What Kind of Doctor Can Make a Master Plan?

Hi dr. rassman, i just would like to get some feedback from you on my situation. i had been noticing some recession/loss in front and went to see the dermatologist. he said it was early signs of MPB and told me to get on propecia/minoxidil. at that point (which was less than a month ago), i didn’t really notice any appearance of scalp. however, now after being on the treatments, it seems like it’s getting worse with thinning and areas of scalp becoming apparent in the front. is this normal in such a short period? eg getting worse before getting better? it’s kind of scary, considering i’m supposed to be on medications to make it better. should i be worried?

also you speak alot about finding a doctor to work with and form a plan, etc. what type of doctor are you referring to? a dermatologist? a hair transplant specialist?

i appreciate any advice/information. thank you.

It is just your comments that are critical to understanding the need for a Master Plan to deal with questions about your hair loss, how it is progressing, and what the treatment is actually doing to modify your loss. A doctor with a great deal of experience in following hair loss is often the experienced hair transplant surgeon or a good dermatologist with an interest in such problems. The doctor must have incorporated miniaturization studies to establish a metric baseline for seeing the impact of time and drugs on the hair loss between each visit. Most important, you must like the doctor and he/she must be caring and understanding of your concerns. My expertise is in seeing thousands of patients over the past 16 years that have had hair loss from aging over time, and the impact of various treatments such as drugs and hair transplants. I think that if you review this blog you will see the importance of experience.

With regard to your experience with the early treatment of your hair loss, you must be patient and wait out at least 8 months to see the effects of the drugs you are using. Everyone responds differently, so ask your doctor if you have questions on your response.