Could My Hair Loss Be From Stopping My Thyroid Medication?

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

(female)
I would like to know if my hair loss sides front and back are a result of my doctor taking me off of thyroid medication. I was on 50mcgs and after he took me off of it i sustained an incredible amount of hair loss.

If your thyroid hormone levels are normal, I wouldn’t expect issues with hair loss. Usually people with high or low thyroid hormone levels experience thinning of their hair. Doctors generally monitor their patients thyroid levels and adjust the medication based on blood tests.

So stopping or starting thyroid medications is not the issue, but rather it is your own thyroid hormone levels that should be of importance.

Tags: thyroid, hairloss, hair loss, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism

I Have Blonde Hair and I’ve Noticed Black, Dense, Curly Hairs Growing Randomly

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

I am late 20’s have begun to get thin in my front hairline and where my natural hair swirl is on my vertex and I’ve accepted that’s just within my family. But I am trying to keep track of how much is changing and I have noticed that ( I have dirty blonde hair) I am getting hairs turning almost black growing in random spots. Just single hairs and sometimes in groups of 3, one will be this black curly one. And those hairs have a seemingly denser feeling and posses a curl to them that does not compare to the rest of my natural hair texture. Any ideas what this is and what’s causing it?

If you have dirty blond hair, then dark colored hair is likely the norm. Some people just have random hairs that grow with different characteristics. It just may be the norm. Otherwise, I have seen some patients go through hair color change in their 20’s and 30’s as they go from lighter to darker or vice versa.

I do not think it has any relationship with respect to hair loss.

Tags: hair color, hairloss, hair loss

In the News – The Role of Vitamin D in Treating Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./10 /

Snippet from the article:

Crucial to the hair-growth and balding process, scientists have found, are vitamin D and the microscopic receptors that bind to it in skin. These elements have become the focus for several research teams. (Supplements might offer health benefits for people lacking enough vitamin D, but they won’t bring back lost hair, researchers say.)

Some researchers, including those from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, have identified molecules besides vitamin D that appear to activate the receptor and hold potential for future treatments. In July, Japanese researchers demonstrated in animals that adding vitamin D helped the process of using stem cells to generate new follicles.

Read the rest at the Wall Street Journal — The Search for a Baldness Cure

My friend Dr. Richard Shiell commented:

    “Plenty of sunlight and Vit D here in Australia (world’s highest rate of skin cancer). From my observation, our baldness rate and pattern-type is pretty much the same as elsewhere.

    We are seeing Vit D deficiency in some Muslim women and children who cover-op and do not take advantage of our sunlight. I have not heard of any increase in hair loss. Kids at the beach these days are covered from head to knee as in the Victorian era so, if the author is correct, we should see more baldness in the future. I don’t believe it.”

It’s important to highlight the sentence from the article that states: “Supplements might offer health benefits for people lacking enough vitamin D, but they won’t bring back lost hair“.

In response to this news, some hair restoration doctors stated that they often recommend vitamin D as part of the treatment for women with balding or thinning hair. There does not seem to be a downside to this use, but I wouldn’t get too excited just yet about calling this a “cure”.

Tags: vitamin d, hairloss, hair loss, wsj

If I Took 5mg Finasteride Would That Make Me Go to the Bathroom More Often?

/by William Rassman, M.D./7 /

Dear doctor how are you doing. I love the website and you have helped me with a lot of my hair loss problems that my regular doctor hasn’t been able to answer. I am 30 yrs old and have been taking finasteride for a decade.

At first, when I started taking the drug, I was shedding a lot and almost thought I would go bald within a month. Thankfully I didn’t. However, now I am not shedding as much so does that mean the drug is losing its effectiveness?

2nd question is, I took 5 mg of proscar the other day just to try it out. If i take 5 mg which is meant for prostate, wouldn’t that make me want to go to the washroom more often? It didn’t, so does that mean the drug is losing its effectiveness.

Thank you very much.

So you just decided one day for the hell of it to take 5mg of finasteride instead of 1mg? I’m not sure I understand why you’d do that, but it won’t cause excess urination, nor would excess urination mean anything about finasteride’s effectiveness on hair loss. And if you’re not shedding while you’re on finasteride, it sounds like it’s being quite effective. Am I missing something here?

Talk to the doctor who prescribed the medication to you. It sounds like you need advice from someone who can examine you and form opinions on your hair situation, since you’re clearly concerned about effectiveness and willing to experiment on yourself.

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

Can You Do Temporary SMP First to See If I’ll Like It?

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

I am very interested in the SMP procedure but am hesitant to do anything permanent without knowing if I will like the end result or not.

Is there a temporary procedure available (temporary tattoo, photographic manipulation) where a patient can see what they may look like with SMP, and if they like the result, go ahead with the permanent procedure?

Thank you

We have monthly Open House events at our office in Los Angeles where you can see first hand how Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) is done and also meet with patients face-to-face that have had SMP.

It is considered permanent, but SMP can often – but not always – be reversed with laser treatments (pigment removal). But you’ll probably not want to have SMP done with the plan to go through the laser treatments right afterwards. If you want a temporary SMP look, you can try cosmetic camouflaging products like Dermmatch or Toppik.

Tags: smp, scalp micropigmentation, pigment, temporary

My Hair Loss Started at 24 Years Old and Comes Out Easily When I Pull It

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

I am 28 male with male pattern baldness which started at around 24 or so but last couple months has been thinning out very rapidly and I am not sure if this is normal. My front hairline on my left side is like a zig zag shape because the hairs are falling out and its uneven and doesn’t look natural.

Also, sometimes if I pull on those hairs some of the thick colored ones will slide out as if the follicle is dead and there is a black color where the root is. Why are these hairs coming out so easily with the black root and why is my hair loss/thinning all of a sudden happening rapidly? Thanks

It’s possible your hairline is maturing or you’re transitioning to a balding pattern that you’re genetically programmed to have. Perhaps it’s something else entirely. I really have no way to know just based on your email. But for your loss to start in the mid 20s, it does sound like it could be genetic male pattern hair loss. See a doctor if you’re concerned.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss

Permanent Female Hair Loss from High Doses of Chemo?

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

(female)
I am currently receiving chemotherapy for my synovial sarcoma. I have 2 more rounds of Ifosfamide to go (Cisplatin/Adriamycin in my previous rounds). I will have 6 total rounds of chemo. I’ve read everywhere that permanent hair loss can occur if there has been very high doses of chemo given. What counts as “high dosage?” Do you think 6 cycles of my chemo will cause permanent hair loss? I just want my hair back!! Thank you.

The reason for hair loss with chemotherapy is because these drugs kill cells that are fast growing, and hair cells fall into that category. We may not know immediately if the hair loss is permanent or temporary, because some of the women who have had such treatments may also have genetic hair loss that is triggered by the drugs. Only time will tell.

Within a year, there is enough time to survey the hair loss. Doing bulk measurements on the newly grown out hair and then repeating such measurements over time will tell much about how the hair may or may not be recovering.

I suggest that you finish your course of chemotherapy and after 6-12 months, you might consider being evaluated by someone like me if you are in the Los Angeles area. At one year out, call me and send me photos so we can start a dialogue.

Tags: chemotherapy, chemo, hairloss, hair loss

Since You Now Work With a Doctor That Treats Gynecomastia…

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

Hi Doctor,

I’ve seen you comment on the topic of propecia-related gynecomastia before but, what I’m wondering is, how often you see it in your practice. Would you say it’s as common as the sexual side effects? Moreso? Less so?

I’m a bit worried at the fact that you say you now work with a doctor in your practice who treats this. I don’t supposed you’d have need for it if it weren’t pretty prevalent.

I’m starting to experience MPB. I am 26 and my father lost his hair at a very young age. Unfortunately, my visit to the dermatologist was not ideal. I was very nervous and she did nothing to calm me down. Honestly, she spoke to me as if my being there was a waste of her time. “You’re 26, it’s not unusual at this age.”

I understand that but a little understanding wouldn’t have hurt. She only suggested Rogaine for me. She mentioned Propecia but did not prescribe it for me due to being “disturbed by recent studies.” Being an FDA approved medication I really think it should be the patient’s decision as long as the risks are clearly explained. My general practitioner does not seem to want to prescribe it for me, either.

Any information you can provide on these topics is appreciated. I’d like to try the medication but, if I keep hair but grow breasts…I’m not sure what I’ve gained.

I think you read into things a little bit when I mentioned I now work with a doctor that surgically treats gynecomastia. I acquired a dermatology practice where one of the doctors has built up a massive experience treating this problem over the years. Most gynecomastia is not related to Propecia use, as this is very rare in my experience. Gynecomastia occurs in many men at many ages.

If you don’t like how your dermatologist treated you, you should find another doctor. I’ve written much about the “recent studies” which are actually just biased interviews with 50+ men.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, gynecomastia

I Cut My Head and Had Stitches — Will Hair Regrow There?

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

Hi.

I cut the back of my head quite badly a few weeks back. I had stitches put in and now they have been removed. The cut is healing well but the problem is that there are 2 cuts with a gap in between. Currently I have a large-ish bald patch covering the whole area.

My questions are:

A) Will the area between the 2 scars ever grow back the hair

B) Is there anything I can do to encourage the hair to regrow.

Thanks.

Without seeing you, I can not tell you the answers to your question. The scalp frequently scars and the scar can widen. If that is the case, you may end up with a bald area where the scar forms.

Sometimes there is an area around the scar which has temporary hair loss. If that happens, it usually regrows in about 6 months. Best to see a doctor who knows about hair for an examination if you’re concerned.

Tags: scarring, scar, hairloss, hair loss

How Can I Make My Hair Stay Dryer?

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

Dear Dr Rassman,

I am 19, Asian, and am balding in a diffuse pattern, mostly in the crown. I’ve been taking Propecia for around 3 months, with little noticeable slowing of hair loss – but I realize that results take time.

My issue is this – I have INCREDIBLY sparsely-packed hair, although the shafts themselves are of normal thickness. Even when I wasn’t balding, my hair, when wet and clumped together, gave the appearance of baldness.

For some reason, my hair gets ‘oily’ and ‘wet’ really easily – dry, my hair looks quite good, but once oily and wet (and since I live in a humid in a climate) my hair looks quite bad. Is there any way to prevent my hair from absorbing so much moisture and to keep dry?

Thanks.

You could experiment with different shampoos that are made for oily hair. And maybe use a blow dryer (with a wide-toothed brush) on the warm setting long enough to dry your hair.

Tags: oily hair, hair

I Had No Side Effects from Propecia, But the News Scared Me and I Stopped It Anyway

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

I took finasteride for about a year and a half with no sexual side effects. I went off the medication due to all the lastest bad news of people having issues even after stopping the drug. SInce I have lost TONS of hair. I want to go back on and am wondering since I was on it for so long with no side effects does that mean I most likely never will going back on it?
Thank you!

If you didn’t have side effects before, I wouldn’t expect they would appear upon restarting the medication, but I can’t know that for sure. I do believe that much of the panicking posts online are from people that have concluded on their own that Propecia is the cause for most of their problems (real or imagined) and there’s likely nothing that will convince them otherwise. The wave of recent press about permanent side effects comes from a study based on interviews with 54 people, but the headlines are more interesting than the content.

As adults, we all have to make grown up decisions that may impact our health. From smoking cigarettes to overeating to putting ourselves in debt… these are decisions we make.

I can not help you with your decision of whether to take the medication other than to say that my son takes it and neither he nor I worry about everything that is panicking the folks on the internet. This is an elective prescription medication, so you’ll need to talk to your doctor more about your concerns and hopefully that will help you decide what you want to do next.

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

I Was a Victim of a Hair Transplant Pricing Scam

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

I am one of the latest victims of hair transplant scam in this country. I asked for a full head of hair and I was told all I need is 3600 grafts at a price of 1.75 dollar per graft (too good to be true). The person in charge claims that he transplanted 3800 grafts which mean 11000 hairs (an average graft is 3 hairs x 3800=11400 hairs). And I counted them one by one (this lie is in the consent form he prepared for me to sign) Is this true? No! Never! It is impossible to extract so many grafts from just a 20 sq. cm donor area.

So the strategy of these crooks is to bring down the price at one end and fake the number of grafts at the other end so to come up with the same dollar amount as with other companies but pretending to be competitive in the market. I borrowed money from Chase Health Advance and once I discovered that I was a victim of fraud I stopped making further payments. I have filed a complaint with Florida Department of consumer affairs, Department of Health and FBI in Miami, FL. I trusted these crooks through Chase Health Advance. The latter has stopped lending money to their prospects. I need your feedback to be more effective against these criminals. Please provide your advice.

The legal remedies include criminal and civil options. I am not a lawyer, but I’ve posted your email so that other people will remember that when someone promises you something that seems too good to be true, it usually is. I’ve written much about scams and “discount” hair transplants before (like in this post).

If you counted thousands of grafts or hairs, that is quite a task. Is it possible that your surgery wasn’t that long ago and the grafts haven’t grown in yet? I don’t know enough about your case to really offer much.

Tags: hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, scam

Hair Loss Gene Regulation from Environmental Influences?

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

Hi Doc,

Firstly thanks for the blog, very helpful and informative, have been following it for some time.

I had two questions for you,

1) First is regarding propecia. I have read many entries in your blog and you mentioned that complete reversal is extremely rare and usually seen in those under 21 (with use of propecia). My question is within your practice have you ever seen early to late norwood 3 patterns reverse to a norwood 2 (where balding is hardly evident). I know that regrowth is rare and should not be expected, but was just wondering if you had seen such changes in your practice.

2) You and other doctors (experts in hair loss) have mentioned that even if one is carrying a baldness gene it doesn’t necessarily manifest itself. Well I know that gene regulation causes genes to turn on and off during ones lifetime. Could it be possible for the baldness gene to turn off once it has manifested due to positive environmental influences (healthy diet, very low stress, exercise etc..)…my second question is just me wondering really, medically it might not make much sense, but I have heard of gene regulation (genes turning on and off during ones lifetime due to environmental influences) and was thus wondering if this applies to balding genes as well.

Thank you

What more can I say about complete hair loss reversal from Propecia other than it is highly unusual.

There is little doubt in my mind that the balding gene has on and off switches that may be impacted by environmental factors such as diet, but I do not know what many of them are. I do know that stress is one of those environmental factors that can impact balding. As more research is done, we’ll continue to learn more.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, environment, stress

I’m Seeing Results After 2 Months on Propecia

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

Hi doc

I’ve been taking propecia now for 2 months and starting to see good results,

But I’ve read that people shed hair before you see results? I’ve shed no hair what so ever. Is that good or bad?

Thanks for your help and advise this site has been very helpful

Shedding isn’t that common after starting Propecia, so what you’re seeing is not a rare occurrence. Stick to your plan and congratulations on your early success!

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

Hair Transplant Failures – What Could Cause the Grafts to Not Grow?

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

I’ve been writing about hair transplant failures more and more on this site lately, because it is a growing concern. I have been seeing, on average, 1 patient per week (from outside my office) who had a hair transplant with a significant failure of the grafts to grow (greater than an 80% failure).

I just saw another patient who had received over 2000 grafts a few years ago. He was not a happy camper. There was very little growth and he had a very detectable scar which did not allow him to cut his hair short. He had such high hopes that the new hair from the transplant a few years ago would solve his image problems, but after much consternation and considerable anguish, he found that his situation was worse off than if he never had any procedure at all.

The patient explained that he did not like his doctor’s lack of concern in addressing the failure of his transplants to grow nor the detectable scar that plagued him every day. He was disappointed that his research on this particular doctor left no clue to the quality of this doctor’s work, nor his indifference to his plight. Before the surgery, when the doctor’s team “sold” him on the transplant solution, the environment was welcoming… but after the grafts failed to grow, he did not feel welcome by that particular doctor as he was made to feel that the failure of the transplant was his fault, not the doctor’s problem.

This particular patient had as much focus on his scar as he had with the failure for the transplants to grow, because he had the same look from the front and top view as he had before the surgery. He had no deformities from the surgery and his recipient area healed well with no scars present.

So what could be the possible causes for a failure of transplants to grow?

I should start off saying that I have never seen the cause of the problem stemming from something the patient did or did not do. Many of the patients who come to see me because their transplant did not grow felt that they were responsible for the failure. I think that patients feel that the surgery is a mysterious process and that there must be something wrong with them.

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