Category: Female Hair Loss

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Bald Spots on the Sides of My Head Hurting My Self Esteem! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 22 year old female that since i was 14 years old i have been having a bald spot on the side of my head, it use to be the size of a quarter and as time has gone by it has grown bigger, i have also started balding from the other side as well. i am very scared of having alocepia. i have not tried any medication like rogaine for women or have not gone to a dermatologist because i am embarrased of this problem because i am soo young to be worrying about balding. this balding issue has affected my self esteem. i just want to receive some sort of answer before facing a dermatologist. i sent some pics of my problem you can use them for your site just please make sure my face is blocked and i remain anonymous. thank you for your time

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First off, thank you for give us permission to use your photographs. I like being able to offer visitors to this site a chance to see precisely what they’re reading about.

It appears that you have a condition called triangular alopecia. This is a genetic condition which can be treated with hair transplantation very successfully. There is no need to suffer as you are. I would be happy to see you for a consultation.

 

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Get a Scalp Biopsy! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)
Could you please make sure you tell everyone to get a Scalp Biopsy in all of your replys. It took 3 years of different “doctors” before I asked for one. Immediately it determined what type of Baldness I had and I was given appropriate drugs for the diagnosis. Many thanks

Some women have telogen effluviums, diffuse alopecia areata, and other conditions. The use of scalp biopsy for some women is part of the diagnostic work-up. Be sure that the doctor who does it is a dermatologist and works with a good dermatopathologist who knows how to read what he/she sees under the microscope.

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My Hair Fell Out After Brow Lift Surgery and Regrew With Different Characteristics – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
Dr Rassman,

After having a brow lift type surgery ( no lift but same incision ) a lot of hair all over my head fell out. What grew back were strange hairs. Some are very fine only about 3 cm long, and look crimped. Others are thick coarse hairs that look like afro or pubic hairs. Together these hairs are all over the crown and have been growing this way for about 4 years now. My Dr said these hairs have nothing to do with the surgery but they all started a few months after the surgery.

I am 99 % convinced that they are related and would appreciate any information you might have. Also some of the coarse hairs have are less so closer to my scalp, that would indicate that time is possibly helping a bit. The very fine ones have not changed.

With Kind Regards

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I have not seen this type of change associated with a brow lift incision. I have seen hair loss with a finer hair appearing in front of the brow lift incision, but I have not seen someone change variable parts of the scalp hair and not other parts. I would have to examine you to make sense of the process you are discussing. The use of good conditioners after washing should minimize the kink in the hair.

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Rogaine and Pregnancy – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Me & my husband have been using Rogaine 2% & 5% for about 5 yrs now, my question is when do I need to stop the Rogain before I get pregnant? How about my husband?

Your husband does not have to stop taking Rogaine (minoxidil), as there should be no impact on the pregnancy. As for you, that is a conversation you should have with your obstetrician. I generally do not like any pregnant woman to take any drug, but this is a decision between you and your doctor. See DrugSafetySite.com for more.

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After Falling Out, Teen Girl’s Hair Regrew As a Different Color and Texture – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
I’m 17 years old. When I was 15 I noticed that my hair starting falling out very often. During that time I was planning my Sweet 15 I wasn’t sure if that was the reason why my hair started falling, because of some of the stress. Last year my hair started falling every day, almost a hand full. I started getting worried because cancer runs in my family on both sides and I always wondered if I had a sickness but I doubt it now because I dont have any signs of that. I’ve noticed though that some of my hair is growing back but differently. It seems to grow thicker or more brittle than the regular hair I have. My hair is dark brown but the new hairs are black. I have two older sisters, one has lost an amount of hair but thats becuase of all the gel, hairspay, and the hot tools. The other still has a lot of hair and she is 28. So i’m wondering if you know why my hair started falling out at age 15? and why are some hairs growing back thicker and somewhat curly or brittle when I have straight hair (i hardly use any hot tools).

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I could write a book on what is possible in your situation. Unfortunately, I don’t know the things that you are doing to your hair and wonder if you are using chemicals that are causing problems. If this is only stress related, then telogen effluvium could be the cause. Figuring out female hair loss is complex and you need professional advice from a good dermatologist. I certainly would not put cancer on the top of that list of potential causes.

For more possible causes of women’s hair loss, see: WebMD.

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Birth Control Pills in Shampoo to Grow Hair?! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)
I was told by many of my friends that putting birth control pills in my shampoo & conditioner it would help my hair grow. Is this true? And if it is not true will it have any effect at all on my hair? I am worried because I have already crushed and put the pills in my shampoo and conditioner, and now I am afraid to use them. Please help me out

We’ve answered a similar question before — Putting Birth Control Pills in Shampoo to Thicken Hair?!

Unfortunately, as I do not know the absorption of the hormones, I wouldn’t have answers to whether it would be absorbed through the skin, or what amount, etc. Many birth control pills can cause hair loss as an uncommon side effect, and I am not sure why you would put this in your shampoo. Where did your friends get their information? Word of mouth? Salon secret? This is really quite unusual. It is a blind process that probably will do no good and I’d even wonder if it would do harm. If you want the birth control pill in your system, best take it the recommended way. Some of it will find its way into the hair, but it likely won’t do anything for helping your hair to grow.

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My Doctor Says There’s No Way My Female Hair Loss Is Thyroid Related! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am deeply troubled with my recent hair loss. I am a 62 year old female and have been on synthroid for 2 1/2 years at 88mg.I have just had a blood test that came back at a level of .087 and told by my doctor that I am in the normal range. He said theres no way my hair loss is thyroid related and has set me up to see a dermatologist. I cant get in there for 3 more months and I’m experiencing a very high level of anxiety over the amount of hair I’m losing. I’ve started with thioxin and am taking a hair supplement purchased on the internet called hair genisis that I;ve been taking for a month but hasnt improved. I started reading everything I could re: hairloss and am now wondering if its my adrenal glands. I have gotten beyond obbsessive about all this feel like I have no where to go for help. I dont know if I’m taking too high a dose or too low a dose of synthroid or if is the synthroid itself causing the hair loss. How do I know if the t4 is converting into t3 properly. I’m afraid I’ll go completely bald before anyone listens to me. Can you give me some advice???

SynthroidI would trust your doctor to treat your thyroid issues with the dose of medication that he prescribed, but Synthroid (levothyroxine) does list “mild hair loss” as a possible side effect (see Drugs.com). While hair loss from a thyroid issue is possible, it is unlikely to continue as you are being treated for your thyroid issues. Without the benefit of knowing your medical history or being your doctor, I’m guessing that the Synthroid is not the cause, as you’ve been taking it for over 2 years and your hair loss started just recently. An interesting post with more links can be found at WomensHairLossProject.com.

If you do not believe you are being adequately treated you should express these concerns to your doctor. Also, I don’t know that you should wait 3 months to get medical attention. I either would call your doctor’s office to find out what he can recommend to speed up the evaluation process, or perhaps get a referral to a different dermatologist.

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Hair Loss InformationPossible Alopecia Areata, Plus Hair Loss from Prednisone? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor,

I’ve been treated for alopecia for about 3 years – mostly on the back of my head. After taking prednisone for the first time, large areas of back scalp balded, instead of just the typical circles. I was then given a larger dose and hair grew back – but very fine, white color, and short – like baby hair. Is there a chance I will get “real” hair back or may my follicles have been damaged.

Thank you

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Prednisone is known to cause hair loss, but based on your description, I would guess that you also have alopecia areata (you mentioned alopecia, but also said that you used to have “typical circles” of hair loss). Have the circles of hair loss regrown in the past?

This is a complex problem with many presentations and many progressions. However, guessing so blindly is not what doctoring is about unless I am treating you and I have all of the facts. You need to present these questions to your doctor, who can examine you in person and hopefully diagnose your problem.

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Long-Term Telogen Effluvium? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My wife has been experiencing telogen effluvium since Nov. of 2007. In Dec. 2007 a hair pull test by a dermatologist revealed that over 50% of her hairs were in the resting or telogen phase. A second hair pull in March 2008 revealed that a 75% of her hair was in the resting phase, and a third hair pull test today revealed that 75% of of her hair was still in the resting phase. At first the dermatologist believed that a switch in birth control pills by my wife’s PCP was the cause of the TE, but now, since she switched back to her original birth control pill and has not taken and other medication since January 2008, he is at a loss to explain what is causing her TE. My wife is extremely worried because a friend of her’s told her that if a hair remained in the resting or telogen phase for more than a year that hair would be dead and could never be “woken-up.” Is this true? Can long-term TE lead to permanent hair loss instead of just constant shedding even if the hair loss is from all over the head and not localized?

Evaluation of female hair loss can be quite extensive. If your wife is experiencing chronic telogen effluvium (TE), she should be treated probably with minoxidil, but as I am not her doctor, I would suggest following her doctor’s advice, as it sounds like he is knowledgeable on the subject. Sometimes, the TE just does not go away and thus is why it is called ‘chronic’.

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