Category: Hair Diseases

Hello. I’ve had trichotillomania for about 6 years now. I’ve pulled non-stop because it is REALLY hard to quit, but I haven’t pulled any hair out in a week now. I have a large bald spot on the top of my skull and there are several others scattered elsewhere. I am seventeen years-old. I can’t even go to the hair dresser’s to get my hair done because I’m so ashamed and I always worry someone might say something. I’ve adopted the name ‘bald spots’. I was wondering if my hair was going to grow back if I let it and if not, if there were any options available for me. Thank you.

If the hair loss has been there for around 6 years, I doubt that the hair will come back. First, you must get control of the pulling (not just for a week) and you may seek help from your doctor for medications that will help you through this. Once you have gone a year or more with no further hair plucking, then you might consider hair transplantation, assuming that your donor supply is adequate. But if you should start pulling again, then any transplanted hair can be lost by the exact same mechanism.

There’s a great reference site you should visit to read more — Trichotillomania Learning Center.

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Thank you Doctor for a great blog and for taking my question. I am a healthy 44yo male and have been shedding hair for almost 9 months now. I have seen a GP, a Derm. and a Endo. doctor who all found my thyroid to be slightly hyper. ( 3.4 , range 0.40-4.50) My derm. said I do not have MPB and diagnosed me with global telogen effluvium and feels my thyroid MAY be causing my hair loss. My DHT level is 29 (range 25-75). The GP and Endo. state that my thyroid is only a little hyper and that is not the reason for my hair loss and will not treat me for it.

My question Doctor is can a slightly hyperthyroid cause hair loss and is that loss permanent? Also, is there anything I can do for it aside from avoiding caffine, soy and shellfish. Thank you very much for your time.

Thyroid issues can lead to hair loss, and it can be permanent, particularly if you’re genetically inclined to lose hair anyway. Of course I would have to see you to determine if you have hair loss with miniaturization present in a pattern that reflects the genetic process.

There is also a genetic test to determine if you are carrying the gene for hair loss which, if negative, would rule out that as a cause. If your genetic test is positive and the miniaturization testing shows a pattern of hair loss, then drugs like finasteride (Propecia) should work and is something that is worth considering assuming that you have a doctor willing to abide by my plan. For more about the genetic test, see HairDX.com.

can a chronic inflammatory disease cause hair loss?

Chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) can cause hair loss as will any disease that stresses the body. Disease is a cause of hair loss. The CID in particular has many autoimmune manifestations associated with it, so this may add to the complexity.

Thank you Doctor in advance for taking my question.
I have been in poor health as well as shedding hair for over 6 months. I have finally been diagnosed with Hyperinsulinanemia, a form of pre-diabetes. My new Endo. believes this is what’s causing my hair loss and that with diet change and Meds not only will the shedding stop but the lost hair will return. As much as I want to believe him I have been on google for days but have not been unable to find much info to help me validate the doctors claims. If you have any advice for this particular situation and could please help me with these 2 questions I would greatly appreciate it.

Is hairloss (overall thinning) caused by Hyperinsulinanemia always reversible? ( I”m a 43 yo male,never been overweight, with only very slight thinning and receding before this) If so, how long after the meds take effect (about 1 month) and my overall health improves could I expect to see regrowth? My other question involves my total testosterone jumping from 340 to 550 (untreated) in less than a month and my thyroid being slightly hyper, though not enough to need treatment. Could that be any insight to reversible hair loss? My new Endo. disagrees with my first Endo’s. diagnosis as the beginnings of Hashimoto’s and feels HIA is what is causing all of my health problems as well as the hair loss.

Thank you.

Here’s where I can see a test like HairDX being quite worthwhile. HairDX is a test to show if you have the markers for genetic hair loss. That should rule out whether it is disease or genetics. If you don’t have the genes for balding, it seems likely that the hair should regrow. You should have your scalp mapped for miniaturization to keep track of the progression of the loss or regrowth. Otherwise, you’re already under the care of two different endocrinologists and I don’t have nearly as much information as they would about your condition and treatments.

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I was diagnosed with folliculitis 2 years ago that caused hairloss at the crown. I noticed it got much worse everytime I took a haircut. After a rigorous course of antibiotics and avoiding the barber I am seeing improvement and regrowth of hair. This regrowth, however is exceedingly slow. The doctor recommended hair force to help but its still quite slow. Given such a lengthy time frame of 2 yrs. do you think my hair will fully recover?

Without examining you, I can not give you an answer to your question. What you need to know is whether you have genetic balding. This can be answered with a genetic test to see if you have the balding genes (HairDX) or a miniaturization mapping of your scalp which will show if the hair is in the process of balding. With the history of folliculitis, I would suspect that you precipitated a genetic balding process, but without examining you, I can not tell.