new thread
So I went to a dermatologist recently about my male pattern baldness (high forehead). I told her that I don't wash my hair every day to avoid keeping it dry. She told me that if I have too much oil in the hair while it's long, it will be much easier for the hair to drop. I thought that drier hair equals weaker hair and weaker hair will break more easily, but she said that more hair will fall out if it's oily. There you have it. Will be glad to hear your opinions on that.
She also prescribed Propecia. I bought it. Still haven't taken any though, because I'm reading about that dihydrotestosterone guy, and I'm not sure I like what I'm reading (mental capacity loss, and other men's issues when it comes to women) and if I wish to take the risk.
I have very oily hair, that I wash once a week with water only. Once in a month, a month and a half I use very diluted shampoo but I tend to avoid because I don't like the feeling of shampooed hair.
This said, I'm not experimenting more hair loss than I did when I washed my hair more frequently and with shampoo. Of course there's the big October shed, but that's a seasonal cycle that comes and goes.
This is my experience; I don't know if the combination oil/hair loss could be related to MPB.
I do not know how credible a source this is but:
I have oily hair, and I wash it twice a week. I use a simple basic shampoo (hard to find these days) without a lot of extra stuff in it. The one I use (when I can find it) is original green Prell ("Classic Prell"). I use Pantene conditioner for long hair after shampooing.
Hi Stas,
Like when seeing any doctor or medical specialist, it's always beneficial to sometimes get a 2nd, or even 3rd opinion. I'm not a dermatologist; so, please keep that in mind when reading my reply!
Having said the above, in my experience (and to the best of my knowledge, based on everything I've ever read on the topic over the years), MPB and oily scalps usually have nothing to do with each other -- other than just an individual coincidence. I've had an oily scalp all of my life, although a bit less so as I've aged. Yet the only MPB I've ever experienced is a receding hairline (and even that is relatively minor, especially when you consider my age is 56).
MPB is a hereditary issue. While it might be true that we can maybe help lessen hair loss by shampooing either more or less frequently, ultimately our genetics will be the thing that will determine the permanent hair loss issue. Permanent hair loss due to MPB becomes gradually more and more apparent over time as we age. The only thing that can be done about that are considering taking those expensive drugs like Propecia or Rogaine, which I have never had any interest in trying out for myself.
Of course, then there's that infamous other age-long hope of mankind to find the elusive "Fountain of Youth" that Ponce de Leon had hoped to come across down in Florida -- or, was it supposed to be in California? In any case... they're still looking!
- Ken in San Francisco
Two unrelated topics. I just mentioned both in one message.
Sorry for the confusion!
I was describing my visit to the doctor and the things I learnt from it.
Hair loss due to oily hair is not related to MPB.
I have MPB and lost hair because I kept it oily. Hair loss is minimal now, but MPB is still present.
Just wanted to clarify since the first post is confusing those two topics :)
Thanks