Coping with Hair Loss

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

Guest Article by Edrian Blasquino

Embracing Change: Coping with Hair Loss Emotionally and Psychologically

We all know that change is an inevitable part of life, but sometimes it manifests in ways we least expect. One such change that can deeply affect our emotional and psychological well-being is hair loss. 

Whether it occurs due to medical conditions, hormonal imbalances, stress, or other factors, hair loss can be a challenging experience. 

In this blog, let’s explore the emotional and psychological aspects of coping with hair loss and discover ways to embrace this change with self-compassion and resilience.

 

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Hiding baldness (Boufant) (photo)

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

I remember a patient of mine that woke up at 3:30am every morning with his Class 6 pattern of balding.  He let the hair on the sides grow very long and then for 2+ hours every morning, he would style his hair so that the side hair would cover his balding Class 6 pattern. His combover (called a Boufant) was successful, but his life was arranged around his hair, where he could not go to certain places or visit certain people, or go out on a windy day, he generally stayed indoors when it rained, and often called in sick from work when rain was predicted. Fortunately, he lived in California where rain is restricted to the months between December-February. He reduced his time away from home and became a prisoner to his need to create his morning Boufnat. 

The hair transplant changed his life as he was no longer imprisoned by his need to style his hair. 

The man below could be heading in the same direction which I am sure creates similar restrictions on his life.  He does a great job covering the bald frontal area with his side and back hairs (see arrows).  The best ticket to freedom for his life is to get a hair transplant. I suspect this can be corrected in a single hair transplant. 

How do I manage my pills?

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

Hi . I took finasteride for 3 years without any results and my hair loss continued . After 3 years I took minox 2.5 mg, I saw my hair thicken slightly but not for long. 1 year later I started duta and minox 5mg. in 4-5 months I had very good results, almost all my hair has grown back. I want to stop duta because I have more side effects . But don’t know if the results are due to minox or duta.

I can’t give advice on this thread, but you point out the need for an expert hair doctor to work with you on managing you, your medications, and dealing with your side effects.  Some side effects may have long-term ramifications. 

3 months finasteride, 2.5mg minoxidil plus microneedling (photo)

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

So many men do not want to show any part of their face, not even their eyebrows to remain anonymous.  I keep telling them that do bring value, I need to see some photos to show the balding and one of them should be a frontal view with the hair pulled back and the eyebrows lifted high so that the creases on the forehead show up.   This will show me anatomical landmarks to measure where the hairline belongs and more about what the shape should be.  

Microneedling, where to do it?

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

You are going too low, trying to restore your juvenile hairline which is concave. Confine it to the upper area above the dotted line shown in the photo as that is where your mature hairline belongs. I am estimating where your mature hairline belongs. I doubt the sides will grow back but if they do, please write to me and prove me wrong.

Some growth with dermaroller in 2 months

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

I’ve been on Finasteride for years. It’s been great at maintaining hair but got zero regrowth from it. I added minoxidil and only saw minimal regrowth.  Then eventually, I decided to try micro needling with a derma pen. It’s been only few months but I think i’m seeing regrowth. However, the hair strands are thin and not as thick as the rest of my native hair so I’ve been using hair fibers to equalize the density which makes my hair look 100% natural and already getting comments on how my hair is looking “healthier”.  Now although the hair fibers are doing the trick, I don’t want to rely on them forever. So my question is, does the hair gained from micro needling get thicker eventually?

To maximize the controlled insult with microneedling, you should use a Dr. Pan device with the most needles and a depth of 1.25mm. Each area must be held over the targeted balding area for at least 10 seconds to produce the insult needed to maximize the wound healing and hair growth. The problem with the dermaroller is that you may not be delivering enough of a wound to get the best results possible.

Tinnitus while taking finsteride!

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

Hi, I’ve been experiencing tinnitus (ringing in ears) and some heavy depressive moments over the last few weeks. What’s your opinion on dht suppression of GABA receptors that can cause tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a known side effect of finasteride.  Stop the medication and hopefully, this will go away.  See your doctor