Can propecia work for a while, stop working, and then start working again? Or once it stops it stops?
Propecia is constant, but your hair loss is not constant, as it comes in waves. That is why it pays to stay on the drug so that you do not mix up the therapy cycle.
I had a strip surgery done 1.5 yrs ago. 3500graphs, age 30. the surgery was done to the front hairline. I can tell that i need the middle and my crown done in the near future. My doctor says i need to have the second procedure done now and he will repair some areas from the first procedure. He claims that I only see 75% growth from the first transplant likely because i didn’t use minoxidil (because I am allergic).
My concern is he says his office no longer does strip and i will need 3500 for the middle using FUE. Not only was i caught by surprise but the price is substantially higher. I’m not sure that i can afford it, plus i have to anticipate the 3rd surgury for my crown in the future. THeres no going back now because i have the large scar from the first surgery. I just want your opinion. The doctor has a very good reputation and I don’t deny his knowledge and experience, I’m just wondering if its time to consider other doctors. I was very careful who i selected for my hairline and maybe i don’t have to be so careful for the middle and crown. Any advice would be appreciated. I also noticed you suggested for someone who had strip to continue getting strip. would you also say there is no need for me to get FUE?
As you did not identify the doctor, I will tell you some of the problems I have with what you reported above:
If you are giving me a straight story, you need a second opinion by a competent, ethical doctor! Send me before/after photos of your head and scar here and I will call you and give you a second opinion if you’d like and keep it completely confidential between you and I (I will not show it on the blog without your permission). Also, please reference this post when sending.
(female) I had gastric bypass surgery. It will be 4 years in December. I was told that the hair loss was temporary. In my case, apparently not. My hair is less than half as thick as it used to be. You can see my scalp every where. I take the vitamins including extra biotin. I lost 110 lbs. and probably saved my life. I’m even at the point where if I don’t watch myself, I can gain weight. But still, my hair is very unhealthy. Is there anything I can do? Will I eventually be bald? It is not coming back at all.
Thank you. Regards
I’m glad to hear that the surgery helped save your life! You are right in that hair loss can be temporary, especially after things such as major surgery or childbirth. The concerning aspect is that you have continued hair loss even four years after the procedure. Many underlying, reversible, and treatable medical conditions can cause hair loss in women and in your case, it may very well be dietary. Nutritional defects or poor diets are a major cause of hair loss and with gastric bypass, this is a highly probable connection with your hair loss. Best to speak with your nutritionist for an analysis of your total daily intake of foods. Other things to look for would include hypo- or hyperthyroidism, anemia, lupus, and a miniaturization study should be done to assess what pattern of hair loss you are having and any genetic contribution you are having to cause hair loss. In your case, despite taking supplemental vitamins and minerals, a malnourished state is the most likely culprit but going through everything that you have experienced, could have precipitated an underlying genetic process as well.
Hi doc
i have read all of the emails on the link between hair loss and masturbation. I have been loosing my hair since i was 13 and despite evryone telling me there is no link between them i feel i can provide proof. Basically if i stop having masturbation my hair stops falling out, and when given a couple of days doing this combined with brushing my scalp once or twice a day my hair feels noticably stronger and literally starts growing back. I have taken photos before and after doing this that shows it. Of corse when i have sex or masturbate it starts falling out again and my hair feels weak and i also get strong sharp pains from the root of my hair. I have seen many dermtologists but they say its MPB and nothing i can do. This has torchered me throughout my teens. Is there any way you could belive me?
There is no clinical evidence or proof that masturbation leads to hair loss or blindness or even hairy palms. There is no scientific justification for your statement that, “hair feels weak and i also get strong sharp pains from the root of my hair”. Look, if you strongly believe that this is a cause of your hair loss then you should follow your instincts about masturbating in order to keep your hair.
For everyone else, there is no relation. I’ve gone on and on and on and on and on about this, and yet somehow I’m sure this won’t be the last time this discussion comes up.
Doctor,
I have read that Dutasteride is metabolised by the CYP3A4 enzyme. I am taking Acomplia (obesity treatment drug) which is a CYP3A4 inhibitor and I have read that has been proved that, in combination with CYP3A4 inhibitor, Dutasteride level in the blood have raised Would this mean than Dutasteride would be ineffective in my case? Would the same be for Propecia?Thanks very much
Drugs like this (metabolized by CYP3A4) may impact liver metabolism and therefore impact the length of action of other drugs in your body. Take note of the following diseases: impaired liver or kidney function. For finasteride, the presence of epilepsy may put you at risk with this drug. It drug may have side effects with antifungal, HIV, antibiotics, antidepressive medications.
I found nothing about dutasteride, but I would imagine the same rules apply as discussed above.
Hi, I’m a 25 yr old female and have been using mens rogaine for 3 months as directed from physician. In the past month i have noticed a lot of unwanted hair on face and neck. I understand that this is a possible side effect. my question is, does it decrease and go away with time or as long as i continue using it, it will be there.
thank you
The hair growth that you mention does sound like a potential adverse effect of the medication. Stopping it should make the facial/neck hair go away, but it might take a few weeks/months to disappear. You should discuss this with your doctor, as you are already under someone’s care.
Dr. Rassman,
On the Hair Loss Help Forum, I read where a poster stated that his surgeon told him that Rogaine Foam was bad for the grafted areas post-surgery due to its high alcohol content? Is it safe to use Rogaine Foam in the grafted areas at 3 months post-surgery? My doctor never warned me about this!
Thanks
Like the old saying goes, “Drunk hair follicles are happy hair follicles!” No, I’m kidding. Actually, Rogaine Foam is not a problem three months after a hair transplant.
If acne sufferers have increased 5 alpha reductase activity then does this mean they are more likely to suffer baldness? I am a male and have quite bad acne and my hair seems to be thinning at the front :( your help would be much appreciated!!
Thanks
I think that the answer to your question is no, but there is a connection with the medications (Accutane, for example) that are often used in acne treatment and hair loss.
Thanks so much for writing this blog. When ever I have hair loss questions, I always start be searching your blog. I recently received an email from my doctor about his own brand of finasteride. In his email and on his website he refers to it as “compounded finasteride.” He also states that it is not an overseas generic and that is custom-compunded by a US Pharmacy. A quick google of “compounded finasteride” shows that there a few doctors in the US now offering this.
I was wondering if you knew anything about it? I’m all for saving money but I want to make sure I’m getting the same stuff. What exactly does “compounded” mean?
There are more and more “compounded” versions of finasteride on the market today. Most of these versions have the important medication, finasteride, along with other ingredients that when combined allow the physician to claim his or her own brand of finasteride. The important point here is that in most these concoctions, finasteride is the only FDA approved medication to combat hair loss and all other additives are very unlikely to help and from an effectiveness point of view, it must be taken orally as there is no science to support other ways to take it (skin, inhaling, or rectal use).
In most states, doctors are allowed to mix their own medications so if they know what they are doing and it is legal in the state that they do it in, then I guess it is legal. I know nothing about mixing medications. Some interesting historical reading includes:
This might sound weird, but I dont want body hair or head hair. What can I do to got rid of it permanently?
You’re one of the very few that write in wanting to know ways to get rid of hair. Electrolysis and hair removal lasers (epilators) are the only permanent method to remove unwanted hair and removing all of your hair would be quite difficult. These involve using electric current to damage the areas that generate hair or lasers to burn them at the roots, but both of these methods have a high failure rate (50% per hair per treatment on average).
It’s too bad there is no method of donating hair to other people (beyond for wig making purposes). We know some people that would love to be in your situation.
I am a 20 year old male and was wondering what type of procedures there are, if any, to have hair grow where a scar is from surgery. My freshman year of college at Indiana University I was playing basketball and collided with another player resulting in a depression in my right orbital bone above my eye. To fix the depression a plastic surgeon had to peel my face off to get access to the depressed bone resulting in a scar going from one side of the head to the other. My family having a history of baldness I was wondering if its possible to have hair grow over a scar. Thanks for the help.
I would want to see photos or meet with you in person. I have had one patient with that type of deformity and his transplanted area (including the eyebrow) did correct most of his problem, but everyone and every scar is different. Let’s start off with some photos though, as that is probably most convenient for you. Send them here and reference this post when sending, please.
Having a hair transplant to fix a scar is reasonable provided that you know what would happen to you if you should bald. That means to me that you should, at a minimum, have a Master Plan for your worst case scenario understood.
I have been using minoxidil and proscar as well as laser treatment for hair lose for the past 8 months and have had amazing results. I am 21 and don’t want to keep taking all these products for the rest of my life. Is it possible to slowly reduce the use of these products tell i no longer need them or at least be less dependent on them?
Of the three treatment options, you can stop using the laser treatment since it is very unlikely that it has contributed anything to your results. For finasteride, the 1mg dose has been judged scientifically as the ideal overall dose. There is no reason to change it. Since you have seen good results to date, stay on the minoxidil. Some people do develop minoxidil dependence, which means that when you wean off of it, the hair that were dependent on it may very well fall out. A very important take home message here is that once you are on the finasteride, then you are always going to be on it. If it is stopped, you will lose hair in the amount that you would have lost if you were never of the medication. You can’t lower the dosage until it isn’t needed — you will lose hair if you do this.
I have been reading about the mature hairline in this blog and you seem to state different measurements in each blog. The temples suppose to be up to 1.5inches receded but the frontal hairline is anywhere from 1-3cm on this blog. Isn’t 3cm too much? The reason I ask it seems that where my hairline is heading although it’s only 1cm up but I can see it’s thinning out to that length.
I agree that 3cm elevation for the mature hairline from the highest crease of the furrowed brow is high for the mid-line. I use my finger and generally see about one width of my index finger… and I don’t have fat hands. My index finger is 2/3rd of an inch wide.
There is no hard rule on measuring the mature hairline and each person is different, so this is a loose measurement.
- I read on the Internet somewhere that after you exercise, you should ALWAYS shower afterwards, to keep your scalp from getting clogged with dirt, sweat, and thus aiding against any further hair loss. Any truth to this?
- What are your thoughts on shower heads that are set on a “massage” setting? Is the deep vibratory water pressure harmful to your hair follicles?
Thanks for your time.
Here’s an interesting little tidbit about hair being used to do things other than giving you the look you love. From an article I found at InventorSpot:
Hair naturally absorbs oil from the air as well as water. It acts like a sponge. Phillip McCrory, a hairdresser from Alabama understood this idea and came up with the idea to use hair to clean up oil spills. His inspiration came after watching the 1989 news coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He tested his theory out at home with hair clippings and some of his wife’s pantyhose. When he saw how clear it left the water he was testing he took it to NASA to show them. NASA agreed that it worked.
Read the rest here — Hair a Renewable Resource Makes Oil Cleaning Mat