Category: Female Hair Loss

Posted on

Spironolactone Caused Melasma So I Stopped — When Will My Hair Fall Out? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female)
I am withdrawing from spironolactone after developing melasma. I have been on it 18 months. How soon should I expect more hair to start falling out again?
Thank you.

Complications of spironolactone treatment includes melasma (skin pigmentation on the face — see here).

Unfortunately, I can not help answer your question because I know absolutely nothing about what is wrong with you, why you were treated with the medication (was it just for hair loss?), age, etc. I’d talk to your prescribing doctor, who has the benefit of knowing your medical history.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Hair Loss InformationProgesterone Injections and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

3 weeks ago I’ve stopped taking the fertility PROGESTRONE known as PIO injections, Progynova 2mg- Tiny light blue tablets that are taken orally to help build the lining of the womb. and Ultrogestan Progesterone-creamy white pills that can be taken rally or inserted vaginally. I did both.

I’m African American with very thick strong natural hair, and now, my hair is falling out by the handful. my hair egges are going bald. I never went through no crap like this. My hair went from very thick to very thin.

Am I able to get a lawsuit? How long will it take for my hair to grow back? When will all the medications be cleared out my system and for my hormones to go back to normal. I’m way to young for menepose affects and that is what one of the medications does. thanks so much for your help. I am experiencing boldily sharp pains too from that medication after I have stopped taking it.

Block Quote

One has to be careful when treating medical conditions in a patient that requires hormones and has genetic hair loss. The connection between hormones and hair loss are published all over the web. Progynova (estradiol valerate) is also known as Delestrogen, and the side effects do include hair loss (full list here).

Although I can not give you legal advice, I would suggest that you have a long talk with your doctor and review the “informed consent” sheet he should’ve given you before starting you on hormone treatments. I am hopeful that your doctor at least discussed the side effects of such treatments.

Posted on

Hair Loss InformationBalding 22 Year Old Woman (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This 22 year old patient came to see me for hair loss she’s been experiencing for the past 2 years. She did all of the right things, saw two dermatologists, and received a complete medical work-up for a variety of disease entities and vitamin deficiencies and was found to be normal. What I told her is as follows:

  1. Obtain a new test for androgen sensitivity of her hair based upon a genetic test
  2. If she is sensitive to androgen, we might try her on an androgen blocker such as finasteride or dutasteride in the hope that this will block enough of the androgen to allow better hair growth.

The science is minimal that support this thesis, but it is better to try to block the androgens on women who are positive to the genetic test for androgen sensitivity than to put all women on the drugs.

In addition, as we could not offer her an immediate benefit with drugs, we used a concealer treatment on her hair and showed her how to do this herself. Her comment after the application of DermMatch was, “I have been reborn”.

I apologize for the blurriness of the before photo. Click the photos below to enlarge. Before (left); After (right)

 

Posted on

Female Hair Loss in Crown — Is It from Antidepressants? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My hair started to thin around the crown (on the left side) about a year and a half ago. I think it is because of the Antidepressants Lexapro & Celexa that I have been on for the past two years. Prior to that I had no problem. It is only in one area. I do wear braids but have been for the better part of 20 years with absolutely no problem. Can the thinning be resolved if I go off the medication and will my hair grow back? Thank you!

This is a discussion you should clearly be having with your prescribing doctor. These medications can cause hair loss, but that does not mean that the hair loss you are experiencing is from them. You need to be evaluated by a good family doc or dermatologist for finding out the cause for your hair loss.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Prescription Rogaine for Women? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Is there a different prescription strength Rogaine for women? If so, is it by prescription only?

RogaineThe 2% and 5% Rogaine (minoxidil) solutions are available without a prescription, but some doctors might prescribe a 12 or 15% generic minoxidil that is formulated by pharmacists. Rogaine (name brand minoxidil) does not come in a prescription strength.

Since this drug is known to drop blood pressure in some people, high concentrations of it can cause fainting, chest pain and general weakness… and if you get these higher concentrations be careful to titrate your dose with any side effects as discussed above. Generally, the higher the concentration, the greater the impact on hair loss so some doctors recommend the high dosages to maximize benefits.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

My Hair Is Thinned from Traction Alopecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

(female) I hope you can give me the answer to a very easy question. I have traction alopecia. My hair has thinned on the top and sides. I don’t have bald spots –it’s just thin. I’m wondering if my hair will continue to thin if I do nothing, or will it just remain thin on top as it is today.

It might be easy to ask, but it’s not that easy to answer. I don’t know what your traction alopecia was caused by or how long you’ve seen the thinning going on for. Without an examination, I couldn’t tell you if the hair loss will progress or not. Sorry.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Woman’s Hair Loss Worsens Even With 2 Years of Laser Comb Use – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

i am using laser comb for about 2 yrs now and my hair loss continues to worsen. am wondering if you have heard of any negatives about its use in women? i cant help but wonder how much worse it would get if i quit using the comb. any comments please????

Sorry, but recent articles and studies show the various laser combs and laser treatments for hair loss are not as good as once thought. The science I have seen is flawed. In other words, lasers do not work as promised. For those of you who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on this and many other illusive cures for hair loss, remember one thing — “let the buyer beware!”

I’ve written about laser treatments many times before, so please search for LLLT to read more.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Is Singer Fergie Balding? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I just saw this photo of the singer Fergie from Black Eyed Peas and don’t know what to make of it. is she just under bad light or do you think she could be losing her hair? it kinda looks like a female pattern huh.

Examiner.com – Fergie might be balding

FergieIt does appear in the photo that the singer known as Fergie has got some thinning in the female pattern… but to what degree, I couldn’t say. Does she have actual loss or is it just bad lighting or something else entirely? No clue. I’ve never met her and this one photo makes it difficult to form an opinion.

Hair loss in women is not uncommon, particularly if she’s in the entertainment business and relies on wigs and hair extensions to change her look from day to day. Extensions can create traction on the hair, resulting in something like what you’d see in that photo. Also, chemical processing of the hair can lead to this… and she’s certainly changed her hair color and character over the years. Here’s an example patient of mine that can give you an idea of what Fergie might look like if she is suffering from female genetic balding from the top looking down — here.

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):


Posted on

Traction Alopecia and Hair Transplants – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 20 years old as of January of this year and I am female. I always had very long very full very beautiful and healthy hair but in my later years of high school i began doing a lot of processing to change the color on numerous occasions, this resulted in, while still long, very damaged stringy hair. One day I made the decision to cut it and it was more healthy than it had been in a very long time and very very full, however I was not confidant with the length and made the incredibly stupid decision to get hair extensions, of course I only know how stupid it was now that the damage is done. The type I had were individual pieces adhered by small metal tubes that were then clamped to stay in place, and I would say I had approximately 200 of them in at one time. I have noticed an incredible loss in the fullness of my hair not just in the ends but in my scalp. I feel that I’ve lost approximately 50-70% of my hair which I hope is me overreacting but I have lost many nights of sleep and it’s taken a toll on my sanity and my life. I am exploring the option of hair transplants since they say that is the only solution for traction alopecia which i’ve diagnosed myself with. I will be seeing a dermatologist in a few days so I will have more details but I was hoping you could tell me a few things about the transplants. From what I’ve read they are said to have good to excellent results in patients with traction alopecia but I would like to know:

  1. Will the transplanted hairs have the capacity to grow to the desired length?
  2. Some transplant doctors practice a method where they are able to put grafts in between existing hairs which is what I will require since the thinning is all over. I am wondering, will it be necessary to cut the existing hairs short? I am hoping this is not the case.
  3. The only hair that has not been touched by the extensions and is healthy enough to be used as donor hair is in the front and is not a very large section. I am wondering, can the same donor area be used more than once if more hair is required to fill the missing spaces than the donor area can create at one time?
  4. This hair is 100% certain to grow back just as full as before, yes?
  5. Is there any scarring that will arise as a result of this? Do the risks for scarring increase if the donor area is used more than once?

I hope that you will reply to this message because I am very distraught and extremely depressed which I’m beginning to fear may lead to further hair loss caused by stress, and am rigidly searching for answers to this problem. Thank you for taking the time to read about my story and I’m hoping to hear from you soon.

You’ve likely seen your dermatologist by now and have a better idea of the degree of your hair loss, but I hope these answers to your questions help a bit.

  1. Yes. Transplanted hair will grow to the same length as the hair in the back of your head, since that is where the hair is being moved from.
  2. No. We routinely leave the recipient area long and do not cut the areas where we are going to do the transplant.
  3. Unlikely. Hair for transplantation is taken from the side and back of the head. I would have to evaluate your alopecia before giving you an opinion.
  4. Almost. Nothing in this world is 100% certain, but I would expect that hair transplants will grow at a 98% confidence factor.
  5. Yes. The donor area does scar and the degree of scarring depends upon many things, including:
    1. the number of surgeries
    2. the size of the donor strip
    3. tissue factors unique to each person
    4. the surgical technique used

Balding Forum - Hair Loss Discussion

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):