Good Short Term Photos of Microneedling Benefits (from Reddit)

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

This man has shared some amazing photos of his 6 month course treating his hair loss.  I suspect that if he keeps up on this the hair may all regrow.  I believe that the microneedling was critical to the benefits he has seen here. He has used:

  • microneedling 1x week @ 1.5mm
  • .5mm fin (1x daily)
  • minox (2x daily)
  • peppermint oil (2x daily)
  • keto shampoo 2x/week
  • dht organic shampoo every other day or so.

The long term question that we don’t know is if the hair does all growS out, how long will it last?  The experience is minimal for follow-up of this treatment in men, but I would guess, based upon human skin transplanted in mice with dormant human hair and microneedling, that the hair will last one anagen cycle and then fall out (an anagen cycle in a young man is about 2-3 years on average).  At that point the treatment would have to start again, or alternatively a hair transplant may become an option if a restart of the treatment doesn’t work.

Sex Drive Went Sky High on Finasteride

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

I am 20 years old and i am taking 1mg of finasteride for hairloss for a week,i think that i feel more honry than before taking it,dont know why.Nothing else unusual so far.

One of my relatives that I gave Finasteride prescription called me with the same complaint, and it lasted years. He had an agreeable girlfriend and a great sex life. He said he would take finasteride even if he wasn’t losing hair.

Are Hair Transplants Permanent?

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

Yes, hair transplants are permanent. Yesterday, I saw two patients that came in who had hair transplants in 1994 with me. Both said that they would have been bald, had they not had a hair transplant. One man had a full head of hair in the front (from the transplants but was losing his crown hair, the second guy had lost much of his native hair and wanted it thicker. So, even guys in their 60s (both men were in their early 60s) want more hair to look younger.

I Am 20 and Need Transplant Advice

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

So I am 20, soon turning 21 and I have recently been more and more adamant that a transplant would be the best thing for me.  I never did have a perfect hairline since a kid and having a Dad who went bald probably about 30 it was going to happen. But I probably started noticing around 16/17. Then about a year and a bit ago it got really bad. Now I am a constant hat wearer. So my hairs receeded a fair bit at the temples as well as my hairline.

I have looked into transplants and come across various reviews of Turkey. Being a student the cheaper price there sells it immediately. I was wondering if anyone had any advice etc on it and could maybe point me in the direction of well reviewed trust worthy clinics. I have come across this https://www.medaway.co.uk/hair-transplant-turkey/ but just seems bit fishy even with over 3000+ successful transplants???Any advice or guidance would be much appreciated

Yes, don’t do it, not at 20 and not in Turkey. See this blog post here: https://baldingblog.com/22-year-old-received-a-hair-transplant-of-2800-grafts-from-reddit/ This explains the many reasons why you shouldn’t do it now. Get a good doctor who can work with you on a Personalized Master Plan that will insure that you will keep your hair, one way or another, through your entire life. I have had many patients who I worked with (see here for a couple of examples with photos:https://baldingblog.com/difference-between-norwood-class-7-patients-with-photos/ ). Be smart about your hair, please don’t dive into hair transplants now for your own sake.

6 months microneedling + minoxidil (photos)

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

Again and again we are seeing results from 6 months of microneedling and I suspect as in this man the addition of minoxidil helps move it along. Possibly if he keeps it up, it may get better and better. This man said he got a good result on his hairline. I am surprised that he didn’t get more growth on the crown.

When Shedding

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

Ever since week two post op, I’ve been experiencing a lot of stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, and even panic attacks a few times. All of this is due to family issues, losing my job, and an underlying depression. These stressful issues have resulted in a very inflamed scalp. I’m now 2 months post op.  My question is, can any of this, especially the stress/anxiety and inflamed scalp have permanently killed off my grafts?

Please help me. I’m at an all time low. Thank you

No, your hair will grow regardless of the stress you are undergoing.

Criticism of Strip Suture Line

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

This is a beautiful skin closure, but it has a problem in that the hairs inside of these sutures are being strangulated and will probably die. This will then leave a scar the width of the suture line.  What we do is (1) either use surgical stables which go far back from the wound and never strangle the hairs or (2) put very fine sutures (5-0 absorbable) within 1mm or less of the edge so that we make sure that the hairs are not in the suture pull. That minimizes the scar even further.

Mental and libido issues with finasteride, are they real?

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

Basically it’s all in my head and I’m really struggling with it. I’ve been on 0.5mg of Finasteride for about 7 months, I have my ups and downs but it’s worked wonders for my hair.

When I started I couldn’t get a hard on during sex, id wake up with morning wood so I know it’s not a physical issue but a mental one. that led me to stop taking fin for about 10 days.

I hopped back on, and I had a great mentality I just took it on got on with my day no sexual problems at all. But then I started to overthink things and my brain got the better off me, now I’m back to square one, I wake up with morning wood, and I even get hard during sex but it can never stay because it’s constantly on my mind during sex I can’t think of anything else apart from if I’m not going to be able to get it up.

Is this anxiety? And has anyone suffered from this?

It’s getting to the point where I’m thinking of coming off Finasteride, but I really like what it’s done for my hair. Any advice would be great.

It sounds like your physiology is working well; however, psychologically, you can talk yourself into anything. I always tell my patients that if I told then that if they breathed the air in my office and I told them that they would be impotent that night, they would be. Young men are easily influenced by much of what is published on these forums and it can be significant enough that they may not be candidates for finasteride.

Is Aloevera good to treat hair loss?

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

I have an aloevera plant and it known with its health benefits. I started cutting a small piece of it and rubbing its extract to my face and scalp. I wonder is there any research about effects of aloevera on man pattern balding ? I searched on google schoolar but cant realy find what i am looking for

Aloevera does not work for hair loss. I wish it did.

Lost Much of My Hair at 19 (Photo)

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

I’ve been looking into FIN and MIN but the amount of hair left on my head suggests that both of those might not work. I’ve also heard a lot about hair systems but there’s not much information on it on google from what I have searched. Where are you supposed to go for a hair system, barbers? I’m located in the Bay Area and don’t know much about hair systems cause I don’t know anyone who does it or has gotten it before.

Is there anything I can do for this amount of hair left? Seems like there isn’t but I still have hope. Don’t want to completely accept being bald just yet.(pic in comment)

For 19, it looks bad, but hair can be maintained for life with medications and/or hair transplants. You need to be evaluated by an expert who can measure your donor density and then determine a Personalized Master Plan for you. Since you are 19, drugs like finasteride have reversed the balding in some men, but working with a good doctor has no substitute if it is the hair you want to keep. Some men will do Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) which will give you the look of a shaved head for life (see here: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/ but be selective on the men you look at on our site).

I’m Suicidal Because of Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /
Growing up my hair used to be an a big part of who I was (I had long hair), and although it wasn’t attractive, I always felt safe and confortable having a thick mop-head hair.

Now I’m 18 and I’ve been balding for a year and a half and not one day I haven’t thought about my hair. It’s getting worse and I know it’s not “that bad” (like my sister says) but I think I have dysphoria because it feels horrible, and I’m always conscious about hiding it, always.  I don’t want to shave it because I have an ugly (thanks flat head syndrome) skull, but I’ll do it if it means I’ll stop thinking about it.

It depresses me to the point of suicidal thoughts, I’ve never felt this uncomfortable in my body before and I hate it.  Literally considering wearing a wig, if I can pass it off, just anything, to make me stop thinking about it

If you are in Southern California, please visit me (no charge) and we can sit down and discuss your hair loss problem and what you can do about it. I believe that with proper planning, a man can keep his hair throughout his entire life, regardless of his hair loss genetics but that requires a Master Plan with a good doctor who cares about you. If you are not in the LA area, let me know where you are, and maybe I can recommend such a doctor for you.

Please consider taking to someone trained in assistance regarding your thoughts of self harm.

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ tel:1-800-273-8255