Youngest Person to Have a Hair Transplant?

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

Hi Doc,
Firstly I would like to say great site!I have two questions:

This is speculative but could be me in a few years: I know that you are not reluctant in performing transplants to you people, but if a 23 year old male came into your office having taking propecia for 4 years with a norwood class 4A balding pattern would you carry out the transplant if this person insisted and that a master plan had been established?

What is the age of the youngest person that you have performed a hair transplant to?

NW4AIf there is a balding pattern like a Norwood Class 4A, no matter what the age, he would probably be a candidate for a hair transplant provided that:

  1. He had enough maturity and knowledge at hand with realistic expectations.
  2. He understands the financial short and long-term nature of paying for the process.
  3. His examination shows that he has the required donor hair to meet his needs.

As for the youngest… well, I have done hair transplants in a few children as a result of accidents, brain surgery, and birth defects. These are unique cases and not like re-establishing a hairline or crown swirl.

Tags: hair transplant, age, youth, child, hairloss, hair loss

Latisse on the Scalp? (Video)

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

Dr uses Latisse on scalp. Here is the youtube link

I’d consider this as human experimentation and there is no evidence that Latisse (bimatoprost) grows hair on the scalp. It was FDA approved for growing longer eyelashes, but it is not approved for use on the scalp. Could it work? Possibly, but I don’t know why you’d want to be the guinea pig. Aside from potential safety risks in applying it all over the scalp, there is the financial part of it since the drug is normally sold in a very tiny tube meant to apply to eyelashes.

I’ve embedded the video here:

 

Tags: latisse, bimatoprost, hair growth, scalp, hairloss, hair loss, eyelashes, eyelash

I’m 21 Years Old and Had a Hair Transplant 10 Months Ago

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

I read your posts everyday and I would like to thank you for educating me and keeping me up to date. I’ve noticed several different times that you say there is no official age limit for a hair transplant. I would agree. I’m 21 years old and I had a hair transplant 10 months ago. For the first six months things did move pretty slowly but I would like to say things are going great now. My hair is looking better than it has in years and should continue to get even better. At the time of the transplant my hair loss was an advanced Norwood 3. I had been on propecia for 12 months. My density is slightly above average and I have a lighter medium course hair. With all that being said I still don’t know if my doctor would have performed surgery on me had I not been as educated as I was.

My biggest piece of advice for all of the younger readers out there who are serious about getting a hair transplant is you have to be informed and know what you’re getting into. You have to understand the process; see if your hair loss is more than just a maturing hairline, find out how good of a candidate you are for the surgery and be able somehow finance it. Also, find a good caring doctor.

Obviously, if a teenager doesn’t like his maturing hairline, that doesn’t make him a candidate for surgery… but the “rules” about minimum age for hair transplantation are flexible to a point. As a physician, I won’t perform a procedure that wouldn’t be in the best interest of the patient down the line. Not all doctors follow these same guidelines, but educating yourself is key to not becoming a victim. Nobody should ever rush into a hair transplant, because this is a permanent procedure! I’m glad you found the site helpful and I hope your grafts grow in nicely.

Tags: age, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, surgery

My Hair Texture Has Recently Changed — Was it Stress Related?

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

I have noticed a loss of hair and a change in texture in the last two months. I have been taking propecia for years and never had any trouble. I have been stressed and also cut my head open in a perfect vertical line in the front of the scalp. Could these be the reasons or is something else possible? There really is a difference and it is beginning to worry me. I have BDD and this is actually affecting my life. Thank you for your time.

Situations like this are why you need to see a doctor who will create a Master Plan for you. I don’t know the definitive cause of your texture change, though stress and injury could be contributing. That being said, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) patients really need a good doctor or the imagination runs amok.

Tags: stress, texture, hair character, stress, bdd

Trichophytic Closure, Hair Transplant Scars, and Scalp Tattoos

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

Hey Dr. Rassman,

I must tell you that your blog has become an important part of my daily routine and can not thank you enough for your continual work on it. I know you probably have your reserves about this head tattoo procedure, but how about getting it done just on the scars from a HT procedure, it seems like a great way to cover up scars for people who want to shave their heads, especially on the sides and back, where you do not have to worry about losing hair. I am thinning on the top and receding and I am hesitant to get the procedure done on the top of my head in case i ever want to grow my hair out again and continue receding, but at least on my HT scar it makes sense? What are your thoughts? Thanks.

Tattoos can work if they are stippled so that they look like hair, but changes in color of the tattoo can be a real problem (imagine a green tattoo over time). As I understand it, most inks won’t change color, but from the few patients I’ve seen with a tattooed scalp that hasn’t been the case. Be sure to research the tattoo issue, as I’m not that informed about the various inks and methods.

I am not sure if you had a hair transplant and have a scar or if you’re considering a hair transplant and are worried about the scar. In either case, scars can be largely prevented most of the time, but if you have one, a revision of the scar (at least one attempt) should be made. Each case is different, so a good doctor is what you want to have. Ask your doctor about the frequency of scars and the sizes that he/she sees. Consider sending me a photo of your scar if you have one.

The photo below is a 4 year old scar after a single procedure of 2090 grafts done here with a trichophytic closure. There is a scar, but it is barely noticeable, typical of trichophytic closures in my hands. Click to enlarge.

 

Tags: tattoo, scalp tattoo, hair transplant, scar, scarring, hairloss, hair loss, trichophytic

Still Losing Hair 7 Months After Starting Propecia

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

Since starting propecia 7 months ago, my hair loss has become significantly worse. In the 3 to 6 month period, my temples and mid-anterior scalp became noticeably thinner. Although “shedding” in these frontal areas slowed down/stopped at the 6 month stage, my crown is now thinning even though I had not noticed any hair loss in that area before beginning propecia. I have 3 questions:

  1. is it possible that propecia is making my hair loss worse-has this ever happened to a patient of yours before?
  2. is it possible that this shedding is a positive sign because I am young and in the early stages of hair loss i.e. as the drug has a lot of hair to act upon? Doctor Bernstein states on your website that shedding is fairly common and can be a positive sign.
  3. is it common for propecia to take over 6 months to yield noticeable effects i.e. stopping hair loss and/or creating regrowth, or should I stop the drug and save my money?

Thanks

  1. Your hair loss on Propecia probably has nothing to do with the drug, but rather the progressive nature of your genetic hair loss which (based on what you wrote) seems to be aggressive. Shedding at 9 months is not a good sign.
  2. At 1-2 months shedding can be a positive sign as we interpret this as an acceleration of the normal hair cycling, but that acceleration should not occur over 9 months. Most people will see a reduction in shedding by the 4th month.
  3. It generally takes about 6-12 months to see the difference after starting the medication. So you’re still in the time frame and I wouldn’t suggest stopping the medication at this point unless you have experienced any side effects that you can’t deal with.
Tags: finasteride, propecia, shedding, hairloss, hair loss

Regrowing Stress-Induced Hair Loss?

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

Dr. Rassman,
I’m 28, been on propecia for 8 yrs with Diffuse Pattern Alopecia in the front. The drug has done a wonderful job at holding the loss. I wrote a couple weeks ago inquiring about upping a dose from 1mg to 2.5mg. My loss picked up in speed a couple months ago and from what I guess has slowed down the last few weeks. I had a chronic stressor 3mo. before the loss. I noticed about a month ago there was hair that appeared to be growing in my hairline, and in my thin area. I’ve monitored it every so often and noticed that it still is growing longer.

Can a person with genetic balding grow hair back after telogen effluvium or other stress related loss? If so, that would be great but i’m under the impression that when someone loses hair, stress or not, and also is destined to genetically bald, there is no way the lost hair will grow back. I’m hoping you can explain it better. I would be happy if theres a shot at getting a few back after that loss. Thanks for the sight, its been great having access to such information coming from a professional such as yourself.

StressTelogen effluvium usually reverses by itself as the hair moves from telogen to anagen (see hair cycle info). This cycle varies between people, but usually the telogen phase lasts 3-7 months. Genetically impacted hair also cycles, so the answer to your question is that the finer hairs that are miniaturized will cycle and return, unless the time for apoptosis (timed hair death) occurs.

You do have a shot at regrowing your hair, but I can’t say how good that shot is. Only time will tell.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, telogen, anagen, hair cycle, hair death, stress

Gray Hair Diameter, Follow-Up?

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

Re: Gray Hair, Changing Diameter?

Did you ever do the measurements? I looked, but couldn’t find a follow up.

GrayNo, I never did a follow-up to determine if the diameter of gray hair is thicker than non-gray. Sorry about that, but I find that I have too many projects going on to add a study into the mix. I know that’s a poor excuse, but I hope to find the time to do it at some point. I just shouldn’t have put the “few weeks” timetable on it.

Oh, and if there’s been a study regarding this that’s already been done, feel free to point me to it.

Tags: gray hair, grey hair, diameter, hair thickness

In the News – Simple Hair Loss Q&A

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

Snippet from the article:

Hair loss may sound relatively minor but it is both distressing and common. It should always be investigated, as it can be revealing in regard to your general state of health.

Read the questions and answers — Hair loss isn’t just a nuisance

This is one of those articles that doesn’t really offer anything new (just a heads up for regular readers of this site), but it does condense some of the more common questions into easy-to-digest answers. The topics covered are: hair loss after child birth, hair loss from stress, fungal infections, alopecia areata, thyroid problems, and medication induced hair loss.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, questions, answers