Generic Propecia in Canada?

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

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your site. I have been following it for years.

I had a quick question. I recently went to my pharmacy in Canada to refill my Propecia prescription, and they informed me that a generic 1 mg form has become available. I was under the impression that the patent was scheduled to expire in 2013 (similar to the US). Sure enough, I picked up my prescription, and it was 1 mg of finasteride. I am sort of surprised by this, and I was wondering if it’s possible to make sure my pharmacy didn’t make an error, giving me a 5 mg tablet by accident? Is there any way to find out when the Propecia patent expires in Canada?

Thanks for all your help over the years!

CanadaI honestly don’t understand the prescription drug patent process in Canada. I assumed it was similar to the US law, but a quick Google search shows that the generic Propecia (1mg finasteride) is being sold online in Canada. Buying these medications in the US from an online Canadian pharmacy isn’t legal, but that hasn’t seemed to stop these pharmacies for quite some time. I don’t condone it, in case anyone was going to ask.

So either the patent already expired in Canada or there’s some other reason that the various online pharmacies are selling the 1mg dose in a generic form. That is good news for everyone except Merck in the United States. If anyone has further info about this, please let me know.

Tags: propecia, generic, finasteride, canada

Did Spectral DNC-L Cause More Hair Loss and Would Stopping It Regrow that Hair?

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

I’ve been using “Spectral DNC L” for almost 4 months now on my hairline and temples as I had noticed them very slowly receding over the years. The main ingredient is DHT inhibitors and Minoxidil along other ingredients that they say will grow hair all over the scalp including hairline and temples.

After the first month I experienced shedding at the temples and hairline. The hair shedded looked thick and healthy and after 5 weeks people were noticing I was thinning at the hairline and temples which they had never noticed before. I’ve continued applying it as I was told it’s natural for shedding to occur before new hair would grow. It’s now week 15 and all I have managed to achieve is to shed strong healthy hair to be replaced by very thin lifeless hair that is small and hard to detect giving a general appearance of a fast receding hairline.

I have persisted with Spectral DNC L in the hope that something will grow back and the hair will get thicker but at the moment I think that prognosis is poor. My question to you is that if I discontinue with Spectral DNC L, assuming that it was the minoxidil component that caused the shedding, would my hairloss revert back to the stage it was at 15 weeks ago before I started topical treatment.

In essence would the few fine lifeless hairs that have been grown due to the treatment drop out and would the stronger more numerous healthy hairs grow back that I had before the Spectral DNC L application 15 weeks ago. I ask this as many people say that if you cease a minoxidil treatment, within several months your hairloss would revert back to it’s original stages. In my case an increased volume of hair to the point that no one would have noticed my receding hairline. Perhaps I have just accelerated my MPB with Spectral DNC L and lost healthy hair through shedding in weeks that may have remained with me for another year or more.

In effect if my hairline doesn’t grow back to the condition it was before I took the Spectral DNC L then in my case it would be reasonable to suggest that, assuming minoxidil is the active component; “Spectral DNC L not only has no affect on improving temple and hairline baldness but actually accelerates hairloss replacing healthy hair that was shed with at best, semi visible thin lifeless hair”. Should I continue in hope for another few months or give up.

Spectral DNC-LI can not really advise you. The impact of minoxidil is as you describe, but the Spectral DNC product has other ingredients that may change the impact when combined with it. You might switch to just minoxidil and see what happens over the next couple of months.

Experimenting with what you are doing is about the only way you will know… and experimenting means that there is risk. Do you have a good doctor? You might want to see him/her!

Tags: spectral dnc, spectral, minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss

Clumps of Hair Clog the Drain — Has Propecia Become Less Effective?

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

Dr. Rassman,

I have been a patient of yours for over three years now and I recently visited your office back in August. After seeing you again it was established that my hair loss had not progressed from last year and had possibly even improved. Unfortunately, over the past month, I have been experiencing non characteristic loss. When I am in the shower, I have never ending clumps of hair coming of my head and clogging the drain. Also, when brushing my hair there is even more loss. Dr. Rassman, this has never happened before and I have no idea what to do. Is it possible that the Propecia that I have been taking since November of 2005 has stopped working for me and my genes are taking over?

All of the loss has been occurring since I have been out of town on a job. I seem to even have some kind of infection on the corners of my lips. I am sure the two things are not related, but I figured I would tell you.

Anyway, is this a normal experience for someone on the drug as long as I have been? Should I take more of it? Is it possible for a person to lose all of his hair immediately? Could this be a possible hair cycle or allergy? Again, I have no idea what to do and what to expect. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and your advice/help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Hair loss can increase from stress amongst many other things, such as the normal acceleration of hair loss that occurs in some men (even those on Propecia). As one of my patients, please come see me and let me see if your miniaturization has increased.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, propecia, finasteride

Cutasil

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

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I was wondering if you were aware of this product, Cutasil.

The website says it’s set to be marketed in a year, and that it heals scar wounds and restores the follicles. Could this have application to improving transplant procedures?

Thanks for your input

CutasilThere are hundreds if not thousands of new products for treating hair loss all with the promise of growing follicles. Some include wound healing claims as well. I really do not know anything about this Cutasil product as it hasn’t been made available for testing or review and the link you sent has the only info I can find about it.

I appreciate you bringing it to my attention, but there are so many product announcements that ultimately go nowhere or can’t perform nearly as well as what is claimed. This one remains to be seen, but as skeptic I’m not going to hold my breath.

At this time there is no product that reverses or grows back hair that was lost from genetic causes or helps with the transplant process. Even if there was such a product, the most important part of a hair transplant surgery is the doctor, the staff, and the highly specialized techniques involved.

Tags: cutasil, STP705, hair loss, hairloss, wound healing

Propecia Caused Side Effects — Should I Take Less?

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

Dear Doctor,

I am a 22 year old male who has been on Propecia for about 3 1/2 months. I have experienced a series of side effects that I believe are related to Propecia use. I list them here in order of appearance: thin/somewhat watery ejaculations (the first side effect I noticed, about a week into the treatment), loss of spontaneous erections, difficulty obtaining and maintaining erections, (the erections themselves are also weaker), and a loss of sensation in the genital area. I also believe I may have had slight penile shrinkage/penile tissue atrophy, and an increase in body hair growth.

I have become concerned about these side effects, and am pretty certain that they are not psychological, since I started Propecia being very certain that I would not suffer the side effects. I can attest that my sexual mechanism was optimal before starting Propecia, as expected for a man my age.

My question is, can I safely go off the drug? Can I expect that these side effects will clear up with time? Also, I have read about the effectiveness of reducing the dosage; what can you say about taking .5 or even .25 mg of Propecia daily? Should I switch to such a dosage now, or should I go off Propecia entirely, see if side effects subside, and start again with a reduced dosage?

I would greatly appreciate your help, as I am concerned.

Generally when you stop Propecia, the side effects disappear in a matter of days/weeks. Along with stopping the side effects, the value of the drug and all of its benefits will produce “catch up” hair loss, which means that your hair loss status will go back to what you had before you started the drug and you’ll lose any hair you would’ve lost had you not taken the drug at all.

I’ve advised some of my patients to try a lower dosage (0.5mg is better than none) and they’ve had some success with treating the hair loss and seeing a reduction in side effects, but it’s not an across-the-board finding that I can guarantee. Keep in mind that I’m not your doctor, and any dosing changes should be discussed with your prescribing physician.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, side effects

Hairline Lowering for African Hair Types

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

Hello, I am an African- American 18-year-old with a very high forehead. I was wondering if the hairline lowering procedure would be successful because of my hair texture. Also, I have had numerous perms in my lifetime and will continue on with perming my hair.

Everyone is different and there’s no way I can tell you about success or failures without at least an examination. The texture of your hair doesn’t rule you out, though.

If you are talking about actually lowering the hairline with a brow-dropping procedure then you need to be evaluated by a surgeon that does these. Many plastic surgeons offer this procedure. If you want to consider doing this with hair transplants, then you (again) need to be evaluated by an expert hair transplant surgeon like us.

Tags: african, african american, hairline lowering, hairline

Generic Finasteride at Target for 9 Bucks?!

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

Hello Dr. Rassman!

I don’t have a question for you, but I did want to let you and your readers know that Target’s in-house pharmacy has added generic finasteride to their list of cheap generics.

For the longest time, I was paying $72.00 for 30 pills and splitting the them into fourths. Today when I went in to pick up my prescription, the pharmacist informed me that the total was just $9.00! I actually had her check the computer again because I was so shocked. She said that a newer generic was now being sold at Target, hence the tremendous price drop. This is great news!

Just thought I’d share. Thanks for all the wonderful advice!

Target PharmacyWe called a local Target pharmacy here in southern California and can confirm this pricing for the 5mg generic finasteride. I’m not sure if that pricing is at all Target pharmacy locations, but once you cut the pills that’s 4 months of 1mg finasteride for $9! You will still need a doctor’s prescription for the 5mg, of course. Thanks for letting us know!

Tags: target, pharmacy, finasteride, proscar, generic

Is Minoxidil Dependency Just Theory?

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

Doctor

You’ve said you take propecia. Why don’t you use minoxidil as well? Do you feel it would be of no benefit? To be honest if you don’t take it one would wonder why they should start.

Also how do we know all hair treated with minoxidil won’t become dependent? Is this just a theory or has it been proven and if so how?

Thanks for such an informative site.

To clarify, I did use Propecia for years, but I stopped using it some time ago. I hoped that my hair loss stabilized and took a chance by stopping the drug, and thankfully I experienced no further loss. One of my sons is still using it daily, however. I didn’t use minoxidil for a couple of reasons — mainly because the twice a day application was cumbersome to me, but also because I was looking to maintain and not necessarily regrow. The Propecia was found to be sufficient for that.

As for minoxidil dependency to existing hairs, the drug spreads to the surrounding area, so some people will find the dependence extended beyond where they applied it. Sometimes it even spreads to the face, and in women, facial hair growth is a side effect of minoxidil.

To touch back on the reason that I considered minoxidil to be cumbersome — before starting any drugs or treatment regimens, one must consider the compliance factor. A pill a day is easy for most. Washing your hair then putting on minoxidil twice-a-day everyday takes time and most men are not the best at keeping to this type of regimen. Most men simply quit after a few months before seeing any results. This ends up being a waste of time and money. A drug or a treatment plan is only as good as the person who is willing to follow the plan.

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

FUE’s Impact on Donor Density

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

Hello dr rassman,
I did 1000 grafts FUE hair transplant one year ago, which was my biggest mistake in my life from 1000 grafts half of them didnt grow back , my donor area damaged considerably, my density in donor area was 85 grafts in 1cmm before surgery now its gone to 55 grafts in 1cmm , i calculated approximate 2500 grafts been damaged. dont you think FUE is a basic method and must be banned?

Swiss cheeseI’m sure the donor impact of follicular unit extraction (FUE) is rarely a subject discussed by many of the doctors doing this procedure. When the donor area has a below average density, the impact on the donor area is very significant and it may appear to look like Swiss cheese. When the density is high, this is not a problem.

Some doctors and patients seem to think that FUE is the answer to the ideal method of harvesting, but your example shows that it is not. Of course, it is possible that in getting out 1000 grafts, 2000 punch holes were made, but as I was not there, this is only speculation about a doctor that has perhaps not mastered the process. Damage to the donor area does occur with FUE, the question is just how much damage occurs in the hands of a skilled FUE surgeon.

Tags: fue, follicular unit extraction, hair transplant, surgery, hairloss, hair loss

Could Ingredients in Concealers Lead to Cancer?

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

Just a general question to Dr. Rassman or any other doctor on the team. Regarding these topical fiber hairloss concealers such as toppik or HairSoReal I was concerned about 2 things.

1. Is the silica contained in them. I understand breathing in crystal silica can lead to silicosis and bronchogenic cancer, do you think the silica contained in these products can have a similar effect?

2. The D and C and FD and C colorings they use are FDA approved but do you think constantly using these products in your hair (where some might fall to the scalp) will lead to scalp cancer?

Thank you!

These camouflaging agents aren’t problematic if used correctly, but inhaling them in excess (either in a spray or in a powder that goes all over the place) could certainly cause problems. Generally speaking, the amount and type of silica found in cosmetics isn’t harmful… unless you happen to have an allergy to it.

I can not imagine that these concealers are carcinogenic to the scalp.

Tags: hairsoreal, toppik, hairloss, hair loss, concealer

How Long Should I Keep Rogaine On My Head?

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

I have heard different lengths of time you should keep Rogaine on your scalp prior to washing. Ive heard from 4hrs to 20 mins. What time period should Rogaine be kept on scalp before I can wash it off?

You should be washing your scalp before you put on Rogaine. If you wash your scalp after applying it, you’re just washing the medication off. Read the instructions that are included with Rogaine for the full details, but in brief, it should be applied twice a day and left on the scalp until it dries.

Tags: rogaine, minoxidil, washing, shampoo, hairloss, hair loss

Are Drug Companies Not Investing in a Hair Loss Cure?

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

Hello Dr,
I am wondering why there is no a magical cure for the baldness? is it because the researching costs, no ambitions, or the medicine maker companies are not investing to find a cure!

what do you think the new treatment in the near future? stem cells, PRP, Gene Therapy?

Thanks

One could theorize that there is some conspiracy to keep the world bald, but I tend to believe that the reason there isn’t a hair loss cure available yet is because there hasn’t been a successful cure developed. I suppose the drug companies are still working on it, but I really have no insight into how much they will invest into various hair loss cures. Treatments fail all the time and are quite costly in research and development.

Using common sense, I’d think that the company that comes up with and successfully markets a cure will be able to make a huge profit… and that alone would make it worthwhile to be ambitious.

Here are some past posts regarding stem cells and PRP (platelet rich plasma):

  1. PRP Treatment Still Unproven?
  2. Offshore Stem Cells Treatments Offer False Hope
  3. Stem Cell Baldness Cure? Not Quite.
Tags: hair loss, hairloss, hair loss cure

In the News – Singer Tom Jones Has a New Hairline?

/by William Rassman, M.D./4 /

Snippet from the article:

Last year he decided to give up the dark hair dye and grow old naturally with silver locks.

But it seems Tom Jones hasn’t completely given up on his quest to look youthful.

His once receding hairline appears to have been transformed into a full thick mop, sparking speculation that he’s had a hair transplant.

The 70-year-old, now fit for a L’Oreal advertisement, was also showing off a healthy tan as he was pictured after appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York.

Read the full story (with more photos) — Tom Jones’ receding hairline is transformed into luscious locks

Tom Jones

 

We’ve written in the past about the changing hair color of Tom Jones, but it appears he’s gotten himself a new hairline. It’s difficult to tell from the photos shown in the article since they aren’t really focused on the hair, but the thicker looking hairline could be caused by a hair transplant, a wig, the use of concealers, or even some creative styling.

What do you think?

Tags: singer, tom jones, hairloss, hair loss, hairline, hair transplant, celebrity

Using Olive Oil Before or After Minoxidil to Prevent Dryness?

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

I have been using minoxidil 10% twice a day for the past two months as well as propecia. Could you tell me if using hair oil (olive) before or after application could adversely affect the absorption or mitigate the effect that minoxidil has?…..

my hair looks very dry now and that is why I ask.

First, I don’t recommend 10% minoxidil for treating hair loss. Sometimes higher or stronger dose does not translate into better results. In fact, there are more side effects without necessarily increased benefits. Perhaps that is one of the reasons your hair is feeling so dry.

I realize there are many regimens that go along with hair loss, but I generally use olive oil for cooking and do not know how it would affect your minoxidil use.

Tags: olive oil, minoxidil, rogaine, dry hair, hair loss, hairloss