Dr. Rassman,
I have been figting the good fight (against Hair Loss) for years. I first noticed thinning temples, and a “thin-spot” on the front middle section of my head, around the age of 19. I saw this as a warning sign(since my father is very bald)and began using propecia when I turned 20. I know that this led to a thickening of the ‘thin-spot” and a slow down of thinning. I managed to maintain my hair between a norwood II and III throughout my twenties. After many years of peace I am noticing a renewal of the “thin-spot” and new thinning in scattered areas like the temples and sides of my head. Some of these areas were not a an issue before. I find myself stressed out by styling and seeking new hair products. I worry that I could quickly become a Norwood III – IV if I don’t take action as I did when I turned 20. I would like to explore all options and I am very interested in Dutasteride. I like having hair… although I don’t look like I did when I was twenty anymore, I would like to keep/possibly thicken what I still have. Should I visit you at NHI? I would rather visit proactively than for a transplant later.

Thanks

I have an office in San Jose (where noted as your location) and would be happy to map your scalp for miniaturization and make a diagnosis. I would not rush off to non-approved drugs for genetic hair loss if that is what you have. Let’s get a diagnosis first and go from there. Proactive is good. If you would like to setup an appointment, you can call 800-NEW-HAIR or visit my Request Info page.

I went into the articles you posted last week about the laser hair treatments and followed the links. Those pictures are amazing. Why are you so sure that these are not real results?

Just to be clear to all readers, you’re referring to News Articles – Laser Hair Growth.

I am not certain that what you are seeing is fake, but are the effects the results of the laser alone? How much is photographic views, lighting, head positions, etc. How much is because the hair is now longer? How much of what we are shown is the result of the laser alone, or minoxidil or Propecia, wigs or attachments, or scalp coloring agents. I can make a photo do anything, but you need to know far more than these simple photographs show.

In my daily research, I came across 2 articles worth mentioning…

• WISTV.com – Health Alert: Laser hair growth
• NBC4.tv – Laser Hair Growth

When I read the stories in these links, it was clear that I, the reader, was being hyped. But when you are desperate for hair — losing more and more of it each and every day, depressed when you run your fingers through it and notice that there is less today than yesterday, see the hair go down the shower drain or come off on your fingers when you shampoo, and when you see the person in the mirror you immediately wonder, “Could that be me? NO WAY!” — you take notice of each and every story out there that could possibly lead to the solution. Are you getting the picture here? Put these thoughts in your head and then read those above ads posed as actual news and all of a sudden, there it is, the cure you have been looking for. Yeah, right. The hope offered by this Arizona-based hair center is about as refreshing as a glass full of air. At least it says they offer a money-back guarantee. I have reviewed the limited published results of these hand held lasers and there is no evidence I could find that indicates that they actually work. Hey, maybe I am wrong — I’ll continue to hold onto hope but I am not going to get into a fight to get my few hundred dollars back when the reality of this hand held laser hits me and I find out that the business entity that made the guarantee is in bankruptcy. That would just make me lose more hair thinking less of the guy in the mirror and more foolish.

Can I Have a Miniaturization Test With Long Hair or do you need to cut your hair first ? And how will the procedure continue after for example one year ? Do you need marks or some fixpoints on your scalp to measure from ?

Thanks for an informative and important blog !

I’m glad you find this so blog useful. The mapping out of the head can be done without cutting your hair at all. Regions of the scalp miniaturize and the degree of this miniaturization process can be estimated by a skilled person without cutting the hair. Provided that regions are covered in an organized way, markers on the scalp are not necessary. The best of all worlds would be to tattoo a few areas (fine dot) and re-look at the same exact spot each and every time the scalp is mapped out, but for many people this may be impractical.

K doc, I know balding is damn near inevitable. I was wondering, do you encourage a specific diet to help nourish hair? For example, do you want us to avoid certain foods that is bad for our hair or eating a certain food (not drug) help promote healthy hair?

If you are in a civilized country with any reasonable diet, there should be no impact on your hair one way or the other. A poor diet is one that may be deficient in vitamins or calories. Any weight loss of a significant degree can produce hair loss, particularly if it is rapid or chronic.