Hair Loss from Mono?

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

Our Dr did a blood test on our 15 year old and it came back that she had mono. I had taken her to the Dr because of severe hair loss. She said the loss was from the mono and it could last up to 6 months. Have you heard of this before?

Illness is a cause of hair loss. Telogen effluvium (see eMedicine article) is what occurs in some people, though it is more common in women than men, and can occur after a bout with mononucleosis. It should pass with time, but this is something she should discuss with her doctor.

Tags: telogen effluvium, mono, hairloss, hair loss, illness, female hair loss, mononucleosis

Is Straight Hair Always Fine Hair?

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

Hello Dr. Rassman and thank you for your time.

I see that you talk a lot about the difference between course hair and fine hair. It seems to me that someone with really straight hair almost always has fine hair and one with even slightly wavy hair has a courser hair. Is the straightness of your hair usually a good indicator to how course or fine your hair is?

Also i have lost a fair amount of hair in my frontal area and the remaining hair in the front is now kind of crinkly, (very unhealthy, hard to style) Is this more because of the miniaturzation or the loss of hair. If it’s mainly the miniaturzation hopefully Propecia can reverse it?

There is no connection between hair straightness and hair thickness. No connection at all. If the hair character has changed from the balding process, taking Propecia may cause some reversal of the hair character more like it was. That effect is more common in the back of the head than in the frontal area.

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

In the News – Hair Weave Stops a Bullet

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

Snippet from the article:

Kim Walton has been sewing and gluing in hair weaves for more than 30 years.

“I never heard of weaves saving anybody’s life,” Walton said. “Never in my life.”

But that is exactly what Briana Bonds said happened. Bonds said she feels lucky to be alive and she has her hair weave to thank for it.

Read the full article at WOAI.

Talk about a one in a million! I guess running the risk of traction alopecia isn’t so bad if the alternative is getting shot in the head…

Tags: hair weave, weave, bullet, wig

Can I Still Use Urine Therapy Orally if I’m Taking Finasteride?

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

hello doctor,
i have been prescribed a combination of 2% minoxidil to be applied once a day and 5 mg finasteride to be taken once a week, is it safe to practice urine therapy in oral intake form or topical form while under medication. thank you

UrineI do not know much about urine therapy, but I’m not big on drinking my pee or applying it to my scalp in the hopes of regrowing hair. Or are you doing it for some other reason? For those that want to learn a little more about urotherapy, I was just trying to get up to speed by reading this article about “the medicine you make yourself” — Telegraph.co.uk – A wee drop of amber nectar.

With respect to taking finasteride, I do not think urine will have any impact on it… but the dose you are taking is not the recommended dose (it should be 1mg each day, not 5mg once per week).

Tags: urine, hairloss, hair loss, finasteride, propecia, urine therapy

Transplanting Red Hair

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

Hello,

I am a 27 year old with red hair. Over the past several months it has been receeding quite quickly especially in the temple region. I went to a specialist today in Toronto to learn more about hair transplants to see if I might get one in the future. He told me that because I have redhair & fair skin that a transplant would look unnatural on me? I suffer from depression & this made me very sad as I was thinking that my hair loss is not so bad because if worst comes to worst I could always get a transplant. Now I’m afraid because of what he said that this is not in the cards. Please I would really appreciate it if you could let me know if you’ve ever transplanted a fair skinned ginger & if the results have looked natural? He also recommended provillus & advised against propecia, which I have been on for a month now? Thanks for your time.

Red hairI don’t know what this “specialist” you went to is talking about in regards to the results being unnatural. I have some of my best results from transplanting people with red hair. Plus, all of his advice on Propecia (which I believe is a great medication) and Provillus (which I do not believe has much value) seems opposite to everything I’ve written here on this blog.

If you’d like me to set your mind at ease, we can arrange to have a telephone consultation. First, send me photographs of your hair loss and your contact info (reference this post when sending), and I’ll be in contact so I can address the misinformation with you.

Tags: red hair, ginger, hair transplant, hairtransplant

Scarring and Hair Transplants

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

Hi,

I visited two companies that do hair transplant techniques. Basically although I have many questions the key one is this. FUT leaves a scar and means that the individual cannot wear his hair short whereas with FUE you can. The first Doctor I visited left me with the impression that I have at most a level 2 or 3 barber shave. The second person I met, who is not a doctor, but has qualified technicians working for him, said as long as I do not care about shaving my head go with FUT since I have plenty of donor hair on my scalp. This person said I can cut my hair as thin as I want but I just cannot SHAVE all of it off. DOing so would reveal the 1 mm thick scar.

So who is right? The doctor leaves with the impression that I cannot cut the hair as thin as I want whereas the second person seems to tell me thinness is not a problem as long as I do not shave the hair off.

My second qeustions is that if I decide to get FUT, and later on want to shave my head, can I get FUE to cover the scare area?

Thanks!

All cuts in the skin produce some form of scar. In an FUE the scar is punctate (like a ball point pen) while from a strip excision, it is linear. If a trichophytic closure is used (see here) then most patients will not develop a detectable scar, even with a close hair cut. I wouldn’t recommend shaving your hair. Obviously, once you move hair from the donor area to where it is needed elsewhere, that hair is gone from the donor area. So using techniques to minimize the appearance of missing hair is how you’re going to get a shorter haircut without a detectable scar.

FUEs can be used to transplant into a scar.

Tags: hair transplant, hairtransplant, scar, scarring, fue, fut

I Stopped Chemically Relaxing My Hair a Year Ago, But Can I Start Again?

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

Dear Balding Blog,

First of all, I just want to say how wonderful and helpful your forum is. The information provided is indeed valuable. I have an enquiry and I was wondering if you can help. Your views and advice would be very much appreciated. Please view the following points:

Important Facts

1. I am a 23 year old black female with a fine hair texture.
2. I chemically relaxed my hair on an 8-10 week average for approximately 10 years (i.e. from age 11 to age 22).
3. Not too long ago, I was stricken with thinning hair/traction alopecia to the frontal parts of my hair (temple areas) – I believe due to constant pulling and excessive brushing. As a result, I stopped chemically relaxing my hair as of April 2008. I also relieved my hair of braids and weaves as of September 2008 and since then, I have been wearing my hair totally natural.
4. To treat the thinning areas/traction alopecia, I started applying Rogaine (also known as Minoxidil) every night to my affected areas while also washing and deep conditioning on a weekly basis as of October 2008.
5. I have been using the Rogaine treatment for just over 4 months now and I am glad to say that it has brought about wonderful results as there is new growth to the affected areas.
6. Furthermore, my hair texture has relatively returned to a more natural state i.e. it is thicker and tightly curled.

Enquiry

By April 2009 which will mark 1 year since I last chemically relaxed my hair and 6 months into the Rogaine treatment programme, I would actually like to return to chemically relaxing my hair.

1. Do you think it would be OK to do this?
2. If so, what Chemical Relaxers do you recommend? I have always used Dark & Lovely Beautiful Beginnings Childrens Relaxer (for fine hair types) due to my fine hair texture. It has always done the job. However, I have been advised to switch from ‘no-lye’ to ‘lye’ relaxers as they are less harsh.

I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards

I appreciate your specifics in the email. I would stick with your Rogaine treatment since you’re getting great results. Lye is dangerous. Your experience with relaxers has not been great, so why would you expect that a repeat of the process won’t do the same thing? It’s possible that you just had too much chemical damage from treating your hair and your hair is healthier due to stopping the processing, but is it a risk you are willing to take?

Tags: rogaine, minoxidil, chemical, relaxer, lye, hairloss, hair loss

In the News – Bon Jovi is Afraid of Losing His Hair

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

Snippet from the article:

Bon Jovi rocker Jon Bon Jovi fears he may be starting to lose his hair, and is already devising treatments to help save his prized locks.

The 46-year-old singer has long been known for his long, flowing tresses but has opted for a shorter style in recent years.

Bon JoviRead the full article at SFGate.

Hard hitting journalism, I know. Cutting his hair short isn’t going to prevent him from going bald if that’s what his genetics have in store, but the shorter hair is a good look for him.

I had someone on my staff write a little something for the Bon Jovi fans, since I’m more of a classical music listener and don’t think I could name any of his songs. I’m told it’s a parody of “Livin’ On a Prayer”…

Oh… you’re half way there
Oh oh… livin’ with your hair!
Take these pills, you’ll keep it I swear
Oh oh… livin’ with your hair!

Tags: rock star, bon jovi, hairloss, hair loss, balding

If I Lose 200 Hairs After a Shower, How Long Would it Take for Propecia to Stop That?

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

Good day Dr.,

I know that every day, the average human loses between 40 and 100 hairs a day. As those of us balding can attest to, I can see about 200 on my hands after shampooing my hair. I’m about to start taking Propecia and was wondering how long it would take before I stop seeing so much hair coming out in the shower. I know you shouldn’t see results for a few months, but I figured maybe something like that might see an effect sooner (as unscientific as it may be).

Thanks for the awesome website

You should see benefits on reducing hair loss in 1-3 months. It differs for each man taking Propecia, of course.

Tags: finasteride, propecia, hairloss, hair loss

Great American Dream Vote Winner, Follow Up (with Photos)

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

I’m very curious on the progress of the TV show contestant, Russ Jowell, that you transplanted in April of 2007. How is his progress? how was it compared to the photoshop projection that was shown the day of the show prior to the transplant?

For those that missed it, ABC ran a special called The Great American Dream Vote where this young man with a Norwood Class 6/7 hair loss pattern (pretty extreme for a 22 year old) won his dream of getting a head of hair. Unfortunately, the show was canceled before his results could be shown… so here we are.

Russ’s results came out well, but he’s not at that Photoshop projection the producers of the show asked us to make. He has very fine hair, and the projection was made by taking the results of another patient’s hair transplant (who had a medium weight hair), so that will account for the difference in fullness from the frontal view. A coarser hair will have three or four times the volume (visual effect) than a fine hair with less bulk to it. Russ had another surgery after that 1st one for a total of 5816 grafts (photos below) and he just recently had yet another procedure (2856 grafts), this time to the top and crown to give him more coverage. We heavily weighted the transplants in the front on the 1st and 2nd time around, and it’ll take some time before we get photos of his 3rd procedure results, since that surgery was recent. Russ is very happy with the results thus far and can’t wait for the top and crown to grow in. Click the photos to enlarge.

After two procedures totaling 5816 grafts

 

Before

 

Tags: russ, great american dream vote, abc, tv, hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant, surgery

Is My Crown Balding or Is That Just How It Parts?

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

Hello,

I’m 22. I have had long hair for about 2 years now, and I hadn’t paid much attention to my hairline at all. Recently, in about the last 3-4 months, I began to start looking at it and noticed that I do indeed have a receding hairline. However, due to my long hair, I cannot quite tell if I have any vertex hair loss as well. I took a picture and have a spot, but it’s possible that it’s just the way my hair part. It has been like that ever since I’ve had my longer hair (I never paid attention to the back of my head). I have also noticed similar parts in other guys with long hair. None of my friends or family have mentioned it to me, especially my friends, since we talk about this type of stuff all the time.

What do you think?

 

First, thank you for allowing me to post your photo.

It is difficult to tell based on the lighting in the photo. Sometimes under harsh lights, the scalp can be seen even without any balding present. This indeed may be early crown balding, but the way to determine this is to map your scalp and look for miniaturization in both the frontal hairline and the crown. Then, if you have miniaturization, you are genetically balding and should consider treatment.

Tags: crown, hairloss, hair loss, balding, photos

Sensigraft and Folligraft

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

Hello Dr. Rassman. I wanted to thank you for having this blog and answering questions.

Sorry this is long, but…I’m a 27 year old guy who’s been receeding for 6-7 years, it quickly became a Norwood 5 and stayed there. What’s worse is I have a preppy, young looking face and overall appearance (which I enjoy and would like to keep), so the baldness clashes even more. I currently wear a fairly good hairpiece, but want to find a relatively permanent and hassle free solution, which brings me to my main question.

Have you heard anything about the non-surgical hair replacements like Folligraft and Sensigraft? I haven’t been able to find much information online either way (I always look for other places not on their website, so I know it’s not a marketing scam). My main concern is if it “breathes” to where you can sweat without being uncomfortable or itching (that’s a slight drawback of the hairpiece). The other would be the approximate cost, since I can’t afford a good HT. I obviously don’t want to blow a couple thousand dollars I barely have on something that may not even completely work, but I’d like to be able to have something more versatile (i.e. different hairstyles or able to be more comfortably active).

If I want to have the friendly youthful look, would you recommend staying with the ‘piece and save up for a good HT, or for hair cloning if it (hopefully) becomes available in the future? Or are the cosmetic treatments an idea worth looking into?

There is a fair amount of material on these websites — Folligraft.com and Sensigraft.com. Both appear to be like a membrane that is glued to the scalp. The scalp must be shaved to apply the Folligraft membrane and the manufacturer claims that it is porous so that the membrane may cut down on the sweating. As the hair grows, it almost certainly will impact the security of the membrane. It sounds like it requires a great deal of maintenance, probably driving up the costs, but clearly you can check them out at their websites and go from there.

If anyone uses either of these, I welcome your comments… but I don’t have any personal experience with them.

Tags: sensigraft, folligraft, hair piece, wig, hairloss, hair loss

Chances for a Hair Loss Cure?

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

What are the real chances of any of these “baldness cures” becoming a reality, I mean REAL no BS to make us feel better. Things like TRX2 and Aderans, when do you really think we will, if at all, see these on the market?

Probably not… but I am hopeful. To elaborate, we are at the infancy of genetic engineering and cloning. We are still striving to find the cure for the common cold, diabetes, cancer, HIV, etc. I think the cure for hair loss is not on the top of the list of what scientists puts their priorities on.

There have been some recent announcements, including the ReGenica press release, that may be worth looking at.

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

In the News – Hypnotherapy and Alopecia Areata?

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

Snippet from the article:

Alopecia Areata is defined as a condition in which stress causes moderate to severe patches of hair loss on the scalp. Another form of Alopecia, known as Alopecia Universallis, is when complete hair loss affects the sufferer rendering them completely bald with the same side effects as those patients going through chemotherapy treatment for cancer. A study was performed to test the effects of hypnosis therapy on those suffering from Alopecia.

Subjects for this study included 28 people with severe Alopecia Areata for whom traditional treatment was ineffective. Twelve of the 21 participants showed significant improvement. This included 4 participants who had complete hair loss. Along with hypnosis therapy for hair re-growth, the participants were given therapy to help reduce stress.

Read the full text at Natural News

The study was just published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis and makes for some interesting reading. The study wasn’t very wide (only 28 people), but the results they discuss sound very positive.

Tags: hypnosis, hypotherapy, alopecia areata, alopecia, hairloss, hair loss

Dutasteride and Sterility?

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

Hi Dr Rassman,

I have a growing concern about a couple of blogs you answered stating that dutasteride “could”, but not definitely cause permanent sterility. wondering if you have come across this situation,or a site on the net with some further info. I am a 40 year old male and have been on dutasteride (0.5mg) for 9 months. no side effects to date, unless it is mental, and have 3 children. results are good to date.

Thanks.

At the 0.5mg dosage you’re taking, risks of sterility likely aren’t great, if any. The FDA trial results should be released sometime this year. When the results are out, the answers to your questions will hopefully be there.

Tags: fda, dutasteride, avodart, sterility, results, fda, hairloss, hair loss