Actual Snake Oil for Treating Hair Loss?

/by William Rassman, M.D./12 /

Dear Sir,
I am suffering from a very severe hair loss. I have heard that snake oil could be of help. This is commercially available here in Turkey- Yilan Yagi. However, before starting such a treatment I wanted to receive also your expert advice.

Snake oil
Why do I want to believe that this is a parody? The fact that they call the product “Snake Oil” just makes me smile.

Unfortunately, I don’t read Turkish and I do not know what is in your ‘snake oil’… so I can not give you advice accordingly. The suggestion on the website (based solely on the photos) is that a bald man can get a full head of hair with this substance. That would make me not believe it, but I can not read the reports. I can’t find Turkish to English translators online that are of any help with this, either. To any Turkish readers out there — I could use a hand.

Tags: yilan yagi, snake oil, hairloss, hair loss, turkey, turkish

Uncombable Hair Syndrome

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

Bad hair dayJust saw this and thought I’d pass it on to you. Uncombable Hair Syndrome… it sounds weird! Ever see anyone with this?

ScienceBlogs.com

Yes, this is a known syndrome (actually called Pili trianguli et canaliculi) first discovered in the 1970’s that is caused by hair that has an abnormal protein in the hair shaft. It is genetic and relatively rare. The site you mentioned is a good reference, and you can find a little more at Wikipedia. I haven’t seen this in any of my patients, and I’ve read that spontaneous improvement can occur in later childhood.

The photo is for humor purposes only. This condition is not associated with cats.

Tags: uncombable hair syndrome, hair, protein, spun glass, pili trianguli et canaliculi

Restoring a Frontal Cowlick?

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

If we have collacks in the front of our hair, can a hair restoration physician imitate that when restoring hair?

I assume you mean a cowlick. I have restored these ‘licks’ a few times. Generally they are found in the juvenile hairline and fade into normal direction about 2/3rds of an inch from the highest crease on the furrowed brow. The decision to restore them is a decision between the doctor and the patient.

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

Heart Palpitations and Minoxidil

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

If minoxidil causes heart palpitations, would stopping it stop the heart palpitations, or would they persist for a while after stopping the drug?

Minoxidil can cause heart palpitations, but palpitations can occur even when people are not on minoxidil, and this may be a sign of a heart problem. If, after stopping the minoxidil, you continue to have these palpitations, see your doctor.

Tags: heart, palpitation, health, doctor, hairloss, hair loss, rogaine, minoxidil