Did Finasteride Cause an Inguinal Hernia?

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

Hi Doctor,

I have been on Finasteride now for about a month and a half. I have been experiencing some pain in my testicles and pubic region. There is also a small lump on my left inguinal ligament. I wonder if this pain may be due to the Finasteride. Do patients ever complain of swelling is this area. Has this drug ever been known to increase the risk for an inguinal hernia? Thank you very much for your time. This site has been most helpful!

The list of known side effects include swelling of the hands or feet, but not pubic region. I do not know how any drug can cause an inguinal hernia. Please see your physician for an examination.

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

Does Sebum Cause Hair Loss In Any Case?

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

what do you make of this theory? is it possible that there could be any truth (or even half truth) to it?

www.againstalopeciaandbaldness.com

The site you linked to doesn’t offer much besides unproven theories presented by an unknown author. It doesn’t look like the site has even been updated in almost a decade.

There has always been talk that sebum is the cause of hair loss, but sebum is the normal exudate from the glands on the hair follicle and when produced, it is completely normal. Now with that said, we see many people who are concerned about hair loss or just poor hair and when looking for something to blame, sebum always seems to come up. Sorry, folks — sebum does not cause hair loss.

Also, to perpetuate this old wives’ tale, you will always find some business that makes money helping you clean your hair better so that the “evil” sebum does not do its damage. Everyone needs to make a living, so I guess the sebum cleaners have been around for as long as people have focused on their hair problems and are willing to give up their hard earned money.

Tags: sebum, hairloss, hair loss

Penile Scar Tissue from Finasteride?

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

I recently read about a man who had been having issues with side effects from propecia only after many years of use (pain ‘down below’). He went to see a urologist who says that it is not unusual to see scar tissue in the penile tissue of long term finasteride users. Seeing as I have been considering taking propecia as a long term commitment this has me very concerned.

Can you reassure me on this at all? I’ve read that DHT is important for maintaining healthy tissue (binding to androgen receptors?) in all tissue apart from the muscles in the body.

I do not know how finasteride could give you penile scar tissue. This is news to me. Perhaps a urologist is a better person to pose this question. The only reassurance I can give is that I’ve never heard of a case of scar tissue forming because of Propecia, and can’t find any studies to suggest that this is a known phenomenon.

You must be careful with all the wealth of information available on the Internet, and understand that not everything you read is true. It’s very easy for things to be taken out of context or misinterpreted, which is why I always stress that you speak with a doctor face to face. Reading what someone on a forum wrote about what a doctor supposedly told him isn’t something I’d get unnerved about.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, scar tissue

I’ve Taken Propecia Every Other Day for a Few Weeks and Have Brain Fog

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

From April of 2012 to May 5th of 2012 I had been taking propecia every other day too see if my oily scalp and skin would go away. Prior to that I had been taking propecia from July 2011 everyday. On May 7th I began to have a feeling of brain fog. Memory Loss, lack of concentration, a confused and almost out of body feeling. I have a loss of appetite and sex drive as well. I have not taken it since May 5th now.

I read on some sites that it takes 7-10 days for Testosterone levels to return to normal and side effects like brain fog to go away. But sometimes the effects return full fledged weeks later and remain somewhat permanent. Is this true? I’ve heard about permanent sexual sides but never long term brain issues except for on propeciahelp.com where no one said they really ever recovered from it.

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a prescription drug taken for the treatment of androgenic alopecia (hair loss)… not oily scalp. Taking the medication every other day is odd dosing, but if you believe you are having side effects associated with the medication then talk with your prescribing doctor about stopping it.

Brain fog associated with Propecia use has been discussed on web forums and it’s been mentioned by one or two patients in my practice over the years, though I am unclear if it is an actual side effect of the medication (if so, it’s quite rare). Appetite loss is something I hadn’t heard before.

In my practice I have not met a person who claimed there was permanent or persistent side effects after stopping Propecia. I realize there are discussion groups and people who are convinced of these issues, but I’ve written about this many, many, many times before. Keep in mind that things you read on various forums are often unverified claims.

Tags: propecia, finateride, hairloss, hair loss, side effects

Scalp Burning and Hair Loss After Taking Xanax

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

(female)
I’m having hair loss and a burning scalp, I think the hair loss is due to zanx a drug I use for depression, I’ve found after taking this tablet my scalp start to burn. I also use baby shampoo which helps the scalp.I have dry eyes and the baby shampoo also helps the eyes, normal shampoo burns my eyes

I assume you mean Xanax (alprazolam) when you wrote Zanx. If I’m wrong, please let me know. I haven’t heard of “Zanx” otherwise. With all that being said, Xanax does not cause hair loss as far as I’m aware… unless it is an extremely rare side effect (see this past post).

If taking a medication causes a burning sensation to the scalp, discuss these things with your doctor and consider stopping the treatment. If using normal shampoo burns your eyes, don’t use it. Perhaps you have an allergy to an ingredient in the shampoo or you’re just getting it in your eyes.

Tags: xanax, hairloss, hair loss, burning scalp

Can Melatonin Accelerate Hair Loss?

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

Can melatonin, a hormone, accelerate hair loss. Does it increase testosterone or lower it?

Thanks drs

Where are you reading these things? Melatonin does not cause hair loss or have anything to do with testosterone other than both being hormones.

Some people have tried using topical melatonin to treat hair loss (likely based on this pilot study that came out in 2004), but that’s not a proven treatment and likely not going to give the results one is looking for.

Tags: melatonin, hairloss, hair loss

Do Scalp Exercises Make a Significant Difference Before Strip Surgery?

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

I am going to have a FUT procedure in around 3 months time. I have seen that some companies recommend scalp exercises to increase scalp laxity and therefore produce more donor hairs. I was told during my consultation that my head already has good laxity, therefore do you think doing these exercises everyday before the operation will make a signifcant difference? In general are you able to estimate potentially how many more donor hair could be harvested ?

Thanks very much.

The difference scalp exercises can make really depends on the laxity of your scalp. If you have a very loose scalp and good laxity, the scalp exercises should not matter. Donor estimates are made on a case by case basis.

For those curious about what scalp exercise is, see this video we made here.

Tags: hair transplant, scalp exercise, hairloss, hair loss

Does Sexual Arousal Increase DHT?

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

This isn’t another “does mastrubation cause baldness?” question but it is related. Many people seem to think that mastrubation increases testosterone which increases dht levels but does simple sexual arousion cause a rise in testosterone levels too? If I am sexually aroused, and find myself with an erection, is that enough to influence dht levels or is it ejaculation of semen that is the prime testosterone booster?

I guess this is another way to answer the same issue. Masturbation, erections, sexual arousal, ejaculation, etc do not cause hair loss. Your genetics are the cause of male pattern balding.

I’m not trying to be rude here, but I get this question many times a week and have answered it dozens of times already. And every time I write about it, I get emails from guys that disagree and tell me tales of going celibate with all of their hair regrowing on their previously balding scalp. I don’t buy it. If that was the cure to balding, I think the world would look very different.

If you believe masturbating or sexual arousal can lead to hair loss, then feel free to leave your genitals alone and stay away from anything or anyone that might sexually excite you. If you see your balding continue, you could probably find something else to blame it on.

Tags: sexual arousal, erection, hairloss, hair loss, sex, masturbation

Prescription Drug Price Check

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

I just saw a mention of a site called GoodRX that allows you to price check local stores. I ran finasteride through their search and found the prices charged by my local Costco, Kmart, and Target stores, among others. Might be something your readers would be interested in.

Thanks for the information!

It seems there are a wide range of markups for generic finasteride 5mg. $9 for 30 pills seem to be the lowest. If you cut those pills into four pieces, that is basically four months of hair loss treatment for 9 bucks. Doing the math, that’s $27 a year. Not too shabby. You just need your doctor to prescribe the higher dosage to you with instructions to cut the pill.

Tags: prescription medication, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

Does Miniaturization Guarantee Balding?

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

I know you’ve discussed miniaturization mapping as the best way to predict someone’s future balding pattern. If someone shows mild miniaturization, does this guarantee the area will eventually be bald, or is it possible the person may never completely lose their hair in a miniaturized region?

Thanks!

Hair loss can not be predicted with 100% accuracy. We use miniaturization mapping as one tool to monitor the progression of hair loss, which allows us to give an educated understanding and prognosis for our patients.

Miniaturization does not guarantee balding.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, miniaturization

Who Performs the SMP?

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

Who performs the scalp-micro pigmentation procedure, the same doctors performing the hair transplants or tattoo artists?

Scalp micropigmentation (SMP) is performed by Dr. Pak who creates the hairline and adjusts the individual pigment. His assistants also help in the process. We are not tattoo artists.

Tags: smp, pigment, tattoo

Protruding Donor Area?

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

Dear Doctor Rassman, Thanks for your all your help in helping people with their baldness issues.

I have two questions. The part of where the top of my skull meets the bottom part, it protrudes a little more then usual and it feels like a bump. That protrusion is in the same area the donor area would be. If I were to have a strip surgery would that protrusion prevent me from having strip surgery. Second question, I have noticed that transplant surgeries in other parts of the world other then North America, are much more cheaper. The quality and techniques are the same and so is the results are amazing, so how come transplant surgeries are so expensive in North America?

The protruding part on the back of the scalp around at the ear level is called the occipital protuberance. This may be more pronounced in some individuals. It is the same area where donor hair is harvested and should not affect the surgery.

With respect to cost of the surgery around the world, I understand it varies, but cosmetic surgeries and its fees are not commodities like an object (automobiles, electronics, etc). So the quality and techniques are not the same all over the world. In theory, it should be, but it is not. One example may be your taste of food in different restaurants all over the world. You can eat a $1 hamburger or a $20 hamburger, but it is not the same. In addition, some parts of the world use different instrument and techniques. The results may be the similar, but not the same.

Tags: hair transplant, occipital bone, hairloss, hair loss

My Hair is Shedding Evenly All Over My Head

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

As a 21 year old, I’ve noticed my hair getting thinner and dryer, it’s just not the same thick and healthy hair I’ve had all my life. It sheds like crazy, there’s hair all over my desk and often clothes. The only weird part is that, the hair shedding is occurring pretty evenly all over my head, everyone tells me my hairline and crown are absolutely normal, not juvenile “normal” but not “balding,” and that I’m crazy.

I know only a doctor’s visit in person can make a diagnosis, but could you at least help me out by telling me whether or not this sort of hair behavior is normal or possible for MPB? I thought MPB was unique in that loss occurred in a pattern, but there’s not really any pattern whatsoever. Does telogen effluvium also effect hair density, because I’ve crash dieted numerous times about 7-9 months ago, while also enduring insanely gripping stress.

Would it be wise to start minoxidil, because I don’t even know where i’d apply it if it’s occurring all over.

also, If health insurance is an issue, what type of doctor would you advise I see if I’m paying out of pocket?

I wouldn’t advise you to start a drug treatment program without knowing what you have to begin with. You know that you need to see a doctor for a diagnosis, so that should be the place you start. A hair transplant doctor should be able to determine what’s what. Some clinics offer free consultations, but you can check for a doctor in your area by using the physician search at ISHRS.org. If you want to run it through insurance, you can try a dermatologist.

Male patterned baldness (MPB) is hair loss in a pattern that affects about 50% of the male population to some degree. Generalized balding and diffuse balding is different and there may be other medical issues that are causing the loss you’re seeing. The stress and crash dieting can’t be helping.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, diffuse

Hemorrhoid Surgery and Hair Loss?

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

hi, i am from india. i want to ask 1 question. i am suffering from haemmoroids and doctors have told me to go for a surgery. i am not doing only because of anesthesia. the anesthesia used for surgery is spinal anesthesia. i want to ask can that cause hair loss? or i have 1 more option of rubber band treatment which is done by local doctor and is not that hygenic for which only local anaesthesia is given. what do u say? which treatment should i do? i am really confused

plz reply soon. regards

You really need to discuss these things with your surgeon. Hemorrhoid surgery, called a hemorrhoidectomy, does not usually cause hair loss… though I suppose it is possible that stress from the surgery could cause some form of temporary hair loss (telogen effluvium).

General anesthesia is sometimes referenced as causing general hair loss, but this is generally reversible.

Tags: hemorrhoidectomy, hemorrhoid, hairloss, hair loss, anesthesia