How do you feel about microneedling? Once a week with 1.5mm needle length in combination with Minoxidil. Thank you and best regards
Ralph Trüeb: I see microneedling as a complementary treatment to minoxidil, just like PRP. Both also stimulate hair growth.
Good evening As I am a hairdresser myself, hair is a big topic for me. Unfortunately, I myself have rather fine and rather little hair. My individual hair roots are rather far apart. I also suffer from PCO and hirsutism. My biggest concern is that my hair will become thin and that it will become masculinized or like androgenetic hair loss. Is my concern justified or does it not have to be the case? Can I do something about it? I’ve tried Androcur but couldn’t take it because of the mood swings. I’ve got the Implanon in there for hormones. I am looking forward to your reply.
Ralph Trüeb: I recommend treatment with minoxidil, ideally in combination with anti-androgen therapy for PCOS. However, you did not tolerate the CPA. Alternatively, spironolactones could be considered.
Will I lose more hair if I wash my hair every day? How often should you wash your hair! I am 72 years old and have been losing a lot of hair every day for about 2 years. thank you for your feedback
Barbara Schuler: Good evening, basically the hair changes with age, which means the hair becomes thinner and less dense. This has to do with the normal aging process (the growth phases of the individual hair follicles become shorter and the continuous growth decreases). A certain hair loss and change in hair texture is therefore quite normal. Also, hair falls out whether you wash it or not. Of course, washing your hair frequently (and combing it afterwards) can strain your hair and make it fall out a little faster, but you can’t prevent hair loss. How often the hair should be washed can be answered individually – as often as you feel the need. Today’s hair shampoos are usually harmless for daily hair washing. Make sure you use a mild shampoo and regular care.
Our 25 year old son has hair loss. It bothers him the most on one side at the temple, because it appears one-sided and therefore looks funny. Is this normal hair loss or could a deficiency be the cause? He had chemo 6 years ago, after which they never grew as dense as before. With kind regards
Ralph Trüeb: I would have to see this one passage in order to judge it further. Perhaps it is a so-called alopecia triangular congenital.
Is there a (new) treatment approach for lichen planopilaris? I’ve been taking Plaquenil (1 year+) and Isotretinoin (6 months) for the last few years, but haven’t noticed any effect (read standstill). In addition, Clarelux and other similar preparations are always used, but the hair loss on the top of the head continues.
Thomas Kündig: Lichen planopilaris is still difficult to treat. There is no treatment that works for all patients, so I advise trying the different therapeutic options one after the other: topical cortisone (including Clarelux), Plaquenil, Isotretinoin, Doxycycline can be tried. For apremilast and JAK inhibitors you need a cost approval from the health insurance company, since the preparations are very expensive, but they are worth a try if nothing else has helped.
Good evening. Is hair transplantation still done at 60? And why am I more affected by hair loss as a redhead?
Ralph Trüeb: The hair loss is not related to the color. Hair transplants are also performed at 60, but health and smoking status play a role in success.
Good evening, I am now 29 years old and have been using Alpecin C1 Shampoo for about 6 years. Is the shampoo harmful? I think it did something for me. Are there better shampoos than Alpecin? Warm greetings
Ralph Trüeb: It’s definitely not harmful. You choose a shampoo according to your needs, and above all you have to feel comfortable using it. A shampoo cannot have a great effect against hair loss because of the water dilution effect and the short contact time. However, a shampoo can improve the hair cosmetically and harmonize the scalp.
My husband started having hair loss at the age of 22. My father had good, strong hair until old age. Our son is now 15 and is afraid that this will happen to him too. Is there anything we could do to “save” our son’s hair?
Ralph Trüeb: Recognize any development towards hair loss early on. You can always treat. The sooner the better.
At what age are hair transplants recommended? My hairdresser said that at around 40 you have reached the peak of hair loss. Is that correct? Can you work in construction after the operation? Is the fullness dense after the operation or not?
Ralph Trüeb: Experience has shown that the results are best after the age of 35, when the bald head is established and the hair loss progresses less quickly.
There is hereditary hair loss in my family. Both of my mother’s brothers were bald when they were 20 and my two brothers met the same fate. What is the probability that my son will also be affected? Can the medicines mentioned in the article be used preventatively at an early stage?
Ralph Trüeb: Although the risk is increased, this cannot be predicted with certainty in individual cases, because hair loss depends on how the genes were inherited. In any case, a clarification can identify the risk early with a view to effective prevention.
Good evening My dermatologist recommended that I use Alopexy (spray) every day. What do you make of it? Does that help or can you save the costs? Thanks and regards
Thomas Kündig: Alopexy is a commercial preparation that contains minoxidil. Minoxidil is sold in Switzerland under the names Alopexy, Neocapil and Rogaine, and there are also pharmacist prescriptions simply called “Minoxidil”. Preparations that contain Minoxidil are very effective.
Good evening I suddenly had hair loss last year. I attributed this to mental stress and surgery. The blood count was unremarkable, except for a vitamin D deficiency. After taking Biotion and Priorin N for 6 months, the hair loss quickly subsided after about a month and leveled off again. After almost 5 months without pills, I have the feeling that the hair loss is increasing again (blood count is normal, apart from vitamin D deficiency. I am now considering taking biotin again. Can you do that after a 5-month break?
Ralph Trüeb: In principle, you can take biotin without hesitation. The only question is what is there. I recommend getting your hair loss checked out. In most cases, there is a condition-related hair loss that requires an appropriate basic treatment with Minoxidil, because with the predisposition the hair reacts more violently to other causes and recovers less from time to time.
I suffer from acne inversa. So these bibles keep coming and going, I scratch my head and my hair falls out. But I don’t always want to swallow those pills against the stuff. What can I do?
Ralph Trüeb: Unfortunately, acne inverse is a highly chronic condition. Depending on the severity, there are different therapeutic approaches that must be carefully considered.
1) I (37) have had a receding hairline for many years, but otherwise a lot of hair. Are the receding hairlines an indication of upcoming hair loss – or are there other signs that hair loss is starting? Can upcoming hair loss be clinically clarified in advance? 2) My father and grandfather were bald from about 50 onwards. genetically I assume that it can also affect me in about 10 years. Are there any remedies/medicines to prevent this?
Ralph Trüeb: Receding hairline is part of every man and is a normal post-pubertal condition. Whether the hair will otherwise continue to thin out can be further clarified with regard to possible preventive measures.
Good evening I was diagnosed with alopecia areata last year. My hair is growing, but I’ve lost some of it again. I wonder, can all hair grow back after many years? So, is there a chance you’ll get your hair back after 3.4 years or so? Also in places where there is no hair until now? Thank you and best regards
Thomas Kündig: Yes, the good news about alopecia areata is that the hair never falls out forever. They can grow back even after several years. A new class of active substances is currently being tested for alopecia areata and the results look very promising, so-called JAK inhibitors. There are also proven, older treatment methods. So it’s worth not giving up your therapeutic efforts and occasionally asking your dermatologist about the status of the new therapies that are expected to be marketed soon!
Hi my daughter is 22 years old. She sometimes suffers from hair loss, especially when she is stressed before a final exam, is there a connection? Iron deficiency also led to hair loss. Can this be? Thank you for your reply
Ralph Trüeb: Stress, lack of iron, etc. can all cause hair loss. Normally, when these are corrected, hair growth recovers, except in the case of hereditary hair loss, as the hair enters a new hair cycle with reduced hair growth phase duration. In order for the hair to recover completely, Minoxidil must be used.
Can hair loss in premenopausal women not be corrected/compensated with hormone substitution (HRT)? Minoxydil allows them to grow, but they are extremely thin and just as tender as a plum.
Ralph Trüeb: It is a misconception that Minoxidil only allows thin downy hairs to grow; on the contrary, it stimulates the thin downy hairs to grow thicker and longer again.
Hello, I have had increased hair loss since menopause. Do hormones have an effect on the symptoms? I wear my hair long, tied in a braid to work. Does this also have an impact?
Ralph Trüeb: Hormones have an influence, Minoxidil is better. Persistent pulling on the hair is not good.
Good evening, I had HT two years ago and now some of the transplanted hair is falling out again! Question: does this hair grow back or is it lost forever? With kind regards
Ralph Trüeb: Normally, transplanted hair does not fall out because of its donor dominance property, ie it behaves as it did at the place of origin. Could it be that in addition to the transplanted hair, the other non-transplanted hairs fall out? For this reason, an accompanying treatment of the residual hair after hair transplantation is always to be observed.
I’ve heard from many people and few American studies that counteracting hair loss with Finastride and Minoxidil was most helpful. In addition, that too much hair growth takes place. How do you rate the effectiveness of using these products? What are the side effects? Is this method recommended?
Ralph Trüeb: Minoxidil and Finasteride are the drugs with the highest medical evidence for the treatment of genetic hair loss. They can also be combined well. With finasteride, the sexual side effects should be considered, with minoxidil the growth of hair on other parts of the body. The optimal use of these drugs must be designed individually.