More and More Differently Textured Hairs Are Growing On My Scalp

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

Hello Dr. Rassman,

First I want to excuse for my not-so-good English.

I am a 23-year-old male. About 2 years ago I noticed my hair thinning all over the top of my head and the hairline slowly eroding away from its original position. I’ve been on finasteride for about 20 months.

Anyway, I’ll get straight to the problem… About half a year ago I noticed strange-looking random hairs on the top of my head. My natural hair colour is dark brown, but mentioned hairs are ebony black. Not only that, but they are at least twice thicker and very wiry. They are easily noticeable, because they don’t mix with my normal hair when combing. Even though my hair is around 3” in length, they stand there almost vertically, slightly curled up.

As I mentioned, 6 months ago they were just some couple of random hairs. Lately I have noticed more and more of hairs like that sprouting up. They look nothing like my hair. In fact, they don’t look like human hair at all. At least not the kind you’d expect one to have growing on his head.

I’m really clueless as to what is going on with me. I have tried searching all over the Internet. I have found people with similar problems, but no one really knows what they are about.

Perhaps You can help me.

Thanks!

Hmm… so you are saying you have non-human like hair growing on your scalp? Is there a correlation with a full moon? Do you have an urge to howl?

Sometimes hairs can have different textures and there may be no direct reason for this. Maybe it is hormonal. I do not know. If you’re concerned, you should see a doctor about it.

Tags: hair growth, hair character

Theaflavins from Black Tea Extract and the Ability to Reduce Serum DHT?

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

Hi dr

I really like your site as you seem very genuine and take a considered approach. I am 26 and have been losing my hair for a few years now and am probably a Norwood 2 with a slight thinning all over. I have been hesitant about taking propecia due to the side effects and even freaked out after taking one pill as I thought my member was going to turn black and fall off (or something awful).

Luckily it didn’t but before embarking on a course of propecia I would like your opinion on the study regarding theaflavins from black tea extract and soy isoflavens and their ability to reduce serum dht by an amount equivalent to propecia. Granted the study was done on mice but as probably most of the readers on here are, I am rather desperate for a natural solution to hairloss. The study was done in 2003 which makes me think there’s nothing to it but would like to hear your opinion in any case. If a reduction in dht is the mechanism by which propecia works, couldn’t this work in theory?

Sorry for the rather long post but one other interesting study looked at a combination of capsicum and soy isoflavens and their ability to increase hair growth. I am reluctant to give citations or links to the website I found them on as it looks like a bazaar for snake oils and im sure your team are fully aware.

Many thanks, and if I do end up taking propecia I am confident that your honest appraisal of the incidence of side effects will go along way to reducing the placebo effect.

I hate to project what was reported in mice as transferable to humans, but our readership can draw their own conclusions that there may be value in theaflavins for reducing DHT. More research needs to be done to prove it would actually be effective in humans for treating hair loss, of course. The studies I’ve seen about this have continued to be limited to just mice and rats.

It does sound like if there was something to it from a decade’s worth of research, we’d be seeing more in the news about black tea extract being the hair loss treatment we’ve all been waiting for. Alas, that doesn’t appear to be the case at this point.

We’ve actually written a little about this before here, where I pointed out that black tea is extremely common in the UK, where hair loss is still seen just like in other parts of the world.

Tags: theaflavins, black tea, hair loss, hairloss

Can I Get SMP So My Fine Hair Doesn’t Show Scalp in Certain Lighting?

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

I have fine thin hair that you can see through in some lighting situations. Would SMP work in the front as well as the back as an effective concealor? I want to still keep my hair long for now and do a bit of SMP then maybe do more SMP down the road.

Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) is an effective concealer, but it is not the answer to everyone’s concealer needs. From your description, I can not determine what you look like… and without speaking with you, I can’t determine what would make you happy with your appearance.

At the least, send some pictures and schedule a telephone consultation so we can try to address your needs.

Tags: smp, pigment, thinning hair

Female Hair Trends from a Century Ago

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

Thought our readers might like this one…

To celebrate Hairstyle Appreciation Day (which I didn’t know was a thing), MentalFloss.com takes a stroll down memory lane to showcase some popular hairstyles for women of 100 years ago. From sausage curls to the Eton Crop, I am sure there’s women out there somewhere still styling their hair this way.

Link: 100-Year-Old Hairstyle Trends for Hairstyle Appreciation Day

Tags: hairstyles, hair trends

I Think I’m a Norwood 1.5 and I Can See My Scalp Under Bright Lights

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

Hi, I am a big fan of this blog.

I am a male of 24 years from India and have been losing hair since I was 18. Here is the condition of my hair:
-I think I am Norwood 1.5 and my hair seems full to others
-I lost much of bulk on my balding zones, non balding zones are okay.
-I lose hair which are so thin. Most hair strands that I lose are thick at the tip, but gets so thin towards the root (the bulb portion). The root portion is also whitish in colour.
-My scalp is so freakishly oily and have dandruff only on the balding zone. Whenever I scratch I find hairs that are almost invisible.
-Some long hairs can be pulled out easily. They move in the slightest of wind while holding at the root. Those strands are medium thick but very lifeless.
-My crown is feeling very thinner. The scalp can be seen at bright lights

I think I am in early stages of balding. I want to do something to treat early before it is too late. I am a bit scared of fin but I wont mind giving it a try. What do you say about my hair condition? is it mpb? Can i take fin without seeing a derm? or should i wait for histogen?

If you’re seeing a Norwood class 1 or 2, that isn’t really considered balding. It is normal to lose hair daily, as new hair grows in (hair cycling). It is also normal for your hair to appear thinner under bright, direct lighting. All in all, what you’re describing sounds pretty… normal.

If you are concerned that you’re in the early stages of male pattern baldness (MPB), you should see a doctor. Do not just take finasteride without a prescription. It is a prescribed medication for a reason, and you must see a doctor (dermatologist or otherwise) that can tell you if what you’re seeing is even MPB.

I couldn’t tell you if Histogen or other future treatments will become a reality, or how effective they will even be, or when they will even be public. There are still a lot of questions about future treatments, but we’re all waiting to know.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss

Is There a Way to Tell FUE Success After Just a Week or Month?

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

Hi Doctors, great blog here! It’s an amazing cross-reference and informative place.

Just wanted to know if there are any signs of a successful FUE transplant? (other than growth of hair at 8-10 months!!).

Can the patient tell within a week, or a month, whether the surgery he had would be, say, at least 80-90% successful? Are there any signs which suggest that yes the transplant was a success, and that the roots did not dry out, and were placed correctly etc.? ( I’m guessing, that if the transplanted hair kept growing till it fell out after 3/4 weeks, that means the roots were alive and firmly in place, and the surgery was good? )

I only ask about FUE, because it seems the more delicate procedure with a higher trans-section rate.

Thank you Doctor.

I know the anxiety you have. Everyone with a hair transplant wants to accelerate the clock, but it makes no real difference if the transplant is FUE or strip. In either case, you will start seeing the results (at least some results) somewhere between 4-6 months, with good growth by the 8th month. At one month, the hair sheds in probably 19 out of 20 people. Just be patient.

Tags: hair transplant, hair restoration, success

Was My Crown Loss from Eczema?

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

I am a 28 year old male and I have quite thin hair. Around three years ago someone mentioned it was thinning around the crown. At the time I had quite bad eczema on my head. I assumed this was the source of the problem and have since managed to get it under control with the help of a dermatologists.

However, the hair around my crown does not seem to have grown back. I keep quite a close eye on my crown and I don’t think it has got much worse over the last few years, although it is hard to tell.

Could the hair loss around my crown be due to the eczema? Should I assume it won’t grow back?

I suppose anything is possible, but your guess is as good as mine in this case. It is relatively unusual to just have crown hair loss from eczema. In general, crown hair loss for men is genetic in nature. It’s possible that you have genetic balding in addition to the eczema.

Tags: eczema, hairloss, hair loss