Sir does xrays causes telogen effluvium, or accelerates hair fall in patients with male pattern baldness?

X-ray is a type of electromagnetic radiation that is all around us. It falls between the ultraviolet light and gamma rays in the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. A certain amount of X-rays is all around us so your question depends on the amount of x-ray radiation one receives or the location of where the x-ray is being received.

I would guess that you would need a ridiculous amount of x-rays delivered to your scalp to start worrying about hair loss. At that point hair loss would probably be the last of your concerns as you are dying from radiation poisoning. (I’m being facetious.) Cancer patients receiving radiation to their brain can develop local hair loss (but that’s not x-rays).

A simple chest x-ray, CT scan, or airport security should be insignificant in terms of hair loss.

This is probably the first time I write, please follow up with your physicist.

Of interesting note: “Reported in Scientific American, This Week in World War I: January 30, 1915”

X-rays were used for medical operations within a couple of months after they were discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in late 1895.

Thank you very much for your posts and the great help that you are offering to your readers and far beyond. You have stated in previous posts that Propecia halts the loss of hair but at the end the gene will win and the outcome will be as it should have been without taking Propecia. This is in a way depressing but do you have any statistics to what period of time Propecia remains effective. You mentioned previously 5 years for Propecia to peak. What will then happen after this 5 years period, will it lose its loss of hair benefits and hair starts falling again. Will it still beneficial to take it then. Thank you

Everyone is different in the way they respond to medication (any medication). Some patients rapidly lose hair despite being on Propecia. Some patients hold on to their hair for many years on Propecia. You won’t know unless you try. The younger you are, the better you will see the impact of this drug. If you are over 40, the drug impact may be less.

Taken from my colleague Dr Bernstein’s site:
Studies have shown that after five years of treatment, 90% of men taking finasteride maintained their hair or increased hair growth. At five years, 48% of men treated with Propecia demonstrated an increase in hair growth, 42% were rated as having no change (no further visible progression of hair loss from baseline) and 10% were rated as having lost hair when compared to baseline. In comparison, 6% of men treated with placebo demonstrated an increase in hair growth, 19% were rated as having no change and 75% were rated as having lost hair when compared to baseline.

In the “Hair Count Clinical Study,” hair counts showed an average gain of 277 hairs per one-inch circle at the end of five years. These hairs were significantly larger than the fine, miniaturized hair characteristic of balding. In the “Hair Weight Clinical Study, 34% mean hair mass/weight difference was observed between Propecia and Placebo at 96 weeks.

Dr. Rassman, you probably already saw this, but I thought it was pretty interesting:

“In a new study, Sanford-Burnham researchers have used human pluripotent stem cells to generate new hair. The study represents the first step toward the development of a cell-based treatment for people with hair loss. – See more HERE”

It seems like a great step forward in generating new hair from stem cells.

This is terrific research showing the hair can be grown from stem cells. This has been done before and when it was transplanted as shown in the photograph, the hair grew in all direction and eventually killed the mice from infected ingrown hairs. It is no small challenge to get all of the hair lined up at the top of the dermis so that they break through the epidermis just as a new hair grows in when it comes out of telogen (sleep phase) and into anagen (growth phase). The challenge in front of this breakthrough is no small chore, but from the economics shown in the article, the reward for any company solving the mystery might make that company very rich!

Let’s hope the research can branch further into a clinical model in humans. If you’re wondering how long this may be… I don’t know.

The research paper is HERE

I had two injections of triamcinolone acetate(40 mg each) 1 week apart, used prednisone(15mg/day) for two months and used topical diprosono for two two weeks(2 times/day). All these meds were taken between May and July 2014.

I experienced massive thinning of hair in September 2014 and hair continues to thin all over the top. I’m on Finasteride since June 2013.

I am worried and wondering if these meds have accelerated my balding. I’m 22 and started losing hair at 14/15. Since starting Fin, my hair were at its best in July 2014 and then this happened.

Hair loss from Male Pattern Balding (MPB) and hair loss from corticosteroid use are two separate things that may or may not be related. In general, for men who have the genes for Androgentic Alopecia (AGA) otherwise known as Male Pattern Balding (MPB) starts in the puberty teenage years and can rapidly progress to their 20’s. While corticosteroid use can be a cause of hair loss it probably will not accelerate MPB unless its use is repetitive or in high doses.

Hello, Dr William i have male pattern baldness. I am already taking finisteride 1mg daily and using minoxidil 5% spray twice daily. Sir, if I also want to add any topical dht inhibitor in my regimen then which one will you suggest?

Despite what you may find on the Internet, I am not aware of any reputable studies which show that topical DHT inhibitor work for androgenic alopecia.

I am sure you can find well made websites or a doctor that may endorse such product that may say otherwise.

Hello, Sir i m taking finisteride 1 mg daiily for my Male Pattern Baldness. Sir if with daily finisteride i want to add dutasteride 0.5mg just twice a month , so can i do so? Even if it does not enhance the results of finisteride, but still if one want to take it twice a month so apart from sexual side effects can it cause any other side effect on hairloss?

The only approved oral medication for the treatment of Male Pattern Balding (MPB) is Propecia which is finasteride 1mg. Dutasteride is a similar type of medication as finasteride you may find many sources on the Internet that advocate its use. However it does not mean it will work. You may get an increase in the unwanted side effects and there may be long term issues that are not known. Follow up with your doctor.

The hair in every person’s scalp grows in tiny bundles called follicular units. Although this had been recognized for some time by histologists (doctors who study human tissue), the existence of follicular units was largely ignored by physicians performing hair restoration surgery.

The follicular unit of the adult human scalp consists of 1-4 terminal (full thickness) hair follicles. In areas of the scalp affected by genetic balding, the healthy terminal hairs are gradually replaced by hairs of smaller diameter and length called “miniaturized” hairs.

In addition to the full terminal hairs, the follicular unit contains 1-2 fine vellus hairs, sebaceous (oil) glands, a small muscle, tiny nerves and blood vessels, and a fine band of collagen surrounding the unit (called the perifolliculum). The follicular unit is thus the hair bearing structure of the skin and should be kept intact to insure maximum growth.

The follicular unit is seen on the surface of the scalp as a tiny group of hairs that appear to be growing together. They are best viewed under a microscope where they are seen as well-formed structures in the skin but if you part your hair (say in the middle) and look at with a bright light

A close-up view showing the hair actually emerging in small groups called Follicular Units.

With the hair clipped the natural hair groupings are visualized on the surface of the skin at 30x magnification through an instrument called a densitometer.

A histologic view of the corresponding Follicular Units seen in cross-section within the dermis.
What is Follicular Unit Transplantation?

Perfectly intact 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-hair Follicular Units removed from the donor strip using a dissecting stereo-microscope.

Follicular Unit Transplantation is a technique, pioneered by the Physicians at the New Hair Institute, in which hair is transplanted from the permanent zone in the back of the scalp into areas affected by genetic balding, using only the naturally occurring, individual follicular units.

In order to remove Follicular Units from the back of the scalp without damaging them, the donor tissue is removed in one piece. This technique, called Single Strip Harvesting, is an essential component of follicular unit transplantation as it not only preserves the follicular units, but it prevents damage (transection) to the individual hair follicles. It differs dramatically from the mini-micrografting technique of using a multi-bladed knife that breaks up follicular units and causes unacceptable levels of transection of hair follicles. Another harvesting technique, Follicular Unit Extraction, allows the surgeon to remove individual follicular units without a linear donor incision.

Another essential component of Follicular Unit Transplantation is Stereo-Microscopic Dissection.

In this technique all of the follicular units are removed from the donor tissue under microscopic control to avoid damage. Complete stereo-microscopic dissection has been shown to produce an increased yield of both the absolute number of follicular units, as well as the total amount of hair, (upwards of 25%). (This procedure differs from mini-micrografting in which the grafts are cut with minimal or no magnification.)

A major advantage of follicular unit transplantation, (besides preserving follicular units and maximizing growth) is the ability to use small recipient sites. Grafts comprised of individual follicular units are small because Follicular Units are themselves small, but also because the surrounding non-hair bearing tissue is removed under the microscope and doesn’t need to be transplanted. Follicular unit grafts can be inserted into tiny needle-sized sites in the recipient area, which heal in just a few days without leaving any marks.

When performed by a skilled surgical team, Follicular Unit Transplantation can provide totally natural looking hair transplants that make the full use of the patient’s donor supply to give the best possible cosmetic results in the fewest possible sessions.

A Norwood class 6 patient with position of new hairline marked just prior to surgery.

Results after two sessions of Follicular Unit transplantation. Note the perfectly natural appearance of the frontal hairline.

I realize that individuals vary greatly, but is possible to determine, from measuring a person’s facial proportions, where their natural hairline, prior to any hair loss, should be? i.e. how far up the forehead should it be located.

Each and every patient is different but in general a male hair line usually starts around 1cm or so above the highest crease of the furrowed brow. To see this, look in the mirror and lift your eyebrows. That crease will show up well unless you had Botox done. We can go in to facial geometry and proportions and there are books and papers written about this. But you can start with the basic. We’ve also written about the Juvenile Hair line regarding this topic over the last several years here on Balding Blog. Use the search bar (upper right corner).

Hi doc. I have a thick donor area but the side of my hair in my opinion are a bit thin. Would I still be a good candidate for a surgery?

I have read on a few forums and websites that say a person in my situation would be better suited for FUE rather then strip because they can just go to my donor hair in the back and pick the healthy hair out instead of doing a strip and leaving my side even more thinner. But, I wanted to get a more expert opinion from you to see what you think. Thanks.

Reading forums and searching the Internet for personal health or cosmetic surgery related questions will probably cause more confusion. Each and every case is different. So when you are ready to see a doctor for options regarding a “possible” surgery, your situation will be better served with a doctor sitting in front of you.

Sorry if this is not answering your question in detail but that is really my “expert” opinion. I can’t give an expert opinion without a diagnosis or a physical exam. There have been plenty of patients who have had thinning and done well with a strip surgery. There also have been plenty of patients who I recommend no surgery at all.

Is propecia effective against DUPA hair loss? Do you prescribe propecia to patients diagnosed with DUPA?

Propecia works for genetic androgenic alopecia not DUPA (Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia). Some patients may have both DUPA (hair loss throughout the entire scalp) and androgenic alopecia and in this case it may help (for the androgenic cause). Each and every case is different and as always you need to have a good diagnosis and a Master Plan with a doctor.