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Snippet from the article:

Researchers have implicated eight genes in the development of alopecia areata, a disorder that causes hair to thin and fall out.

The genes are already associated with other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, meaning that drugs may already be in the pipeline that could benefit people with hair loss, the researchers said.

“This greatly accelerated our ability to think about new drugs for patients with alopecia areata because so much work has already been done in these other diseases,” said senior study author Angela Christiano, professor of dermatology and genetics & development at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. “It is a huge advantage.”

Read the full story — Genes Tied to Hair Loss Disorder

This is a fantastic breakthrough and will hopefully lead to treatments for this disease. For more about alopecia areata, see the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

More info about this new discovery might be in the articles at LA Times and CNN.

I have a question regarding rogaine. I have thinning in the crown and front of the head too. I have read that rogaine can be beneficial for retarding additional hair loss anywhere there is hair. Thus, I split the 1 ml dose throughout my scalp rather than just concentrating it on the crown.

Would this stop the effectiveness of rogaine? I suppose I am not supposed to use more than one ml.

I would use the dose listed in the directions that came with the product that you purchased. You can put Rogaine on your crown and front area of your scalp, but it should only be placed in the areas where you want the benefits and not put in areas where the hair is good. As you know, it has not been shown to be as effective in the frontal areas.

I suspect you can use more than 1 ml, but there is a small risk of your body absorbing too much and you experiencing systemic side effects (such as headache, fainting, etc). I would think this risk is low, but it is something to think about.

If you are concerned you should ask these questions to your doctor and get a good medical physical examination to make sure you will have no issues. I am not your doctor and this is not a place to get personalized medication use advice, simply because I do not know your medical history.

Hi Dr, I’m a regular reader of your blog and have honestly found it both reassuring and informative in equal measure, so thanks for the great work.

My question is regarding the new test for determining a patients predisposition to MPB. I know it has been made available by a very reputable British Dr, but it seemed to me that if such a test were accurate and completely reliable it would be absolutely industry standard? Have you any insights on it and it’s reliability?

also as a ps, I wonder if you have any safety pointers to look out for when purchasing generic propecia online?

many thanks again

All tests have flaws with a margin of error. There is no completely perfect, 100% accurate test. The genetic balding test like HairDX gives you a probability score, not a blanket YES or NO answer. It is not an industry standard, because any good physician can diagnose MPB without a blood test.

I don’t have hands-on experience with generic Propecia, as it isn’t legal in the US yet due to patent laws… so what I know about the generic brands has been limited to just learning all the names. As for safety pointers, well, the biggest pointer would be to not order medication from an online pharmacy that you don’t have previous experience with. I am not an advocate of ordering medication online anyway, as many of those pharmacies ignore the law and don’t require a prescription when necessary.

Dr Rassman

I am suffering from recurring Seborrheic dermatitis since 2 years, now my age is 26. I never had any hair problem before. I feel fine while on medicines but as soon as I stop taking medicines itching in scalp resumes and skin starts flaking and scaling again. I have spent lots of money and time with discomfort due to itchy scalp. Is there any permanent solution for it ?

Also I am losing lots of hairs due to it and my dermatologist has told me that I may get bald if I don’t treat it whenever required. Is it correct ?

You will not go bald from seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), but if it is severe enough you could have hair loss if you pick at the flakes. The hair loss you see could be genetic hair loss, and your doctor should be able to tell you that. Perhaps if you are not happy with your current doctor you can get a second medical opinion.

As for treatment, I assume you’ve tried various dandruff shampoos, which would be the simplest method of treating your scalp. I don’t know what medications you’ve been prescribed, so I don’t know what help I could offer.

Interesting brand new study on the link between male pattern baldness and whey protein isolate supplements. What do you think?

Links: WPLG Miami News Video and Study [PDF]

Although the results of Dr. Shapiro’s study of 100 patients do look favorably upon using whey protein, I can’t say one way or the other if this dietary supplement works to improve the appearance of hair or not. There is no real double blind test to show value. That is the standard scientific methodology needed to prove something like this.