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    Castration and Hair Regrowth

    Nov 30, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs, Hair Loss Causes

    From what I have read, castration stops hair loss however, castration will not regrow hair that has been lost. If this is true, why would Proscar grow any hair? It is my understanding Proscar blocks a percentage of DHT, which leads to the effectiveness of the product. If someone has been castrated there is o% DHT and still no hair regrowth? Also if DHT causes hair loss why is Propecia effective on the vertex of the scalp and not the temples.

    There is a wide audience of young men (over a million) who have taken Propecia and we know that in the very young man with active miniaturization, the process may be reversed. This occurs mostly in young men in their 20s. I would guess that if we castrated 1 million men who are balding in their 20s, that the incidence of regrowth would be higher than those on Propecia alone, but I am not recommending castration as this is only an intellectual exercise.

    When a hair is dying (miniaturized hairs fall in this category), like a dying person, they have a chance of being fixed or cured because they are not dead yet. When a hair has completely disappeared, it has gone through apoptosis, which means that the hair growth center is dead… and we all know that you can’t raise the dead. This applies to hair when the head is slick bald in any area impacted where there is no miniaturized hairs.

    Tags: castration, hair loss, hairloss, hair growth, apoptosis, propecia, finasteride

    Do You Think the Iron Supplement or Minoxidil Contributed to My Regrowth?

    Nov 30, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    I’m a 24 year old male and have microcytic anemia (most likely) due to iron deficiency. I had been able to halt my MPB hair loss by taking finasteride (1mg) since age 18, however experienced rapid shedding about nine months ago. To stop the hair loss, I added minoxidil 5% to my regimen and started taking ferrous gluconate tablets for my anemia. My hair has all grown back and I’m trying to assess if the iron supplement, the minoxidil or both likely contributed to my marked results. Given that my hair-loss was identified by a dermatologist as MPB, does that indicate that iron deficiency was not the underlying cause? Can iron deficiency exacerbate what would otherwise be purely genetic hair loss?

    Please advise and thanks for running this site. I’d be bald without you!

    IronmanFor those that are genetically inclined to lose hair, anything could possibly trigger the genetic loss. Fixing the anemia can reverse hair loss caused by low iron, and although I don’t have the benefit of examining you or having a more thorough case history, it seems to be the likely scenario in your case. I don’t know what steps your dermatologist took to determine your hair loss was purely genetic, though.

    If you stop the minoxidil, you run the risk of losing hair growth benefits it could’ve been providing.

    Tags: iron supplement, iron, anemia, hairloss, hair loss, minoxidil

    Can I Stop Propecia Eventually as Testosterone Levels Decrease Over Time?

    Nov 30, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs

    Hello Doctor ,

    I have been taking propecia for 6 years with a great success , but i am close to 30 years now , and i was wondering if i could stop it now. Don’t you think that with our Testo levels decreasing over age (about 2% per year after 30) , the DHT levels will decrease too, so that we could stop the propecia by getting older ?

    Good thought, but taking Propecia is not directly related to testosterone levels. Propecia affects DHT levels, and even DHT levels do not tell the full story. For example, even with high testosterone levels, you can have NO hair loss. Conversely even with low testosterone levels you can have massive hair loss.

    The root of the problem (pardon the pun) for hair loss in men is genetic, not DHT. As such, there is no definitive cure. But if Propecia is working well for you to this point and you have no problems, why stop it? In reality, you should never stop taking it, as long as you wish to retain your hair.

    Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss, testosterone, dht

    Advanced Patterned Hair Loss?

    Nov 30, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    I have a new question for you! Is there a very advanced norwood scale where hair thins on the bottom of the back of the head, and the bottom of the sides?

    My hair is really thick on the upper sides of my head.. and very very thin under that, just directly above my ears (Not my temples) and behind my ears.. it is very hard to explain. The hair loss I have explained seems patterned (in the sense that it is thinning similarly on both sides). I have thinning on top in a sort of norwood 3 vertex pattern. Could it be MPB related?

    Norwood 7Some men have a hairy neck extending from the permanent fringe area of the scalp (as seen in the Norwood 7 diagram at right). This neck hair can be very thick, like good scalp hair (this might be what you are talking about). I really don’t understand what you are describing. There are a variety of autoimmune diseases that can produce a pattern-like loss, but first lets show me what you have either in person or by photos, as I can not write a book about it here.

    Tags: norwood, hairloss, hair loss, advanced hair loss

    I Am Taking Dutasteride for My Prostate

    Nov 30, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs

    I am a 53 year old male. I just came back from my M.D. and I told him I was having a issue with frequent urination. He prescribed Dutasteride. I have been taking 1/2 a finesteride daily for the past 4 years. My question is should I take both and if I stop the Finesteride will the Dutasteride help with my hair loss at that dosage.

    In your situation, dutasteride will be all you need and there is no point to take continue taking finasteride along with it. I don’t know what dosage of dutasteride you’re on, though.

    Tags: dutasteride, avodart, prostate, finasteride, propecia, proscar, hairloss, hair loss

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Nov 26, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Loss Causes

    My offices are closed Thursday and Friday this week to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. Until we’re back on Monday, you have three options:

    1. Use the search box in the top right to find hair loss articles of interest
    2. Click here for a random blog entry
    3. Just stare intently at this picture of a turkey dinner:
    Turkey

    Using a Concealer for a Hair Loss Miracle (with Photos)

    Nov 25, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /Female Hair Loss, Hair Products, Photos

    This is a young woman with very bad see-through hair loss that recently visited my office for a consultation. She told me that it has had a devastating impact on everything about her life. In one visit to the office, we fixed up her hair with DermMatch with the result as shown below.

    There was no surgery done here. Applying the DermMatch took just a few minutes. She felt reborn with what appeared to her as a full head of hair. Click the photos to enlarge:

     

    Tags: hair loss, hairloss, hair transplant, concealer, balding, dermmatch, female hair loss

    Saw Palmetto Claims, Finasteride Pricing

    Nov 25, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./3 /Drugs

    Dr. Rassman other than stating that sal palmentto has not been proven to block DHT. Do you have a professional opinion to the clams of many who have benefited from taking Sal Palmentto?I have been taking Propecia for years and stopped hair loss. However I must cease buying Propecia due to economics and have been looking for a clear honest opinion.
    Thank you

    Saw palmetto may help stop hair loss, and you’re welcome to try it, but it is not certain that it does what people on the internet claim. In my professional opinion, it has not been proven to be effective.

    We all know that generic drugs cost less than the name brand, but there is no generic 1mg finasteride available legally in the US at this time due to patent laws. So ask your doctor for a prescription of the 5mg generic finasteride and let him/her know that you’ll cut it into 4 pieces (making it nearly the same as Propecia). This will be a significant savings for you. The cost of the 5mg generic finasteride at Costco is $5/month, which is possibly cheaper than saw palmetto and with more certainty that it will work.

    Tags: saw palmetto, propecia, finasteride, proscar, generic, hairloss, hair loss

    In the News – Shock Therapy for Your Penis

    Nov 25, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Other

    Snippet from the article:

    If you experience impotence, instead of a little blue pill maybe you want to apply shockwaves to your privates instead.

    Experiments now suggest directing shockwaves at penises can help treat erectile dysfunction

    ShockRead the full article — Shocking Treatment Helps Erectile Dysfunction

    ZAP! This is a preliminary study of only 20 men (though over 3 years), so don’t get your hopes up that a shock to the groin will cause your little guy to pay attention as well as it did in your teen years. There’s much more to learn from this, and as as long as there are willing participants I’m sure they’ll be conducting studies to figure it out.

    Even though this isn’t hair loss related, I hope you all realize the value of BaldingBlog for men’s subjects.

    Tags: shock therapy, shock, erectile dysfunction, penis, shockwaves, impotence

    Prolactinoma and Hair Loss?

    Nov 25, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Diseases, Drugs

    Hi Dr Rassman,

    Im looking for a bit of advice, i think i have been fooling myself into believing i was going bald genetically and that my hairloss was due to Seb Derm/Inflammation and Traction loss. I believe some of it has been caused by my scalp picking and itching, but i have noticed i am starting now to recede and have lost hair diffusely through the top and also on the sides of my head.

    I have been diagnosed lately with a Prolactinoma and low Testosterone so dont know how much that could be affecting my loss if any ? if im just going bald DUPA what would be youre recommendation for halting and regrowth, and would it conflict with my Cabergoline im using to shrink my Pituatory Tumor ?

    Thanks

    You’ve got a lot going on. The excess production of the hormone prolactin can possibly cause hair loss, but I do not have a lot of experience in this area. I can’t give recommendations for you, as I don’t have enough information and you’re under the care of a doctor that you should be getting your info from. Cabergoline doesn’t list hair loss as a side effect, and I’ve written about a similar problem before here.

    Tags: cabergoline, hairloss, hair loss, prolactin, pituitary, prolactinoma

    Do Older Women Lose Hair Due to the Length?

    Nov 25, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Female Hair Loss, Hair Loss Causes

    Long hairI am 58 years old (female) and have been letting my hair grow long – it is now past my shoulders – I have noticed a lot of hair loss when I wash my hair – is this due to the length of my and age? Thank you for your response

    We generally lose about 100 hairs per day and if the hair cycle goes about 3 years, then the calculation of a 100 hairs per day is arrived at. The longer the hair is, the more detectable the hair will be as they will stick to your fingers in the shampooing process and in the drain. This goes for any age.

    One lost hair on you could clog a drain and look like a handful if it is as coarse as it looks in the picture. As you know hair cycles and grows about a half inch a month. If you are 5ft tall and your hair is 5 ft long (example) then you have a ten year hair cycle and than means that all of your hair should fall out and be replaced in 10 years, one hair at a time. My great grandmother had hair length like yours when she was 110 years old, but she wore it in a bun and washed it a few times a year. It was evident that her length was far shorter than it appeared as the hair tangled and much of it never fell out.

    Tags: female hair loss, hair loss, hairloss, hair length, long hair

    If I Want My Hair Always Short, Can We Use Body Hair for Transplantation?

    Nov 24, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Hair Transplantation

    Hi Dr. Rassman. Here is my question. I don’t mind having my hair buzzed or very very short. I don’t need to have flowing locks of hair, so long as there is a shadow/stubble on my head. Do you think that using body hair in conjunction with nape and head hair from the permanent zone could be transplanted onto my head in the design of a norwood 1? I realize that body hair might look strange when grown out, but do you think if buzzed it would look natural?
    -Thanks

    MarblesI would need to meet you, determine what is driving you, find out if you have all of your marbles, and examine the status of your existing hair. The FUE technique is the best approach and it is your scalp hair which is correct and normal looking.

    Ones ability to use body hair is not the issue, but will it do what you want it to do? Body hair has a long telogen cycle and a short anagen cycle which means that out of every body hair transplanted, you might have only 30% of them growing at any one time. The recipient site may have some microscopic (barely visible) cobbling of the body hair ‘skin’ used in the transplant, so you must know what it would look like. First, let’s establish a relationship and let me examine you.

    Tags: bht, body hair transplant, hair loss, hairloss, hairline, hair transplant

    Stem Cells, Hair Loss Treatment, and Politics

    Nov 24, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /Drugs, Hair Cloning

    I was curious what you’re views might be on stem cell research legislation and how political decisions might impact future progress, since stem cell therapies seem to hold the best promise for a cure to baldness. From what I have read, restrictions placed on research during the socially right-leaning Bush years have set cures back by years. Again, just wondering how you think the political climate can/will affect a cure or better treatments for things like baldness.

    Thank you

    PoliticsAlthough there’s enough political tension in the news lately to cause me to not want to delve into policy talk, I can avoid this topic fairly easily as I really have no idea about the political climate for stem cells. While it is an interesting question, I don’t even know that stem cell therapies hold the most promise to be first across the finish line in cure development. There’s rumblings from Histogen about their stem cell therapy being available “as soon as” 2013, but it could just be more wishful thinking. I recall people supposedly in-the-know saying, “hair cloning will be available within 5 years” — and that was a decade ago.

    Timelines in treatment development are constantly in flux during the early stages and I wonder if some of those target dates are hinging on everything going right on the first try. In a perfect world that might be the case, but the reality is that there is a lot of trial and error and many promising technologies never get beyond the development phase. With all that being said, if I had to guess I’d say better drugs will get us closer to the elusive hair loss cure.

    Tags: stem cells, hairloss, hair loss, histogen

    In the News – British Singer-Actor Will Young’s Experience with Propecia

    Nov 24, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs

    Snippet from the interview:

    I love my hair – my barber, Paul, has given me a 50s style with a bit of a quiff. I take Propecia pills for my hair, because I started losing it four years ago. It’s a horrible thing – it’s emasculating and you just feel you aren’t sexy any more. The pills worked and my hair grew back, but I am sure they’ll stop working.

    Will YoungRead the rest at — What I see in the mirror: Will Young

    I honestly had no idea who he is, but apparently he’s quite popular across the pond. Wikipedia says he won the first Pop Idol show, which is the precursor to American Idol. Look, I have a tough enough time staying current with all of the US celebrities!

    At any rate, I’m sure someone will find this interesting, at least for the fact that a celebrity is going public about taking his hair loss medication and seeing results.

    Tags: british, celebrity, singer, pop idol, will young, hair loss, hairloss, propecia, finasteride

    Histogen HSC Available in 2013?

    Nov 24, 2009/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /Drugs, Other

    Dr. Rassman, I found out this update from Histogen, what is your opinion on this?

    Videos: Histogen’s HSC – Highly Anticipated Hair loss Treatment Due to Hit “Shelves” As Soon As 2013

    HistogenI know nothing more about the Histogen HSC (Hair Stimulating Complex) than you do by watching those videos. I do give credit to Dr. Naughton for appearing in the videos, but I always worry about market hype and speculation in such announcements. I doubt we’ll see it move through the pipeline as quickly as hoped, but we can all keep our fingers crossed that I’m wrong.

    Tags: histogen, histogen hsc, naughton, bald truth, hairloss, hair loss
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