Will My Thin Blonde Hair Be Difficult to Transplant Here in Taiwan?

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

Hello,

I am seriously considering hair transplant surgery. I am living abroad in Taiwan for the next year and would like to look into local doctors for the surgery. The problem is I have thin blond hair and I am pretty sure none of the doctors here have worked on such hair before (being everyone here has black thicker Asian hair). I am wondering if this will pose a problem in my case? And if so what questions should I be asking the doctors in my search regarding this issue?

Thanks

If the doctors use microscopes and do follicular unit transplants (FUT), then they should be able to perform a hair transplant. The same issues that may exist in Asia are also present in the United States.

For more information, please see:

Tags: taiwan, asian, hair transplant, hairtransplant, blonde, hairloss, hair loss, fut

Born with a Cleft Palate — My Moustache Has a Gap

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

I was born with a bi-lateral cleft pallet and althought I am able to grow a decnt looking mustache and goatee, I am unable to grow hair on the area directly under my nose, which causes a gap and my mustache cannot connect straight across. My whole reason for growing out my facial hair is to hide my scar from the cleft pallet and also to hide the lack of “fullness,” of my upper lip when I am seen from a profile standpoint. Is there anything that I can do to facilitate the growth of the hair in that area so that my mustache will connect? If you have any suggestions and/or ideas as to how to correct this please let me know. Thanks

This is a great application for a hair transplant into the moustache scar. It may take two sessions to get the fullness you want. We have transplanted quite a few people born with a cleft lip and palate.

Tags: moustache, mustache, facial hair, cleft, lip, scar, palate, hairloss, hair loss

Resuming Rogaine After Hair Transplant

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

Dear Dr Rassman,

Thank you for a world class question forum for balding, it is certainly one of the benchmark site for balding issues!

My question is, after a hair transplant on the frontal area/temples only, can one resume Rogaine on the vertex immediately? Since it is applied locally at the vertex and should not affect the frontal area. Also, when is a good time to resume Rogaine on the temple/frontal area after transplant in that area?

Once again, a million thanks for your insight!

Yes, you can resume using Rogaine on the crown immediately. I generally ask my patients to hold off on putting it directly on the recipient area for 5-7 days, though.

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

Can Scratches on My Shaved Head Cause Permanent Hair Loss?

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

A couple hours after shaving my head I was walking in the woods and tripped. My upper neck/lower head landed on a log, which scratched my head. There were raised red scratch marks and I don’t think they were bleeding, if they were it wasn’t a lot because when I put my hand back there, no blood was visible on my hand. My question is can scratches like this can cause permanent hair loss?

If there was no infection, the scalp should heal completely and the hair should grow out well. Deeper scratches can produce scars.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, scratch, blood, woods, tree

Green Coffee Beans to Treat Female Hair Loss?

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

From Scotland on Sunday:

Scientists Bill and Iain Forbes have been carrying out experiments on raw coffee beans after discovering they had properties which could stop women’s hair from thinning, a problem which affects 50% of women by the time they are 50.

Now, after signing a “six-figure” contract with the major high street chemist Boots, the duo’s product is expected to become a major seller when it hits the shelves next month.

Last week, Boots unveiled its Expert Hair Loss Treatment Spray for Women, which is said to improve the thickness of each individual hair and has been shown in trials to significantly increase hair growth.

BootsThe full article can be found here — Eureka! Father and son make hair grow with magic beans

While interesting, I really don’t know the value of green tea or green coffee beans, so it is difficult to comment. While both the green tea and coffee claim antioxidant properties, that should not produce hair growth. Claims are easy to make for herbal remedies, as the standards are not stringent for such claims. It just goes to show that there is a huge consumer demand for hair loss treatment products and it continues to be a buyer beware market. I doubt that the use of green coffee will do any good or produce any harm. If I see evidence to the contrary, I’ll reserve the right to change my opinion. In the meantime though, regardless of how much the contract they signed with Boots (a large pharmacy chain in the UK) was, it appears to be just more hype.

A quick Google search turned up a forum on HairLossHelp.com discussing this new product:

Tags: green coffee, tea, hairloss, hair loss, boots, female, women, woman

I Use a Lot of Toppik to Conceal My Hair Loss

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

Im 22 and do have severe hairloss that started when I was 17 and has progressed to the point that I barely ahve anything left. I have blonde hair in the begining when the thinning was happening I covered it perfectly with just a little black eyeshadow here and there…but now its to the point that I had to buy brown eyeshadow and just put it all over the top of my head. It looks ok because I use Topix with it. However…will this accelerate the loss? I use *ALOT*

Thanks Muchly

The use of topical products (such as Toppik) will not accelerate the hair loss. Hair transplantation may be a better answer to your problem if your qualify for such a procedure. It is unusual for me to recommend hair transplants on 22 year olds, so you should be evaluated by an honorable expert to develop a Master Plan for your hair loss and then, when and if appropriate, take it a step further (even to hair transplants if appropriate). Many men at your age do very well with medications (Propecia) to slow, stop, and reverse hair loss, but if your patterned hair loss is already locked in, then transplants could be a solution. Blondes do better than most people because of the low contrast between hair and skin color and many blonde men can get away with less grafts than a person with dark hair and light skin.

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

Hair Cloning in Italy?

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

is this real?

AssociatedContent.com – Cloning Hair: Good News for the Balding

This link says hair cloning starts..

There have been good scientific studies with transecting the bulbs of individual hairs to obtain more than one hair from each bulb. None of these scientific studies were successful. There does not seem to be any ‘magic sauce’ in this report, so I am skeptical of it, but I would remain open minded if it is real. What was reported here as cloning, is not real cloning so even the terminology is off.

Tags: hair cloning, cloning, hairtransplant, hair transplant, italy, hairloss, hair loss

I’m a Teen with White Hairs!

/by William Rassman, M.D./5 /

i’m only 17 and i have already got about 3 white hairs atthe top of my head, one of them has beagn to grow black agian but this is really stressing me out and i’m worried about it. will i get more? is there naything that i could do to prevent this. will i get more? i don’t know whther to cut it or will it just spread?

Getting white hair early on is genetic, just as is balding (though there is no correlation between the two). There is nothing you can do to prevent this and there is no way to predict when you will get your 4th white hair. I wouldn’t stress yourself out about having only THREE hairs that are white, or you might see even more appear. If you want to make the white hairs disappear, look into using hair dye.

Tags: white hair, gene, genetic, hairloss, hair loss, teen

I’m Across the Country — Can I Get a Proscar Prescription From You?

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

I use propecia and I dont know exactly if it works, but I took a pic a year ago and now and it appears to be working, but who knows, Im sure I should have seen someone to measure. Is there any other process that I can do now to tell if it works (besides stop taking it? – guess that would work huh? – haha)

Anyway, I wanted to switch to Proscar rather than Propecia. You mention in the blog I can get a prescription from you? What is the process for this? My prescription for propecia is up and I only have about a weeks worth of doses left. No medical history and no problems in terms of the sexual drive etc.

Thanks for your help

We will take you on as a patient over the distance. This requires a telephone consultation and that you send me photographs. We will discuss the steps over the phone. You can call us at 800-NEW-HAIR to setup a phone consultation.

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

Propecia and Muscle Development

/by William Rassman, M.D./4 /

Please Dr., answer this as clearly and thourghly as possible. Does propecia stop muscle growth, slow muscle growth, or effect muscle growth in any way? I am getting paranoid and very anxious with all the different responses on the net. One source says dht is essential for muscle development. I simply just want the truth. Please respond as quickly as possible. Thank You.

To my knowledge and from what I read, Propecia (finasteride 1mg) should not stop muscle growth. I also have not received any complaints about muscle issues from my patients that are taking the drug.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, muscle, bodybuilding, exercise

Toprol, Welbutrin, and Propecia

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

I take Toprol XL for high blood pressure & Welbutrin. Would propecia interfere with these medications? Thank you

Propecia will not interfere with these medications. Raise these concerns with your prescribing physician.

Tags: toprol, welbutrin, propecia, hairloss, hair loss, hpb

Recommended Age for Hair Transplant

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

Hey Doc! I’m 22 With Norwood Class 3 (with some thinning in the crown) and I was wondering at what age do you recommend one does a transplant. I have noticed that most of the patient photos are from people older than 40. I really don’t want to wait that long. Do I have to? Thanks!!

I generally do not like to perform a hair transplant on someone whose pattern is not clearly evident based upon miniaturization studies when I map out the scalp and hair. Men under the age of 25 generally fall into that category, but clearly I have done hair transplants on men under 25 when there is frontal hairline loss or a clear pattern that has advanced such that the medications like Propecia and Rogaine will probably, in my opinion, not work. Everyone deserves a personal assessment. In other words, there’s no set age.

A good one-on-one examination and the building of a Master Plan with each patient is critical. It seems like you are too early for a hair transplant and should get good results in the crown with Propecia. Get your baseline mapped to you know where you are going and do it yearly.

Warning: It is quite unfortunate, but there are many unethical doctors who recommend hair transplants on young men who are easily swayed by the power of their MD and their fear of going bald. Although this is an important warning for men under 25, it also applies to all men considering hair transplantation. Be sure that the recommendations are in your best interests at all times, not in the interest of the doctor’s mortgage or fancy car payment.

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

Minoxidil in Older Men

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

Minoxidil question:

My situation: age 60, hair thinning on top, no baldness, with a general appearance of a full head of hair. My primary concern is simply stopping hair thinning/loss.

  1. Will minoxidil achieve this, and if so, for how long, (assume that I will live another 20 years.)
  2. Minoxidil directions all call for application twice daily. What will result from application once daily, or: some days once, and some days twice, or: sometimes missing a day? Missing 2 days?
  3. Is it a good idea to use a hair brush after application, to ‘brush the scalp,’ assuming that invigoration will aid absorbtion-?

Thank you!

  1. Both of the FDA approved medications for treating hair loss (minoxidil and finasteride) are mostly effective during the active hair loss age (generally early 20s to late 30s). It does not mean that it can not help people over 40 years old, but the rate of hair loss is more gradual and the positive effect of the medication may not be clearly seen as well at higher ages. Generally, more miniaturized hair means active hair loss and more potential benefit from these drugs. If you use the minoxidil or finasteride and get good response you are committed to continue using it for the rest of your life.
  2. The studies show the optimum results are achieved when minoxidil is used twice a day, but once a day may be better than nothing or it may not give you any results making any efforts a waste of time and money.
  3. I don’t believe brushing the scalp change the absorption of the medication significantly.
Tags: minoxidil, rogaine, finasteride, propecia, hairloss, hair loss

I Want a Hair Transplant, But I’m Prone to Forming Keloids

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

i’m an 19 year old girl suffering from androgenetic alopecia. i’ve been losing much hair and tried everything(rogain 2%, hormone therapy) but didn’t see any major results. i’m considering of having FUE on my frontal hairline, the problem is, my skin is prone to forming keloids. I know that keloid will probably form on the donor area but is there any possibility at all that keloids will grow on my hairline??

Yes, you are at risk of forming keloids on your recipient area (frontal hairline), but the risk is low. In all of my years, I have never seen a keloid in the recipient area. At a medical meeting some years ago, we polled the audience of about 300 hair transplant doctors to ask them to raise their hands and tell us if anyone ever saw a keloid in the recipient area. No one raised their hands.

You must also consider that androgenic alopecia in a 19 year old female is very rare and make sure that you have the correct diagnosis along with realistic expectation of what you are trying to accomplish and the fullness that you are going to have from a transplant. In other words, you must weigh the risks versus the benefits and you absolutely need a diagnosis by a competent doctor.

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

ScalpMed Made My Hair Brittle and Dry

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

Hi Doc..I am a 47 yr. old male and I have thinning on the top and crown of my head. i have been using an herbal shampoo ( superhair engenizer) and 1 mg. finestaride which made my hair and scalp healthier and more manageable. I wanted to add more density and decided to give scalp med, a try…used it for 2 weeks and it made my hair brittle and dry …also had some hairloss. I stopped using the product and have been off it for two weeks…but hair still feels dry and brittle…my question is how long will the effects last from the scalp med. which contains minoxdil, last and will I recover the hair that I have lost

It is impossible to tell if your dry hair was due to ScalpMed or just coincidence. Either way, it is also not possible to tell when your hair will regain the loss you suffered. I do not have any personal experience with ScalpMed, but with respect to topical minoxidil it can sometimes cause scalp irritation as an unfavorable side effect.

Tags: scalp med, scalpmed, brittle, dry, minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss