is minoxidil safe in pregnancy?
Any medication that you take on the skin will go through the skin and into the body. If the baby gets exposed to this drug by absorption through the skin, there’d be at least one report of babies with more hair than normal. Unfortunately, good studies are not available to answer this question. This may be an issue of benefits vs risks, so I would suggest that you ask your OB doctor and see if that causes him/her concern.
I was born without pubic or underarm hair, I have eyebrows but they never grow long. The hair on my head is thick and lustrous – other body hair sparse. What causes this?
There are genetic patterns that each of us inherit associated with both our heritage and our ancestry. American Indians, like their Asian ancestors, have very little body or facial hair. Many Asians do not have pubic or under arm hair. We have transplanted many Asian women who want pubic hair, but it will grow like your head hair, a bit more curly, so you will have to cut it to keep it short.
For your eyebrows, it sounds like you have very short hair cycles there, which means that the eyebrow hair may only be there for a very short time when it falls out and eventually gets replaced by other hairs. When this happens, the length is usually very short and the growth rate is always slow in the eyebrow, possibly slower on you then in many other people of similar ethnic background.
I was wondering if I could bring my daughter in for a consoltation, because she has a small scar on her scalp that she would like to get filled in, and we were just wondering what kind of treatment options there are. It is a very small scar, but it seems to bother her a lot, and I just want her to not worry about it anymore. She is only 16 but she is begging me to set up a consoltation. Would this be okay, or is she to young?
She is not too young and I would be happy to see her. Hair transplants work very well for scalp scars. The FUE technique works well here. That means that there will be almost no pain for the transplants or after the transplants are done.
I am a 58 year old woman who has been on Femara for 18 months. I was on Tamoxofin for 3 1/2 years prior. I have always had fine hair but over the last year it is thinning much more. It is becoming difficult to style despite keeping it short. Have you had other women on these drugs experience this? Any recommendations?
It may seem crazy, but I felt that cancer had a cure. This feels overwhelming.
I have not treated cancer of the breast for many, many years so I am not familiar with these drugs on a specific level. Cancer chemotherapy goes after cells that have a high metabolism and hair is unfortunately one of the most active metabolic organs in the body. That is the bad news, but the good news is that hair is very robust and once it gets used to some of these drugs, this side effect reverses. I am sure that the doctor who prescribed these medications will be in a better position to answer that question about both Femara and Tamoxifen.
(female) Hi, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate the feedback you gave me about filling in the small scar on my head. I do however have another question. Since the scar on my head is so small, and I really don’t want to damage any further follicles on my head, is it possible to extract a few hairs from my leg or the back of my leg, and use it to fill in the scar? Because the hair on my legs doesn’t really differ from the hair on my head. And if transplanted, would the hair grow the same length as the rest of the surrounding hair?
Leg hair has longer sleep cycles (as does most body hair) than scalp hair and that means that most of the hair is in its sleep cycle and not showing its presence. If you transplant 10 leg hairs and watch them grow, only about 2-3 of them will be evident at any one time (the others are there, but in telogen phase). Body hair also grows at different rates and it may not grow to regular scalp hair length. Furthermore, leg hair does not have the same quality and caliber as your scalp hair. More importantly, even if leg hair transplantation works, are you willing to live with a surgical scar on your leg?
The traditional FUE procedure (on the scalp) is a better solution and the hair is exactly the same quality that exists around it. In addition, it has only a 10-20% sleep phase at any one time. Although your idea sounds interesting, it is not a worthwhile endeavor.
Please see Transplanting Chest, Leg, and Thigh Hair for more.
(female) Every now and then I get bumps on my scalp that are tender, itchy. Awhile after I lightly scratch my head,some of the bumps have oozed and dried. I also notice my scalp is oilier than normal and I lose hair. Sometimes one of these bumps appear at my hairline and have a white head on it. What is this and what causes it?
Thank you.
Sounds like you get outbreaks of folliculitis for which you should see a good dermatologist to learn prevention techniques. Folliculitis reflects infections around the hair follicles, most often involving the sebaceous gland. The bacteria that cause these infections reside on the skin. Folliculitis can be caused by scratching of the skin, breaking the skin surface making it vulnerable to infection, or glands that are very oily with the openings of the hair follicle blocked with sebum. Good washing and hygene techniques usually work well to prevent the process.
Dr. Rassman
My daughter has many bald spots on her head, we noticed this back in August of last year and it dosen’t seem to be getting better. I am at a loss as to what to do. I have had her saliva tested and put her on a vitamin and mineral regiment. She has also started to eat more vegetables at our urging to help with her problem. She is nine years old and has always been concerned with her appearance, I am very concerned that this will progress and affect her forever. Please send me any information that you think may help us.
Take her to a good dermatologist. Spots of hair loss are signs of something wrong like a fungal disease of the scalp or alopecia areata or a variety of other conditions. This is not the place for the amateurs (or even online opinions) and your daughter deserves a good professional opinion from an expert in person.
I have lost my sideburns and thinned out my temples after I had plastic surgery. Can you put the hair back with hair transplants?
Yes, complications of hair loss in face lifts and brow lifts are the most common type of hair transplant I perform on women. Here is a great example of the before and after picture on one such patient with red hair who had more than one face lift. Note that the entire side burn area was bare ‘before’ the hair transplant as was much of the temple hair. When the face is lifted tightly, the side burn and side hair around the ear is often either weakened or removed during the repair process. The more facelifts a person has, the greater the price to hair loss and my role in restoring the hair becomes more critical. Women want to pull their hair back as a styling option and many face lift patients can not do this. Clearly, this red-head can wear her hair in a bun showing off the side hair as she did as a younger woman.
The photo on the left is before, the photo on the right is after. Note the scars from the last recent face lift she had on the picture on the left. The transplants hid the scars nicely. Click to enlarge.
I used to have beautiful hair. Over the past year and a half I have been under a lot of stress. last summer i noticed two bald spots in my hair. they were the size of silver dollars. i went to a place where they said i had androgenic alopecia (they weren’t doctors) and now i wear a hair piece in my hair. it is hot, uncomfortable, and i can’t help but feel self concious. it’s also expensive, and i’m only 25 and can barely afford it. i’m a single mom.
i’ve worn the hair piece for about 5 months.
lately i’ve noticed that my hair has been growing faster, and my mother looked within my hair piece and says my hair may be growing back (my stress level has diminished quite a bit)
i was wondering (besides appearance) if there would be signs that this conditon is going away.
will my head be a little itchy, will i feel stubble? will the hair grow in and be thinner from the scalp at first (not like a telogen hair) and then grow in thicker? what kinds of things do you recomend I do to make my hair grow back, because i can’t live without hair anymore, and i’m not rich, and can’t afford medical procedures or cosmetic ones.
should i get a b12 shot, or purchase the ssublingual pill?
please help. i want to be normal and pretty again.
If you feel stubble, the you can assume that the hair is probably growing back. Hair cycles every 3-7 months (approximately) so if the hair loss is short term, you may see it reverse in that time frame. Wearing hair systems will cause traction alopecia and I would advise you against this, and suggest that you just style around your area of loss, if possible.
There are many medical conditions that need to be evaluated, so consider seeing a doctor and reviewing the Female Hair Loss category.
I had my eyebrow tattoed twice. It created a “bump” after. It looks ugly.Could you please recommend what to buy in order to restore the hair growth for my eyebrow. I would appreciate any input please. I am frustrated everyday looking at my face on the mirror daily. On top of that, brown spots started to grow on my forehead. I tried every skin bleaching cream & sun block with high SPF, but did not clear it.
Please help.
Tattoos are permanent and they tend to change color with time, many turning a green hue. Restoring hair growth may not be possible. Most women that lose eyebrow hair get the loss from plucking the eyebrow and producing traction alopecia. Eyebrows are more sensitive to permanent loss from plucking than head hair. However, hair transplants work nicely in the eyebrow to restore them. We have an office in San Jose, which is where I believe you reside (that’s the location you provided, anyway).
I am not sure what the bump is that you are talking about, nor do I understand the brown spots that are growing on your forehead. Without seeing you, there is little I can offer. May I suggest that you see a dermatologist?
Hello,
I am 56, female, and have had hair thinning/loss at the hairline for the past few years…. have tried everything without success. In February I began taking bio-identical estrogen ( cream) and natural progesterone capsules – not specifically for hair loss – But I have noted that my hair thinning is worsening. I was dx with low thyroid and am taking 1/2 grain of Nature T (Armour) thyroid…. I also just started taking a small amount of Testosterone cream…. Do you have any advice re: whether any of these thinks could help – or if I should cut anything out??? My MD says that if I keep my testosterone dose small it should not affect my hair problem…Thank you so much…………..
It is difficult to answer your question, because you have many factors that may be contributing to your hair loss. You state you have hypothyroidism, but it seems you are taking a natural herb to treat the condition. I am curious if it has brought your thyroid hormone back to normal levels. I am also not sure why you are taking testosterone cream or the estrogen cream. Is it for hair loss? Either way, it seems you are in the care of a doctor and you should consult with him/her for any changes in medication or seek another doctor for a professional second opinion. BaldingBlog is not intended to give professional medical opinions (especially without a formal face to face physical exam).
If I can be of any help, estrogen cream and testosterone cream are not commonly used for hair loss. Testosterone can produce balding in women. Female hair loss is a difficult problem to treat and I always advise readers to rule out any treatable medical conditions (such a hypothyroidism) before seeking general hair loss treatments.
Dear Dr. Rassman,
Thank you for having a site where a consumer can ask questions about there concerns and worries about hair disorders and hair systems. I am a professional cosmetologist of over 23 years. I specialize in non-surgical hair replacement and a retailer of fine wigs and hair pieces. https://www.afoxintl.com/ Over the years I have witness several women loose their hair, it appears to be widespread. Does not matter the ethic background, I have seen in all races. Although Dr. Rassman, I have noticed women of color experiece itchy scalp on the crown area. Not the typical cases of braid, ponytail, high lift colors and weaves. These ladies hairloss starts on the lower crown,but above the occipatal bone.
No medications, never braids-weaves or such. Starts itching in September and goes through winter months to about April, win hair starts to grow back. I have witness this with new clients who have come to me based on recommendation of being able to have the Growing Hand. During this winter dry period I use essential oils, olive oil, moisture conditioners with and without heat, tends to help stop iching somewhat. All have seen dermatologist…they prescribe Biotin and Nizoral, even as sugest to one fugal infection…strange she get fungal same time every year Sept to April. Afterward hair grows great in summer, no itching….What are your thoughts?
Without examing a person, it is difficult to blindly produce a diagnosis. Sound like the right treatments with oils and the like. The dermatologist joke is: “If it is dry, wet it! If it is wet, dry it!”
Fungal infections can cause itching and flaking but it requires the skilled eye of an experienced doctor.
I had a hair transplant in August 2005. The doctor used the slit technique and placed 900 grafts in the frontal 2.5 inches of my scalp. He told me that the “see throughness” would be corrected. I am a 33 year old female who did not notice thinning until after the birth of my son. I waited until he was 22 months old to have the surgery to rule out any acceleration in my hair loss and make sure I was done with the post-partum shed. I had previously seen one other transplant doctor before electing to have the surgery, and he had suggested two procedures in the frontal area, covering about the first 1.5 inches of my scalp. I chose the second surgeon because he said he did two female transplants a week (thus he had experience with women) and could do the whole thing in one procedure.
Immediately after my surgery I was thinner and the doctor said it was normal to lose hair during the procedure; but that it would grow back. Three months after the procedure I had lost so much surrounding hair that it totally negated any gain from the 900 grafts, 25% of which kept growing from day one on, the rest of which had begun to grow at 3-4 months. Today, 10 months later, I am about 25% THINNER than I was before the surgery. The doctor said I suffered some permanent hair loss, probably hairs that were predestined to fall out anyway. Shouldn’t he have known this when he examined me, prior to the procedure????
Now I am very upset because two transplant doctors have told me I was not a candidate in the first place; that I hadn’t lost enough hair to have the surgery. If I choose at some point in the future to have another transplant, to try to put me back where I was beforehand, what is the likelihood that the grafted hairs, and/or additional surrounding permanent hairs will be shocked out? Are there any new techniques in the works that would minimize or eliminate the irritation to existing follicles? Is a smaller procedure (100-200 grafts) in the very frontal region less likely to put my surrounding hairs at risk? Lastly, is the individual follicle removal technique okay for me, as opposed to another strip technique? To give you some idea of the condition of my donor area, the doctor noted that my density was 3.5 out of 5.0.
Thank you in advance for any insight you can offer. I am sorry I don’t live in your area, as I would definitely come in for an in-person consult. I live in the Boston area and would appreciate any sound, competent and surgically conservative referrals you could give me.
I have said many times on this blog that if any doctor tells you that he/she does many hair transplants on women, that you should run for the hills. Women generally make poor hair transplant cases, because the hair from the side and back where the hair is taken from is not normal — so why would one put not normal hair into areas of thinning, where the hair is not normal as well? You need to see a good, honest doctor with a lot of experience in this field — seriously, someone who is impeccably honest. May I suggest that you make a trip to New York and see my colleague Dr. Robert Bernstein?
Hi,
I took Accutane 2 times for the past 3.5 years and have lost about 70% of my hair. I has improved a tiny bit, but it’s not the same every since. It is very thin and dry, and UGLY looking. I also developed lots of other problems after this crapy drug: vision problems, dry eyes, dry skin, joint pain, high billirubin and thyroid problems. And it didn’t even cure my acne! My hair stopped falling out about 7-8 months ago, and I still don’t have any regrowth, I have very-very little… There is no family history of hairloss, my 78y.o. grandmother has better hair than I do. Accutane has be taking off of the market, it’s very nasty drug, I wish more people would know about it!
This is one of the worst hair related comments I have received about Accutane. The list of potential side effects is long (see below). The doctors who prescribe it know more about the frequency of such side effects than I do as I only see the worst examples of the hair related problems from it, so I can not advise people who are reading this blog on what to do if they are prescribed Accutane. Speak with your doctor, ask all of the right questions, read the material that comes with the drug and look up more information, starting here:
(female) I had spinal surgery april 7th of this year, and got what I was told was a pressure burn from the face pad in the front of my hairline. It was very painful and red, and it blistered then peeled, then the hair started falling out. New hair started to grow back in as stubble, but that is now falling out too. The spot is about 2 inches wide, and about 3/4 inch deep into my hairline,what new hair I have is extremely sparse (about 1/4, maybe, of what was there before) right in the middle/front. I was treated with silvadine burn cream while in the hospital. The skin there looks normal, not like a scar from a burn. Is there anything I can do to treat this and grow the hair back? I’m hoping to not have to do a transplant type of procedure. And I wouldn’t worry so much if it wasn’t smack-dab in the front of my head, I can’t hide it , even cut bangs. I’m also afraid it will get worse, as the burn was larger than the area of hair loss.
I always tell people to wait at least 8 months, even a year to get the growth to return. Hair goes through cycles and you must wait out the cycling of the hair to see the new growth. Since your surgery was in April of this year, that suggests that new growth should start between October – December and maximize at one year.