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Hi, Does using Rogaine 5% liquid has a better absorption into the scalp than Rogaine 5% foam ? which one do you recommend?
thanks

It has generally been said that the 5% Rogaine Foam absorbs better than the liquid. I suspect a possible reason for this is that it stays on your scalp better as a foam rather than a liquid that could run off.

Hi doctor,

you said before that you took propecia but when you stopped you did not have catch up loss. Why is that? shouldn’t the hairs propecia was keeping be lost when you stopped?

I previously wrote about why I stopped taking Propecia, and for those curious about my own hair loss I explain here and here.

When I (Dr. Rassman) started my hair transplant process for my thinning crown, Propecia was not available. As the medication made it to market, I took it with hopes that I’d grow back some hair, even though I wasn’t actively losing any hair at that point. My hair loss had been negligible at the time and it still is… and I doubt I will lose more hair in the future. So I stopped taking the medication, as it really didn’t add or regrow hair for me. In the end, there was really nothing to “catch-up” with.

For those who are actively losing hair, Propecia should slow it down and in some instances regrow some hairs. Over the course of time, the hair loss will continue at a slower rate. This does not mean Propecia has stopped or will stop working, and for those men that decide to stop the medication, the “catch-up” hair loss will bring their hair loss to a state as if they never took the medication in the first place.

Hello,

I currently think I’m in the early stages of hereditary baldness. I have recently been researching if there is any products I can use early to prevent it from getting worse. Is there any products you would recommend?

I have recently read a about a product called “Profollica” which seems to have legit reviews but I’m skeptic. What is your opinion? Will this product work? I have also read about a product called “Procerin” & “Provillus”. Do any of the above products work?

I have Also red websites that have Said to get plenty of calcium in your Body as this helps the hair folicle. Your advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

There are 2 medications that are proven to work — finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine). Minoxidil is available in a generic form and over the counter, so it may be included in various products sold in stores as boutique brands. These brands are sometimes mixed with vitamins that likely won’t help treat your hair loss (particularly if your loss is due to genetic causes). Propecia is still a prescription medication and you’ll need to talk to your doctor about it.

As for the products you mentioned, if they contain finasteride or minoxidil they’ll probably help to some degree. If not, there’s no scientific proof that they’ll do what they claim. I’m sure I’ve written about each of them before if you use the search box in the top right of the site. Also, calcium won’t prevent genetic hair loss.

firstly thanks for spending so much of your time giving us advice we can trust this really is a great resource.

ive been on propecia for 3 years with good results. ive been diagnosed with a tumour in one of my testicles and need to have it removed next week. Could you please tell me if you think this will have any effect on my hairloss and DHT levels. would just like to know what to expect be it good or bad thanks again.

I would defer this question to your doctor who is treating you. Personally, I would worry more about the tumor on the testicle over hair loss.

Take a person like bicyclist Lance Armstrong who had one testicle removed for cancer. I’m sure the second testicle got larger and compensated for the body’s need for testosterone. One testicle will produce the same amount of hormones that two testicles would produce if one was removed for any reason.

hey Dr Rassman

In a recent post you discussed Unihair a Japanese company working on a different cloning procedure for androgenic alopecia then what experts in North America are hoping to achieve with ACell.

My question is what are you guys planning to do with ACell? the newness of the procedure has caught a lot of people by surprise in my opinion. If ACell does replicate hairs even to a moderate degree wouldn’t that theoretically solve the issue of finite donor supply as well as offer patients an ability to wear shorter hair styles due to its extraordinary healing ability ?

We really don’t know what to expect just yet. We are trying our best to carry out a study to find out if there is a foundation for a new way of treating hair loss. Ideally, if ACell works with plucked hairs and our clinical research shows this, then the infinite donor supply could be a reality. But let us not get ahead of ourselves.

We promise to keep everyone informed!

One of the things I enjoy about the annual ISHRS meeting is that I am introduced to new products. Sometimes the products can be half-baked or without merit, but every now and then something catches my eye and piques my interest. So at the recent ISHRS meeting in Boston, I was shown a refined instrument called Haircheck that was presented to measure hair bulk… and I was quite impressed.

Over the past 18 years, I have assessed the thinning process with video magnification using a patented device where I could see the hair shafts, visually compare them and measure the density of the donor hair. Now with this Haircheck device, I can actually measure the bulk of the hair in the impacted areas and compare it not only to the permanent hair, but also to previous measurements made during past visits.

When you undergo balding, one thing always occurs — the impacted hair loses its bulk (the hair shaft diameter becomes thinner and thinner over time). Eventually this thinning leads to balding. The use of drugs like finasteride seems to reduce the miniaturization (thinning) process, and if there is a positive impact on hair bulk by blocking DHT, it will clearly show up in these studies. For those patients who continuously ask about saw palmetto or other supposed hair loss treatments, the value could clearly be defined with this technology.

I fully recommend to every person that believes they’re losing hair to get a Haircheck examination in an office near them. I’m not sure which other clinics offer it, but we will be offering this service to our patients who believe that their hair is thinning. If you’d like to setup an appointment for a consultation, please call 800-NEW-HAIR or 310-553-9113.

I have undergone my 3rd hair transplant surgery in March 2010 and I am at the 8 month mark. I am mostly satisfied with my results, but hoping for some more growth and increased density. I was wondering if the transplanted hair takes longer to emerge and mature when you have had successive hair transplants. I was told by my doctor that the hair transplants take longer to emerge after the third hair transplant and i should expect some more hair growth and increase in density.

I would like to get your thoughts around this. Thank you.

I’m not sure why your surgeon would’ve told you it takes longer for hair to grow after the multiple procedures, because the growth period is roughly the same for each surgery. The third surgery should grow at about the same time as the first one did. If you are concerned about growth, speak with your doctor again. I occasionally see some growth occur between 8-12 months, but that is usually in addition to what is grown by the 8th month.

You should be alarmed if there is no growth within the one year time frame, but less concerned if it has only been under 6 months. In your case at 8 months, you should see some good growth by now with hopefully a little more in the coming months.

If you get a hair transplant and later get diagnosed with cancer, need chemotherapy and lose your hair, what do you do about the scarring and dots where the transplanted hair previously was?

I would think that if you have cancer, a hair transplant or its scar would be one of the last things on your mind. If you do end up going through chemotherapy and lose all your hair, you will see the scarring.

But while most of us do not plan on having cancer or chemo in our lifetime, if it happens to you and you are worried about the scar, you can wear a hat or a wig as most chemo patients do.

Rogaine recommends applying twice daily but it does not say it needs to be every 12hrs. Does that mean I can apply it at 8pm then again at midnight and that would be just as effective as morning and night? Thanks in advance

Equally spread applications twice a day (every 12 hours) is better than an 8 and 16 hour schedule, but it is not practical for most people. I would try to space it out a little more than the 4 hour window you described. Usually it is applied when you get up and then again before you go to bed (just allow it to dry first).

One commenter to my post from a couple weeks ago asked about my recollection of the Jerry Cooley, M.D. presentation at the ISHRS meeting on the use of ACell and hair multiplication. The comment was: “The doc still has not addressed why in his previous post about Acell he said Dr. Cooley’s results are less than 50% growth while Dr. Cooley has maintained all along - and proved - that his results are actually 75% regrowth and rising as he refines his technique.”

I went back to my notes from that meeting. The following is the abstract published by Dr. Cooley: “ACell MatriStem MicroMatrix is an FDA approved agent for wound healing. Use in other fields has demonstrated benefits for healing injuries as an adjunct to surgery. The author shares anecdotal experience using this product over the past 18 months. Areas covered include the effects of MatriStem on strip harvest healing. FUE and punch harvest sites, standard FU grafts as well as its use with the so-called ‘autocloning’ technique in which plucked hair is used for grafting. Initial results are promising and hopefully continued research will help define the potential role of this agent in hair restoration.”

From my notes, Dr. Cooley discussed the variable results from his work with hair growth after the plucked procedure was done. He did mention that over the course of his work, the survival of plucked hairs increased. The 75% number made by the commenting individual may have reflected Dr. Cooley’s end survival, but my notes were not clear on this subject. Unfortunately, I could not find a written summary written by Dr. Cooley that discussed his study over a large number of patients. My memory of his discussion may not have been clear. So I called him.

Dr. Cooley suggested the number be anywhere between 50-80%, though he did also say, “I would be hesitant to claim the upper number at this time.” There is little doubt that even a 50% new hair success rate would be a terrific breakthrough. As we progress with our own double blind study and a statistically significant group of patients, the actual numbers should become evident.