In the News – Hypnotherapy and Alopecia Areata?

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

Snippet from the article:

Alopecia Areata is defined as a condition in which stress causes moderate to severe patches of hair loss on the scalp. Another form of Alopecia, known as Alopecia Universallis, is when complete hair loss affects the sufferer rendering them completely bald with the same side effects as those patients going through chemotherapy treatment for cancer. A study was performed to test the effects of hypnosis therapy on those suffering from Alopecia.

Subjects for this study included 28 people with severe Alopecia Areata for whom traditional treatment was ineffective. Twelve of the 21 participants showed significant improvement. This included 4 participants who had complete hair loss. Along with hypnosis therapy for hair re-growth, the participants were given therapy to help reduce stress.

Read the full text at Natural News

The study was just published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis and makes for some interesting reading. The study wasn’t very wide (only 28 people), but the results they discuss sound very positive.

Tags: hypnosis, hypotherapy, alopecia areata, alopecia, hairloss, hair loss

Diffuse Alopecia Areata vs Telogen Effluvium

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

Hi doc,
How do you tell the difference between Telogen Effluvium and Diffuse Alopecia Areata?

Diffuse alopecia areata can look very similar to telogen effluvium. The only way to tell these two diagnosis apart is by performing a series of biopsies of the scalp. Alopecia areata can be diagnosed histologically.

Tags: diffuse alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, hairloss, hair loss

My Wife Has Alopecia — Will Our Children Have this Disease, Too?

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

Dear Sir, My wife is 1 month pregnant . She is alopecia patient & complete bald since at the age of 5 years old. Her 2 other sister are also bald and having the same disease. They all wear wigs.. But her parent is having full grown hair.

My worries is that will it affect our future children ? Will my future child inherit this disease from her mother. how can i be assure for that. What test can be done to confirm it. Please advice.

Regards

Alopecia totalis sounds like the diagnosis and in one form of inheritance, the problem starts appearing in the very young at between 3-4 years old. Once the process starts, all of the hair falls out within months. Angela Christiano, Ph.D., of Columbia University in New York researched this in a town in Pakistan where the population was inbred. She found that many of the children in that town lost their hair at ages 3-4 and it fell out in a distinct pattern. She took samples of their genes, and tested them at the university, finding a connection between their disease and some of the genetic patterns in our more common form of alopecia areata, a disease which she has. Your child may very well inherit the condition. See our previous post on this subject here.

Tags: alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, hairloss, hair loss, alopecia, gene, genetic

Hepatitis B and Hair Loss

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

Doc,
A while ago I asked if a Heb B jab could cause hairloss (here)

You replied that it could in rare circumstances. What I wanted to ask is what kind of hairloss are we talking about? Would all the hair fall out because of alopecia? Or is it possible that the jab could kickstart male pattern baldness speeding up my hairloss or is that just impossible from a jab? Thank you for a very informative blog!

Diseases of any significance can bring on hair loss. For men who have genetic hair loss, a disease and the associated stress can make it worse. In women, it is even more the case, as the connection of diseases and hair loss is more common.

Tags: hepatitis, hairloss, hair loss, stress

Is Hair Normally Thinner Towards the Root?

/by William Rassman, M.D./5 /

Is it normal for a hair under an inch long to be noticably thinner towards the root? i see hairs that fall out that look kinda like an exclamation mark, thick at top and thin at the root. my hair is around 2cm long.

The exclamation point hair you’re describing usually points to a variety of conditions, such as allergic disorders, thyroid disease, vitiligo, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis (see Exclamation point hair). Normally hair is uniform in width.

Tags: exclamation point, hairloss, hair loss, alopecia areata, root

Hair Growth After Chemotherapy

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

I would like to know that the hair which are growing after the chemotherapy are healthy , should they be kept or should it be discarded and let the new ones grow after sometime , i am really confused . also the hair which are growing are all grey , what to do , pls answer my query. waiting for the reply. thanx

All the hair that survived the chemotherapy should continue to grow. The hair that is in your hands that has already fallen out is not worth keeping, but new hair should grow to replace what has fallen out in less than a year.

Tags: chemotherapy, chemo, cancer, radiation, hairloss, hair loss, hair growth

Hair Falling Out in Permanent Zone

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

Hi Doc,
My hairline appears to be following the pattern of my grandfather’s whose hairline stopped at a NW 3 with a persistent forelock. However, my hair appears to also be falling out equally throughout the scalp, even in the permanent zone. I’m looking at the pictures of my grandfather, and he still had thick hair in his 60’s. Is it possible to have my grandfather’s hairline, while still having hair fall throughout the scalp even the permanent zone?

I suppose anything is possible, but it is rare to have hair loss from your permanent zone unless you have diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA). If you feel you are losing hair diffusely, you may not have genetic male pattern baldness. You would need to see a doctor for a good diagnosis.

If I haven’t beat the following concept enough to a point of sounding like a broken record… a miniaturizationstudy would be helpful to see what is really going on. You can even map your own scalp using the tutorial I wrote, provided you have the proper tools.

Tags: permanent zone, donor area, hairloss, hair loss, alopecia, dupa

I Have Alopecia Areata and White Hairs are Growing in Bald Spots

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

about a month and a half i was diagnosed with alopecia areata and since then my hair has become alot thinner and i have about 5 main bald patches and a alot of small ones! small hairs have started to grow around the bald patches and i have started to grow white hairs on the patches! is this normal?

At one and a half months, there is not much you can say about the resolution of your alopecia areata. If you see hair growing inside the bald areas, that is good news (even if it is white hair). Maybe the process will burn out on its own. Good luck.

Tags: alopecia areata, hairloss, hair loss, bald spot

Neuralgia and Hair Loss

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

DR Rassman, can I first congratulate you for having the pre-eniment hair loss site on the internet. My problem is that I suffer from a Congenital Anomaly of the Cranio-cervical junction at the skull base, and this coupled with Occipital Neuralgia and Trigeminal Neuralgia is causing me intense pain all over the Head and Scalp. The pain is of a Stabbing, Burning, Lancinating and Compressive character, and at first I was just worried about the severe pain and it’s impact on my quality of Life.

However, Three years ago the pain got progressively worse, and my hair started falling out in clumps. It did not appear to follow the pattern of MPB, as the loss was sudden, and diffuse on the top and sides, and not affecting the back. Lately it has affected the back as well and I am left with very fine hair on the sides and back, and little hair on the top almost like DUPA. Despite attending my Doctor for the past 3 years, I have not even been referred to a Dermatologist, despite numerous requests on my part. Consequently , I am left at a complete loss at where to turn and am in great distress. Please can you help me, as my pain, combined with the hair loss is making life unbearable.

Many good hair transplant doctors are able to tackle problems like yours without offering a hair transplant. Many of them are dermatologists as well. This is where you might go for more advice.

Tags: hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, neuralgia

Sertraline and Hair Loss

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

I am a 19 year-old male living in Turkey. At age 13 I’ve been diagnosed with depersonalization / derealization disorder and was prescribed half a dose of a sertraline-based anti-anxiety drug (known as Lustral here) daily.

I used it for about two years and since then used it on and off for a few weekly periods, including for about two months when I was 17. I heard about antidepressants causing hair loss and in the periods that I used the drug, I noticed that my hair strands were generally thinner and weaker, but no balding visible. And when I ceased using it, my hair returned to its normal strength and thickness. So my question is that, do these antidepressants really cause irreversible harm to hair (thinning / balding) or is it always “back to normal” when medication ends?

Thanks Doc, I’m really curious about this.

ZoloftThe medication you know as Lustral (sertraline) is also commonly known as Zoloft. And as you may know, many antidepressants (including Zoloft) can cause temporary hair loss, possibly even permanent loss in those genetically inclined to lose hair. I can’t say for sure whether the stop/start method you’re using with the medication will always continue the same hair loss/regrowth you’re seeing.

The consumer drug information for sertraline mentions hair loss as a side effect when overdosing, but I suppose it is possible to see loss with normal dosing as well (possibly even half dosing like you were prescribed), depending on how sensitive your body is to it.

Tags: zoloft, lustral, sertraline, antidepressant, depression, depersonalization, derealization, disorder, hairloss, hair loss

Treatment for Scarring Alopecia?

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

I was diagnosed with scarring alopecia. It has caused a dramatic amount of hairloss mostly located on the back of my head. Is there ANYTHING I can do about it? Please help, I’ll do anything!!

You need to discuss this with your doctor. Scarring alopecias (also known as cicatricial alopecia) have many causes and your doctor knows what is happening to you, certainly better than I could without seeing you or knowing more about your history. Unfortunately, I can not advise you over the Internet.

For more general information, you might want to check out the Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation frequently asked questions page.

Tags: scarring alopecia, cicatricial alopecia, alopecia, hairloss, hair loss

Seeing Hair Growth After Finishing Chemotherapy

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

(female) i have finished chemo four weeks and i can see signs of hair growth. is it true that my hair may change colour and texture?

Many women with chemotherapy will have hair loss during the treatment, and the hair is pushed into its telogen cycle which usually lasts 3-8 months after the chemotherapy insult. When the hair comes back, it may not return to its full density, but the type of chemotherapy and the full recovery is poorly documented.

Tags: cancer, chemo, chemotherapy, hairloss, hair loss

Infant with Ringworm = 12 Year Old With Bald Spot

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

My 12 y/o son had a ringworm in his head when he was an infant. The doctors prescribed medicine to be taken orally, and the ringworm went away, however his hair will not grow in that spot anymore. Is there anything you can recommend to promote hair growth in this area? This is affecting his self-esteem.

Ringworm is usually successfully treated with medication and does not generally cause hair loss. Maybe there is some deep scarring that had caused hair loss around the area of infection, as I have seen some cases where this has happened in childhood and then the patient comes to see me as a young adult with that history.

My best advice is to see a physician or a surgeon who specializes in hair transplants. Hair transplantation may be an answer, but your son definitely needs a good diagnosis first. A 12 year spread indicates that the hair will not return, but I would generally not treat it with transplants at that age unless it bothers him, though that may occur further into his teens.

Tags: ringworm, hair loss, hairloss, hair transplant, child, infant

How Do You Get Dissecting Cellulitis of the Scalp?

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

well we finally got a name for my son’s hair loss problems! he is a white male 19 yrs old. first developed a “cyst” in 2005. it was drained, and a bald spot developed.hair finally started to grow back.about 6months ago started having more. it would start with a bump,break open with nasty yellow drainage and hair loss around the area.after seeing several doctors, last month,we were told it was dissecting cellulitis of the scalp.he is taking solodyn 90 mg 1 x a day. a few hairs have started to grow in that spot. but now he has several more started, and several more bald spots. what can we do to help his hair not come out? and to stop these bumps? how did he develop this in the first place? is it an imbalance of something? could this turn out to be serious health problems?? he’s very embarrassed about all the bald spots. please share anything you know about this. thanks!

Dissecting cellulitis is a very virulent infection wherever it is found. This type of infection can be life threatening as the bacteria eats away on the tissues of the impacted area. In the days before penicillin, Streptococcus was the main cause of battlefield deaths through dissecting cellulitis, which invaded every organ of the body and eventually led to multi-organ failure. I saw a number of such cases in Vietnam, but with modern drugs, most of these cases were controlled. Usually a recurrent cellulitis has a history of how your body keeps it under control. I would hope that you and your son’s doctor have a good line of communication open. I would assume that you have already received a second opinion from an infectious disease specialist.

Tags: dissection cellulitis, cellulitis, hairloss, hair loss, infection, bacteria

Eliminating Bald Spots from Childhood Ringworm Scars?

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

Hello I am an 19 year old african american male that has small patches of missing hair on my scalp. When i was about seven years old I contracted a sever case of ring worm on my head, due to picking at it, when it healed i was left with small patches if missing hair. Since then, i have always had hair styles such as braids, afro, and now dreads mainly to cover the few small spots. I am now wanting to cut my hair and in some spots small patches still appear, how can i fix this?

As long as you are not still picking at the area (which is either trichotillomania or dermatillomania), you can consider a small hair transplant surgery to put hair back into the bald patches. If you are still picking these areas, any transplanted grafts will be lost from the picking.

Tags: scars, ringworm, trichotillomania, dermatillomania, hairloss, hair loss, picking