Would a Vitamin D Deficiency Possibly Cause Hairline Recession?

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


hi doctors from baldingblog.com

How is the new year going so far? My doctor tested my vitamin d levels and it came out i’ve got 13nmol instead of 75nmol. I also have little bone recession in the back, the specialist that found it with photo’s asked if i ever had a accident. I haven’t. I don’t know how long i’m vitamin d deficient, it can be years. My question to you is;

1. Is 13nmol dangerous low?
2. Can it cause little recession in the hairline? Lower quality hair all over? (sometimes i find miniaturized hair in the permanent zone and top, or thick with less pigment, or with strange structures.)

Thank you for your help!

Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to your question.

Vitamin D deficiencies are a potential cause of hair loss, but I frankly do not have any experience with vitamin D levels at those reported by you. It sounds like you will be treated for the low vitamin D and you can keep an eye on your hair thickness and progression (or lack of it), for the small amount of recession you see. Even better, you should have your hair bulk checked now and compare it a point down the line when your vitamin D levels are corrected, so that you have numbers along with the visual analysis.

Tags: vitamin d, vitamin deficiency, hairloss, hair loss

Does SMP Cause Shock Loss?

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

Does SMP cause haïr shock loss ? As thousands of needles are inserted into the skin . Is this preventable ?

Thanks

We have not seen a single case of shock loss from Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP); however, because we do use anesthesia for the procedure, some loss is theoretically possible in a young man not on Propecia (finasteride 1mg).

Tags: smp, pigment, hairloss, hair loss, shock loss

I’ve Been Using Finasteride for Years and Just Added Rogaine — What Else Can I Do?

/by William Rassman, M.D./3 /

Hello Doc,

I’m 27 year old male on finasteride (aprx 1 mg) for the past 3 years. I have thinning in the Frontal and Crown area. Before starting finasteride I use to lose approximately 100 hairs per day (aprx 30 hairs /day now). I don’t see great results with finasteride however I have retained most of my hair. I’m in the same stage as I was 3 years ago which is a good thing.

A year ago I also started using Rogaine liquid and I haven’t seen any results as well. I’m very consistent with my medication and haven’t missed my dose(99% of time). With respect to side effects I can say may be mild to moderate decrease in Libido, lost some hair in my legs but nothing major.

I’m considering hair transplant to the frontal and crown region to add thickness to my existing hair. I hope there wont be any shock loss as I have been on finasteride for a long time and will continue to do.

I was wondering what else I can do to retain all my hair and maybe grow some in frontal/crown/sides/back area as sometimes I feel my side and back region are also thinning.

Thank you very much.

I think you are doing pretty much all the right things. Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) are the only medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. The next step may (or may not be) a hair transplant, but that would be decided on by a consultation with a doctor.

If the sides and back of your head are also thinning, this isn’t typical of male pattern baldness, so your doctor will have to determine whether you’re even a surgical candidate. Good luck!

Tags: hairloss, hair loss

In the News – UCLA Alumni Donated Hair for Children’s Wigs

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

Snippet from the article:

Around 200 Bruins and members of the UCLA community dropped by campus for free haircuts Thursday to donate more than 2,300 inches of their tresses to make children’s wigs.

The UCLA Alumni Scholars Club sponsored the fundraiser, partnering for the sixth year in a row with the nonprofit Locks of Love, which turns the hair into wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illness. Long-locked Bruins with 10 or more inches to spare donated their hair with the help of supervised student stylists from the Vidal Sassoon Academy and the Aveda Institute.

Read the rest — Bruins make a difference for children with hair loss

Tags: bruins, ucla, hairloss, hair loss, wigs

Did the Doctors That Claimed ACell Multiplied Hairs Commit Fraud?

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

Hello Dr Rassman, I have a question about Acell. No it is not in regards to the effectiveness of the compound, or whether other physicians are still trying to get it to clone hairs. It is in regards to whether the claims made about Acell constitute fraud.

The physicians who popularized the product claimed that it cloned or duplicated plucked hairs. You claimed that you had a in depth discussion with the doctors about their claims where they “retracted” their initial statements about the product be capable of duplicating plucked hair follicles. Is that not distorting experimental results? Is that not illegal?

This whole situation kind of reminds me about Dr Wakefield, a well known researcher notoriously acknowledged for making the outrageous claim that vaccines for measles and mumps cause autism. Vaccines clearly dont cause autism and Wakefields journal entry was retracted by the publishers (something rare I thought). While the situation with Acell maybe a little bit different, doesnt the fact still remain that scientific data was misrepresented here?

I know this blog is not some place to criticize other surgeons/researcher and I am aware that you do not slander other physicians here (an obvious and ethical choice), but I know I am not the only one who thinks that the whole Acell things was borderline fraud. The claims about it were just not scientifically valid. Im out of line here?

Sometimes doctors jump the gun and get excited about something before it becomes vetted properly in scientific journals, where it can be reviewed by experts in the field. Consumers pay the price as they read hyped Internet advertisements. I said it many times — it is a buyer beware market — and this case is no different. What you read in the Internet is not always the truth.

We tried to adhere to the scientific method and attempted to duplicate the claim by getting approval from the medical board. When we offered it to select patients, we got approval from an institutional review board and never profited from these trials. We actually lost out with the expense from the application fees, materials cost, and our time.

Tags: acell, experiment, fraud

My Hairdresser Used Peroxide, Then Hair Dye, Then I Relaxed My Hair — Now It’s Falling Out!

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

I’m a 19 year old female. I’ve wanted to change my hair color for quiet some time. I wanted to go blonde. When I went to my hairdresser, he told me the implications but I thought oh well let’s do it. I had to peroxide it…I didn’t like the end result so I immediately ordered him to change it…to light brown. I did and my hair was okay until 2 weeks later growth appeared really badly so I decided to relax.

Ever since then, my hair has been falling off. I do apply olive oil and coconut oils & have been treating it for only 3weeks now. I don’t know what to do and I’m afraid of cutting it all of. Is there no other way I can stop it from breaking & having it grow again? HELP

Hair coloring and chemicals, when used in excess or inappropriately, can cause hair loss. This can be temporary or permanent. If it is temporary, it could take 6-12 months for it to reverse. It all depends upon the degree of burn with the chemicals used. You will know within about one year.

It is a difficult and emotional process to go through and there is no easy answer to this.

Tags: chemical burn, chemical damage, hairloss hair loss

If I Have a Transplant Now, Would That Mean Future Treatments Wouldn’t Work?

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

Have had a thinning hairline for the past few years (I’m 27). I take propecia and rogaine to slow it down, but lately it has been getting a bit more noticeable.

I am considering getting a hair transplant, I have a question regarding future treatment though. Lets say I get a hair transplant now and eventually a topical or injectable solution comes out to reverse hairloss. Would there be a conflict between the transplanted follicles, and the follicles in the same area that are miniaturized/dormant that are now being revitalized? Would getting a hair transplant mean I couldn’t use those future treatments?

Thanks.

We always advocate having a Master Plan made, which means you need a consultation with a doctor.

I do not know the future of hair restoration technology, but a hair transplant surgery would not be a contraindication to any future developments. That is, unless you end up with a bad hair transplant surgery… so choose your doctor wisely.

Tags: hair loss, hairloss, hair transplant

FUE Failures Continue to Happen

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

Last week, I met with a patient who had two follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedures at a clinic, but came to see me to find out why his grafts hadn’t grown in. After an examination, I’d estimate that 90% of the grafts did not grow. The patient told me that his surgeon thinks there might be a problem with his skin, but I told him the real problem was the doctor couldn’t deliver what he was supposed to give him with a good survival.

In another conversation on the same day, I called one of the most prominent hair transplant surgeons in North America about another issue. Our conversation drifted to FUE failures, and he named three doctors who are FUE promoters whose patients have been in his office because of high failure rates. I know about these same three doctors. There are no secrets to the community of skilled and honorable surgeons of who are the unreliable doctors; however, I can not come out with their names publicly here or I would be the subject of a slander lawsuit. I can only be vague, which I know isn’t always the most helpful, but I needed to post something.

I’m disappointed that I can’t name names, because I know that many patients will be harmed by those less-than-honorable doctors. All I can do is continue to post about what you should do to become a more knowledgeable shopper — research the doctor you choose, ask to meet with his/her patients so you can see the results in person, and remember that this is a surgery that will be with you for the rest of your life (for better or worse).

See this post for more about FUE failures.

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

If I Can’t Maintain the Minoxidil Schedule of Twice Daily, Is It Worth Using At All?

/by William Rassman, M.D./3 /

Hi Doc,

I am already on Finasteride 1 mg. I had bought Minoxidil for application on temple region. Since i am not able to maintain the medication schedule (twice a day forever till one wants to maintain hair), i discontinued after applying for 5 – 7 days. I plan to apply it whenever my busy schedule permits me (maybe once / twice a week during weekends).

Do you think there would be any benefits in doing so OR would i be doing more harm than good (like accelerated hair-loss for the first few days while applying Minoxidil)? Thanks.

A couple things that should be pointed out —
1. Minoxidil is indicated for top/crown hair loss. It really does not work all that well for frontal hairline or temple areas.
2. Minoxidil is recommended for use twice a day everyday for several months before you see some improvement.

If you know the two facts above, you can make an educated and informed decision about whether random applications to an area that the medication isn’t intended to regrow hair in will be beneficial for you or not.

Tags: minoxidil, rogaine, hairloss, hair loss

My Scalp Burned and Felt Numb After Getting Highlights, And Now It’s Much Thinner!

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

(female)
I have been getting my thick hair dyed for 20 years. I usually go every month. I have been using an Aveda salon where they use products with high ammonia content. I have been noticing the last few months that my hair is no longer thick.

I feel I did not realize this because I have a different style that is has very choppy layers and just naturally makes it look thinner. So, the last 3 times she put a toner on the highlights (bleach over bleach process) my scalped burned and felt numb. The times before this happened also, and I told her about it. I did not see any redness to my scalp. It just felt numb for more than a week and then it itched. I have seen my hair on my pillow and in the filter after a shower. It is noticeably thinner now and I am very distressed and worried that this is a PERMANENT loss, with having sustained death to the hair follicles.

Please help!!! My sister lives in LA and I could come to see you. What do you recommend?

The use of hair dyes have risks and can impact hair permanently, which is why you must go to a reputable hair stylist to hopefully avoid the types of damage that these chemicals can induce. You are welcome to visit us for an opinion.

In general, it may take a full year before you can tell if the damage was permanent.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, chemical burn, chemical damage, female hair loss

Do Hair Transplant Surgeons Take Shock Loss Into Account?

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

I wanted to comment and say you have a really informative website and I enjoy reading the blogs on here and your advice to people. I try to come here as much as I can and get advice with my hair loss situation.

My question is regarding thinning hair and transplants. When a surgeon places grafts into a thinning area, does he take into consideration there might be shock loss present and places more grafts into that area to fill it in, even though the patient is on propecia and lets say he’s 30 yrs of age? Or, does he expect the patient to come back for future surgeries to fill in the thinning area due to shock loss?

My other question is regarding working out and losing hair. I mostly run to stay in shape and stay away from the heavy lifting. I have read on this website, that working out with either weights or running doesn’t increase hair loss. However, I have read some comments from posters also on here that it has made them lose hair, and I have heard from other people at the gym where I live that they noticed hair loss while working out, without steroids of course, or while taking creatine (supplement). So, Which is the truth?

Thank you for helping me.

When transplanting hair into a young man (under 30 years old), shock hair loss should be at the top of the discussion points, particularly if the young man does not take finasteride. Of course, the same is true for patients older than 30. Where the cut off is for risk of shock hair loss without finasteride on board, I am not quite sure… but I know it happens even to a 40 year old and an occasional 50 year old. Being on finasteride, having a small number of grafts (no mega sessions), and not having any accelerated thinning definitely is a good indicator. In the end it is really about each patient on a case by case basis. There is no set rule. Thus relationship with a doctor is very important.

Transplanting into thinning hair follows the same rules as above, but there is not the introduction of mechanical shock into thinning, miniaturized hair, which is more susceptible for hair loss than normal hair that is not miniaturized.

As for exercise and heavy lifting, as long as you stay away from anabolic steroids, I do not believe there is risk with protein concoctions. Hair loss has been reported in rare cases while taking creatine, but I can’t say for sure if there is truth to it.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant, shock loss

Does Minoxidil Need to Be Rubbed Into the Scalp?

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

Doc.. does minoxidil have to be rubbed into the scalp to be effective. I feel like my hair is soaking it up when I do that.

Also my hair looks much worse with it. Even if I use it just at night and wash it out. It seems to effect the texture. If i go a few days without it my hair returns to normal looking much better. I guess that’s the trade off. Wish I never started it.

Thanks.

Minoxidil is for use on the scalp, not the hair. Unfortunately, much of it is wasted on the hair because of the applicators and their limitations. There almost seems to be a conspiracy to design the applicators to be wasteful and more profitable for the suppliers selling the products. Maybe one day, a better applicator will come along.

Minoxidil is also known as Rogaine, and there is a video on Rogaine.com, showing you how to apply the foam. The same application instructions apply to the liquid version, though the foam likely involves less of a mess.

Tags: minoxidil, rogaine, hairloss, hair loss

I Used Doo Gro And Felt a Burning On My Scalp

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

The left side or my hairline is thinning and so is the middle. Im only 20 years old (male) and balding doesnt happen this early in my family. This happened REALLY SUDDEN (I keep a grade one haircut most of the time so I would noticed).

I have been using a product called Doo Gro and it burned the back of my head and gave me weird headaches. I stopped but started using it again and one day I felt a tingle/burning in my left temple where I applied the product. I plan on stop using it for good if I see improvements. Could this have triggered MPB to start early?

I couldn’t tell you if this kickstarted your genes. This is an over the counter product, but if the problem persists I’d see a dermatologist. I don’t know anything about it from personal experience, but if the product is causing burning sensations on your scalp and even headaches… I’d stop using it immediately.

Tags: doo gro, burning, pain, headaches

Propecia Was Great for Years, But After Switching to a Generic I Saw My Hair Loss Start Again

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

I’m 33 years old and have been using Propecia for about 5-6 years with great results. my hair on top of the head regrew almost completely. three months ago in order to save costs, instead of using Propecia, I started dividing a generic Finasteride 5mg into 4 pieces and take a quarter daily. Ever since then ive started noticing that im losing hair again. this may or may not be related to Finasteride and could be down to the fact that the drug itself may have stopped working for me.

Ive introduced Minoxidil Foam Extra Strength twice daily and will use Nizoral 2% 3 times a week but I’m a little anxious about this and wanted you opinion. do you think i should go back to Propecia or perhaps take 2.5mg daily of Finasteride, or alternatively start taking Avodart?

Many thanks for your help

As you know, the medication in Propecia and the 5mg generic are the same, just different dosages. Cutting the 5mg pill shouldn’t produce anything different from the 1mg name brand pill. I guess you could go back to trying the name brand Propecia to see if that makes any difference, but I would be surprised if it did.

Many men use minoxidil and finasteride at the same time, and I suppose you can add Nizoral to your regimen. One thing that I should point out about using a bunch of daily treatments is the financial commitment you’ll need to make to continue these for life.

As for whether you should take Avodart (dutasteride) or increase your finasteride dosage, that is something you’ll need to talk to your prescribing doctor about.

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