Percocet, Gabapentin, and Female Hair Loss

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

I fractured my C4 vertebra 3 months ago and underwent 2 spinal fusion surgeries within one week. Subsequently I was on multiple medications for pain and muscle spasms (percocet, gabapentin). I have weaned myself off the meds; however, in the past week I have noticed significant hair loss. When I brush or even just run my hand through my hair, it’s coming out in small bunches. I have a good diet and am taking a lot of vitamins and flaxseed oil. What do you think is causing the hair loss and what can I do to stop it? I do not take birth control pills, btw. Thank you.

People who have had surgery and stress, can lose their hair. Add to that birth control pills in combination with the surgery, and there are two contributing factors. I would have a complete medical work-up to determine if there are other contributing factors. Female hair loss is often associated with a variety of medical conditions.

Tags: percocet, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman, stress, surgery

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

Hairline Lowering Questions

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

hi, i’m a female with a high forehead. I want to do a lower forehead surgery. I have some questions about the surgery.

  1. will it be local anesthesia or will i be put into sleep.
  2. how long will it take to look normal after the surgery.
  3. will the scar be obviou during the recovery period?
  4. will people notice that i did a surgery if i go out one week after the surgery?
  5. do you have any recommendation for doctors in toronto area?

Thank you very much for your time.

I will answer your questions as if you mean the hairline lowering procedure through excisional surgery, and not hair transplantation.

  1. This procedure is usually done under local anesthesia with some sedation.
  2. The effects are immediate, although there is swelling for up to a week. There is a scar at the hairline, so if you have bangs you should use them to cover the hairline scar. These scars are usually detectable for a few weeks. A small number of people will develop a white scar at the surgical site which can easily be treated with a limited hair transplant.
  3. Yes, the scar may be obvious while healing, but most patients can cover it pretty well with their existing hair.
  4. It depends on your art of styling that you use to cover the incision area and the lower hairline. As I said above, the use of bangs is a good idea because the new lower hairline should be introduced slowly so that the change will be more transparent. In a hair transplant, the change is so slow that no one usually notices it, but with this more radical surgery the final results of the new hairline is instantaneous. If you want to pull the hair back, the incision could be seen.
  5. No, unfortunately I do not have a recommendation in Toronto. Check with a good plastic surgeon in your area. Look for recommendations online, I suppose.
Tags: hairline lowering, hairloss, hair loss, hairline, surgery, hairtransplant, hair transplant

Young Teen Girl With Hair Loss Questions

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

Hello. Lately I have been experiencing excess hair loss. I am only 13 years old (female), and nobody in my family has had any hair loss problems. Everyone has a full head of hair. I still have tons of hair, but more hair is coming out than it used to. I lose probably about 150 hairs a day. Is this normal? Should I do something?

QUESTIONS:

  1. Can a dry scalp cause hair loss?
  2. Am I losing the right amount of hair?
  3. Is there anything I can do to stop it?
  4. Can going through puberty cause hair loss?
  5. I am stressed because of my hair loss, and hair loss is caused by stress. WHAT DO I DO?!

PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE help.
Thank you

To answer your questions in the order in which they were asked —

  1. Dry scalp does not cause hair loss.
  2. It is normal to lose the 100 hairs a day. Sometimes more. There are other hairs growing at the same time.
  3. There is nothing you can do about it. (sorry)
  4. Puberty may be a factor in your hair loss situation.
  5. Stress can cause hair loss and stress of losing hair can be a vicious cycle (to a certain degree).

If you are a regular, healthy teenage girl, it may only be just a phase, but if this bothers you that much, you should see your primary care doctor. Get your parents involved. Let them know what’s going on and have an appointment setup with your physician. This might not be anything to be concerned about, but if you are worried, best to get it checked out with an in-person exam.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, teen, girl, female, women, woman, puberty

Hair Loss from Depo-Provera in Just Weeks!

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

i have been on the depo shot for only like 5weeks and my hair has already thinned alot. I had thick hair and some of my length is even gone.What is a way to get rid of the effects ? Can i try a cleanser or something because i dnt want to be bald head!!!!

Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable suspension) is a birth control medication used as one injection every 3 months. Interruption of hair growth or hair loss is among its reported side effects. You need to see your doctor to consider stopping this medication and discuss other methods of birth control. If you lost hair only as a result of this medication, you should expect to regrow your lost hair within 6 to 9 months after your last injection of Depo-Provera.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, depo-provera, depo, provera, birth control, bcp, female, woman, women

Anemic Teen Girl Losing Hair

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

i am an 18 year old girl and for about 6 months my hair has been falling out-particularly in the shower. it used to be fairly thick and now has become so much thinner. The doctors have said i am anemic- with very low ferritin in my blood. i am on iron pills and have been for two months. how long should it take to restore these levels and thus stop my hair loss? i have no problems with thyroid and no genetic history of premature balding if balding at all. what else could you suggest and is it worth buying any hair loss products? please help!

Iron deficiency in one of the medical conditions that could lead to hair loss or could accelerate hair loss due to other causes. Its treatment is not always easy and it may take a few months. You need to be checked with blood work periodically to assure that you are heading in the right direction with your treatment. When the iron deficiency is treated, your lost hair may re-grow within a few months.

Tags: iron, ferritin, hairloss, hair loss

Can My Traction Alopecia Reverse?

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

i’m a 15 yr old girl and i have traction alopaecia-i have really long hair and i’m not allowed to cut it so i braid it really tightly every day- if i change my hairstyle, will it grow back?

Traction alopecia may not reverse if it has been a chronic problem. Some hair may grow back, but there is no guarantee. If you are worried about hair loss from traction alopecia the best advice is to stop the offending cause (stop braiding your hair). Your circumstance may not be as easy as words of advice, but at the least do not braid your hair so tightly.

Tags: alopecia, traction alopecia, hairloss, hair loss

Can an 18 Year Old Woman Develop Female Baldness?

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

hi i was wondering if its possible that an 18 year old woman can develop the female pattern baldness at the age of 18 and with no history of family baldness.

thank you

Although anything is possible, it is rare to occur at such a young age, but it does happen. If you are losing hair and suspect that there is something wrong, you should see a medical doctor for any health realted issues that may be causing your hair loss. (most common cause of hair loss in women is a medical condition) as hair loss may be sign of other underlying health issues.

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

Hair Loss and Scalp Acne

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

HELLO,
I am 37-year old woman from Finland.I have suffered from severe acne on my scalp and hairloss ever since my mother died suddenly on 1994. It was a horrible shock to me,and soon after that my face became infected with pimples as well as my scalp.I got some antibiotics and it helped to the face but not to scalp.During past years I have spent a lot of money to different kinds of shampoos and liquids,with no results.The only thing that helped for a while was Roaccutan which I took for about six months. After I stopped,hair became again very oily and the scalp irritated.Lately I have tried Revivogen, Tricomin and Thymuskin and the result is…..hair gets oily and sticky.My question is,is there any solution to this problem and what products should I use every day in able to keep my hair and scalp clean?? I recognize that when I’m stressed,the problem gets worse.Please answer!!

It seems you have tried many products for your acne and hair loss problems for over 10 years. Although you have tried many products, you have not indicated that you were ever evaluated by a qualified medical doctor. If you have seen a doctor for your problems, I do not believe I can offer any significant help. Hair loss and stress are closely related and there is no definitive cure or answer. Unfortunately, acne and hair loss is a difficult combined problem to address.

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

Wife Wants Pubic Hair Back After Laser Removing It

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

Dear Doctors:

My wife removed her pubic hair by laser before we knew each other and when we got married she was sorry she did that because it affected us somewhat. Can this be transplanted back or revived in some way? She is 37 years old.

Please help with some advice, or with the name of a doctor in Monterrey Mexico who can help.

Pubic hair transplants work and are quite commonly performed on Asian women who do not have as much pubic hair as Caucasian women. You can have your wife see a hair transplant surgeon. Dr. Arturo Sandoval has offices in Mexico and is a good doctor who does quality transplant work.

Tags: mexico, monterrey, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hair loss, hairloss, pubic

Astralagas and Hair Loss

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

I am a fifty year old woman that has been using Astralagas for the past almost year. I have noticed the past few months that my hair/bangs area central to forehead is thinning out ALOT. I read that taking Astralagas can do that. My mom has a full head of hair, no thinning and neither did her mom. I have stopped taking the Astralagus and want to know will my hair regrow? What can I take to help it come back?

Please, please answer!! I used to have beautiful hair and I’ve lost half of it I think. Please answer soon. I need help!

Unfortunately, I do not know enough about this botanical to answer your question. You can find more information here.

Tags: astralagas, astralagus, hairloss, hair loss

Minoxidil, Pregnancy, and Nursing

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

I’m a 32 year old female who is experiencing generalized thinning on the top front portion of my scalp. I had micrografting done 18 months ago and have been using minoxidil 5% topical since. I’m content with how my hair looks now, but I’m considering trying to get pregnanmt with our third child and I’m concerned that I will lose a lot of hair when I stop taking the Minoxidil. I know that woman’s hair generally thickens during pregnancy and then falls out afterward; in your experience, would my hair remain the same (or thicken) during pregnancy, or would it still fall out due to discontinuing the minoxidil? If the hair didn’t fall out and I began the minoxidil after the birth, would the extra hair stay as well? And lastly, I have heard conflicting stories about using 2% and 5% Minoxidil while nursing – is any strength ok to use? What are the effects on the child? Thanks

PregnantAlthough hormonal changes during pregnancy are in favor of promoting hair growth, we don’t have enough information to compare its positive effect with catch up hair loss that may occur with minoxidil withdrawal. We also don’t know whether you can hold on to the extra growth of hair with topical minoxidil.

Topical minoxidil can have systemic absorption and be secreted into the milk. It should be avoided during both pregnancy and nursing.

Tags: nursing, pregnancy, hairloss, hair loss, minoxidil, rogaine

Woman Losing Hair with Hormones, DHEA, and Antibiotics

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

I started to lose your hair this July. About that time you also went on hormones, DHEA, and antibiotics. Could these medications have caused my hair loss. I recently stopped taking these medications and think that the loss may have slowed and some reversal may be going on. Is this possible

I believe that considering the short period of use and the known relationships between DHEA and hair loss, it is reasonable to expect that the hair loss you had might be related to the medication. You think that the hair loss is reversing upon stopping the medication so it is reasonable to expect that your progress will continue. You need to determine the status of your hair in and around your head, get the hair and scalp mapped out for miniaturization and if this is normal, that would make the process most probably reverse.

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

Female Hair Transplant and Shock Loss

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

I am a female planning to get a hair tranpslant and have heard that the trauma of the surgery can cause other hair to fall out. I was wondering if being on Propecia would help keep the hairs from shedding. And if so, do you need to be on Propecia for a certain number of months before it works (i.e. keeps hair from falling out)? Thanks!

Propecia (finasteride) is contraindicated in women who may become pregnant and inefficient in post-menopausal women. It probably will have no impact on pre-menopausal women. Although studies have shown significant reduction in the rate of shock loss in men who are on Propecia, it has not been studied for in women for that purpose and in theory should not work. Hair loss shock is not common in women after transplantation.

Tags: shockloss, shock loss, hairloss, hair loss, women, woman, female, hairtransplant, hair transplant

70 Year Old Woman Just Started Thinning

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

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I just found your web site an hour ago. I have a very specific question:

My hair has been thinning at the hairline (above the forehead and can see through to the scalp) Thinning last 2-3 years. The sides above my ears have thinned out also. I am 70 years old, still wear long hair (my previously feminine crowning “glory.”) I take estrogen–all appropriately prescribed by my gyne. Good homeostasis with estrogen!

Why is this happening? My late daddy was bald at age 30. Any genetic connection to me. Anything safe I can use to stop any progression. I notice people look up at my forehead hairline so I know they see the same thinning scalp which concerns me.

Yes, Dr. Rassman, it is just as important at age 70 to be beautiful as age 20. :-)

Won’t you respond to me?

I totally agree with you that “it is just as important at age 70 to be beautiful as age 20”.

Several question and answers are posted about female pattern baldness in the Female Hair Loss category of this site.

You need to be seen by a hair specialist for confirmation of the diagnosis and pattern of your baldness. Women with baldness need to be tested for some medical conditions that may cause hair loss; among those, thyroid disease, iron deficiency, hormonal and autoimmune diseases. Some of these conditions can be easily treated and the process of baldness may be reversed.

You need to know that women do not necessary follow the phenotype of baldness of their male ancestors. Unlike male pattern baldness, female hair loss is generally more diffuse with no preserved area of hair that could be used for transplant. That is why for a typical female pattern baldness, hair transplantation is rarely indicated. Minoxidil is the only FDA-approved medication that will treat hair loss in women, but first you must be sure that the hair loss is not medically induced.

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