Dear Dr. Roach: A recent column about thinning hair prompts me to ask your opinion about laser devices claiming to promote regrowth of 鈥渞etired鈥� hair follicles. Have you had any experience with them, and do you have an opinion about them?
M.T.
I have had very little personal experience with them, but the medical literature is clear that there are benefits in both male-type and female-type hair loss, at least for one device, the HairMax laser comb.
This device, in two separate 26-week trials, showed improvement in hair count and subjective self-assessment, compared with a control group that used a device that appeared to use a laser but did not.
The absolute differences were not huge 鈥� roughly 10 per cent increase in hair follicles 鈥� but it was enough that over 80 per cent of participants reported at least minimal improvement. The devices are not cheap, at $300 to $500 on online shopping sites. It is not clear from published studies how long the hair growth will last or what the optimum treatment dose is.
听
Dear Dr. Roach: My question concerns the timing for a follow-up colonoscopy. I recently moved from Rhode Island to Virginia. In 2012, while living in Rhode Island, I had a colonoscopy, and the results showed two tubular adenomas and one serrated adenoma. The recommendation was for a follow-up in 2015.
Since then, I moved to Virginia, and my doctor here told me that I don鈥檛 need a colonoscopy now and that I can wait until 2017, which is a five-year interval.
I understand that recommended guidelines may change over time, so I鈥檇 like your opinion regarding the appropriate time for a follow-up colonoscopy.
K.L.
The current guidelines, written in 2012 and endorsed by five professional groups, recommend a five-year follow-up for someone with one or two tubular adenomas (the most common type, each with a small risk of progressing to invasive cancer).
For a person with a serrated polyp (a different type of polyp, which also can progress to cancer) less than 10 mm, a five-year follow-up is recommended. If the serrated polyp were greater than 10听mm, it would be a three-year recommended follow-up.
However, you have both of these types of polyps, and someone with three adenomatous polyps is recommended for follow-up in three years.
Since these are guidelines, it鈥檚 up to you and your physician to decide what鈥檚 right for you. If you want the most protection against developing colon cancer, you should consider the shorter screening interval.
听
Dear Dr. Roach: I recently read your article about the use of Propecia for female hair loss.
I am a healthy 59-year-old female, runner, yoga instructor, Pilates enthusiast and cyclist.
I have noticed hair loss over the past two years, and the results of blood work showed low ferritin stores, healthy hemoglobin and possible low protein, which I am elevating with supplements and more awareness of my diet.
What would your recommendation be for my situation?
V.S.
A low ferritin level worries me. Although it can come from diet, it also can indicate poor absorption (such as celiac disease, especially with low protein) or iron loss (such as colon polyps).
Before treating the hair loss, make sure your doctor has done a thorough workup, including colonoscopy if not done recently.
If everything looks OK and your labs get better with careful diet, then you certainly can try treatment for hair loss, such as the laser device mentioned earlier. Some experts in hair loss use both finasteride (Propecia) and the laser.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected]
