Several times a year, I try to write a post on something interesting related to medicine, cosmetic procedures or biology. But not necessarily also hair related. This post is a discussion of the two most popular dermatologists in the world on Youtube:
- Dr. Sandra Lee (aka Dr. Pimple Popper).
- Dr. Vikram Yadav.
Warning: Videos mentioned or embedded in this post are not for the judgmental or faint of heart.
Dr. Pimple Popper (Sandra Lee)
Dr. Pimple Popper (aka Dr. Sandra Lee) has become the most famous dermatologist in the world due to her spectacular videos. Her greatest hits entail removal of large lipomas, blackheads and cysts. If you have an unusual and difficult dermatological problem, she often treats you for free as long as you let her film you. With no need to show your face in the video.
Dr Pimple Popper has appeared on numerous TV shows (e.g., TLC), TV interviews, and magazine articles in the US. See her Instagram or her Twitter for more. She has also been winning some awards recently.
Dr. Lee’s clinic is based in California in the US. Her husband Dr. Jeffrey Rebish is also a dermatologist. She published her first extraction related Youtube video in 2014. Her first ever video was a liposuction related video in 2010. Today, Dr. Lee has 5.9 million subscribers. She also runs the Dr. Pimple Popper University Youtube channel, and the SLMD skincare product site.
Dr. Lee’s most popular video was published in 2015 and currently has 49.1 million views. Nothing in the hair transplant world comes even remotely close to this level of viewership or popularity. One of Dr. Lee’s few hair related videos can be seen here.
Dr. Vikram Yadav
However, before Dr. Sandra Lee, there came an Indian doctor named Dr. Vikram Yadav. He first started publishing such gross (yet addictive to millions) Youtube videos in 2009. Today, he has 500,000 subscribers. Dr. Yadav is often called “The King of Blackheads“.
Dr. Yadav’s most popular video was published in 2012 and currently has 45.8 million views.
If you have a lot of time to spare and are interested in dermatology, you should go through both Dr. Sandra Lee’s and Dr. Vikram Yadav’s Youtube channels. Sort the videos by view count and watch at least the top 10.
You do not ever need to thank me for this favor.
Note: If you ever get your scalp examined under powerful microscopes, what you will see is often just as shocking as what you see in the above channels’ videos. e.g., see my post on Demodex mites.
50 million views for that video is crazy…she should also start doing hair transplants.
let’s get back to hair…
a doctor has told me that the best way to use Finasteride is the following way… two weeks on two weeks off. This way we don’t get any unpleasant side effects and at the same time we use the first two weeks of testosteron burst to get better sex drive…(Finasteride it’s known to burst sex drive in the first weeks) in other words we would get the best of both worlds. Personally in 15 years of use of finasteride I never got any side effects… but in any case, what do you guys think about it?
The half life is too short to make it worth skipping Finasteride continuously for 2 weeks in my opinion, though I am not a doctor. Make sure to read the below posts too if you are seriously thinking of experimenting:
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/finasteride-and-low-dose-dutasteride-combination-treatment/
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/dutasteride-and-finasteride-dosage-discussion/
It’s unlikely any doc ever said that, someone wants affirmation
Topic: Monofilament thread therapy (PLLA)
Title: Accelerated hair growth by combining thread monofilament and minoxidil in female androgenetic alopecia
Conclusion: Poly‐l‐lactic acid microthread therapy combined with minoxidil may improve hair density, hair thickness, and hair appearance better than minoxidil alone.
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.13228
Another study observing increase in hair count and mass: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31619089
What is Poly-L-Lactic Acid?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507871/
Since we seemed to have started hair talk in this not so hair related post….
I will add in my quick 2 month update on switching over from generic Finasteride to Avodart.
So far no side effects that I am aware of. Hair still seems to be in a shedding phase (at least I hope so). I would say I am seeing anywhere from 20-40 hairs per day come off in my hands after shampooing….yes I do take the time to count as accurately as possible lol
I would say on average approximately 30 hairs daily.
I swear I have noticed new hairs coming out of no where. Possibly old former hairs just coming back. They start as thin translucent strands and seem to slowly be gaining length and colour. Hopefully in time I can see more and thickening as well. It’s still early and I’m just hoping to start shedding less daily. I will leave a 3 month update in the Dutasteride thread as promised.
Your doctor is giving bad advice. You need to take finasteride daily for it to be effective. As admin states it has a short half life. Skipping two weeks will actually cause more harm. Your hormones will be up and down each month and stable by going on and off. That will cause sheds and other problems. That’s just my opinion.
I’ve spoken to a few of the patients followed by the doctor mentioned above and they seemed to be doing just fine, I don’t know what to believe anymore…
Best to talk to several reputable dermatologists who specialize in hair, and then make a decision.
Are you the guy who had a hair transplant? I am 24 and planning on having my first hair transplant. Hopefully I will only need one! What should I ask and look for when I get my hair transplant next week%))
Hi Ricky,
I am not sure who you are asking your question to but I myself have had 2 hair transplants. I just wanted to point out that you are very young for many reputable HT docs to consider operating on. I am not here to tell you what you should or should not be doing in order to make yourself feel better. I get it. Believe me! I just want to make sure you realize no doctor will be able to accurately asses your potential level of future hair loss at such a young age and this could cause any HT you get now to be at risk of losing more native hairs around the transplanted hairs that could leave you with an undesirable look. For example, if the doc based his frontal hairline work on your current existing hairs but you end up receding drastically over the next few years that would not be a great look as your transplanted hairs would stand strong in the front but you may have patchy areas of hair loss behind them. Just something for you to consider…..
A doctor would definitely know more than any of us here regarding medicine but……. the bottle of Propecia strictly says to take daily for it to protect your scalp from dht effects. It’s like taking diabetes medicine two weeks off and an on to avoid side effects but you’ll lose the effects of the drugs keeping your blood sugar levels normal..
they are different drugs and then we still don’t know how the balding and DHT process works …
There is a possibility it would work on some level with avodart but taking into account the short lifetime of finasteride this is a recipe for disaster in terms of maintaining and regrowing hair.
How can you tell? have you tried it?
I will give it a try and see…
I have not tried it nor do I intend to.
I am just taking facts into consideration, thats all.
I wish you success btw.
anyone got a shiseido update?
Anyone got a shiseido update?
Lorence, take fin everyday man! Don’t be silly my friend. Half life of fin is 8 hrs. Think about it. Taking two weeks off a drug that only lasts 8 hrs is pretty dumb idea. Of course you won’t get sides that way because the drug doesn’t have time to work. Of course, it’s your body and life so do as you please but I’ve been taking fin since 2002. I think I know how it works by now lol.
Is your Dr a ht doctor, general family doctor or dermatologist? MaLe or female?
@Mjones
I have been taking finasteride for 15 years and even though I have never had any unpleasant side effects, the idea of taking this substance for another 10 years or maybe more (and from what’s happening out there … this seems like the scenario…)
does not appeal to me that much …
If I can maintain what I have using finasteride for just two weeks a month plus the daily use of minoxidil why not? …
The doctor is a dermatologist
Just reread your original post. You have been on fin for 15 years without sides. That’s great! So why would you start taking it every two weeks now if you are not getting sides? Makes no sense? You want a testosterone boost ? Lol. If you are maintaining, then don’t fix what isn’t broken. Unless you are getting sides and you aren’t telling us and are interested in the two week off on thing….
A bit on CASSIOPEA’s Clascoterone cream 1% (for Acne);
They completed the three phases and submitted the NDA to the FDA last August. They were accepted this November. (= 3 months)
The statement reads: “The FDA has set August 27, 2020 as the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date” — That is the date the FDA will announce whether or not the drug has been approved. (= 12 months)
Their topical Clascoterone solution 7.5% (Breezula) for Androgenetic alopecia still needs to complete phase 3 (set to begin in 2020) after which they’ll collect the data and submit to the FDA. It will take at least 12 months to get acceptance/approval, and then the additional time to introduce the drug into dermatologists’ offices.
TLDR: Breezula Topical Anti-Androgen 2022 (my best guess)
(Samumed SM04554 finishes their Phase 3 trial June 2020 so they both could hit the market around the same time ’22)
New Interview with Follicum CEO … “phase II read-out at the end of 2020.” : ( So that’s probably—yup—5 years (phase 3 in ’21, readout ’22, submission ’23, approval ’24, market ’25)
http://follicum.com/biostock-article-follicum-watches-closely-as-allergan-deal-shakes-up-hair-loss-treatment-field/
2022 is doable for new topical but 2025 for something that barely grows 8% regrowth lol not waiting around for that. Better off getting fue.
Appreciate the interesting post, admin. Nice to talk about something other than hair for a change. Hair regeneration is an industry that turns on its own but this kind of stuff is fun and relatable.
Lol thanks Greg, almost no-one appreciates these types of posts, but glad there are some outliers.
Hey admin, any update on the mini cliradex trial mentioned the in that old demodex mite article? Thanks
Hey Shiny, I have not been in touch with Paul for a while. I will e-mail him to see what happened!
December 16 2019 update from Mr. Salsberg:
“What transpired is that I did send dozens of bottles out to individuals but was requested by head-office to hold off with the next stage because of a change in business strategy. Needless to say, we actually did a small experiment on five local balding men and plucked 3-5 hairs near the temple region (the hot zone). We examined the root under a microscope and found demodex on at least one out of every 3 hairs. We asked the individuals to use Cliradex foam every night and we checked back 45-60 days later to find absolutely no demodex thereafter. That’s as far as we went. It’s unfortunate it was shelved for the time being, but perhaps head-office will give us the green light in the future to take this study to the next stage. If anyone still has questions/comments, I am more than happy to email them anytime.”
Good news the cure is 5 years away…..! Wait another 5 years only to be told the same thing. Seems like science will allow man to have driverless cars, land on Mars, have a smart home, a fit watch that determines our health, and clone a human. But we can’t figure out hair…. hmmm something doesn’t seem right lol. Only positive thing in this mental health/ depressing disease is that Admin keeps the word out there
What do you guys think about TissUse and J Hewitt? Quickt to market?
CEO of TissUse said to expect commercialization shortly after the trial if it’s successful. Everyone’s been saying that it’s not like tsuji or Shiseido in that it will take years because under Japan’s legislation they only need one successful trial so I’m willing to put my money down on the release date for them being in a year or two if their trial is successful. All depends on their next trial update which should only be 30-45 days after they start so not long until some news.
When were they expecting to start?
Late January.
I think that in the next 3/5 years a new drug will come on the market, but it will be nothing miraculous … maybe a little better than what’s already there and most likely will have to use it in combination with the other 2 …
Unfortunately that seems to be the case Lorence. That’s why I always push newbies on here to hop on finasterude while they still have hair. Tsuji, tissuse, susheido could take several years before we can get it or if it even works. Only hope we have for near term are SM, CB and maybe follica if that last pic they sent out was just a marketing stunt before actual real pics (wishful thinking lol) I would be happy with a legit maintenance drug and regrowth of 20%. I would then just get a large 3k fue to fill in all scalp areas.
Regarding the idea of using fina 2 weeks on and off, two things come to mind: first, when I researched fina dosage and side effects I came to the conclusion that it was best to use it everyday, no matter the dosage, because there seems to be evidence that in the first few days/weeks your body adjusts to the new hormonal balance and you don’t want to upset that more than once (side effects are common then), HOWEVER I also learned about the issue of accumulation, which could be the main cause of side effects from mid and long term use and I suspect that the 2 week on and off regime is supposed to avoid accumulation. I have no idea if it is a safe or effective regime but it would be interesting to see some data… also I would expect any doctor prescribing this to observe their patients very closely and keep detailed records.
An interesting article that explains why drugs work differently on people depending on their genes.
I guess this explains why certain drugs work better for hair loss on certain individuals.
Article link:
https://theconversation.com/amp/how-your-genes-influence-what-medicines-are-right-for-you-46904