Black Woman with High Hairline

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

I am a 20 year old black woman. I have an extended forehead that seems different form what other women have. Most women’s hair line is close to their face whereas mine is so back onto my head. It has never grown since childhood and i have a sister who has the same thing. I am thinking that maybe its hereditary but how can you be of any help to me? Would i be a good candidate for this procedure? and are there any tablets that i could take that might change it or foster the growth of hair there? Please help!!!!!

Women can have a hairline lowering procedure, which advances the hairline downward. If you are not a keloid former, you might be a good candidate for this. You need to be evaluated. There are no magic pills to fix this.

Tags: female, women, woman, hairline, keloid, african, black

Do I Need to Cut My Afro for a Miniaturization Exam?

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

im an african american male who wants to go get my hair examined for minuturization.The only problem is that my hair is high like in a small afro.Do i have to cut my hair and have a short haircut for the doctor to be able to check for minuturization

No, you do not have to cut your hair to get your hair mapped out for a miniaturization analysis.

Tags: miniaturization, hairloss, hair loss, african

Lowering African Female Hairline

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

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I’m a 24 year old female with African origin. I would like to lower my hairline through transplant. Would there be a problem for someone like myself with afro hair to get a hair transplant done? How much would it cost?

Women with African hair should not be a problem for hairline lowering procedures, providing there is no tendency to scarring. Costs of hair transplants will be about $6,000 (rough estimate) with possibly two procedures to accomplish the goals provided that the hair supply is adequate. The hairline lowering procedure costs can be found here and if any scar should show up, then transplants may be needed to address any widened scar.

Tags: hairline, lowering, african, female, women, woman, hairloss, hair loss

Using a Ceramic Ionic Blow Dryer and Flat Iron Daily

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

I am a 46yr old african american fenale. I have thining hair and I am letting my hair go natural. The hair salon I attend uses a process where you sit under a steamer with the conditioner to build moisture and blows drys and flat irons your hair with a ceramic ionic blow dryer and flat iron. Since I am an active person I sweat and my hair converts back. The stylist says it is ok to use these items on a daily basis because it seals in moisture unlike the regular blow dryers and flat irons. Does this make sense? I don’t want to do any more damage. If this process is ok, do I need to wash my hair each time since it is sweaty? I’ve searched your site and can’t find anything addresee ceramic ionic tools. Thank you for considering my problem.

Heat treating your hair the way you do will cause damage to it. Is it permanent damage? Well, it could be. I would think that a good stylist learned how to balance the damaging elements for hair straightening. This is where the ‘art’ comes into play in what your stylist does. I can not comment on her explanation, but if what she is doing is working, then continue with her approach with caution.

Tags: stylist, hairloss, hair loss, ceramic, ionic, flat iron

Using Relaxer Chemicals After Hair Transplant

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

I am a 40 year old African-American male with a receeding hairline. I have been thinking about hair transplants, but am worried that they will not take or fall out as I relax (straighten) my hair. Will the chemicals in these relaxing products damage the hair grafts? Thanks … this site is incredibly helpful.

As long as you wait on using the relaxers for a few weeks it should not affect the hair grafts. People can color their hair 2+ weeks after hair transplants. Using relaxers is not much different.

Tags: hairtransplant, hair transplant, relaxer, dye, color

African American Man with Dark, Bald Spots

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

I am a 35 year old African American male. I started balding about 10 years ago. I recently started getting dark spots on certain parts of my scalp, and no hair grows around the dark spots. Sometimes it itches could you tell me what this might be and what is the best way to treat this condition. Thanks for your help Dr.

I would have to see what you are describing. Please send me pictures to the address on the Contact page (and reference this post when sending).

Tags: african american, black, hairloss, hair loss, balding, bald spot

Woman with Bumps and Hair Loss on Top of Scalp

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

I’ve read some of the cases and almost feel that I may have “traction alopecia”. I’m a black female with balding hair for over 20 years, it’s been a very very slow process as you can see. But the top of my head is extremely thin and I have a quarter sized dead spot which has no hair at all. I get tiny bumps, razor bumps, bleeding if massaged on occasions. My hair is very short. It will grow on the sides, but the top front to the crown is stuggling for survival. Any advise? Thank you!

You need to be examined by an expert. Since you indicated you were in New Jersey, Dr. Robert Bernstein in Fort Lee, NJ could help you.

Tags: african american, african, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman

Would a Testicle Infection Cause Hair Loss?

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

no family history.except half brother.(we have same mother.)he went bald early from the crown first.no one else on mothers side is bald at all.could infection in testicle produce high testosterone.And my head has been itching alot throughout the day for a couple months now.would rogaine damage what i have there if i tried it just to ease my self conciensce?

Norwood Class 4AI do not think that your testicle infection should be the cause of high testosterone or your hair loss. If you have a high testosterone level, I would want to know why. Your hair loss pattern from the pictures you sent show an incomplete Norwood Class 4A pattern. That is fairly extensive in your frontal area. Rogaine may help, but finasteride (Propecia) would probably be better for you. Usually frontal hair loss does not respond to medications and only wigs or hair transplants will give you the coverage that looks full. African hair is generally better than Caucasian hair because of the curly nature of it (it wants to cover better). If you are in California, consider visiting me at either my San Jose office or my Los Angeles office.

Tags: norwood, testicle, infection, hairloss, hair loss

When Might an African American Mature Hairline Start?

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

I understand you say that the hairline matures at ages 17-29 depending on the person (race,genetics,etc.). when would u say african americans usually start to recede? i’m african american 18 yr whos temples began to recede a little and there is no balding on my mother side and receded hairlines on my father side.

Everyone varies. African hairlines are often flatter than northern European hairlines, so there is less a genetic propensity for the African hairline to behave as the photos show on the Maturation of a Hairline — Moving From Juvenile to Mature post. Still, although there are no absolute statistics, I believe that the mature hairline takes on a different appearance in people with African heritage. Where I believe than 96% of Caucasian males get the hairline shown in the above link, that number is substantially less in men with an African heritage. The mature African hairline, if it does undergo the changes shown above, should fall into the same age group. These hairline pattern also applies to Indians from India, many people from the Middle East and a large segment of men from Asian populations in China, Japan and Korea.

Good question!

Tags: mature, hairline, hairloss, hair loss, african, black, maturation

African American Female with Bald Crown

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

I am an african American female 35 years old. My entire crown is bald. What do I do now? I’ve been using 2% minoxidil and it continues to fall out.

You need to be seen for close examination of your hair and scalp. A diagnosis should be made. You could have a variety of non-genetic hair conditions causing it. You might have genetic female balding limited to the crown as well. I need to know the miniaturization mapping results of your scalp and the pattern of your hair loss before making any diagnosis and treatment plan. You need a good doctor to take charge of your hair loss.

Tags: crown, hairloss, hair loss, african american, african, women, woman, female

I Didn’t Know Weaves and Wigs Would Make My Traction Alopecia Worse!

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

I’m a 38 yr old black female. My hair started thinning in the crown about 10 yrs ago. I started braiding it to keep out the chemicals. About 3 1/2 years ago I was diagnosed with traction alopecia. Had never heard of it before. I started wearing weaves and wigs to cover up the ugliness. I never realized that this would make my situation worse. Now the balding has spread to the top and front of my head. Is it too late for a hair transplant that would work. The hair on the sides and back is relatively thick, but it seems so unhealthy. At the rate I’m going I feel like I should just shave my head bald and call it a day. I feel so ugly. I did see a dermatogolist for the diagnosis, but I never got any advise on what I should do to help the situation. Can you recommend anyone to see on this side of the country??

If you are diagnosed with traction alopecia, you need to keep your hair short with no weaves and wigs. After stopping the insult, you should wait for at least six months and see if your hair regrows. In many cases, traction alopecia may cause permanent damage to the hair follicle and may not reversible. Repeating the evaluation of your hair after this period of time will show the areas of permanent hair loss. At that point, a hair transplant specialist can evaluate you for further treatment options if the hair failed to grow back. Then, if you are using a wig, be sure that it is converted to clips to prevent the transplants from developing traction alopecia.

Tags: traction, alopecia, hairloss, hair loss, weave, wig

Iron Deficiency and Female Hair Loss

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

Black 42 yr old female: Have several medical conditions fibroids, take cardia xt for irregular heartbeat. I have been to two dermatologist here have had a biopsy of the scalp.The doctor just ruled as thinning hair.?? I have for the past 3 years been balding in the crown of my head and thinning only on the left side of my head. I get the bumps on my scalp with puss. I also have a low iron deficiency. Could all or one thing be making my hair fall out and not grow?

Iron chainsIron deficiency typically causes diffuse hair loss in patients, but be sure that this is all you have by obtaining a complete evaluation by a good doctor. This condition can also trigger pattern hair loss in genetically prone patients. Treatment of iron deficiency is easy with supplemental iron (don’t pick it up at the local scrap iron dealer — wink, wink). You need to complete your treatment course and wait six months to see if your hair grows back.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, iron, female, women, woman

Hair Restoration Doctor Specializing in African Americans?

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

Is there a hair restoration doctor that specializes in african americans. The reason that I ask is that I see that alot can go wrong. And I would really like to find someone that specializes. Thanks.

As far as I am aware, there is no hair restoration doctor who specializes in African American patients. Hair (without regard to race) is hair. Transplants can be more difficult when transplanting African American patients, but any good doctor who does hair transplantation should be able to address your needs. Go to ISHRS.org to locate a doctor near you.

Tags: ishrs, african american, african, hairloss, hair loss, hairtransplant, hair transplant

Top of Scalp is Thinning, but Hair Still Grows Very Slowly

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

Hi Dr., I am a 23 year old black male. My texture of hair is curly (soft). About 5 years ago I was dying my hair alot and putting relaxers in it as well, for different styles. I then cut my hair very low. Now that i’m trying to grow my hair out again, the top of my hair is starting look alot thinner than the rest. I can see the little holes on my head, but the hair grows very slow from them. What do I do?

It is difficult to answer your question without a good physical exam and medical history. While trauma from chemicals may cause some hair loss, it should generally grow back unless the chemicals you used worked their way into the hair follicles below the skin of the scalp. Furthermore, if you have a very short hair cut, the thinning or hair loss is more readily noticeable and any hair that is genetically impacted with miniaturization will see slower hair growth. You may have a component of male pattern hair loss and a miniaturization analysis will show that. If you suspect such a scenario, you should see a doctor to establish a diagnosis and have a miniaturization study of your hair to see the pattern of thinning.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, chemical, trauma, burn, relaxer