Category: Female Hair Loss

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Sarcoidosis and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am an African American female who has been diagnosed with Sarcoid of the skin. I have since lost 85% of my hair and it is NOT growing back. When I was first diagnosed, I would see these scaly flaky spots which would peel away (along with my hair). By the way, I am also taking Prednisone to treat my Rhumatoid Arthritis. I would however like very much to have my natural hair as the wigs are hot, unnatural and unattractive.

There is no cure for sarcoidosis. Treatments sometimes exploit the use of systemic and topical steroids. Local steroid injections into specific lesions sometimes help; the use of methotrexate (an immunosupressive agent) also helps in some people. I have little experience in this awful disease. You need an expert in this arena for treatment, but don’t blame your doctor if the treatments do not work.

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Paxil CR and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a twenty-three year old woman taking 37.5 mg of Paxil CR and have experienced substantial hair loss. Could this have something to do with this medication which I’ve been taking for the past 5 year? Also, my hair doesn’t seem to be growing. I eat well- get plenty of protein and take calcium supplements with magnesium and vitamin d. What might I do to trigger hair growth?

I do not know the mechanisms for this side effect, but Paxil (paroxetine) is on WebMD’s list of medications that can potentially cause hair loss. You should discuss this with your prescribing doctor.

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Chemical Relaxer Causing Itching and Scaling of Scalp – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am an African American female, and I used a chemical relaxer on my hair. Within a few days I had excessive itching and excessive scaling. The results are all over my head. Can you tell me what this could be? Chemical burn? Dandruff? Not sure. I applied Sulphur 8 to mu scalp to control some of the itching. It has helped a little, but if I tough my scalp the itching starts up again. The itching seems to get bad about 3-4 days after I wash my hair.

So, my questions are: What could this be, and how should I remedy the situation? Also, does this seem sever and should I get a doctor involved?

Thank You.

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A chemical relaxer is, well, a chemical. Any chemicals can cause local skin irritation or an allergic reaction. I would suggest that you see a primary doctor or a dermatologist if this problem persists. Burns from chemical relaxers are quite common.

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I Have a Small Bump On The Side of My Head — Infection from Hair Accidentally Being Pulled Out? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I have been looking through your webpage and have a question for you, that I can not seem to get a good answer to. I do have a doc’s appt for later this week though.

On the right hand side of my head, kind of directly above the ear, i have noticed a bead like bump. Its firm…is a little sore, is form..and I have had it for a while. I keep thinking it may have been caused by a hair being pulled while I was styling my hair…but think that if it was an infection, would it not be majorly sore and all? I am completely freaked out…is there anything you could suggest until I see the doctor?

Based on what you’re telling me, it doesn’t sound serious. Cysts can be caused by hair getting pulled, and it sounds unlikely that if someone pulled your hair out that you would not know when it happened. Hair pulled out once will not cause a problem and it would regrow. See your family doctor and I am sure he/she will address it.

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Hair Loss InformationI’m 7 Months Pregnant and Experiencing Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Please help me – I’ve been suffering from hair shedding since Aug 2007. I was on the pill for 12 years and came off in august just after my wedding to conceive. I concieved straight away and am now 7 months pregnant. In Dec 2006, I was in hospital for a day with an infection which caused a hemorrhage. The shedding does seem to have slowed down now so losing about 25 after washes and I feel spiky bits all over my head. This has lasted about 7 months now and just wanted to know how long it usually last for and if it will stop? Will I ever get the thickness back in my hair?

I’m so depressed about this and would be grateful if you could help me. Thanks

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You have many potential causes for hair loss, including:

  • Pregnancy, which can cause hair loss that should reverse after about a year
  • Changes in your hormones from the withdrawal of birth control pills
  • Illness from the infection that put you into the hospital

It is likely that this process will reverse. You are not alone and the experience of others with this problem have been far from hopeless.

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Female Hair Loss After Stopping Prednisone – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I was put on 40 milligrams of prednisone after I got out of the hospital from a major infection… ulcerative colitis. I was on predisone for a month. Well, a month later after I stopped it, I starting losing my hair. Could this be caused by the prednisone? (I was also on Asacol too.)

The entire stressful experience may have precipitated a telogen effluvium. Hopefully it will reverse on its own in 4-8 months. Both medications and the illness you had could have caused the hair loss.

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13 Year Old Girl Found a Bald Spot After a Haircut – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I am a 13-year old female girl. A few months ago in December 2007, I got a haircut and noticed a bald spot about the size of a dime on top of my head a few days later. I was really worried, and told my parents about it. They said me that it was due to stress in school etc., but I wasn’t completely sure.

It is now February. I’ve noticed a few days ago that there was a small part above my forehead that had very little hair (I have bangs). I have a feeling that I’ve been losing more hair, but I could be overreacting. I think that the previous bald spot had expanded.

My parents have made an appointment with the doctor, I will probably be going to see her in a week or so. Since I was a baby, I’ve had eczema, a skin condition, and I don’t know if it has any links to it. I don’t really remember, but my dad told me that around 5 years ago I’ve had this hair problem. The doctor gave me some medicine to put on my hair, and it seemed to work.

After looking on the internet for information, I’m really worried about any conditions I might have. I’m scared I’ll lose all my hair in the next few months or so. Any info will be greatly appreciated, thank you so much.

The right thing to do would be to see a doctor. There are many causes of bald spots appearing, some of which have been discussed on this site before (ringworm, alopecia areata, etc.). A doctor should give you a diagnosis after an in-person exam. Via the internet and based on just an email, I would just be blindly guessing.

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My Dermatologist Prescribed the Following for My Female Hair Loss… – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

For the past several months, I had noticed my scalp progressively showing through just behind the crown of my head. During this time, I had not noticed excessive hairs falling out, in my hairbrush or in the shower. I’ve been doing my hair in a ponytail for the last 2-4 years. I first went to see my GP a few weeks ago, she did my bloodwork and referred me to a dermatologist. At the time of the appointment, the dermatologist had not yet received the bloodwork results. He spent a few minutes with me and prescribed the following:

  • Rogaine 5% for men daily at night
  • DHS Free and Clear shampoo daily for 6 days per week
  • Salex shampoo 1 day a week
  • Betamethasone valerate cream after shampooing.
  • Appearex Biotin 2.5mg daily
  • Vicogen 1 daily (a multivitamin)

A few days later, I received my bloodwork results which are all in the normal range. I am a 44 year old female. I am not sure if I should start this treatment plan or not. My GP had mentioned that the dermatologist may do a biopsy of the hairs, but he did not talk about that and when I mentioned it, he said it was not necessary.

Please advise, thank you so much!

It looks like he’s just throwing everything at you and hoping something will work. Ask him directly and try to find out:

  1. What his diagnosis is
  2. What his expectations are for your use of these medications

I do not know what your dermatologist’s line of thinking was.

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48 Year Old Woman with Hair Loss and Thyroid Problems – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I am writing to you because I would greatly appreciate your opinion as I have read much about you in the past and know you have a wonderful reputation when it comes to hair loss. I am a 48 year old female who has been around the block for several years dealing with AGA since my twenties. I know I carry a predisposition to it, (Dad, brother, Grand dad all went bald early) but assume it was aggravated by the high androgen birth control pills I took for several years as well.

I have tried everything under the sun including avodart for the past two years (which did not work for me, and therefore I went off a month ago) and since December have been using rogaine 5% foam twice a day on most days, the hair max laser comb 3 times a week, taking a hair vitamin containing saw palmetto and other hair friendly vitamins, and trying to eat a well balanced diet. I also was diagnosed with hypothyroid and am currently taking “synthroid” for the past couple years for an underactive thryroid, which I can’t tell if it is making the hair loss worse or not, even though it is suppose to help treat hair loss. I have been taking yasmin now for at least 5 years which is suppose to be a more hair friendly bcp.

(my questions are as follows: Is it worth it for me to see an endocronologist to conduct more tests other than thyroid, and iron levels (normal) at this point in my life? I went to a supposed expert dermatologist here in Boston several years ago who basically took a quick look and said genetic, and dismissed me telling me to try minoxidil..( I never did at that point). I would like to know if you think I have all the basis covered since at 48 I will be entering menopause soon, and can’t afford any more hair loss!

I was told I was not a good candidate for hair transplant, too much hair, and too thin all over and the results would not be any better than what I already have.
I really would appreciate your feed back.. Thank you so much.

You have a double combination of low thyroid and genetic hair loss. In women I have seen, when genetic hair loss is present and low thyroid precipitates more, even correcting the thyroid does not often help. Seeing another doctor may have value, but I am not hopeful. The appearance of menopause adds the third negative, which may or may not make you worse. The use of Rogaine Foam is a good choice and you will have to wait 1-2 years to see the benefits of this treatment. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I am waiting for some drugs to be introduced or better research which may show us better what is happening to folks like you.

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Lexapro and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Doctor,

I’m a 35 yr old female who was put on Lexapro to combat mild depression last Thanksgiving. After two weeks of taking the drug, my hair began to fall out in large clumps leaving me with bald spots. I contacted my doctor and she told me to stop taking the Lexapro as it this is a known side effect. I am not taking a replacement drug as my depression was only mild and the hair loss has scared me enough for now. The hair stopped falling out 7 to 10 days after I stopped taking the Lexapro. Luckily, I had long thick hair and even though I lost about 15% to 20% of my hair it was not extremely obvious. However, I have been waiting patiently for my hair to start growing back, but the bald spots are still bald. How long should it take before the hair starts growing back as it has been over ten weeks? I would think that by now I’d see at least some stubbles of new hair growing back. Also, I have a friend who told me that after she had chemotherapy treatment (breast cancer) her doctor told her to take Biotin vitamins and use Nioxin shampoo. Should I use these products to try and speed things up?

Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions!

Telogen effluvium may take from 2-6 months to reverse. Assuming that this is a drug induced TE, you should wait out the process for at least 6 months and then if you still have bald spots, you need to see a specialist. The medications used by your friend may have value. Also, the use of minoxidil 5% may help.

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