(Female)
Is their a name for hair loss that resulted from a relaxer? Ive had had a small chemical burn for over 10 years now, in which im self conscious of. Are their any treatments for this?
There is no cure for this problem. If a chemical burn happened from relaxers, a hair transplant can address it very well. After a decade, if the hair hasn’t grown back on its own by now, there’s not likely to be any medication to bring it back.
Hello, this is the first time I’ve contacted anyone about my hair, so far I have grown quite paranoid from all these posts in this forum and in others. I’d just like to ask a few questions, to start off with is every hair shed in telogen phase and if so are they smaller than more anagen phased hairs? I’ve noticed some smaller wispy hairs when I blow dry or dry my with a towel, its not a whole lot but its a few noticeable ones, question is is this normal or is it early indication of MPB?
Last question should hair at the hairline, when pulled or pain, excrete some kind of pain because other hairs on the scalp that I have pulled have shown pain.
I am not exactly sure what you are asking. If you pull your hair, there is pain. Usually tiny nerves are attached to the hair follicle, so naturally, if you pull your hair you will be affecting these nerve fibers to send sensation/pain signals. I suppose some areas would be more painful than others.
As to if you have balding, I would not be able to say based on your email, but male pattern hair loss is not a physically painful process (maybe emotionally, yes). You need an examination for a real diagnosis. When the hair is ready to fall out (like in people who are actively balding) the hair ‘fall’ is not painful at all, because the living follicle is often in its telogen phase so I would not expect to experience any pain with these hairs.
I want to know if it is normal to experience more hair loss during the 6th month of Rogaine use just as I experienced during the first 4 weeks of use which was considerably.
I have been experiencing hair loss since I was 18 (I am 29 now). 3 years ago I starting using products with Minoxidil 5% prescribed by physicians. However it became to expensive. After 5 months of quitting I decided to start using Rogaine due that I was losing more hair as I stopped using those products.
Results after 3 to 4 months of using were really tangible. However, as I said I am on the 6th month and I am experiencing more hair loss from about a couple of weeks ago. I am assuming is part of the hair loss cycle, however I am not sure if Rogaine is no longer working for me. Or what should I expect in the following weeks?
Thanks for the support
I wouldn’t say it’s common to see increased shedding after 6 months of Rogaine use. I’ve heard about shedding after starting the medication, but that shedding shouldn’t reoccur after half a year. The loss could be coincidental to something else going on.
You might want to go back to your prescribing doctor for a follow-up. Since the Rogaine doesn’t actually block DHT (the cause of genetic hair loss in men), you could be experiencing the normal loss you’re genetically determined to have. I really have no way to know. Or you can just ride it out and hope for the best.
First off, I would like to say thank you for this awesome site and the effort you put in to answering so many people’s questions! It really helped me.
With that said, I’m 28 and I recently noticed my hairline maturing. My father didn’t start losing hair noticeably before the age of 50, (he is norwood 3 now at the age of 63, his brother and father were the same). My question is this: since he has coarser hair texture than me (I inherited fine hair texture from my mother’s side) is it possible that if I inherit his balding pattern that it progresses faster, Since my hair is finer and requires less time to succumb to the effects of DHT? (also my grandfather on my mother’s side and her brothers were all norwood 2 since 20 years old and became 2.5 around 55)
There is no way to accurately predict your hair loss trait, as to if it comes from your mother or your father. It can be a mix of traits as well. It is a draw of the cards with regard to balding. The texture of you hair as it compares to your parents may not be related to the balding gene you inherited from your parents.
I’ve been plucking the grey hairs out of the side of my head cause they drive me crazy. Question: If I continue to do so, will eventually start to thin out on the sides? Sometimes you see women with painted on eyebrows. Is this why? Thanks in advance. Love the site
Plucking out hair on a constant basis, will cause the hairs to disappear permanently. I would suggest that you use dye rather than plucking. And yes, many women that overpluck their eyebrows will eventually lose their eyebrows.
Last week, I saw a patient with a failed hair transplant done by a hair transplant clinic located not too far from my office in Los Angeles. This patient received 4000 grafts (his report) and there was not one hair that I could find in the recipient area that reflected a surgery. I do not believe that I have ever seen such a complete wipeout of a hair transplant without even a trace of recipient site wounds. He did have a donor area scar, so I do not doubt his report of receiving a procedure that removed donor hair… but I couldn’t seem to find where those grafts went. He was undecided about what he wants to do next, so we just discussed options and his reduced donor supply.
I would be at a loss to ascertain the cause of the failure. I felt bad for him being victimized in his quest for hair. Over and over again, I tell prospective patients to do their research, and challenge the doctors you are considering with questions and observations that are covered in our selecting a hair transplant doctor guide. Our monthly Open House events show that our practice is an open book — no secrets, no bad press on the internet, happy patients who are proud to talk about their transformations. That is what you should demand of any doctor you are considering to be your hair restoration surgeon.
Hello!I’m a 32 year old African American Woman. In early March of this year,i went to a salon and got my hair done. The stylist used a product called Morning Glory. When it came time for me to wash my hair, OMG!!! My hair was shedding so bad.
Fast forward to today, I have lost at lest 3-5 inches of my hair. Especially in the front and middle of my head. Some of the back but not as much. Oh and did i mention it sheds really bad everytime i try to do anything to it more of my hair comes out. The same stylist that did my hair told me to come to her for a protein deep conditioner. Will that help?? What can i do to stop the shedding?? I don’t want to go bald!! Please help me. I appreciate any and all advice.
Morning Glory makes a few different products, so I’m not sure what was used (or for how long it was used) on your hair at the salon. You could be experiencing a chemical burn or an allergic reaction. I don’t know that a protein conditioner will help any more or less than just giving it time to regrow (it will take months). If you’re still losing hair months after this happened, you should visit a dermatologist to make sure there isn’t some allergy to one of the ingredients in the product used at the salon.
Snippet from the article:
Sports pundit and former-England footballer Michael Gray has undergone the first UK hair transplant to be streamed live on the internet. Some 22,000 people with strong stomachs watched Dr Bessam Farjo perform the surgery, which began at 10am yesterday morning and finished at 6.50pm.Dr Farjo took more than 5,000 healthy hair follicles from the back of Mr Gray’s head and implanted them at the front of the scalp after making hundreds of incisions.
Read the rest — Former England footballer’s hair transplant is broadcast live online in world first
I must admit that I had no idea who Michael Gray was, but I am familiar with Dr. Farjo’s work (and he is a contributor to BaldingBlog). With this webcast, Dr. Farjo was able to show off surgery to thousands of curious viewers, and in a year or so, Michael Gray will be able to see the full results of this procedure.
Hi
To be begin with I want to say how wonderful your blog is, thank you very much.After reading your blog I decided to get propecia over three year ago with great success. About two years ago I added 5% minoxidil foam to my routine twice a day. Then however about 9 months ago I wanted to achieve more hair growth and added 15% minoxidil with 5%AA and caffeine and retinol to my routine. So apply the 5%foam in the morning and 15% at night. I have no side effects from the higher dose but it seems like I have lost more hair with a higher concentration. Is this possible? Because there is a successful hair loss centre in London that sells 12%Mioxidil with AA so I thought that if I buy 15% minoxidil from ebay I will have more success.
My question is will are they able to get better results with a higher concentration and when I try it, it fails?
Thank you
There is a suggestion that higher doses of minoxidil is more effective than lower doses, but so are the side effects.
Hair regrowth from this drug was originally identified when it was used as a hypertensive agent in the 1960s. As a high blood pressure treatment, this drug is commonly sold in India in pill form, because it is cheap and easily available. At the last ISHRS physicians meeting, a doctor from India discussed the widespread use of the minoxidil pill for the treatment of hair loss, instead of the topical treatment approved by the FDA in the US and Europe. This doctor reported that when minoxidil was taken orally, it is more effective than when applied to the scalp. We know that this drug can be and is often absorbed through the scalp, and that is why dizziness and lightheadedness is seen as a side effect of the drug. Another side effect of the oral form of minoxidil is the appearance of hair in different parts of the body (that is what led to the connection between minoxidil and hair growth when used topically).
I am absolutely not recommending oral minoxidil, as side effects can be significant, but if he keep increasing your dose, you will run the risk of absorbing enough of this medication through the skin that you may be overdosing yourself. If you continue to treat yourself, you are clearly not prepared for what might happen. I would stick to what is known and what is safe.
I used Propecia for years but developed serious and persistent sexual side effects. I have had to see various urologists. My testosterone and other medical work up was normal and I am fit and of ideal body weight. I do not have any health problems (no cardiovascular disease, no diabetes, and so on). I also developed brain fog and a sort of amotivational syndrome on Propecia which I had misattributed to other things.
It wasn’t until I stopped the drug that my motivation, aggression, and cognitive performance returned to normal. After four months, my ejaculate volume remains miniscule. The problem I having now is that my hair loss is alarming rapid and I am distressed by it. I have just experienced a serious shedding. Feels as if I lost 50% density and the hairline has shot up seemingly a half inch in the temporal areas.
Despite the side effects, I am considering going back on to slow the loss hoping something else will come out. I am scared that I will be impotent and infertile back on. I feel I am between a rock and hard place. What do you recommend patients do? Would a low dose be wise? 0.25 mg? 0.5 mg?
I generally suggest that my patients reduce the finasteride dose from 1mg to 0.5mg or 0.25mg and see if these lower doses work. Some earlier estimates I have reviewed suggest that the 0.25mg dose still works at about 50% efficiency on stopping hair loss.
Now that I told you this, you need a good doctor to manage your problems. This is a prescription medication, so all I can provide is general advice. You need to talk with your own doctor about what is the right step for you. Lower dosage has shown some effectiveness in my patients that were worried about side effects, but it isn’t a guarantee to work the same for you. Get a bulk measurement of your hair so that you will know if the dose adjustment still works.
Hi,
I am 33 years old female and have a bald spot on the top of my head from an iron burn since a teenager. There was no scar but definitely a linear bald spot as my iron was linear. Is there anyway I can regrow my hair. Would vinegar work? or alternatives? Thank you.
There is no way to regrow that hair, as it would’ve regrown on its own by now in the 15 or so years since you burned your scalp. Depending upon the wound that is present, it is often easily treated with hair transplants. I have corrected many of these types of problems with hair transplants.
Vinegar won’t do anything for hair regrowth.
Hi. I’m a 20 year old male, soon to be 21. My hairline was fairly straight if I remember correctly, but now I’m taking notice of recessions on the sides of the hairline. The middle part that has not receded is pretty large. What are my odds of this being only hairline maturation? Thanks for your time.
It could be just a mature hairline developing, but I have no way to know that just based on your description. You’ll have to just keep looking at it over time (but try not to obsess about it). You can compare it to the mature hairline photos in this post. If you visited me or another doctor in this field, you’d likely get some help defining the problem you see.
Hello doctor.
When you talk of a master plan for hair loss, especially in men under the age of 30, how many years into the future is this plan effective for, is it 5,10,20 years or a lifetime? The reason I ask this is because I know a lot of young people like myself that are going bald know we will eventually become a NW6 or NW7, so do you plan for that? To be honest, If I ever did get a transplant I would want hair for the rest of my life, but if I could have hair until 40 or 50 I would be fine with that and then let genetics take its course. Take care.
First, you need to know that almost every person with a Norwood class 6 and 7 balding pattern will see those patterns develop well before they are 30 years old. The older you are, the easier it is to predict future hair loss. At 22 years old, it might be difficult if you are not destined to be a Class 6 or 7 pattern, but in your late 20s, the job of predicting is easier.
If you bet on a horse in the Kentucky Derby, you can never be sure that the horse will win until the race is over — likewise, the Class 5 pattern patient may be able to predict the final pattern at the age of 26, more certainly at the age of 30, and with great certainty at the age of 40.
See here for more info on creating a Master Plan.
Is it ok for a 17 year old to take propecia?
started losing hair at the age of 15 now im 17. i have a NW2.5 with a diffuse pattern leading to NW 6. Hairloss is strong in my mother side of family but they have a diffuse pattern. My dad is a nw3 but the rest of his hair is thick and he is the only one losing hair from his side of family.
if my doctor (GP) says i can take propeica, should i just take it or should i ask him to do some test on me? i have done blood test for FBC (Full blood count including calcium) and thyroid the test showed that i had low iron the reason i have low iron because i have beta thalassemia trait
If my GP says yes i will most likely to take it. i’ve gone desperate when water hits my hair, my scalp is showed too much. i also have anxiety due to hair loss
You should follow your doctor’s advice. Make sure that he takes good bulk measurements of your scalp hair to confirm the diagnosis and establish metrics for miniaturization at different areas of your scalp to see the benefits of the drug on the miniaturized hairs.
Propecia is likely safe to take at 17 years old if you’ve already hit puberty, but taking the medication is a decision between you and your doctor (and a legal adult guardian).
I realize that every patient is different and requires a different assessment. But I was wondering if you could give me your general approach in my case.
I’m 25 and have been on Propecia for 5 years. I have hair all over my head, but I’m balding in a Class VI pattern. The Propecia definitely slowed the balding, but it’s gotten to the point where my hair is very thin and you can see my entire scalp through it.
I’d like to do a hair transplant – but can you do transparent into a sea of miniaturized hair? How would it usually work?
This is what Prince William seems to have as well. He might make a good transplant patient, but maybe he does not want one.
You, on the other hand, can send me photos of your scalp with good views showing the problem (hair wet and dry when groomed). I can then specifically answer your question during a telephone consultation, which I do often. You can email the photos here (and reference this blog post).