Category: Hair Loss Causes

Dear Dr.,

Upon graduating college at the age of 22, I began noticing hair shedding. At first I thought that it may have been hereditary, but then it got to the point where I could actually pull out the hair without much effort.

After a very exhausting effort, the first diagnosis from my dermatologist was Telogen Effluvium enduced by stress. Months later a biopsy was taken, and the diagnosis was changed to folliculitis. I am currently on Minocycline 2x per day, a two corticosteroid topicals (a shampoo in the morning, and a foam at night). My scalp has cleared up dramatically, and there is no visible scaring, though I am still noticing some hairline pimples. When my scalp itches, I do a light “hair pull” and usually one hair comes out- and the end of the hair has a bulb like shape.

I’m still VERY FRUSTRATED from the hair loss. My question is this: Since I have had Folliculitis for about two years now, is there a chance that the hair will grow back, now that the inflamation has been reduced? Are there any questions I should ask my dermatologist?

Thanks

I do not understand how you can have folliculitis for two years. Why do you have folliculitis? Did it ever go away? You need to take charge of your health and educate yourself on what is going on. Sit down with your doctor and ask him/her to explain to you what is going on with your condition. If you are not satisfied, go to another doctor for a second opinion. Generally hair loss in men is genetic. Does your hair loss fit a Norwood pattern?

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I have been losing my hair around the crown and in the front for past three to four years. However, now I am starting to lose hair in the back of my head I have never seen this happen before and I do not know why?? I have a very stressful job but am only 25. Please help!!!

I don’t know what you would like me to do to help you. Losing hair in the back of the head (below the crown) is unusual, and my advice is that if you are concerned about your hair loss and want to be proactive about it, go see your primary care doctor or a hair transplant surgeon (who will not necessarily do a hair transplant) for a good diagnosis of what is going on. There may be treatments (not only surgery, but medications) that may help with your situation.

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Does gray hair fall out more than normal hair? Sometimes I find loose hair on my pillow after waking up – only grays though.

Gray hair doesn’t fall out any faster than normal hair, at least as far as I know. Maybe you discovered something new (I am being serious) as I have never heard of, nor have I considered that observation before.

Hi,
I just read your article about the swimmers at GW University experiencing thinning and discoloration of hair due to chlorine levels at their swimmin pool. My son is experiencing the same conditions. The first time was a couple of years ago; he was practicing twice a day in a pool that the chlorine pump was malfunctioning. We didn’t know what was going on until my sons blond hair turned colorless (gray) and it was fried off and thinning. It probably took a year for it to grow back. Now I just found out the pool he is practicing at, last week the chlorine pumps put to much chlorine in the pool, some kids experienced rashes, but my son is very noticeably losing his hair (in a weeks time). It is discolored, fried and extremely thinning. I believe the chlorine pumps are fixed now, but is there anything he can do about his hair? Is there any shampoo product that can help his hair grow back? Is there a shampoo for swimmers to help prevent this from happening?
thank you so much.

The hair color will reverse with time as the new hair grows in and replaces the white hair that he now has. Chlorine in high concentrations might cause hair loss. I have not seen this finding but nevertheless, it has been reported. The New York Times published a short write-up about this issue, and they point out a study published in 2000 that showed 61% of swimmers showed signs of hair discoloration compared to non-swimmers, but no increased rate of hair loss.

There’s no shampoo to prevent discoloration problems that I’m aware of, nor is there shampoo to regrow hair that is actually proven effective (products are sold that claim various things, though).

I know that DHT is a derivative of testosterone. I read on some hair site that DHT is also a derivative of progesterone. Is this true or not?

I don’t know if DHT is a derivative of progesterone. I get conflicting information from various sources. According to HairSite, progesterone inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, thereby reducing the DHT that is normally made from testosterone.

In this reference, the derivatives of the various steroids are discussed which may answer your question better.

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Hi

I was wondering if men with certain head circumference/size or head shapes more prone to male pattern baldness?

Thanks

There is no connection between head size and balding that I know of.

As you may know, I co-authored the newly released Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies book (which you can purchase at HairOutletStore.com, powered by Amazon.com). While looking at the other books Amazon offers in the hair loss category, I found a book that got me thinking: If You Can Cook, You Can Make Powerful Topical Remedies for Hair Loss, Pain and Herpes Infections

Unfortunately, I’m not much of a cook!

According to the reviews, it’s a 38 page book, so you’re paying around a buck per page for basically a pamphlet full of hilarity (judging by the title). I do not recommend buying this. I just thought it was funny enough to mention. If you’re looking to buy a great hair loss guide book, check out my new Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies!

Hello, Dr.,
The strangest thing happened to me. I got 2 shots in my shoulder and 1 in my back (cortizone) for trigger point pain of fibromyalgia, then 3 months later I had another one in my back. Very soon afterward my hair started falling out by the handful. Then I began getting lesions on my arms, chest, and face. Both things cleared up after many months. Now the latest thing that has happened is my teeth are dissolving quickly. My teeth were fine a year ago and now I have not one top or bottom front tooth that is intact, they are just melting away. Nobody can figure out what is going on with me. It’s pretty scarey. Any thoughts? Thank you (I am 55 years old)

Based on what you are describing, I really would not know where to start. The problem sounds alarming, and you should get yourself to a good doctor ASAP for an examination. I’ll try to give some general information, hoping that it relates to what you’re experiencing…

Teeth problems are commonly associated with fibromyalgia, particularly from grinding of the teeth due to Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, also known as TMJD or TMJ. See this article at PsychologyToday.com for more information. As for the hair loss, cortisone shots can sometimes cause it — see Cortisone Shots and Hair Loss.

When I do a gentle pull test for my hair, I always seem to get about 10 or so hairs from the top front of my head,whereas I usually don’t get any (maybe one or so) from the sides and back. I’m wondering if this has anything to do with MPB or perhaps the hairs on the side and back come out at other times i.e. combing, hands through hair, etc.

Why are you pulling your hair? As the name implies, there is a pattern to male pattern baldness (MPB) — most of the hair is lost from the top and if it is impacted with miniaturization I would expect that you can easily pull out the hairs that are miniaturized. Hair impacted from genetic hair loss that is very early in the process should not pull out with the pull test. So if you have MPB, pulling your hair is not the way to go about diagnosing it. Mapping our your hair for miniaturization will tell you what you need to know for balding purposes.

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(female) I had about 30 x rays this year… A few months later a started to lose a lot of hair, evenly and patches. I am very young and have a bald spots on my head. My doctor said he doesn’t believe that x rays would be cause of hair loss. Blood test didn’t show any reasons for hair loss also. And it’s not a genetic thing for sure. Anybody, please…..
Thanks

I would agree with your doctor that clinical X-rays should not cause hair loss. Taking one thing out of your past year’s history (like frequent X-rays), does not paint a full picture of your heath issue with regard to your hair. In other words, I couldn’t begin to guess at the cause for your loss, but I don’t believe X-rays are the reason.

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