Follicular Transfer

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

Hi,
I read about a method called Follicular Transfer [FT] carried out by Harley street hair clinic, London [https://www.hshairclinic.co.uk]. If possible can you please give your valuable comments on this technique as well as on the clinic. Thanks

It is just another name they use for follicular unit extraction (FUE). Their site describes this process as two steps — step 1 is extracting the hairs, step 2 is placing the hairs. There is no novelty or new procedure here.

I do not know much about the clinic other than what you can see on their site. I could not even find any physicians mentioned by name on their site… and that seems a bit strange to me.

Tags: follicular transfer, fue, hair transplant, hairtransplant, uk, london, hairloss, hair loss

Tonsillectomy and Hair Loss

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

I am a class 3A Norwood. (I saw Dr Pak, he’s great by the way.) About 3 months after a fairly invasive surgery, my hair started to fall out and did not stop until recently. I have just been told I need to have my tonsils surgically removed, but it is not an emergency. I am currently taking Propecia and have done so for a year. Should I expect more of the same 3 months after the tonsil surgery? Would there be any benefit to waiting on the surgery or having it sooner? Thank you.

Usually shock hair loss only occurs once, but while it is unlikely, a repeat bout of hair loss is possible. Take care of your medical problem and do not focus on your hair. If you need to have this other surgery, then do it.

Tags: tonsils, tonsillectomy, hairloss, hair loss, shock loss

Singulair and Propecia

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

I have been on Propecia for 7 years, and it worked very well until approximately 6 months ago. I noticed my hair starting to thin after taking a drug called Singulair to help with exercised induced asthma. I have seen some blogs indicating that Singulair can cause hair loss.

I guess I have three questions:

  1. Have you seen an cases where certain drugs (e.g. Singulair) can reduce the effectiveness or stop the effectiveness of Propecia?
  2. Does Propecia just stop working after a certain amount of time?
  3. Are there greater dosages of Propecia available? And, if so have they proven to be more effective?

Thanks for this blog. It is very good. I look forward to your response.

Singulair

  1. I have not seen a case where a drug like that can reduce the effectiveness of Propecia (particularly Singulair, since some of my patients do take that asthma/allergy medication)
  2. Propecia does not just stop working. It is just that you are continuing to lose hair. Propecia just slows it down. It may be coincidental or you may be trying to establish a causal relationship between hair loss and another extrinsic factor.
  3. Propecia is 1mg of finasteride, and is approved as a hair loss treatment. Finasteride is also available in 5mg strength, called Proscar (brand name), and is used to treat men with prostate problems. Men taking Proscar for their prostate can have a side effect of hair growth on their scalp. In fact, this is how Propecia was discovered. It is important to note that taking high dose of Propecia will not be effective for more hair growth. 1mg finasteride is all you need. If you increase the dose, you will only have an increased potential for undesirable side effects.
Tags: propecia, finasteride, singulair, montelukast sodium, hairloss, hair loss

Chronic Pain in the Donor Area Since Hair Transplant 4 Years Ago

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

My son had a hair transplant surgery in 2004. Since then he is suffering from chronic pain especially at the donor area, constant pulling, throbbing and tightness. Is there anything that can be done to relieve his misery? Thanks.

Pain for so long in the donor area can be a rare complication of a hair transplant surgery. It may also be that there is a small area where nerves have grown in a bundle and are irritating the area. Sometimes, larger nerves are cut and this can cause problems. If he gently taps the scar area and it induces a shock like pain, then the problem may reflect cut nerves.

This can be a complicated problem or a simple one, but this is not something I will treat over the Internet. With a case like this, you should have your son follow up with the hair transplant surgeon who did the procedure so that the area can be examined.

Tags: pain, nerve, neuroma, neuritis, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss

Henna as Hair Dye?

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

Hello,

Would using Henna as natural hair dye cause any damage to the scalp and hair including transplanted hair? How often do you think one can use Henna without damaging the hair if any?

Thanks!

The use of henna for hair dyes have been around as long as civilization had been around and there are many bits of history that show how the dye was used from the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs. There is some good info on Wikipedia about using henna on your hair — Hair coloring. Natural hair and transplanted hair can be dyed in the same fashion.

I found the following websites relating to henna and hair that you may find helpful:

Tags: henna, hair dye, hair, coloring

Any Photos of FUE² Patients Yet?

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

Doctors,

So how soon can we expect to see pictures of patients you’ve performed on using the new FUE procedure?

It takes 6-8 months for people to develop enough hair to see the impact of any transplant procedure, and while this technology has been in development for some time, it was only recently perfected and announced. The FUE2 is just another way to do FUE (which has been around for 6 years), so I would not expect anything but better growth for the process. I’ll post photos in the coming months, though.

Tags: fue, follicular unit extraction, fue2, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss

Salon Treatments for Client with Seborrhoeic Dermatitis

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

I am in college studying hairdressing, i was asked by one of my tutors to find out what you should do if when in the salon you have a client with seborrhoeic dematitis. should you go ahead with the treatment or should you refuse and reccommed them to see a doctor? i could not find anything about seborrhoeic dermatitis in salon anywhere in books or on the internet? could you please help me?

This is a very common condition and if you choose not to treat such people, you will hit a substantial part of the population. Look here:

Tags: dandruff, seborrhea, seborrhoeic dermatitis, dermatitis, hairloss, hair loss, salon

Is Propecia Making My Hair Greasy?

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

Hi, I’m now on propecia 0.5mg for 1.5 month. I begin to notice that my hair is getting slightly greasy. So now my hair looks even a little thinner because of that. Is this normal? And will this go away again, after some time?

I have not heard of that complaint before, so I do not know how to answer you. The hair should not get thinner on Propecia, and if you’ve only taken half a pill for around 6 weeks, I don’t think you’ll even see positive results yet (or negative results, for that matter).

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

Dr Rassman Looks Very Handsome

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

Dr. Rassman,
My mother saw your picture and she says you’re very handsome. She says you look a lot like Lenny on Law & Order. She also likes your mature hairline and salt and pepper hair.

As a single, dating man, I always like to hear that kind of stuff. I don’t think I have a resemblance to the late actor Jerry Orbach from Law & Order, but I’ll take it! Thank her for making my day.

Tags: rassman

Looking Younger After Hair Transplants (with Photos)

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


My mother told me that she does not know what I have been doing but I looked younger and more vibrant than in years. Considering that I am about to turn 50, that comment made me take a real close look at myself when she said that and I realized today when you showed me my before pictures, how much I have changed. I remember always looking in the mirror to see what I could do to improve my look. but no more. Not only has my career done well, but I never think twice about my hair, that is until I see you.

The above is an email I received from a patient after he came in for a follow-up last week. He’s given me permission to share his results, which are after a total of 4184 grafts over two sessions. His before photos present a Norwood Class 5 pattern, and his medium fine, wavy hair helps with the after results.

Click the photos below to enlarge.

Before:

 

After 4184 grafts:

 

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

FDA Warns Lexington About Misbranding and Falsely Marketing the LaserComb

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

What do you think of these Hairmax Lasercomb FDA warning letters? Does this mean the thing really doesn’t work…though a lot of it is pretty technical reading it sounds as though the thing doesn’t work…am I reading it wrong? What are your thoughts? Can you interpret it better? Here’s the link:

FDA.gov – Lexington International, LLC – Warning Letter

LasercombFrom what I gather, Lexington started started selling other models of their Laser Comb that were never cleared by the FDA, and yet they were inferring that they were FDA cleared. My favorite part of that letter states, “These changes could significantly affect the safety or effectiveness of these devices and therefore, pursuant to 21, CFR 807.81 (a)(3)(i), new 510(k) submissions are required in order to legally market these devices.” So the devices differ with regard to power use and some other parameters listed in their letter, and explains why Lexington’s site says the SE model is not for sale in the US anymore.

Also, the device was cleared for use in men, and Lexington was marketing it to women when they couldn’t legally do so. That explains why Lexington changed their site information to say, “At this stage the HairMax LaserComb is only indicated for male use. A clinical study for use in females has been completed and Lexington has submitted a new 510K to the FDA for this indication.”

That letter you sent the link to shows how the FDA monitors such products and processes. Unfortunately, this letter is from May of this year (although it was just made available on the FDA site yesterday), and I’m unable to find any follow-up. I know representatives from Lexington read this site, and they can feel free to respond if they want to clear the air.

Tags: lexington, lasercomb, laser comb, hairmax, fda, warning, hairloss, hair loss

Testing the LaserComb on Half the Head?

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

First of all, it was good seeing you and Dr. Pak on Jon & Kate plus 8.

My question is related to testing the laser comb, how come they don’t test it on half the head? I mean if they only do the left half, wouldn’t they be able to see whether it’s working or not by comparing it to the right half that isn’t laser combed? Or does it affect the right half under the scalp?

I’d guess that many have tried, but there were no significant differences. It’s my opinion that these laser combs or brushes don’t really work. In every patient I’ve seen that has used the home lasers, the therapy didn’t work. I also do realize that I probably won’t see any patients that had great results (why go to a hair doctor if the laser is working, right?)… so I base my opinion on the available research, which is not promising.

I welcome anyone to email me with their own results, either positive or negative. Please include clear before and after photos with permission to publish them (I’ll blur/crop out your face).

Tags: lasercomb, laser comb, hair laser, hairloss, hair loss, hairmax, lexington

Doctor Recommends Vitamins and Biotin for 21 Year Old with Early Hair Loss?

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

Hey Doctor,
I am a 21 year old starting to experience hair loss. For the last year and a half, my temples have receded and the front of my hair is becoming more and more thin. I recently went to a dermatologist, who confirmed that I am experiencing frontal hair loss. The doctor’s diagnosis was not what I was expecting, though. She stated that I should take a multi-vitamin supplement and biotin for about 6 months, and if by 6 months i am still experiencing hair loss, then i should begin using rogaine for the front of my head, not propecia. I am a little confused by this, mainly because i was under the impression that rogaine was only for the back of the head. I am also skeptical about only taking a multi vitamin for six months, fearing that the longer I wait the worse my hair will get.

What do you think about this regimen? Do you think I should go find a second opinion?

I don’t agree with the regimen your doctor recommended and I’d suggest you see another doctor. You should get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to make the diagnosis of genetic hair loss and then the drug Propecia (which must be prescribed by a doctor) would be the best choice if you have indeed have genetic hair loss. Since you’re a young man with early hair loss (if it is as you describe and the miniaturization mapping shows it), Propecia is the best FDA approved treatment to get your balding to slow down or stop and possibly regrow hair.

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

Just Went Off Birth Control and Started Working Out — Now I See Hair Loss

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

Hello, I am a 30 year old female. My father is bald but there is no other baldness in my family, and there is no female baldness at all. I have noticed in the last several months that my scalp is more visible in my part on my crown. I was on birth control for 14 years & just recently went off of it. I also started running 3-4 months ago as well as limiting my carb intake & have lost 12-15 pounds. I have also had a couple of health issues that turned out to be nothing major but still had me very stressed for a couple of months. Could any of these be a factor? I just started taking Biotin. I am considering going to the dermatologist but don’t want to seem like a hypochondriac.

I suppose everything is a factor to some degree (extreme stress, change in hormones, genetic, other health issues, etc).

If you are losing hair, there is no shame in being proactive and seeing a doctor for an opinion. Don’t worry, all doctors think that some of our patients are hypochondriacs to some degree. In fact, medical students are the worst hypochondriacs of them all. Good luck to you.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, female hair loss, stress, hormones, birth control, bcp

Since I Have Thick Coarse Hair, Could I Shed More Daily than Average?

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

Hi doctor Rassman! I am a male 18 years old and don’t have any signs of hairloss as of now. I have thick coarse long hair (To My Shoulders in BAck)

My question is:

You say the “average person” loses 100 strands of hair per day, but for someone like me with very thick coarse hair, would that mean that i could shed more than someone with “average” or thin hair? I may be obsessed but I count hair strands evryday from morning til night and always end up between the sixty to eighty range. but i probably miss “some” throughout the day but the count is always consistent.

Thank you i really hope you are able to answer this question! And thank you for your site!

I would think 60 to 80 hairs, plus or minus a few, is a very normal range of hair loss per day. Thick hair might appear like more hair shed then fine hair. In other words, this does not mean you are going bald. Having thick or thin or coarse or flimsy hair does not mean you will lose more or less hair.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, course, fine