Comb or Brush?

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

I was taking a shower the other day and the back of the shampoo bottle said to use a wide tooth comb and not a brush when combing wet hair. What is better to use for combing wet hair, a brush or a comb? I use a small brush that I believe is from an airplane kit, but that I really like.

Well, if the directions say to use a wide tooth comb and not a brush, I would use a wide tooth comb and not a brush. I am sure if you go to a respectable supermarket, pharmacy, or hair salon, you will be able to find a wide tooth comb. I wrote about this previously.

Tags: comb, brush, hairloss, hair loss

What Other Drugs Cause Hair Growth as a Side Effect?

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

Dear Dr Rassman
In the past we had minoxidil, Proscar, and Avodart which had side effects of growing hair. Do you know of any other drug companys that are saying their drugs have a side effect that grows hair as well?
Thanks

I am not aware of any drug or any drug in development that cause side effect of hair growth to the scalp. I’m certain some company is working on a new drug for hair loss treatment, especially considering the market for such a medication, but there’s nothing that has been made public that I’m aware of. Many companies claim hair growth from shampoos, lotions, etc, but I don’t have a list off the top of my head… and I doubt the validity of most of those claims anyway.

Tags: minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, drug, medication, hairloss, hair loss, hair growth

How Long Do I Keep Minoxidil Applied During the Day?

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

Doctor I read one of your posts and have a related question. In the post you indicate at-least 1 hour to keep minoxidil before taking a shower. I want to clarify this as I too don’t like keeping the medication all day because of its greasy and sticky look.

In addition, I have searched your blog in regards to a good Shampoo…Can you suggest one besides Nizoral, as i use it once every week as suggested by the manufacturer. But want to pick a good brand for daily cleansing….You have suggested to pick the one which suits, however i was wondering if you can still suggest some ingredients or brand to help.

In addition, I want to indicate that I have been on Propecia for 4-5 months and Strongly believe its helping me slow my hair loss. I’m 28/m and now have started using Minoxidil.

Minoxidil should be applied after a shower when the pores on the scalp are open and the circulation from a hot shower increases the blood circulation. The use of minoxidil foam in the morning will solve the greasy feeling and many people prefer it to the liquid. It is also reported that the foam (5%) works better. If you let the medication absorb for at least an hour or so (I’d say 2-3 hours to be safe), you can wipe it off.

I have no suggestion on a shampoo at this time, but I am considering bowing to requests to write reviews for the various hair loss products out there in the marketplace.

Tags: minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss, nizoral, shampoo

In the News – Cold Cap for Hair Loss From Chemotherapy

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

Snippet from the article:

Medical science has made great strides recently in developing successful cancer treatments. But there hasn’t been a lot of progress in dealing with one of the most distressing side effects of cancer therapy – hair loss.

A clinical study is underway on a system that just may help patients keep their hair as they fight for their lives.

Read the full text — Cold Cap Therapy

I read this with interest, but I have no knowledge of it first hand. The article does say that the “cold” in “cold cap therapy” means that they are stored at -22 degrees Fahrenheit, which I’d imagine could be quite uncomfortable. There’s one quote in the text that was a little alarming to me, unless I’m just reading into it too much. The inventor of the therapy, a British scientist, said, “I’ve got husbands calling me saying thank you because their wives who have hair down to here are saying I won’t do chemo, I’d rather die than lose my hair.”

They’d rather die? Hopefully that’s just a figure of speech…

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, chemotherapy, chemo, cancer, cold cap therapy, cold cap

My Stylist Changed Chemical Relaxers and I Lost Hair!

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

On 8/28/08 my hair stylist changed relaxers without my knowledge. As a result, I have experienced hair loss, hair breakage and thinning. I was told that I will need to have the overprocessed hair cut. I was hoping this issue would resolve itself. By using leave in conditioners and taking vitamins. However, my hair remains damaged. My normal hair length is long and coarse(well at one time). I have been told that I will need to cut most of my hair and allow it opportunity to grow healthy again. Do you think it may grow healthy again?

The good news is that the damage was probably not impacting the hair below the skin, so eventually, the hair that is damaged will be replaced by new hair growing at the normal rate of 1/2 inch per month.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, chemical burn, chemical, damage

In the News – A Drug for White Hair?

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

A new alternative to hair dye is said to be in the very early research stage. From the article:

These pigments restored the hair to its original colour, from the white or grey it had become. This took place no matter what the hair colour was to begin with.

The drug, known only as K(D)PT, increased pigmentation when it was applied to hairs gleaned from women undergoing facelifts. However, it was effective only when the strands had been pre-treated to mimic the damage found in conditions that cause hair loss, including some forms of alopecia. In such conditions, hair that grows back is often white.

Full article at UK’s Daily Mail: No, it’s not a pigment of your imagination: Breakthrough drug can restore white hair to its original colour

This is an interesting news release. If you’re coloring your hair, you’re not going to be able to put the dye away just yet, but we’ll see what comes of this in the future.

Tags: white hair, pigment, hair dye, coloring, dye, grey, white hair

Schwarzkopf ACTIV M

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

My hair is falling out and I’m only 16, my mam and my cousins tell me I’m just getting paranoid and I’m not loosing my hair but the sides of my forehead have thinned A LOT and it’s moving back, I dye my hair about every 3 to 4 months I think that may be why I think I’m going to stop dying it. Every time I seem to scratch my head hair comes out. I was thinking of using some products but I’m scared if I use them my hair will fall out even more!! I was wondering if I can go to my normal doctor to ask about hair products?

And while I’m at it I’d just like to ask if you would know if this product looks as if it would work or just make it worse: “Schwarzkopf Active M Hair Retention Care System Tonic For Men”

A good doctor should be able to help you understand what it is that is happening on your head. There are so, so, so many products out there that claim to be beneficial for your hair loss treatment, so don’t be shocked if some doctors don’t know of the products you ask about. For example, I wasn’t aware of that Schwarzkopf product you mentioned, but I used Google to find the list of ingredients here. However, I’m not seeing anything in that list that would help retain your hair, so I’m not sure what it is that they’re selling you. Each doctor should at least know of the FDA approved hair loss medications — minoxidil and finasteride.

I think that it is best to find out if you have a problem at all before putting tonics on your head without a diagnosis.

Tags: schwarzkopf, activ m, hairloss, hair loss, tonic, doctor

Kaminomoto Hair Tonic

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

i have been using kaminomoto hair tonic. i want to know if this is rite product for my hair and i want to use proscar finasteride 5mg. will there be some side affects or not because i hear that there is serious side affects by using proscar finasteride 5mg. pls i want good advice

KaminomotoI hadn’t heard of this tonic in some time (the name sounds like something I saw for sale decades ago), but I did some quick research and found the ingredients are listed as, “alcohol denat, water, rosemary extract, capsicum frutescens, glycerine, menthol, sophora radix (kujin extract), allantoin, panthenol, pyridoxine HCl, isodonis japonicus (enmeiso extract), glycyrrhetinic acid (kanzo extract), hinokitiol (hinoki extract), neo-takanal, fragrances”.

So in other words, it contains nothing that will help with treating your hair loss. Is it the right product for you? Well, if you’re using it to regrow your hair or halt your hair loss, then no, I think it is not the right product. If you’re using it to line the pockets of the vendors and makers of this tonic, then yes, you’re on the right track.

I’ve written many, many times about potential side effects from finasteride. You shouldn’t be taking 5mg for hair loss anyway — the 1mg will do just fine. You do run a greater risk of side effects with the higher 5mg dosage anyway. My advice is to see a physician rather than treating yourself with hocus pocus tonics that will likely not help.

Tags: kaminomoto, hair tonic, tonic, hairloss, hair loss, finasteride, proscar

Betamethasone Dipropionate to Treat Hair Loss?

/by William Rassman, M.D./11 /,

I found the website of a certain Dr. Sandra Brown MD, a dermatologist practicing in Southfield (MI), who claims she has developed a “proprietary and patented gel that has successfully reversed many types of hair loss in hundreds of [her] patients”.

According to Dr. Brown, this gel “thickens and lengthens hair and reverses many types of alopecia (hair loss) such as genetic thinning (e.g., male pattern baldness), chemical and stress related hair loss and other types of hair loss”. The treatment “is applied daily to the scalp” and “stimulates hair follicles causing hair to grow thicker and faster. Additionally, after the gel is discontinued the hair that you have re-grown does not catastrophically fall out (in contrast to the only commercially available product currently approved by the FDA which must be used forever to prevent hair loss).”

This gel contains bethametasone dipropionate 0.05% and tretinoin (all-trans-retinoic acid) 0.0125%.

The patent can be viewed at PatentStorm. Some quotes from the patent: “An application of betamethasone dipropionate and all-trans-retinoic acid is made to the patient. The betamethasone dipropionate and all-trans-retinoic acid are administered together in a compound applied topically to the scalp. The compound and method have been found to effectively restore hair growth even after discontinuance of use of the compound.” “Betamethasone dipropionate is a steroid and has a tendency to thin the dermis. All-trans-retinoic acid is also administered in combination with betamethasone dipropionate. However, one of the well-known side effects of all-trans-retinoic acid is that it acts to thicken the skin. Thus, when used in combination with each other, the negative side effects of betamethasone dipropionate and all-trans-retinoic acid act to cancel each other out while synergistically producing a large amount of hair.” “Outstanding results, including hair growth within one week of applying the compound, were observed.”

I also found a newspaper article about Dr. Brown. During the interview with the journalist, Dr Brown said: “85-percent of the patients that we treat can see the hair growing back thicker within 21 days.”

Now, what do you think about all this?

Bethametasone and tretinoin are very common and cheap drugs and can be easily obtained in any drugstore. So, it wouldn’t be difficult to try this treatment. However, I’m skeptical, because:

  1. There are no scientific studies to support Dr. Brown’s claims, only her clinical experience.
  2. It all seems too good to be true. As I said, the treatment is based on well-known and common drugs. If it really worked, it would have become the standard hair-loss treatment all over the world.
  3. Although dr. Brown says that tretinoin counteracts the side effects of bethametasone (and this claim seems to be backed up by some research, I’m still concerned about the negative effects of long-term use of a corticosteroid.

I’d like to hear some opinions before trying this treatment.

Betamethasone dipropionate is a steroid which I believe does require a prescription. I personally use it occasionally to treat my psoriasis and for that it works well. The application of steroids for various forms of hair loss has been proposed and it works in mild autoimmune diseases that may be responsible for hair loss, but it is usually not strong enough for these diseases. The use of retinoic acid could burn the scalp and cause blistering for repeated heavy use, partly controlled by the steroid effects of betamethasone dipropionate.

There is nothing new here, just some possible misrepresentation on the use of these two drugs in combination. And the 2nd point you made at the bottom of your email is spot on — common sense would tell most people that if some common medication turned out to be the greatest hair loss treatment ever, it’d be a standard treatment.

Tags: betamethasone, dipropionate, steroid, hairloss, hair loss, tetinoin, retinoic, acid, diprosone, diprolene

Sea Kelp for Female Hair Loss?

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

(female) I am 51 yrs. old. In the past 6 months I have lost 33 pounds in a healthy slow pace. In the last 3 months I have had alot of hair loss along with scalp itching. It has clogged my bath drain in 3 months and feels about 1/2 the thickness it use to. The weight loss, a new shampoo and conditioner and having my hair streaked with blond every month ( I have had it colored for years and streaked but only every 3 months rather than streaked every month. These are the only 3 new things that have happened. I have started taking sea kelp with no help for 2 months. I have had all the normal medical tests done to make sure there isn’t any health issue here. The results were all normal.

Weight loss can cause hair loss although the slow weight loss you had should not be a cause. You could perhaps have an allergy to something in your new shampoo or conditioner, or even a reaction to the chemicals used with your hair coloring. It’s difficult to tell for sure, so I’m just left to guess. Sea kelp probably has little value to you for regrowing your hair.

Tags: female hair loss, sea kelp, shampoo, hairloss, hair loss

I’ve Been Losing Hair for 7 Months After My Hair Was Professionally Colored

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

Hi William,

It is good to see that your advices are helping millions of people, who are suffering from hair fall. I am a 28 year old male suffering from hair fall. I had bad hair color done,hair has become frizzy like dry grass. To give you brief history of my hair fall, 7 months ago I went to reputed hair saloon SPA, he applied a colour which was not a well known brand. immediately after applying, my scalp started itching, stinging and burning. it was severe and unbearable. From the 4th day of that incident my hair started falling and it is increasing every day, about 70 strands per day and hair has become frizzy like a dry grass. Before that there was not even a single hair fall.

Do you think my hair follicles have been damaged? How to restore the damaged follicles? I strongly believe so, because I am losing hair all over the scalp. the new hairs which growing are very thin, have pointed ends and are falling. I am losing thin and thick and all kind of hairs. Please give me best possible advice ASAP…I am very depressed…

Also, I have very oily scalp. I do wash every day with head & Shoulder oily scalp shampoo. If I do not wash a day, my scalp becomes very oily, and it will be itching and also boils will come up. I tried lots of things and no use. So please give me the best feasible solution ,by keeping my scalp condition

I really appreciate if you could help me. Thanks in advance.

The average person will lose 70-100 hairs per day so that alone may not be indicative of a problem, but if you believe that you now have a scalp and hair problems from the dyes used, you need to be seen by a good dermatologist who can examine your scalp skin and determine if you received a burn or had an allergic reaction to the dyes used. I can not tell you what to do without seeing you for myself.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, color, hair color, dye

Could Expired Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?

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

Dr Rassman help !

I just found out that for the past months i’ve been using a shampoo beyond its expiration date! The expiration date was on June 2008 and i was using it up until late October (2 – 3 times / week ). This is the shampoo: Bioderma Node DS

Would there be any permanent or temporary damage? I haven’t been experiencing any scalp problems ( apart from occasional mild itching and / or tightness ). I do have seen intense shedding in the past two months, which i though was seasonal shedding. I do have a couple of thousand plugs (last transplant was 6 1/2 months ago.)

I would really appreciate a reply. I’m really stressed about this one. Best Regards

Most labels for product expiration are usually not reflective of the actual life of the product (usually longer than stated). I don’t believe that you should have a problem with hair loss from using such an outdated shampoo. Look to other causes like genetic hair loss. You had a couple thousand grafts transplanted (I assume you mean grafts, even though you stated plugs, which often refers to the outdated hair transplant techniques of yesteryear), but I don’t know what degree of loss you had before that, whether you were on Propecia before your transplant, etc. You could be seeing shock loss from the hair transplant. Without seeing what you’re talking about and knowing more about your case, it would be difficult to guide you.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, shock loss, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, shampoo, expired, expiration

Hair Gel Caused Irritation Leading to Scabs That I Picked Off

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

Hello, I am in desperate need of advice about my hairline’s growth. From 7th to 9th grade I would wear hair gel. The chemicals in the gel had formed dandruff that irritated and dried my scalp. I would excessively scratch my head because of the itching. Especially around my hairline. Tiny scabs would form and I would pick them off with my nails because they would itch too. Hair stopped growing on those little areas of my hairline where the scabs were. Now it looks like I have a receding hairline. It has affected my confidence and left me full of regret. I think I permanently damaged the hair follicles on my hairline, because instead of thick hair tiny baby hairs grow out instead. These baby hairs seem like they do not grow. I am seventeen years old now, and I limit my use of gel to avoid itchy dandruff. It has been about a year and a half since I stopped scratching so compulsively. I hope you understand my perception of this depressing situation. Have I permanently damaged the hair follicles on my hairline? Will I ever have any growth, or is their something I can do about it? Please give me your insight and knowledge of what I can do.

You need to be evaluated by a good dermatologist. Sometimes gels can produce allergies, which may cause itching. Continuous scratching of the hair will produce traction alopecia and if you scratch it often in the same place, the hair loss can become permanent. I couldn’t tell you if you’ve developed permanent damage, though.

Tags: dermatology, allergy, scab, gel, chemical, hair product, hairloss, hair loss, traction alopecia

Can Styling Chemicals Cause Disfigurement?

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

is it possible that the chemicals in perms and hair relaxing products misfigure or cause dents in ones scalp? and what cause dents in scalp besides direct head trauma externally?

I don’t believe that relaxing products and perms will cause physical deformities like dents in your scalp. They are known to cause hair loss and burns when associated to allergies or misuse.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, disfigure, dent, scalp, burn, chemical burn

Coloring Hair Without a Skin Test?

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

If you have a cap on to do highlights, do you need a skin test first? Also is there any chance the bleach can get on the skin? People keep reasuring me it wont but I’m not convinced. Please help I have a condition where I dont like anything, like chemicals going on my skin.

Thanks

The side effects from dyes can be quite severe and in case it does drip onto the scalp, having the skin test will be reassuring when you do have your hair dyed. Accidents can happen, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Tags: bleach, dye, color, skin, allergy, dermatology