Propecia making men impotent

As I was watching the news one of the stories featured really sparked my interest. As it turns out a popular hair replacement drug propecia causes men to be impotent. Since I am in the hair restoration business I decided to copy this news story onto my blog, I believe more people have to be warned about the dangerous side effects of these hair replacement drugs.

Baldness drug Propecia making men impotent, says study

By Neil Katz

 

(CBS) Men worried about losing their hair may be losing far more than that if they take the popular drug Propecia.
A new body of research says 5 to 23 percent of the millions of men who take the drug may become impotent and have lowered sex drives because of the active ingredient finasteride. And the problem may linger years after they stop taking the drug.
The story is coming to the fore as two new studies were published in "The Journal of Sexual Medicine" this month.
Young men are being prescribed these drugs, "as hair loss treatments that may negatively impact their sexual life, possibly for a prolonged time after stopping the medication," said the journal's editor-in-chief, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, in a statement.
In one paper which analyzed previous studies, researchers led by Dr. Abdulmaged M. Traish of the Boston University School of Medicine, found a small but significant percent of men suffered from erectile dysfunction, reduced ejaculation and semen volume after taking the drug. Traish told CBS News what really worried him was the long term effects.
"What is really important is not how big or small this number is," he said. "But rather how many of these individuals will continue to experience persistent side effects, even if they discontinue the drug?"
To answer that question, Traish pointed us towards research from Dr. Michael S. Irwig, who interviewed 71 otherwise healthy men who reported sexual side effects after taking finasteride. The mean duration of the negative impact was 40 months after stopping the drug.
Irwig's study, also published in "The Journal of Sexual Medicine," had some caveats. The men were not randomly selected, but rather picked off of a popular website for problems with finasteride and the men were not tested for hormone levels.
Finasteride is also found in Proscar, a drug designed to help with prostate swelling.
The cruel irony of the findings, if they hold up, is that once men stop taking Propecia their hair loss returns, but the side effects may linger for years.
There is a class action lawsuit in Canada and a smaller suit in the States. The full studies can be found in the March issue of "The Journal of Sexual Medicine" here and here.


From a CBS news article

David Hansen

www.davidhansen.com

 

 

 

Celebrity hairpieces, celebrity hair transplants… You are not alone

Celebrity hairpieces, celebrity hair transplants… You are not alone

Whether you are famous or not everyone is concerned about his or her looks. In this day and age it seems like everyone wants to look their best, not only for others but also for themselves. Many actors wear hairpieces, this help them boost their self-esteem as well as makes them look or feel younger. After all, a good head of hair is associated with youth, and attractiveness, so when hair loss happens, it can come as a surprise.
Some examples of celebrities who wear hairpieces are,

John Travolta has a very natural looking hair replacement. He wears a lace front system that creates a soft hairline. The color and wave pattern are well matched making the hair blend right into the hair replacement system.

William Shatner who starred in Star Trek has an excellent hairpiece; I have been following him for about 40 years. The reason it is a great hairpiece is that he has good hair on the sides and on the back of his head. This creates plenty of hair to blend into the hairpiece.  If you do not have that much hair on the sides or in the back, it would be much harder to blend the hairpiece in with the hairpiece. Unless done by a professional, you would have to take a hair sample from the right areas of your hair. From my opinion, he wears a lace front hair replacement hairpiece, showing his recession, which also gives it a natural look.

John Wayne, known for his in many western films is another exception. He has a variety of different hairpieces. Sometimes he wears good hair replacement systems and sometimes he wears bad hairpieces.
There is plenty of hair replacement specialists out there with different opinions about the right hair loss hair replacement system. You would have to find the one that fits you the best and makes you feel great about yourself. Every man or woman can experience hair loss for any of these reasons whether it be from childbirth, to an infection, or from medication. The treatment is in your hands to decide.

Charleston Heston, known as Moses from The Ten Commandments. This is a bad piece. There is too much hair on the front and top, it is too heavy and not enough hair on the sides, I would suggest he grow out the hair on the sides more. The sides are thin and the top is too heavy. He has never had that much hair in his lifetime, there would be no need for him to have that much hair at his age now. The hairpiece should be lightly ventilated and with a slight wave to give it movement. In addition, it should be a lace front, so it would soften his hairline and look natural with his scalp. This is an example of what not to wear; it is all in the cut which is 75% of the hairpiece.

Hugh Hefner, known for Playboy. He does not wear a hairpiece anymore. The man is 88 years old, but notice he has hair on the front, all he needs is a partial hairpiece that he can comb his own hair over. In addition, you would never know it, but if he grows his hair longer on the sides, he can blend it in more into the hairpiece and look more natural. This would also give his face a better frame. I would love to make him a great hairpiece if I got the chance to.
Good Luck & Good Looking
David Hansen,
www.davidhansen.com
312-943-8171

Cancer hair loss

www.davidhansen.com
The common name for medical hair loss solution is cranial prosthesis.

These are designed by David Hansen for people experiencing hair loss due to:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• All types of Alopecia
• Burn victims
• Accident victims

Chemotherapy and radiation

• Many radiation and chemotherapy patients experience hair loss during their treatment. This could last anywhere from a year up, meanwhile there are solutions to this excessive hair loss. Custom made full skull-caps are especially designed to cover the entire balding area from the widow’s peak all the way to the nape of the neck. This gives the patient a full head of natural looking hair, similar to the way they had it before the hair loss.
  

Chemotherapy and cancer treatment hair loss

Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, chemotherapy drugs, and radiation may result in hair loss. This can vary from temporary to permanent hair loss. While with chemotherapy the hair loss is usually temporary when it comes to radiation it can go either way.

With chemotherapy if an individual is going to lose their hair varies with each patient. Some people experience hair loss that usually begins one to three weeks after the beginning of treatment, others do not experience hair loss at all. The hair loss due to chemotherapy usually starts growing back anywhere from six months to a year after the treatment.

Since custom made cranial prosthesis take six to eight weeks to be produced depending on the time of the year, it is better to order your prosthesis before the hair loss occurs. By planning in advance it is also possible for David Hansen the hair replacement specialist(main page) to match your original hair color, texture, and wave pattern.

 

Insurance coverage options

Individuals experiencing hair loss due to medical reasons such as cancer, alopecia, accidents, or burns may be eligible for between 80 to a 100% reimbursement from their insurance provider.

 

There are several guidelines you need to follow in order to receive 

this coverage:

• Check the benefits of your insurance (usually there is a section under covered expenses that relates to prostheses.)
• You would need to ask your physician to write you a prescription for FULL CRANIAL HAIR PROSTHESIS
• To be safe you may also want to ask the physician to write a letter explaining the impact hair loss has on a person’s well being that are symptomatic  of your condition.  Low self esteem, depression and isolation are some common symptoms.
• Once you order your cranial hair prosthesis keep the copy of your sales or invoice receipt.
• You may also include a letter from you explaining the importance of the prosthesis for your well being.

Things to know when living with a hairpiece

Things to know when living with a hairpiece

When a person starts to wear a hair replacement system, there are certain things they must know in order to have it look natural and last for as long as possible. Here I will explain how it is to live with one and still live your daily life.

When thinking of getting a custom-made hairpiece, it would typically take 6-8 weeks from order date to come in to get it to the right specifications. The specifications would include color, texture, wave pattern of your natural hair and style. Reasons for that are not only to give the natural look but also to prevent any changes to the style when you come in for fitting of hairpiece.

Typically, a hairpiece can weigh about 2 ounces. It weighs that little after the cut and styling with your own natural hair. This is an advantage for you since it will feel undetectable and blend in with your own.

If you have read my previous blogs, I have stated that a tape on hairpiece is the best way and most sanitized way to wear a hair replacement system compared to when you bond on a hairpiece. It takes just a few minutes to put tape on the hairpiece. The tape used would be double-sided tape, and all that is needed is a few small pieces. When put on properly and when applied to a clean scalp, the hairpiece will not budge. Winds would blow YOU away before the hairpiece!

The hair replacement specialist will explain and show you how to place and tape on the hairpiece. If you can spare 3-4 minutes a day and have a wide-tooth comb or a bristle brush, a tape on hairpiece is for you. With time and more practice, you will probably do it with-in 1-2 minutes.  That type of comb and/or brush is best not only for your hairpiece but also for your own natural hair.

For the hairpiece to last the longest and keep looking its best, it is best not to shower and sleep in it. If you leave the hairpiece on, you are shortening the life of it. Your hairpiece is like clothing; you wouldn’t shower or sleep in it if you intend to wear it continuously. It also best not to swim or do strenuous activities outdoors whiling wearing it. Extensive sun can also cause the hairpiece to lighten in color, as much as 3-4 shades lighter. It is best and also suggested to have a synthetic one to knock around in and also your custom made hairpiece for all other activities.

When the hairpiece is in need of a servicing, bring it to your hair replacement specialist. The hairpiece is just like a car, you would take it to a mechanic unless you are a mechanic yourself, and it goes the same for the hairpiece. It must be cleaned with special fluid that performs best only by a professional. Typically, every time you would need a haircut, the hairpiece should be treated just as good.

A hairpiece, if taken care of, would last up to a year and maybe longer, with few or no adjustments or repairs required. The main “repairs” needed for a hairpiece is re-coloring, addition of more hair, and/or replacement of base.  It may seem like a custom made hairpiece is expensive but it would be well worth the money in the end compared to a stock piece, which you would probably have to keep buying month after month and end up paying the same amount. Quality is always better than quantity. Hope this helped to give some answers and feedback. Good Luck & Good Looking

David Hansen,

The Ultimate Mens Hairstylist & Hairpiece Specialist

Chicago, IL

www.davidhansen.com

312-943-8171