Hello Doctor:

I thought that maybe you could help with this question since my family doctor has been able to answer it for me. I have been experiencing hair loss all over my head and it has been accompanied by some sort of white flaky material. The best way that I can describe it is that it looks/feels like the residue left over from having a pimple. This material appears at or near the root of my hair and falls out anytime I run my fingers through. My family practicioner said that it my be Psoriasis, but I doubt it since I have never had a problem with it before. I also don’t know how I would effectively apply the cream to my entire head three times a day. I have also never have had a problem with dandruff. I was wondering if it could be lice, but I figured that I would try to find out if these symptoms match in order to avoid having an awkward conversation with a dermatologist. Anyway doctor, I appreciate your help.

If you have doubts about your doctor’s diagnosis or plan, maybe you need to see another doctor for a second opinion. Doing this over the Internet is virtually impossible. The flakes you get out should be examined microscopically. If you just have seborrhea, then there are a wide variety of over-the-counter shampoos for it. If it is psoriasis as your doctor has suggested, what is the plan in confirming the diagnosis and treating the condition? That is the role of the doctor taking care of you. If it were lice, your doctor surely would’ve noticed that.

While I am a medical doctor, I cannot give you a second opinion (aside from the medical legal issues beyond this Internet platform), because I do not have the advantage of seeing you in person and examining you.

Will taking Nitric Oxide have adverse reaction on my thinning hair or the opposite?

We do know that nitric oxide is a vasodilator. Many of the claims that relate to increased blood flow that are reported from the low level laser therapy (LLLT) suggest that it is the nitric oxide that is causing the increased blood supply. Simply, LLLT has been claimed to increase blood flow to the hair follicles through nitric oxide production and release, thereby increasing hair growth. The evidence for this is scant and conjectural. Some people feel that if you take L-arginine supplements, this will help facilitate the process, but be careful as L-arginine is known in high doses to be a dangerous agent.

I hope I didn’t lose anyone. To sum all of that up — no, I do not believe it will have any effect on thinning hair.

I was recently interviewed by USA Today reporter Del Jones for an article about balding CEOs, and I’m pleased to see that it was printed on the cover of the Money section of today’s issue!

From the article:

CEOs say being bald doesn’t impede success and, given a choice, it’s better to be bald than short. So widely held is this conventional wisdom among top executives that when asked to choose, most CEOs say they’d take 2 more inches of height over a full head of Robert Redford hair.

Even most bald CEOs, including many who are both tall and bald, would choose to be taller. “Lack of hair can only mean the brain is busy with more important functions,” says Murray Martin, the 5-foot-8 CEO of $5.7 billion Pitney Bowes, who is being generous when he describes his hair as “thinning.”

Full text — USA Today – The bald truth about CEOs

My initial thought was that a quote by yours truly in the Boston Globe would be a really great thing. Then I realized that the writer of the article only found three words of mine (relating to DHT) to be worth quoting. Check it out:

• Boston Globe – What are the best treatments for male pattern baldness?

Am I the “shrivels hair follicles” guy now? Is that going to be my claim to fame? Wow, I hope not! But hey, at least it gave me something funny to mention on the blog.