rockpaperscissor
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http://wcbstv.com/local/baldness.hair.f ... 12842.html
It was really painful reading this article and "my story" will make clear why. A little over 6 years ago, I went to my first dermatologist to get treated some minor yet recurring cystic acne. I asked my derm about Accutane, its potency & side effects, he summarily dismissed all of my concerns, telling me that it was the 2nd most prescribed acne medication, effectively saying that were it so bad, why would it be so heavily prescribed? I specifically asked him about hairloss as it runs in my family (my mom & her sisters) even though at the time, I was a 27 y.o. woman with a full head of hair and hair loss was nowhere near on my horizon (I thought). Again, the derm practically scoffed at me, even after I told him about my family history, and said that of the 200+ patients to whom he prescribed Accutane, only one experienced hair loss and that it was temporary and all grew back. My derm was so convincing and reassuring that I got the rx and started Accutane.
Fast forward six months. I had experienced hair loss for the last few months, pretty clearly due to Accutane, given the timing and lack of other possible causes. Very distraught, I went back to my derm who at first didn't believe I had hair loss at first (the hair loss was still mild at the time), but once I convinced him, his response was, oh, well, your bangs are all new hairs, so it's growing back! OK, but that wasn't the point. hair loss to anyone, but especially a 20-something y.o. woman, is really traumatic and he blew off my concerns. Who knew if it would all grow back? (It didn't) I also pointed out that I had gotten new acne since I stopped the Accutane and he flippantly responded, "Oh, I guess you're a C-! The acne comes back for 70% of patients." 70%?!?!? He never said this at any of the SIX appointments we had before & during my Accutane course. Had he, I never would've taken it!
Who's this caring and thoughtful dermatologist? None other than Richard Mizuguchi, the director of Manhattan's Hair Restoration Surgery Center, who is quoted multiple times in the article. Dr. Mizuguchi, who has a ridiculously thick head of hair (as of 6 years ago), who convinced me to take Accutane despite my hair loss concerns and who continued to dismiss them even after I got hair loss, is now the director of a hair restoration center! HOW IRONIC.
Fast forward to 2010. The hair loss went away eventually and some grew back, but not all, and I am left with a much thinner, but passable, head of hair. I've tried every supplement out there, not to mention minoxidil, spironolactone and some weird creams. Nothing's helped, but on the positive side, the hair loss has not come back in almost 5 years. I keep taking supplements, shampoo with Nizoral, and every few months, I search the internet in hope of finding promising news, say, about hair cloning, only to find, this time, an article about the doctor who started it all.
Incidentally, I don't blame Dr. Mizuguchi for everything. I'm adult enough to know that it was my decision to start the Accutane. But I also know that had I gone to a different dermatologist or GP about my acne, I never would have used this drug that altered my life so completely.
It was really painful reading this article and "my story" will make clear why. A little over 6 years ago, I went to my first dermatologist to get treated some minor yet recurring cystic acne. I asked my derm about Accutane, its potency & side effects, he summarily dismissed all of my concerns, telling me that it was the 2nd most prescribed acne medication, effectively saying that were it so bad, why would it be so heavily prescribed? I specifically asked him about hairloss as it runs in my family (my mom & her sisters) even though at the time, I was a 27 y.o. woman with a full head of hair and hair loss was nowhere near on my horizon (I thought). Again, the derm practically scoffed at me, even after I told him about my family history, and said that of the 200+ patients to whom he prescribed Accutane, only one experienced hair loss and that it was temporary and all grew back. My derm was so convincing and reassuring that I got the rx and started Accutane.
Fast forward six months. I had experienced hair loss for the last few months, pretty clearly due to Accutane, given the timing and lack of other possible causes. Very distraught, I went back to my derm who at first didn't believe I had hair loss at first (the hair loss was still mild at the time), but once I convinced him, his response was, oh, well, your bangs are all new hairs, so it's growing back! OK, but that wasn't the point. hair loss to anyone, but especially a 20-something y.o. woman, is really traumatic and he blew off my concerns. Who knew if it would all grow back? (It didn't) I also pointed out that I had gotten new acne since I stopped the Accutane and he flippantly responded, "Oh, I guess you're a C-! The acne comes back for 70% of patients." 70%?!?!? He never said this at any of the SIX appointments we had before & during my Accutane course. Had he, I never would've taken it!
Who's this caring and thoughtful dermatologist? None other than Richard Mizuguchi, the director of Manhattan's Hair Restoration Surgery Center, who is quoted multiple times in the article. Dr. Mizuguchi, who has a ridiculously thick head of hair (as of 6 years ago), who convinced me to take Accutane despite my hair loss concerns and who continued to dismiss them even after I got hair loss, is now the director of a hair restoration center! HOW IRONIC.
Fast forward to 2010. The hair loss went away eventually and some grew back, but not all, and I am left with a much thinner, but passable, head of hair. I've tried every supplement out there, not to mention minoxidil, spironolactone and some weird creams. Nothing's helped, but on the positive side, the hair loss has not come back in almost 5 years. I keep taking supplements, shampoo with Nizoral, and every few months, I search the internet in hope of finding promising news, say, about hair cloning, only to find, this time, an article about the doctor who started it all.
Incidentally, I don't blame Dr. Mizuguchi for everything. I'm adult enough to know that it was my decision to start the Accutane. But I also know that had I gone to a different dermatologist or GP about my acne, I never would have used this drug that altered my life so completely.