I feel like this 100 hair a day thing is misleading for people that are shedding. I for example lose 200+ hair a day, and thats when I do a rough count in the shower and sink(when applying minoxidil). But if I ask a friend or my brother how much they lose in the shower they say little to none (single digits). If they run their hand through their hair or comb it a bunch, they still lose little to none. So how is this 100+ hair fall a day supposed to be accurate. Also most of us that have visible scalp already lost 50% or more of our density, so shouldn’t our normal already be 50 hair or lower per day?

The actual hair loss per day reflects: 

1- How many hairs do you have on your head.  A Typical Caucasian has 110,000, and a Typical Asian has 95,000.  

2- What is your growth cycle.  Hair grows in cycles and we lose long hair when hair goes out of its growth cycle (anagen) and into its sleep (telogen) cycle.  For an average young man in his early 20s, the growth cycle is between 2 1/2 to 3 years.  Assuming that it is 3 years, do the math, 100 hairs per day are about 100 hairs per day in a typical Caucasian male. With 365 days per year, 100 hairs lost per day would deplete the existing hair population by 36,500 hairs in a year, but the telogen hairs come back to life at the same rate of 36,500 hairs per day, giving a non-balding male a net zero for hairs lost on the head.  Asians, of course, have lower numbers by 15 – 20%, and Africans are still lower by 30% compared to Caucasians.  On the other hand, women tend to have longer hair cycles, some as long as 6-7 years, reflecting a very low number of hairs lost per day.  

3- Balding:  Balding adds hair loss to the above equations.  When a young man has hair loss, that hair loss is in addition to his normal 100 hairs per day, so it becomes more evident in the shower or on the bed pillow.

4- Most normal men lose their hair in the wind, in the shower, walking around at work or at the house.  The amount is so small that it is not noticed; however, when balding occurs, the extra volume of lost hairs becomes very detectable. 

 

Note that the area where the “DOTS” are made, doesn’t show the see-through scalp that appears to the area where there is no SMP.  This is what the SMP operator needs to accomplish, so that you can’t see if from afar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I’ve recently started topical finasteride.  The point is that the solution, called Alocare, is at 2.275 mg/ml. The prescription states that only 4 sprays must be applied on daily basis, each one of them containing 0,114 mg of finasteride. Is it too low? Only 0.456mg are applied daily…  Opinion? Is it useless?

Your confusion is at the heart of my opinion.  I have been warning many readers that topical finasteride goes through the skin and goes systemic. That is why you are better off with the oral. It is also less expensive if you go to Costco at $30/year. If you need to keep it out of the body, get the Topical LIPOSOMAL finasteride, which keeps it in the scalp by over 80%.  I prescribe it by contacting me at williamrassman33@gmail.com

This is an interesting article which shows that women with thinning hair may respond to nutritional dietary supplements to correct their thinning hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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for more clarity

I have used a 1.5mm roller in the past, and while it was quite uncomfortable to use, I always managed to cover all of my receded front corners and some of my forelock.  I tried the Dr Pen 16 pin (I would have used 32 but these were the size that came with the unit) at your recommendation Dr. Rassman, a few months ago, and it was more or less unbearable. It feels like it’s jackhammering into my skull. I lowered the depth to 0.5mm to see if there was any difference, and it felt the same. I can scarcely use it over more than a couple of areas, and holding it flat against the skin in one place for up 10 seconds is more or less impossible. I need to emphasize the sensation of it reverberating through the skull, like having teeth drilled.

 

Nice early results suggest that you are getting some benefits. There is no point in using both topical and oral finasteride. The topical goes systemic so you might as well control what is happening to you. With the added topical finasteride, your systemic dose through the skin increases systemic levels more than you realize. Some nice early results, keep it up.