago

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

Hi my soon to be 7 year old daughter has a bald spot close to her natural part in the front of her head due to a gum incident—some three years ago–the hair is very fine if at all present and her bald spot is shiny now—what I want to know is how do I begin to fix this for her before she is a teenager. We can cover it –but I would like to do something more to help her.–I can’t find anything on gum and hair loss–and what to do now three years later…..

GumIt is not very clear to me how your daughter lost her hair. Did she have gum stuck on her hair and you pulled on it and now her hair is not growing back? If so, it must have been a very bad gum incident! In general, depending on the size of the bald area, she may be a candidate for hair transplantation to that area (that is, if the hair did not grow back over an 8 month period)… but, I am still having a difficult time understanding how gum caused her hair loss. I have not seen gum-related hair loss in all my years of practice. Most of the time when hair is pulled out, it returns months later.

Tags: gum, bubblegum, chewing gum, candy, hairloss, hair loss

Woods Technique, Follow-Up?

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

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I read your comments regarding the “Woods Technique” (posted September 16, 2005). I am on the verge of scheduling a transplant with Dr. Woods, and I was troubled by what you said. You say that doctors in Australia have told you of “significant failures” in the hands of Dr. Woods. Could you elaborate on the nature and extent of these failures? Who are the doctors? – I would like to talk to them.

You also said that you have seen some of Dr. Woods’ patients, and that he creates larger recipient site wounds than you. Are these wounds something I should be concerned about – or do they heal? I’m 37 years old and live in Australia, which makes Dr Woods the easiest choice for me – but I am NOT willing to compromise. If his approach is flawed, I will travel to the US.

I have seen many impressive images of Dr. Woods’ work on the Internet. The only criticism I have found is on your website. I do, however, take your views very seriously. If Dr Woods’ failures are not appearing on the Internet, perhaps because of patient embarrassment, I want to know about it before I make a terrible decision. I agree that Dr Woods’ secrecy is not in the best interest of the public – and that it is inconsistent with the advancement of medical science. Please help me make the right decision on this most serious issue.

Regards

The original post you’re referring to is here.

It is best to visit local doctors who are known in this field and ask them directly. This site is for general information only. Ask Dr. Woods to meet a few of his patients and then look at the donor scars yourself. I have always had patients willing to meet people like you to help build their confidence in what I do. In my practice, I am open to such inspections. Secrecy surrounding Dr. Woods and his technique/results makes an analysis difficult.

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

Female Hair Loss After Steroid Shots to Scalp

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

Hi Doctor,

I see that you replied to another curious Jane that steriod shots to the scalp exacerbated hair loss in one of your patients. I have recently had such shots injected and have noticed an abnormal influx in hair loss near injection sites. Will this loss be potentially recovered or is it permanent?

Thank you!

Injection of steroids is not one of the proven treatment methods for treatment of male or female pattern baldness. The only indication for treating hair loss with steroid injections is in the treatment of autoimmune diseases like alopecia areata, in which the patient has patchy hair loss in the scalp and other hairy areas of the body. I have seen too many patients that lost hair in and around the area of steroid injections. Hair loss could be permanent in some of these cases.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, alopecia, steroid, shots

Young Daughter’s Hair Has Turned Brighter and Thinned

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

My 3-year-old daughter has had a beautiful head of blonde hair. In the last 3 months her hair color has brightened and thinned significantly. It’s not thinning in patches, but there is definitely less of it all over. She is otherwise healthy and takes multi-vitamins regularly. Do you have any idea what the problem may be?

Hair character does change. We see such changes from ‘baby’ hair in the newborn, to hair in the child, to teenagers, to adulthood, to older age. I would suspect if she is healthy, that she is just experiencing a change in hair thickness. It is not unusual for blonde children to see changes. My children started off blonde (my three boys) and ended brown. My oldest had fine, platinum blonde hair as a young child and now he has coarse, brown hair.

Tags: child, age, hairloss, hair loss

Hair Relaxer Caused Chemical Burn?

/by William Rassman, M.D./10 /,

Hallo! I used a “no-lye relaxer” about 2 months ago on my hair and it caused a bald spot on my scalp where no hair is to be seen. It has begun to ache a little bit since yesterday too. It is probably a chemical burn isn’t it? How could something like that occur? How can I treat this problem now? I am worried,that the hair won’t grow there anymore. Is it possible? Could you please advice me about how to treat this so that it will be healed soon? It is worrying me very much.
Thank You.

Chemical burns from relaxers are a common complaint. If the burn went down to the hair root level, it may not return. You must wait this out for about 8 months and you will then know.

Tags: chemical burn, relaxer, hairloss, hair loss, burn

Scalp Testosterone Increase with Dutasteride

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

According to Phase II FDA trials of Dutasteride as a treatment for hair loss, inhibition of scalp DHT was superior to that of finasteride, but it also caused levels of scalp testosterone to skyrocket. To quote:

“Scalp Testosterone rose 24% for Finasteride, 46% for 0.05mg Dutasteride, 44% for 0.1mg Dutasteride, 104% for 0.5mg Dutasteride, and 154% for 2.5mg Dutasteride.”

What are the implications, if any, for this huge increase in scalp testosterone? Is testosterone injurious to hair in the same way that DHT is? Does it affect it in some other way?

The offending hormone is DHT, not testosterone. I do not know the implications, but from a practical level, dutasteride seems to work better by the experience of some doctors who have been using it for years. In reality, however, until the FDA study is complete, we really will not know (scientifically) for sure.

Tags: dht, testosterone, dutasteride, hairloss, hair loss

DUPA Questions

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

Hi Doc-
Could you please do me a favor and talk for atleast a paragraph about DUPA. I cant begin to tell you how frustrating it is to suffer this kind of balding. Even though I have a good hairline, there are times when I wish I was going bald in the MPB fashion rather than this general thinning ALL throughout my scalp. Please DOC!! For example:

  1. What is chemically different in my hair folicles than someone with MPB
  2. Is it really impossible for me to get a hair transplant? The hair in the traditional donor areas is really thin.

Thanks DOC, even if you dont have good answers, atleast just talk about DUPA cause I feel like my situation gets swept under the rug.

You can find a lot the information on DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia) and possible treatment methods in one of our previous posts: How Fast Can DUPA Take Effect?.

In regards to the chemical basis for DUPA, we don’t really know much, because the mechanism of this condition is not clear yet. Genetic factors are big players in most patients with DUPA. There are some medical conditions that cause general miniaturization and hair loss. If clinically indicated, you should get tested for medical conditions that cause diffuse hair loss such as iron deficiency, thyroid problems, and some immunologic conditions. Hair transplantation is contraindicated for treatment of DUPA, because so much of the donor hair that is normally protected in male patterned hair loss, is miniaturized in DUPA and has no transplant value. Some patients respond well to medical treatments such as minoxidil and finasteride. You need to check this with your hair specialist.

Tags: dupa, alopecia, hairloss, hair loss, hairtransplant, hair transplant, finasteride, minoxidil

I Want to Start Treatment With Minoxidil

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

Hi doctor,
I am 28 year male and thinning slowly at crown and front and it is MPB. hi asked you two questions previously but unfortunately due to you busy schedule i could not get answer.This time i badly need an answer, hope you will oblige.

  1. In most of your post you recommend using propecia over minix. SInce propecia has more side effects than minix, why cant a person start with minix and see if its working. If it is, then why should one take propecia when minix is working fine. If not, then one can switch over to propecia.
  2. Also, supposing that minix starts working, then will it HALT the hair-loss at front also.
  3. After how many years do you think the hair loss using minix can start again, as i hav heard that the new hairs are minix dependant hair.please doctor can you elaborate on this.

Please doctor do answer it, as i am considering the same, after knowing the irreversible side effects of propecia.I have yet not started propecia or minix, but considering to have a try with minix first.

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) goes after the actual cause of the hair loss, so when you block DHT, you slow down the balding progression. Minoxidil will cause hair growth independent of DHT. If you rub minoxidil on your forearm twice a day, you will probably see the hair grow there where it might not have been before. Taking DHT blockers will not grow hair on your arm. If a woman puts minoxidil on her face, she will end up promoting a beard.

When you start and stop minoxidil or Propecia for that matter, you are doing it as your hair is further down the balding progression. Minoxidil-dependent hairs (the new ones you mentioned above) will fall out if you stop the minoxidil. Of course, that is not good news. Both Propecia and minoxidil will impact frontal hair loss and may slow down the progression or if you are lucky, stop it.

Tags: minoxidil, propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

Dislodging a Graft After Hair Transplant

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

Dear Dr. Rassman:

Is this a good rule of thumb for any stage post op? “If there is no bleeding then you did not dislodge a graft”

Thanks

The highest chance of graft dislodgement is within the first few days after surgery. As you go farther from the time of surgery, the chance of graft dislodgement decreases. When you pass day 5 you generally can not dislodge the graft with simple traction of the hair and even if you can pull the hair out, the graft stays in and is capable of making a new hair (see PDF file: Graft anchoring in hair transplantation. Dermatol Surg 2006; 32: 198-204 © 2006 R M Bernstein, MD, W R Rassman, MD). Dr. Bernstein and I published a paper that allowed us to pull out hair follicles from 1-10 days after surgery and then send off what was pulled out to find out if the growth centers of the grafts came out. What we found out was that after a few days they were generally secure, but that was when there was no crusting on the skin edge of the graft. If there was crusting, it would take up to about 10 days to risk losing a hair growth center when it is pulled out. But really now, who in his right mind other than Dr. Bernstein for experimental reasons, would want to pull hair out? Not any patient I know of.

Presence or absence of bleeding does not have to do with the survivability of a graft.

Tags: graft, anchor, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss

Silica Plus and Zulvera

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

Hi…I was just wondering about a product called SILICA PLUS which can be found at a website called www.ghtdirect.com, I believe….I was just wondering if this would be a good product to take for making one’s hair stronger….also, I know Silica can come in pill form and was wondering if there’s any special brand or if all Silica pills from all different labels are more or less the same?

Also, there’s this shampoo called ZULVERA, I believe….and it can be found at www.herbalhairshampoo.com

the website looks stupid, the pictures stupider, but damn it, when you’re desperate, you’re desperate….just wanted to know if the shampoo has any good things to be said about it in regards to its ingredients.

thanks

Ok… you made an astute observation that the website “looks stupid” and the “pictures stupider”. You also have a insight that you are “desperate”. I would encourage you to take it one last step further to realize that perhaps you already know the answer to the question you pose.

I really do not know if Silica in shampoo or pill form helps deal with hair loss or makes hair stronger. As I have mentioned numerous times on this site, it is a “buyer beware” market and if something looks too good (or stupid) to be true… it probably is.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, silica, zulvera

If The LaserComb Doesn’t Regrow Hair, Can It At Least Thicken Hair?

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

Hello Dr.

From your investigation into the micro pictures on the official website of the Hairmax laser comb, it can be determined that the product cannot be promising in regrowing new hair. Your count on the follicles show there was actual loss in one of their own examples. However, in regards to the thickining of the hair, can it be conclusive that comb actually works in this
respect?

There is this video on youtube of a man who claims to have gotten good results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw3QDhX8ef0

I am skeptical however, because he posted a video around the same time he claims he began using the product(March 2007) and he has a full head of hair in that video. Anyways, I would like your perspective on the issue of the comb thickening hair, since the claim to regrow hair seems false.

I do not know the answer to that question. My personal opinion is that it probably will not thicken hair.

Tags: lasercomb, laser comb, hairloss, hair loss, thicken, hair thickness

Beta Blockers and Hair Loss

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

(female) I am currently on metoprolol er 25 mg twice a day for high blood pressure & rapid heart beat & it is causing severe hair loss. My doctor’s advice was to try to stop taking the metoprolol, which I was only able to do for 2 days, until the rapid heart rate returned. Are there any beta-blockers that don’t cause hair loss, or a lesser degree of hair loss? Thank you.

I believe that hair loss is a rare side effect of these drugs. You need to check with your doctor for alternatives and see if substitutes impact your hair any less.

Tags: beta blocker, hairloss, hair loss

Bald Spots From Hair Dye

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

Can you get bold spots in different places of the scalp (patches) from coloring the hair? Product used was Loreal. No patch test was done first.

One can develop allergic reactions to hair products. If that happens, stop using them. You can then try a test spot to be sure. Make sure that these spots are not skin diseases like alopecia areata. A good doctor should be able to tell you if that is the case.

Tags: bald, hairloss, hair loss, allergy, dye

Softening the Hairline (with Photos)

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

This patient came in the other day to say hello. He agreed to let me use his photographs to show his beautiful results. He had 350 grafts in one session at NHI about 8 and a half years ago to produce this hairline. Prior to seeing us, he had some older type of plugs which were neither full enough nor natural enough for his appearance. His gray hair helped me to help him.

Before:

 

After:

Tags: hairline, plug, repair, hairloss, hair loss, hairline, photo, hairtransplant, hair transplant