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Hi
I am a 17 year old male and have just started to notice that my hairline has just started to recede (to about just before a norwood 2 I would say) and starting to thin a bit on top. I’m getting a bit worried as my dad is bald. I have been researching ways to stop my receding hairline going any further and came across this thing called scalp excercises. Apparently they allow more blood to flow to the scalp which stimulates the hair follicles and makes them stronger. Just wondering if u think that may work?

And also I found a drug called procerin it is a natural drug that has had lots of good feedback and it says it works best for people aged between 18 and 35. I would just like your opinion on if u think this may work for me. This problem has been haunting me for a while so any information u have for me would be greatly appreciated thank you.

Procerin is a boutique version of the herbal saw palmetto. Some people swear by it, others say it doesn’t work. There have been two studies that I’m aware of to determine the effectiveness of saw palmetto as a hair loss treatment, and they were inconclusive. What I know works for early hair loss is Propecia (finasteride). It’s a prescription medication and FDA approved to treat hair loss. Talk to your doctor.

Scalp exercises won’t stop your hairline from receding. You have a family history of hair loss, so while trying out things you read about on the internet might seem like a good idea, the genetic expression of your hair loss won’t be stopped by rubbing your head.

Snippet from the article:

A cream which slows the growth of hair by 70 per cent could result in men shaving just once every three weeks. It works on both men and women, meaning five o’clock shadows and girls spending hours in the bath shaving their legs could soon be a thing of the past.

Adonia hair serum uses organic plant oils to weaken hair formation and is being hailed as a healthy alternative to expensive hair removal treatments such as electrolysis.

More than 10,000 people have already put their names on a waiting list for the product. During trials in the U.S. the hair reducer showed an impressive 46 per cent reduction in hair growth after 21 days with a 70 per cent reduction after six weeks.

Read the full story — The gel that slows hair growth and lets men shave every THREE WEEKS

I can’t tell you how tired I am of shaving my facial hair, so if this is real, it would be very welcome. I can imagine women would love to give this a try, rather than shaving their legs.

The product, Adonia Hair Reducer, is for sale via a 3rd party seller on Amazon.com, but there are a few reviews that are highly suspect. Three of the four reviews were posted on the same day, and the reviewers have only written about products sold by that 3rd party seller. Glowing reviews, of course. I don’t know whether the cream actually does what it says, but the reviews I’ve found are more than likely phony, and I can’t find any other mentions of the product actually being used.

Hi just wanted to say thanks first off for all the information provided for us. I had a quick question my twin brother (fraternal) started balding about three years ago and now is pretty bad. He tried propecia and had pretty severe side effects (sexual in nature) and it appears that I too am now starting to bald.

I was reading about NuHair DHT Blocker and reviews on the major websites seem to be a mixed bag, some people swear by it others saw some results and others said it was garbage. I was wondering if you had any insight or opinion on it. Thanks for all your help and this great resource.

NuHair DHT Blocker is just a tablet containing saw palmetto and other herbs that likely won’t do much for your hair loss. I’ve written many, many times about saw palmetto. If you’d like to try it, go ahead… but keep in mind that as your hair loss is progressive, if it turns out that the pill does nothing for you, that’s going to be time wasted.

The only FDA approved medications for treating hair loss are finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil, and those are the medications I recommend. If your brother experienced side effects while taking Propecia, I’m wondering how long he was on the medication and if his doctor lowered his dosage at any point. Perhaps you could try a lower dosage of Propecia. Talk to your doctor.

I have been using 5% minoxidil for about 4 months and have been happy with the results, I have brown hair but want to dye it black will this cause hair loss or cause the minoxidil to not work properly?

Thanks

Hair dye will not cause hair loss unless is it improperly used or perhaps you have a bad allergic reaction. I wouldn’t think hair dye and minoxidil have any deleterious effects on your hair loss issue. To be safe, you could wait 24 hours to apply minoxidil after you dye your hair.

I’m 31, and have been using Nioxin for about 6 years. My hair has always been thin and my hairline has been continuously receding since my early twenties. I do believe the Nioxin has helped slow my hair loss (I have a younger brother whose head is nearly bald!). But I still have major shedding every morning in the shower.

Now I see a new product called “HairSil” - which is “clinically proven with Bioactive Peptide TA-5.” What the heck is that stuff, and how would it benefit a balding head? I’m considering giving it a try but don’t want to throw away all those years I’ve invested in Nioxin already.

I read on a forum where someone said the product claims “100% of patients in the study saw increased hair growth” and “80% saw a reduction in hair loss by 8 weeks“, but I can’t find an official site for HairSil that says that. If indeed that’s what the makers of HairSil actually claim, the FDA should probably look into it.

On the surface, HairSil just sounds like it’s a shampoo like any other. It’s hard to find much information on it outside of what others have written on hair loss forums. It’s worth noting that they offer a 20% commission to affiliates that sell this shampoo, so it might be another in a long line of products that people are hyping up just to get your money.

Dr Rassman,

I take a 1 quarter proscar pill in the mornings at around 7:30am, then later on in the day either in mid morning or afternoon i will take a multivitamin tablet and vitamin E capsule, is that ok? And would there be any DDI if i take proscar and the multivitamins at the same time?
Thank you.

You can take vitamins and finasteride together. Known drug interactions with finasteride can be found here.

Remember, if you have concerns about what you’re taking or questions about taking supplements and medication together, talk to your prescribing doctor or pharmacist.

Hello Doctor Rassman,
I am quite bald (confortable with that part) and keep my hair very much cropped. However, the sidelocks have now started turning quite gray (say 50%). I was told my someone to use a dye which is PPD free. Which brand do you think is safer?

thanks in aniticipation.

I am not a hair stylist and I have no skills or special knowledge in the various brands of dyes. Probably best to ask your stylist.

hi
I have a serious hair loss problem and recently i came to know about kamino moto and i’ve been using it so far and i feel really good about it because it is a good solution for my dandruff but my question is now i am little bit scared to use it because it comes from japan and don’t know whether this product has been contaminated by radiation so please let me know all about this situation.
thank you

Unless your shampoo was made in close proximity to the Fukushima nuclear plant, I think you are overreacting and contributing to the hype of unfounded radiation scare. But if you are scared, there is a simple solution: Don’t use it. Does the bottle have a manufactured date on it? When did you purchase it? That might help set your mind at ease.

Also worth noting — the US FDA has been testing products imported from Japan, and other countries also considered radiation testing (the article is from right after the earthquake in Japan, so I don’t know what testing has taken place in the past couple months).

Dr. Rassman,

I enjoy reading your blog, and nearly always agree with you, but I do feel you are a bit to pessimistic about ketoconazole. In another response to another member you dismissed of a Japanese, justifiably I suppose, because of the small sample size. (Have you seen the pictures of the impressive regrowth seen in three of the six patients? They shows an obvious reversal of AGA.)

What about this controlled study: “Comparative efficacy of various treatment regimens for androgenetic alopecia in men”

In this study men were divided into four groups: “Group I (30 patients) was administered oral finasteride, Group II (36 patients) was given a combination of finasteride and topical minoxidil, Group III (24 patients) applied minoxidil alone and Group IV (10 patients) was administered finasteride with topical ketoconazole. Treatment efficacy was assessed on the basis of patient and physician assessment scores and global photographic review during the study period of one year. At the end of one year, hair growth was observed in all the groups with best results recorded with a combination of finasteride and minoxidil (Group II) followed by groups IV, I and III. Subjects receiving finasteride alone or in combination with minoxidil or ketoconazole showed statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) over minoxidil only recipients. No signifcant side-effects related to the drugs were observed. In conclusion, it is inferred that the therapeutic efficacy is enhanced by combining the two drugs acting on different aetiological aspects of AGA.”

I don’t believe this has been mentioned on your blog before, and the results are exactly as most men would expect them to be:

Finasteride + Minoxidil > Finasteride + Ketoconazole > Finasteride Alone > Minoxidil Alone after one year.

I’m sure, like every study, this one also has it’s flaws, but together with all the other research — from Piérard-Franchimont C (1998) to Rajput RJ. (2010) — I’d say that the evidence for the efficacy of ketoconazole in AGA is highly suggestive. It’s certainly much stronger than for the majority of the things men try outside of finasteride/dutasteride and minoxidil.

And we know that all anazoles are somewhat antiandrogenic, but only ketoconazole will compete for the AR, and is used in androgen modulated prostate cancer.

How can you be so pessimistic about it in light of the totality of the evidence? Do you believe it to be dangerous?

I am not pessimistic about ketoconazole. Our job on this site is to educate you, the reader, on the realities of such claims and treatments and warn you if there is danger in using such “stuff”. While I don’t see ketoconazole (better known as Nizoral) as dangerous, it has yet to be proven to my satisfaction that it’s a treatment for hair loss. I’ve always maintained that Nizoral is a good shampoo for treating dandruff and fungal infections.

What I have always maintained is that nothing stops a genetic trait. There are drugs that slow it down and there may be other remedies that also work, but my mantra has always been “buyer beware”. The small study you referenced is indeed suggestive of positive benefits, and if the readers out there want to try it, I think that is their choice to make. But keep in mind that while the 1% ketoconazole is available as an over-the-counter shampoo, 2% ketoconazole (as used in that small study) is a prescription medication and as such, you need a physician to oversee the treatment. Side effects include burning and itching sensations.

I just had a 2000+ graft transplant 5 days ago. I trust my doctor implicitly and felt his staff was wonderful and professional.

My question is regarding post-op care. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus among surgeons. I suspect this is because good evidenced based studies are lacking but I was particularly curious for an opinion regarding concealing products like Toppik. I’ve heard ranges regarding safe use from 2 days post op to 1 year. Seemed like quite a range? Do you have an opinion? Thanks.

Generally you can use hair camouflaging products, such as Toppik, as soon as the scabbing is gone. That depends upon your cleaning technique or just the type of instruments your surgeon used during the procedure. If the granules get under scabs, they will act like a foreign body.

Refer to your transplant surgeon, of course.