What a Week — Hair Loss Abuse in the Media!

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

It seems like balding men are being abused in the media this week. From articles about balding U.S. Presidential candidates to newspaper cartoons to TV shows (comedy and drama), this has been quite a week for the 50% of the male population that is losing hair.

The other day, I opened the newspaper and flipped to the Comics section for some relief from the craziness of the world and found a clever Beetle Bailey strip —

Beetle Bailey

Then I watched Larry David’s hilarious show on HBO, Curb Your Enthusiasm, which had a bunch of hair loss related jokes (thanks to Youtube, I found them online). WARNING — this clip includes profanity —

 

Plus, the Orange County Register reports on a perfect example of BUYER BEWARE — a southern California man flew across the country for a “revolutionary” hair treatment that wasn’t revolutionary at all, and it ended up costing him $82,000 — Tangled tale of Costa Mesa man’s $82,000 toupee.

And then there was the season premiere of the plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck on FX Networks and their feature on hair transplantation… which I was a part of and which I will be talking about tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Tags: niptuck, curb your enthusiasm, larry david, beetle baily, media, newpaper, tv, hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant

Using Minoxidil for Those 65+ Years Old

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

The research for minoxidil is only up to age 65. Can people over the age of 65 use it for any benefit ? It seems Propecia is useful for older people. Please let me know. Thanks

I believe that Propecia (finasteride 1mg) doesn’t work as well in men over 65 years old, because the hair loss from DHT with its associated miniaturization is usually less. Minoxidil, on the other hand, may work well in people over 65 years old, depending upon where you are applying it.

I have seen men over 70 that were put on the 5mg finasteride for prostate problems — and they regrew hair. I expect that this is unusual and I am certain that if they had a response to the 5mg dose, the same response for hair would have occurred at the 1mg dose. Finasteride is not unsafe for men over 65, but finasteride works well on men with a changing hair loss pattern, and men over 65 usually have a stable pattern.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, finasteride, minoxidil, dht, propecia, rogaine, age, senior

I’m Looking for an African American Doctor

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

i am a 31 year old black women. i was dianosed with alopecia a year ago (10-1-06). i was getting injection in the top of my head and around the temples with this medicine called (clearmgsin and depomedrol a steroid) but i am still bald in the top of my head. some of the side hair started to grow but not fully. the doctor told me that i should consider a hair transplant. i dont know if i am a candidate for transplant. i’m looking for a african american doctor


Alopecia means hair loss in Latin. Hair transplantation in an African American patient is difficult due to the curly hair that extends beneath the skin down to the roots. It is much more difficult to transplant than someone with straight hair. As such, you need to find a very qualified hair transplant surgeon with extensive experience transplanting African American patients. Having an African American doctor as your surgeon does not necessarily mean he/she would have the aforementioned experience. Moreover, most patients are not aware of the technical expertise required by the hair transplant staff. In other words, hair transplantation is a team effort and being an African American doctor will not be a solution for you without extensive experience with similar patients.

Tags: african, black, hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant

Smoking and Hair Loss

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

Hello, i attend Technical High School and i am a senior. As a senior i have to do a research paper and i need an interview source so i was wondering if you could help me out Please.My paper is on the effects of smoking on the hair and skin.

I have some questions to ask you for my reasearch paper if that is alright..:

Does smoking really cause hair loss?
How long on average does it take for smoking to have an effect on hair loss?
Why does smoking cause hair loss?
What is the best way to deal with hair loss in a salon?

Well thank you for all your help, i hope you get back to me soon with my answers.

SmokingWhile smoking does not directly cause hair loss, it has been shown to reduce the circulation of the blood flow through the scalp. For past posts related to this, see:

Tags: tobacco, nicotine, hairloss, hair loss, cigarette, smoke, smoking

I Was Told to Use Minoxidil 2 Weeks After Transplant Surgery, But It Is Irritating My Scalp

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

Dear doctor(s)

I would like to ask a question from my side. I had a hair transplant surgery 4 months ago. I was also advised to use minoxidil 2 weeks after the surgery in order to prevent healthy existing hair from falling off. Everything was pretty good until the end of the 3rd month where the minoxidil has caused me sort of irritation and pealing on my head. I stopped it for 3-4 days but i realized that the problem did not get away. Is minoxidil helpful to help the new transplanted hair grow up rapidly? What is your opinion about and what do you suggest me to do?

Furthermore, how long does it take for the new hair to grow and become strong? I realized that the hair that just popped up on my head first looked strong but now some hair are thicker than before.

Thanks a lot for your help and i would appreciate if i could get an answer to you the earliest convenient.

Regards

Minoxidil has no impact on stimulating the transplanted hair to grow. They will cycle when they are ready, usually 3-5 months from the date of the surgery. Your complications indicate that you should stop using the minoxidil (although my opinion may not be shared by your doctor). I never prescribe minoxidil post-transplant, because of the negative effects of it as you reported.

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

Finasteride and Fertility

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

Hi,
I’m wondering what your experience has been regarding fertility while on finasteride. How many patients have you had who could not conceive while on this agent?
Thanks

I have never had a report of conception problems from patients that have been on finasteride. The FDA study done by Merck has not shown any problem with Propecia (1mg finasteride). Infertility is a very complex problem.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss, fertility, pregnant, infertility

Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./91 /

I recently have had surgery and have been on pain meds prior to and after. Hydrocodone and oxycodone. Do these meds have any hair loss side effects?

Hydrocodone (marketed as Vicodin) and oxycodone (known better as OxyContin) do not have hair loss side effects — not for short term use, anyway.

Tags: vicodin, oxycontin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hair loss, hairloss