Can hair thickening conditioners/ shampoos give false readings when performing hair check or miniaturization mapping?
Yes. Be sure to mention this to your doctor if you’re having bulk measurement or mapping done.
Hi Dr,
I’m a patient of Dr. Pak who came to the office in March. For the past year or so, I have been using a combo of OTC Nizoral and T-gel to combat an itchy scalp. I alternate between the two each day.
However, I can no longer find Nizoral anywhere — it’s gone from Amazon, drugstore.com and any physical pharmacy I’ve gone to. Any idea what happened? I can’t find any substantiated reason for the disappearance online. Also, in the absence of Nizoral, do you have a suggested replacement I could put in my routine?
Many thanks.
I haven’t followed the sales or availability of Nizoral (ketoconazole) shampoo. I’ve had a few readers ask about it, but I’ve not been able to find any news. I have no suggestion on a replacement shampoo. Have you contacted the manufacturer?
So I’ll open it up to the readers — have you read anything about why Nizoral has disappeared from shelves?
I recently had loc extensions placed into my hair because my hair is very fine and soft and refuses to lock on its own. In the process of it one of the locs on the back of my head was done to tight and eventually came out pulling my own hair with it there is some what of a bald spot there and the hair growing is very very very fine thin and small. I recently shaved my head to get everything on the same level while the rest of my hair is growing at a normal rate this patch is still very slow is this permanent or will it grow back if not is there anything i can do to help it
Hair extensions can produce traction alopecia, leading to permanent hair loss. Since you just shaved your head, I hope that means you’re going to discontinue using extensions. At this point, you’ll just have to see what happens over the next few months.
If there is permanent loss from the tight pulling, you’ll know within a year or so. Hopefully it isn’t the case, though.
Dear Dr Rassman,
I thought your readers may be interested in this article. The Daily Mail, here in the UK, reviewed some common hair loss “cures” including your favorite product the laser comb :). Not surprisingly, they were all found to have little or no effect apart from regaine.
Here is the link: From a laser comb to rubbing coffee on your head, the His and Hers guide to hair loss cures
Best regards
Aside from the fact that there is no real hair loss cure, this is a decent round-up of some of the over-the-counter hair loss treatments. It doesn’t surprise me that that highest marks for the products they reviewed went to Rogaine (Regaine as it is known in the UK), and treatments like fish extracts and saw palmetto lotions got low scores.
I began to experience Propecia side effects about one month ago, and about two weeks ago stopped taking the drug. After two weeks without the drug the side effects had disappeared. My dermatologist told me to take Propecia every other day from now on to limit possible side effects. In addition to Propecia I am taking Procerin, applying Rogaine, and shampooing with Nizoral three times a week. I wrote in in February about diffuse hair loss through out my head; today you can hardly tell I lost any hair. I have been taking propecia since March 4.
My main question is if this drug could have provided such benefit in such a short time, and if not how can i be sure that I do not need it? As learned in my other question, I had been through very stressful times before the loss occured. I am 18 years old with no immediate family history of hair loss. On a side note, my temple points had seemed to be gone back in the winter, though now they are back in full.
It sounds like you are getting the response you need and want from Propecia (finasteride 1mg). You’ve been taking it since March, and so it’s entirely possible that you saw regrowth in that time from the medication.
I doubt that the other things you are using are helping as much, but that’s one of the risks in using a few products at once. You have no way of knowing which one is the most beneficial. Stopping the finasteride could result in losing the gains you’ve made… or things could maintain if the finasteride didn’t actually help you (for example: if your loss was temporary and related to stress). I have no way to know that for sure via the Internet, though.
You’re under the care of a doctor already, so you should be asking these questions to him/her. Regardless of how you regrew your hair, I’m pleased that you’re seeing success with your regrowth goal.
For those of us with Alopecia Areata, – this study may be beneficial to you guys. The study is quite positive. Please read the link below:
Nice find and thanks for sending. I don’t recall seeing too much about using garlic as an alopecia areata treatment.
This was a small study of 34 people presented last year at a conference in Australia. It does sound interesting, and I found another small alopecia areata study discussing the use of topical garlic gel in combination with betamethasone valerate, but I don’t know that the study mentioned in the link you sent was ever published in a peer reviewed journal. While the article is from the Philippine Dermatological Society site, it just mentions that the presentation was by one of their members…not that it was published in a medical journal.
I am glad there are new alopecia areata treatments being explored, regardless of how stinky they may be. And it’s worth noting that a few years ago the NY Times wrote about unlocking the secrets of garlic for use in medicine.
Hello! I am writing you because I have thinning hair in the temple area. I am a 25 year old black male that hair in the temple area have been thinning. I have not tried any medicine to date, but am looking for a good doctor in my area to go see for information on a way to regain my hair. Also wanted to know is laser therapy a good way of doing this and what is the average price range? Thanks in advance!
I have written about the laser hair therapies in the past, and I’ve been unimpressed with the results compared to the promises and claims the companies make. This goes for the in-office large machines and the at-home handheld lasers. I’ve yet to see regrowth as claimed.
You can read those past posts on the blog, listed under LLLT (low level laser therapy) here.
Hello Doctor
I understand that the “clogged pores due to dirt and buildup” is a hair loss myth. But what about open pores? Is it safe to use things like a spray leave in detangler, right after a warm head wash?
Pores are there to secrete oils to coat your skin and hair. Hair spray, lotions, and leave-in detanglers should be safe to use.
Do you have any knowledge or opinion about prosthetic follicles? I was imagining a tiny hypo- or non-allergenic device of plastic, silicone, etc that could even eject broken hairs and be reloaded. If they can replace heart valves and if they can make silicon wafers with microscopic transistors, artificial follicles hardly seems unfeasible. I googled my idea and actually found something:
This sounds wonderful for balding or bald rabbits. There’s still a lot that needs to be done before it is shown to be safe for humans.
There is reasonable experience in artificial hairs and the history is not pretty, with infections that really mess up the scalp. I have personally seen the results of artificial hair over the years and have removed them in patients I’ve seen, but the problems never seem to clear. They look good when they are initially done, but hopefully people will live long enough to regret the decision to do this.
Hello Doctor
I know many people with hair loss that use ketoconazole 2% shampoo times a week, thinking it fights seb derm. Others use salycylic acid shampoos 4 – 5 times a week thinking it thickens the hair shaft
My question is: Could overusing active medicated shampoos for long periods, contrary to official recommendations lead to permanent hair loss?
Thank you
I don’t think shampoos will cause permanent hair loss per se, but you should not be using medications of any sort in ways they are not prescribed or recommended.
Ketoconazole shampoo (also known as Nizoral, among other names) does work in treating seborrhoeic dermatitis, but you should follow your doctor’s recommendation for dosing.
what is the best shampoo to use after H.T. my head is peeling its been about 2 weeks and when can i start using rogaine again. Thanks
After 2 weeks you head should not be peeling. You need to just use your regular shampoo and make sure you are washing your scalp properly. Follow up with your doctor and make sure you are washing your hair correctly.
Usually, I’d recommend waiting 7-10 days before using Rogaine after a hair transplant. Talk to your surgeon.
To what extent, if at all, would a topical such as minoxidil or Revivogen interfere with oral finasteride. I feel like trying to jam all of these things in you follicle together may cause them to interfere with one another. The last thing I want to do is reduce the effectiveness of the finasteride. But if they do not interfere with the finasteride, then adding one or both could be beneficial.
Thanks for the help. You have a great site.
I don’t think adding all the treatment options will diminish the effects of Propecia (finasteride 1mg), however, as enthusiastic and motivated as you are, you need to think in realistic terms.
Once you start three separate treatments how do you know which product is working and which is not? At what point are you going to say “Yes, this works” and continue the treatment, or “Nope, this one isn’t for me” so you can stop dumping money into it? Another way to put it — are you prepared to indefinitely invest in all three treatment plans? Remember, once you stop using a product that has shown to be effective, those benefits will disappear.
Hi
I am a 17 year old male and have just started to notice that my hairline has just started to recede (to about just before a norwood 2 I would say) and starting to thin a bit on top. I’m getting a bit worried as my dad is bald. I have been researching ways to stop my receding hairline going any further and came across this thing called scalp excercises. Apparently they allow more blood to flow to the scalp which stimulates the hair follicles and makes them stronger. Just wondering if u think that may work?And also I found a drug called procerin it is a natural drug that has had lots of good feedback and it says it works best for people aged between 18 and 35. I would just like your opinion on if u think this may work for me. This problem has been haunting me for a while so any information u have for me would be greatly appreciated thank you.
Procerin is a boutique version of the herbal saw palmetto. Some people swear by it, others say it doesn’t work. There have been two studies that I’m aware of to determine the effectiveness of saw palmetto as a hair loss treatment, and they were inconclusive. What I know works for early hair loss is Propecia (finasteride). It’s a prescription medication and FDA approved to treat hair loss. Talk to your doctor.
Scalp exercises won’t stop your hairline from receding. You have a family history of hair loss, so while trying out things you read about on the internet might seem like a good idea, the genetic expression of your hair loss won’t be stopped by rubbing your head.
Snippet from the article:
A cream which slows the growth of hair by 70 per cent could result in men shaving just once every three weeks. It works on both men and women, meaning five o’clock shadows and girls spending hours in the bath shaving their legs could soon be a thing of the past.
Adonia hair serum uses organic plant oils to weaken hair formation and is being hailed as a healthy alternative to expensive hair removal treatments such as electrolysis.
More than 10,000 people have already put their names on a waiting list for the product. During trials in the U.S. the hair reducer showed an impressive 46 per cent reduction in hair growth after 21 days with a 70 per cent reduction after six weeks.
Read the full story — The gel that slows hair growth and lets men shave every THREE WEEKS
I can’t tell you how tired I am of shaving my facial hair, so if this is real, it would be very welcome. I can imagine women would love to give this a try, rather than shaving their legs.
The product, Adonia Hair Reducer, is for sale via a 3rd party seller on Amazon.com, but there are a few reviews that are highly suspect. Three of the four reviews were posted on the same day, and the reviewers have only written about products sold by that 3rd party seller. Glowing reviews, of course. I don’t know whether the cream actually does what it says, but the reviews I’ve found are more than likely phony, and I can’t find any other mentions of the product actually being used.
Hi just wanted to say thanks first off for all the information provided for us. I had a quick question my twin brother (fraternal) started balding about three years ago and now is pretty bad. He tried propecia and had pretty severe side effects (sexual in nature) and it appears that I too am now starting to bald.
I was reading about NuHair DHT Blocker and reviews on the major websites seem to be a mixed bag, some people swear by it others saw some results and others said it was garbage. I was wondering if you had any insight or opinion on it. Thanks for all your help and this great resource.
NuHair DHT Blocker is just a tablet containing saw palmetto and other herbs that likely won’t do much for your hair loss. I’ve written many, many times about saw palmetto. If you’d like to try it, go ahead… but keep in mind that as your hair loss is progressive, if it turns out that the pill does nothing for you, that’s going to be time wasted.
The only FDA approved medications for treating hair loss are finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil, and those are the medications I recommend. If your brother experienced side effects while taking Propecia, I’m wondering how long he was on the medication and if his doctor lowered his dosage at any point. Perhaps you could try a lower dosage of Propecia. Talk to your doctor.