One day I was flipping through a publication and came across a case study in which there was found to be hair growing in a person’s mouth. The study was reported by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Earlier this year, a female subject was discovered to have, within her mouth, hair growth. It was the type of hair found in human nostrils. Researchers made the point that it was because of the excessive amounts of testosterone in her body. The condition is called oral hirsutism. Lots of diseases and health conditions can affect the body when there is too much testosterone circulating around. According to studies, the principal cause of hirsutism is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Some day in the next few decades, lab scientists studying hair follicle growth might be able to take advantage of testosterone to grow hair on men and women scalps, especially for those who are prime candidates for hair loss treatment.

This particular case study has been credited to F. Femiano, R. Rullo, R. Serpico, A. Lanza, V.M. Festa, and G. Laino. At the Second University of Naples, in Naples, Italy.

Hi, Dr. Mohebi:

Several weeks have passed since my hair restoration surgery. These days, when moving my neck, I feel some sort of tension and sensitivity at the donor area. I’m wondering if this tension will ever subside and return to how it was before. I want to get back to playing in my basketball league.

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A:
We have elaborated comprehensively on the care after hair transplant surgery in our website that could be referred at. You need to wait several more weeks and then do light exercises such power walking, ride a bicycle, or some light jogging. Make sure to not overstretch that donor area by staring at the floor or the ground beneath you. As long as you don’t do that, you’ll be fine.

Make sure to stay away from the following sports or exercises: street basketball or indoor basketball, grappling or mixed martial arts, soccer, kickboxing, abs-sculpting activities, or windsurfing or water sports.
Remember not to put a lot of pressure on the donor part of the head. It must be guarded and protected as if your life depended on it (well, maybe it’s not that important, but it’s still crucial to protect that area).

Exercises that create high pressure at the ends of the scar wound in the donor area, such as pumping iron and other activities requiring a bent neck are to be avoided. I recommend waiting about five to seven months to do strenuous activities so as to keep the wound from opening again or to prevent the donor scar from becoming wider.

Thanks,

I’m a man living with Alopecia Universalis, which hasn’t been an issue from an aesthetic perspective since I’m 68 years old, secure with myself and where I’m at in life, and possess an optimistic perspective about life and believe in a higher power at work in the world. But, there is one issue disturbing me, my finger nails and toe nails. The nail bed has pits and seems to be eroding. I don’t know what options I have at this point. I tried having my nails coated with acrylic at a nail salon and, for a majority of the time, it seems to be good enough for me until they grow long and break.

To aid in restoring my nails, I’m wondering if I ought to be taking vitamin pills, like Biotin or Zinc?

Thank you and please advise,

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A:

Thanks for your email. I love your attitude about Alopecia Universalis. Alopecia Universalis is a more severe type of Alopecia Areata. You ask a good question. Personally, I searched and didn’t find an answer every place I looked. It was a topic of conversation with a few of my dermatologist friends (when nail health is involved, dermatologists are familiar with this condition and I think they’ve seen or dealt with comparable cases of Alopecia Universalis or Alopecia Areata nail deterioration).

I did find two answers that might be of help to you, though.

1.  Well, I’ve seen a good number of people with major deformities of their nails, including dents, flaking, rippled nails, and distal phalanges with granulation tissue, symptoms which started after these people went in for acrylic manicures. The nails end up becoming kind of rough and the nail beds get damaged.

2.  Hey Doc! Unfortunately, there’s not much a person can do about treating the nail pitting that is a part of having Alopecia Universalis or Alopecia Areata. A person can coat it with acrylics, that’s OK, but acrylics will, without a doubt, further corrode the nail bed over the long haul. It’s better to use nail polish or manicure the nails. Taking Biotin is OK if a person is trying to have healthier-looking nails, but it’s not the solution to the underlying problem. There’s also the option of taking topical steroids to see whether that makes any kind of difference. Good luck.