2008 US Presidential Election Prediction

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

 

I’ve ignored all polls up until now and will rely on the statistics from the past US Presidential elections to call this one for Barack Obama (and a day before the election, no less). Some may say, “But Dr Rassman, clearly the polls are showing Obama has a gigantic lead anyway!” … and to those people, I can only point out that it’s entirely because of his beautiful hairline. Ignore tax policy, ignore social programs, ignore foreign policy — this election is 100% hair related. People always vote for the hairiest, right?

Tags: election, presidential, obama, mccain

Transplanting Leg Hair to the Chest?

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

Hi,

I’m 42 y/o male.I have heard about harvesting body hair for the scalp, but what about harvesting body hair for the body? It seems to make sense as it is the same type of hair (I.e,. leg or back hair for the chest) but many websites say that bodyhair transplants come from the scalp and that the hair must be trimmed a few times a months. Is there a reason that they do not use body hair. I looked and could not find anything about this on your bog. Thanks

You can move your own hair from one place to another on your body. Yes, from your leg to your chest should work as well as from your leg to the scalp or the scalp to your leg. The leg hair is shorter and there is a 50% telogen phase for all hair follicles, which in the leg ranges from 3-6 months. If the anagen phase is comparable, it would mean that you get to show only about 50% of what you got at any one time, but I am skeptical of any numbers I see, so just remember that hairs on the leg are short and short lived (growth, that is).

Tags: leg hair, chest hair, hair transplant, hairtransplant, hair loss, hairloss, chest, body hair, bht

Repairing a Bald Area After Scalp Burn

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

When I was young the hair on the right side of my side was burnt off, all you can see now is a abnormally white white scalp with no hair growth. I try to cover it up by making the hair on the top grow longer and cover up the bald spot.

I was wondering if their is a solution to my kind of problem. Thanks you.

These areas can be treated very well today with a variety of surgical procedures which vary based upon the size of the defect you have. I have seen children who have lost 1/4 of their entire scalp receive a balloon expansion with wonderful results, and the same goes for adults. The smaller the defect, the easier it is to repair. You can see a hair transplant surgeon or a good plastic surgeon to find an appropriate referral. This is a very specialized area where most plastic surgeons have not developed the expertise.

Tags: burn, hairloss, hair loss, scalp, chemical burn, hair transplant

Can Propecia Side Effects Start After Just 2 Days?

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

Hey doctor Rassman,
I’m 21 years old and I’m losing hair rapidly. I started taking propecia and rogaine six days ago,I haven’t experienced any shedding at all, I have two questions that I hope you would answer:

  1. how long does it take for the side effects of propecia to show? from the second day I took propecia I started feeling that my sexual drive is getting very low, and for the last two days I can’t get full erection and I’m really worried, can the propecia do that in just one weak?
  2. when I use rogaine liquid it stays on my head as a very thin layer that peels when I scratch it or when I shower, sometimes I take rogaine in the morning after I shower and then again at night without showering untill the morning, my question is, is the rogaine getting through to my scalp or does it stay above that oily layer?

thank you

  1. It is possible that reduced libido could occur in a week or so of daily Propecia use, but I wonder if you have anticipated it such that the psychological effects of expectations may make it happen.
  2. Rogaine is best used after a shampoo. The use of something like the Rogaine Foam will disappear quickly as the alcohol evaporates, while the oily minoxidil will not. If you decide to shower after applying the minoxidil, wait an hour or so to let it absorb. The oily layer should not be there.
Tags: propecia, finasteride, libido, rogaine, minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss

Before Considering a Hair Transplant, Should I Add Minoxidil to My Daily Propecia?

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

Dr Rassman

First of all i like many of your readers would like to thank you for the time you take in responding to many peoples worries concerning hairloss.

I am 23 years old and have been using propecia for 1 year now (Thanks to the advice i have recieved for this site), i have noticed that since using propecia that my hairloss has started to slow significantly almost to the point of no further notice of hairloss. I have considered looking into the possibility of a hair transplant possible the FUE procedure, however before taking this step i would be interested to hear your opinions about taking both Propecia and Regaine to tackle hairloss. Is it a worth-while option in taking Regaine along with propecia to furher enhance hair growth before a FUE or stip procedure is considered?

Thank you for you time.

I can’t hurt to add minoxidil to your daily Propecia. Many men do use both medications at the same time with good results. The downside is that hair impacted on the front of your head by the minoxidil may become dependent upon that drug. I generally do not recommend minoxidil prior to a hair transplant for frontal hair, but often in the crown.

Tags: hair transplant, hairtransplant, hairloss, hair loss, propecia, finasteride, minoxidil, rogaine, regaine

High Testosterone, No Genetic Predisposition to Hair Loss

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

Hello Rassman

I am 23 yr old male losing hair from 8th months. I went to dermatologist last month and she ordered some tests to find out whether it is hereditary or not. When tests results were back she didn’t find anything genetically, but my testosterone level is high, which is 869 (normal 241-827) she said this was the reason for my hair loss. I am not totally convinced since it is DHT that cause hair loss but not high testosterone. Shall I go for DHT test? If so do I need to have any other tests along with DHT? They suggested me to take Propecia which I am concerned of side effects. Please tell me what to do. It is been so hard for me to concentrate on other things due to this problem.Thanks

If you had the genetic testing (HairDX) and you do not have the balding genes, don’t worry. Testosterone will have no impact on hair loss in those without the genetic predisposition for hair loss, determined from a negative test.

Tags: hairdx, genetic test, gene, hairloss, hair loss, testosterone

Leg and Arm Hair Isn’t Growing

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

I am male age 27, I am a amateur football player too, I have no hair loss in head and no diseases at all and i am perfectly alright , But since years i could see that i have less hair in my legs (only tiny pores) and arms and not at all growing. How to increase the leg hair and arms too, Shall i use Rogaine on my legs and arms will it give any results. would you recommend this. please reply me. thanks lot

Rogaine (minoxidil) is reasonably worth trying on your legs and arms. Give it at least 6 months of twice daily use.

Tags: rogaine, regaine, minoxidil, hair, body hair

Do You Believe There Will Ever Be a Cure for Hair Loss?

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

Dr. Rassman
First off I would like to thank you so much for all the great work you do for people experiencing hair loss, you truly are the best doctor in your field. But to my question. Do you personally believe that there will ever be a complete hair loss cure, such as a pill, vaccine, topical cream, hair cloning or something to do with gene therapy that will re-grow all hair ever lost? I know there is a lot of talk about new breakthroughs I just wanted to know how optimistic you are about them. Also I’m an 18 year old male that has no balding yet, just curious about a cure in case it ever does happen.

Thank you

Sooner or later, there will be a treatment such as hair multiplication, gene transfer, or hair cloning of the like. These are all being well funded now and it is only a matter of time before one of them will give us a good option. The problem that will eventually slow it down will be the FDA requirements that are put on new technologies like these. Imagine a gene introduced to cure balding and something going a muck, like in some horror movie. Cure one thing and something else goes wrong. That will mean that any cure or treatment will be exposed to rigorous testing for safety as well as effectiveness. Too many doctors are saying that it is only a few years away. No way!

Tags: cure, hairloss, hair loss, cloning, genetic, multiplication