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Hello. I am thirteen and I was in class one day and a friend say i had white/gray hair all over in the back and side. I checked at home with two mirrors to see and I saw ALOT. Is it just the glare of the sun/light or is something wrong with me and i first thought if it was my showerr hair product. Whats a good recommendation(Dying it, Different hair product?)

You could dye it, but at 13 years old you should get a parent involved in the process. You’ll want to do a spot test for dye to make sure you don’t have any allergies (it should explain this on the packaging). White/grey hair isn’t terribly common in someone your age, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with you. It’s likely just genetics.

I have small bumps near the hairline of my scalp that dont itch. There aren’t many bumps (about 5 or 6) and they are concentrated near the the side hairline (by my ear). These bumps eventually shrink and turn into a scab. If I get the scab out of my hair I notice there is a hair in the center of the scab. Also, I notice when my hair falls out sometimes I there is a little ball like thing attached to the end where the root is. Sometimes there is a small white see through flake of skin with hair in the middlel as well. I lose a lot of hair and have been using hair for about 9 months. I have been seeing a dermatologist for the past 6 months at least once a month and he has prescribed different medicines but I feel like he hasnt even examined my scalp. I had blood tests run and everything came back fine. I have also had one cortizone shot to the hip (which he said would reduce inflamation) but it just made me feel sick. He also prescribed a topical ointment for psoriasis that I have to wear for at least 4 hours a day with a shower cap on but it doesnt seem to help. I have seen pictures of patients with psoriasis and it looks nothing like my scalp. Could you please help me?

Unfortunately, this is something that I can not help you without seeing you. If your dermatologist can’t figure it out, perhaps you should seek out another dermatologist.

Could switching Finasteride products possibly be dangerous on my hair? I’m currently on 1mg Propecia, but when my prescription runs out I may to switch to 5mg Finasteride tablets and cut them into 1/4ths. I’ve read that switching medications like this, despite having the same ingredients, can bring on a sudden and serious shed. Is there any truth to that and should I perhaps get another renewed prescription for Propecia instead?

No, I don’t believe you’ll see a shed from switching. Most people who switch from Propecia to Proscar do it for economic reasons, as the 5mg pill is substantially less expensive (particularly the generic 5mg, since there is no generic 1mg legally available in the U.S.). I wish the drug company, Merck, would get that message… and maybe they will, as this blog is frequent reading by their sales force.

Propecia is a brand name for a drug called finasteride in 1mg strength and Proscar is the same drug in a 5mg strength. Splitting the pill into 4 or 5 pieces is a cost saver, but as long as you are taking 1mg finasteride daily it is the same thing for treating hair loss.

Today I called GSK to inquire about the phase 3 results for dutasteride, and a GSK representative said that the clinical trial results were listed on their website. However, I could only find the Protocol Summary for the trial. The representative also mentioned that he could not give me any more information on where to find it because I am not a health care professional.

Do you have access to this information? Is there someplace I can find it?

I found the completed results here (most of them are for dutasteride as a prostate treatment) — Dutasteride Result Summaries

And this is all I could find about the Phase 3 results for dutasteride as a hair loss treatment (which I assume is what you found) — Dutasteride Phase 3 Protocol Summary

I do not have access to the information you’re seeking, as it is my understanding that it hasn’t been released yet. Phase 3 results have been released for dutasteride as a prostate treatment (but not for hair loss treatment), so perhaps you weren’t clear when you spoke to the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) rep or they were just confused.

Hi Dr. Rassman, thanks again for your work here. I was wondering if you have ever encountered a young patient say, 21 years old, that did not respond to propecia. I have been on propecia for 8 months now and my thinning is becoming more evident. From my impression, you’ve held that propecia is most effective for the early stages I’m experiencing. Should I expect to see any difference between 8 months and a year (the full potential marker)?

I’m just really concerned propecia hasn’t slowed the process for me. Thanks for the help

I’ve been mentioning it a lot lately, but there is a genetic test that will determine just how good Propecia will be for you (see here). You can find a doctor in your area that carries the HairDX tests here.

I believe Propecia always works, but it could be a matter of degree. It should slow down the balding process, but the balding process could be aggressive. Generally you see the results in 1-2 years, but some indication of the benefits should be evident at this time. I would recommend getting baseline measurements for miniaturization and then get the genetic test. This combination of things should give you more insights with a good doctor at your side.

Thank you Doctor in advance for taking my question.
I have been in poor health as well as shedding hair for over 6 months. I have finally been diagnosed with Hyperinsulinanemia, a form of pre-diabetes. My new Endo. believes this is what’s causing my hair loss and that with diet change and Meds not only will the shedding stop but the lost hair will return. As much as I want to believe him I have been on google for days but have not been unable to find much info to help me validate the doctors claims. If you have any advice for this particular situation and could please help me with these 2 questions I would greatly appreciate it.

Is hairloss (overall thinning) caused by Hyperinsulinanemia always reversible? ( I”m a 43 yo male,never been overweight, with only very slight thinning and receding before this) If so, how long after the meds take effect (about 1 month) and my overall health improves could I expect to see regrowth? My other question involves my total testosterone jumping from 340 to 550 (untreated) in less than a month and my thyroid being slightly hyper, though not enough to need treatment. Could that be any insight to reversible hair loss? My new Endo. disagrees with my first Endo’s. diagnosis as the beginnings of Hashimoto’s and feels HIA is what is causing all of my health problems as well as the hair loss.

Thank you.

Here’s where I can see a test like HairDX being quite worthwhile. HairDX is a test to show if you have the markers for genetic hair loss. That should rule out whether it is disease or genetics. If you don’t have the genes for balding, it seems likely that the hair should regrow. You should have your scalp mapped for miniaturization to keep track of the progression of the loss or regrowth. Otherwise, you’re already under the care of two different endocrinologists and I don’t have nearly as much information as they would about your condition and treatments.

(female) I hope you can give me the answer to a very easy question. I have traction alopecia. My hair has thinned on the top and sides. I don’t have bald spots –it’s just thin. I’m wondering if my hair will continue to thin if I do nothing, or will it just remain thin on top as it is today.

It might be easy to ask, but it’s not that easy to answer. I don’t know what your traction alopecia was caused by or how long you’ve seen the thinning going on for. Without an examination, I couldn’t tell you if the hair loss will progress or not. Sorry.

I’ve read you’re only supposed to shampoo hair a couple times a week tops, like the Europeans. But I live in a windy locale, so if I don’t use cream/pomade/wax/clay/glue and/or hairspray in my hair each day for work, when I get to work my hair looks crazy and if I don’t shampoo it, combing it after is extremely hard, especially with hairspray. Someone suggested to me that you can use conditioner everyday but I haven’t tried that yet. Any thoughts?

Considering what you said, I would recommend that you shampoo daily. There are many good shampoos have have conditioners in them.

Doc please comment on this as it has worked for me but can’t imagine how on earth it works scientifically?

A local chinese herbalist informed me that in they country men who suffer from hair loss is attributed to a high sex drive and in order to lessen the testosterone levels they would often have sex twice a day for a month and then stop for a month and then start again. I mean I thought Ive tried everything else so my wife was willing to accommodate so we did. After a month I noticed that a real reduction in hair loss. It continued to fall out but no where near what it did before. 6 months on and things are alot better then I expected.

What do you think doc can testosterone levels be reduced and lessen hair loss? it works for me

I do not believe what your Chinese herbalist told you. There may be much more to your experience than the testosterone issue which does not go up when you have sex. I would not give up sex just for hair if what he said was true. Maybe he has a sexual problem (a man with erectile dysfunction, for example) and he came up with his solution by avoiding sex. Sex and hair loss are unrelated, so what you’re telling me about the reduction of hair loss you saw sounds either coincidental or you’re mistaken.

If you have a problem with hair loss, get a diagnosis by getting your hair mapped out for miniaturization and since you indicated that you are in the United Kingdom, I’d suggest seeing Dr. Bessam Farjo (offices in Manchester and London) who might prescribe medications to stop your hair loss.

Dear doctors, keep up the super work. This is my story below.

I worked crazy 12-14 hour days for the past 2 years, and I practically skipped my meals, or had them very irregularly. I lost a lot of weight, and looked good in clothes. Essentially I was malnutritioned. But 1 day I woke up, and noticed easily 20-30 strands of hair on my pillow. I dismissed it as normal, and over the next few weeks, it was the same scenario everyday. It still failed to sink into me.. because I was always healthy. I had a friend who laughed at me, and said that I had a receding hairline. But I ignored him, because I have had a very high forehead / high hairline since birth. One day I looked in the mirror and realised to my horror, that YES I was losing my hair. I immediately ordered Propecia thru the internet.

I have been on Propecia for the past 9-10 months, and I have seen a slowing in the loss of hair. However I’m not really sure if there has been any significant re-growth. There are definitely side effects for me. I no longer get ANY morning wood.. and I need to be significantly aroused before I can have any sex. In the past, it wasn’t the case. (Easier to be aroused). Currently I’m a Norwood 2 - 3. (Can see my widows peaks easily.) By doing the frown test, I can see my hairline has receded half an inch, while my sides have receded 1 inch.

Now for the question:
I can see tiny vellus hairs at the part where my hair has receded. Should I attempt to apply Rogaine just along that 1/2 inch area of tiny vellus hair? Or should I continue my Propecia treatment and hope for the best? It’s really quite sad to see my hair go this way.

I thank you for all the help you have rendered all the brothers here. I feel happy that we can find support in your blog. I wish you and your team all the best always.

You can apply Rogaine at the hairline, but I’m not sure it’ll do much good there. Worth a shot, I suppose. Vellus hair does not turn into normal adult terminal hairs.

I really hope you didn’t just order a prescription drug via the Internet without a doctor’s prescription, because that is what it sounds like you did with Propecia. Regardless, regrowth from Propecia doesn’t occur in everyone, but just halting the hair loss is a positive sign. Arousal issues could be from the medication, but I don’t know what other issues you have in your life — it could be age related, stress related, alcohol or substances, etc. I don’t know enough about you, and this is why a doctor’s appointment should be made to discuss these issues (preferably with the same doctor that prescribed you Propecia).