Female Hair Loss – Page 62

February 15, 2007

Iron Deficiency and Female Hair Loss – Balding Blog

Black 42 yr old female: Have several medical conditions fibroids, take cardia xt for irregular heartbeat. I have been to two dermatologist here have had a biopsy of the scalp.The doctor just ruled as thinning hair.?? I have for the past 3 years been balding in the crown of my head and thinning only on the left side of my head. I get the bumps on my scalp with puss. I also have a low iron deficiency. Could all or one thing be making my hair fall out and not grow?

Iron deficiency typically causes diffuse hair loss in patients, but be sure that this is all you have by obtaining a complete evaluation by a good doctor. This condition can also trigger pattern hair loss in genetically prone patients. Treatment of iron deficiency is easy with supplemental iron (don’t pick it up at the local scrap iron dealer — wink, wink). You need to complete your treatment course and wait six months to see if your hair grows back.

February 12, 2007

Hair Loss is Causing My Depression – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had beautiful hair my entire life. I received compliments weekly on it; it was that nice. I took SYNTHROID for 6 months when my thyroid problem was only borderline and I should NOT have taken it. 99.9% of the subsequent doctors said I should not have taken it. My hair changed completely. I took the drug MAY 05 through NOV 05. It changed the texture, the thickness, I now have a see-through head of hair (especilally on top) and I am depressed. I saw 35 doctors, 2 trichologists and 1 supposed “expert” who said I was in the shedding phase and it would stop. After 16 months, he said it was “long” but would go back to normal. Not true. Has not happened. My life is not the same and I quit my job over this. I haven’t worked since. I have been taking sulfur and fish oil gels every day – the hair was holding steady but still bad until OCT 2006 when things hit the fan and the top got super thin and fallout was twice as bad. I am scared I will be bald and never have a life again. I feel like a monster. My marriage isn’t too great either due to my unceasing depression. I need to be in a study group or with a group of scientists who study hair. I cannot go on. Please…help. Thank you.

Synthroid could be a cause of hair loss. If it was the only cause of hair loss in your case, it should have been reversed with stopping the medication by now. Since you stopped taking it more than a year ago and did not grow your hair back, you must have some other factors involved and thus need a thorough evaluation.

It is proven that hair loss can increase the level of anxiety and cause depression in several studies that have performed in Europe (see PubMed – Psychological aspects of hair disease). The only thing I can recommend is a medical evaluation to have a proper diagnosis. You need to get started on appropriate treatment with a hair specialist. Diagnosis of hair loss is not always simple and it takes a great deal of patience on your part to work through diagnosis and the slowness of treating the problem. You must have a good doctor to do this with. Good luck.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 12, 2007

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

I’m confused about birth control – please help! I started taking Loestrin 5 weeks ago and noticed 2 weeks ago I’m losing lots of hair. I figure it’s due to the start of the birth control. So I’ve been reading up on it and find conflicting information. Can you tell me if I should stop the birth control or stay on it, hoping the hair loss will stop on it’s own (that’s what my doctor recommends). Does birth control CAUSE hair loss or does it HELP to keep it from happening? I can’t decide if I’m making it worse by continuing my birth control. Currently, I’m taking it, recovering from having a baby 9 months ago, and taking Rogaine per the advice of my doctor, to speed along hair growth. She feels it’s temporary and it will grow back. Any advice?

Birth control pills contribute to hair loss in some women. The decision to take it with that side effect, should be something between you and your doctor. Sometimes, other birth control pills may have less hair loss effects, but you need to discuss this with your doctor.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 9, 2007

58 Year Old Woman Looking to Take Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 58 year old woman, who is getting a lot of hair loss near the front of my head. This has been going on for about 6 months, and I’m not sure if I should start Propecia (correct spelling?) or Minoxidil. I’m hypothroid,and take a combination of armour thyroid, and synthroid, the latter being more a culprit in hair loss I’ve read. If my being hypothyroid will always keep me losing hair, is there any point to starting a hair serum/medication?

Block Quote

Women after menopause have been the subject of one of the studies on finasteride (Propecia). The study, involving 137 post-menopausal women with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) who were treated with Propecia vs. placebo for 12 months, could not demonstrate effectiveness of Propecia. Another study shows it might help, but the statistics are just not there. Minoxidil is the only FDA approved medication for women with hair loss at this point.

Hypothyroid condition and synthroid are both blamed for hair loss. Although hypothyroid disorders may increase hair loss, I assume your thyroid hormone level is corrected being on thyroid medications. If in doubt, discuss it with your endocrinologist. As I said before, there is no systemic medication for treatment of hair loss in women now.

February 8, 2007

Female with DUPA, Allergic to Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr.
I am 23 year old female who has been suffering from diffuse unpatented alopecia for the past 9 years. I have tried minoxidil, but I was and still is allergic to it. Although I am not a good candidate for surgery, I underwent transplantation and of course there were no results or improvements. It has emotionally brought me down and I keep wearing extentions to hide it.

Of course, I am disturbed that you had a surgery at all. I hope that your doctor told you that there would be no benefit from such a surgery. You are fortunate if you had no negative effects, because at times people who have surgery with Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) get into real problems both in the donor site and the recipient site. Extensions will produce more alopecia (we call this traction alopecia), which means that for the short term benefit of looking fuller, you will eventually lose whatever good hair you have left. Wigs may work better for you and the use of special products like DermMatch and Toppik may have more value in that they will not cause hair loss. If you are allergic to minoxidil, there is no real benefit to other medications in a woman of your age.

February 8, 2007

Why Is Minoxidil Foam Not FDA Approved for Women? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Why are certain minoxidil products approved only for men and not women?

Do minoxidil products work on the frontal part of the scalp as well as on the vertex?

I have a 21 yr old daughter who has hair loss. The thinning is most noticeable on the front of her scalp so I want to apply there, as well as on vertex. I would like to try the new Pfizer foam product because the topical solution is difficult to apply and makes her hair look greasy. It seems more goes on her hair than her scalp. But the Pfizer web site for the foam product says the foam is for men only and only for the vertex of the scalp. If minoxidil topical solutions work on the frontal part of scalp, why doesn’t the foam? Is it just that Pfizer’s studies on this product submitted and approved by the FDA only looked at application to the vertex?

You guessed it. The drug company can only claim what they can prove. By not making any statements about frontal use or women’s use, it does not mean that it is not safe nor effective. The risk (minimal) is yours for making the decision.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 5, 2007

Hair Loss, Skin Rash, and Excessive Pubic Hair Sweat – Balding Blog

It appears no one has helped me with my current condition. Approximately two years ago, my hair started shedding drastically. My doctor thought it was my hormones because I just had a baby. A thyroid test has been performed but test came back normal. Now I have a rash on my leg which looks like I’ve been burned. The derm said it could be a fungal infection but the culture came back negative. I don’t have a clue what the problem is but very concerned as I haven’t gotten a diagnosis yet. My pubic hairs sweat just like underarm sweat. I have to use deodarant down below because its very strong smelling which its coming from the pubic hairs. Any suggestions on what other test could be performed?

Hair loss after having a baby is a common problem. Hair should grow back with time.

It is virtually impossible to tell you what your rash is without an examination. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by seeing a dermatologist.

With respect to your pubic hair and the strong smell, I would also suggest that you discuss this problem with your dermatologist. There are a number of conditions that will cause excessive sweating and a smell (frequently an over-growth of certain bacteria in the gland itself) can be caused by such bacterial growth. Like bad breath is a bacterial growth problem, our sweat glands ‘breathe’ (metaphorically speaking)

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 5, 2007

Losing Eyelashes – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have noticed that my eyelashes are not only thinning out but on the lower lashes they are gone. My hair is thinning as well. I have made no changes in my lifestyle. The only change concerning my eyelashes is that I started using Estee Lauder mascara. Any suggestions to stop the loss and will the lashes grow back?

Best to leave it alone for a period of 6 months, not applying anything to them. It could be the gentle pulling of the brush or the mascara itself. Give it time to go through a hair cycle and then re-evaluate your situation.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

February 2, 2007

Pseudopelade and Hair Loss in Women – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 47 year old female with a very strong history of family baldness.Initially(for 1 1/2 years) i ignored the hair loss.Putting it down to the very stressful period in my life.However when the bald patches couldn’t be ignored anymore I went to see the doctor. Was first diagnosed as areata alopecia and then cicatricial alopecia.Another docter then diagnosed it as pseudopalade. What is the differerence between these alopecias and what is the treatment for pseudopalade? What can be done to cover the bald patches.

Block Quote

Many of these autoimmune diseases are related to each other. Pseudopelade is another type of scarring alopecia. This is the world in which the dermatologist is supreme. Look at what dermatologist and world-class hair transplant doc Robert Bernstein said about the various diseases that are related: BernsteinMedical – The Diagnosis of Hair Loss in Women.

February 1, 2007

Mono and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am desperate for information. I have been to dermatologists and M.D.’s and am not sure what to believe any more. The dermatologist told me my hair loss was due to an autoimmune disease and gave me steroid shots in the head and did a biopsy and said the hair follicles where still alive. Went to M.D and had blood test told it was not audio immune. Been told many times it was thyroid then had blood test done and they came back fine. There is nobody else in family with this problem. Please help am desperate. Had mono 1 and a half years ago. Can this cause hair loss? what can I do? I am a female and this is very embarrassing.

Block Quote

I can not be your doctor over the internet, but the questions you asked are ones that you need to know the answers to. You were told you have auto-immune disease, then had none. Then it was thyroid disease, then not. You need to get a full examination to find out the cause of your hair loss. Any illness (even mono) can trigger hair loss in those people who have the hair loss genetics (women included). Are you one of those women?

You need to bond with a good doctor. Like a good marriage, the partnership between patient and doctor is a partnership where the doctor works for the patient on the presented problem in the patient’s time frame. If you do not have the right partner (doctor), get rid of him/her and find one who respects you as an individual with needs and gives you the service you are paying for.