Female Hair Loss – Page 73

July 26, 2006

Major Hair Loss After Depo Shot – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I recently got my first shot of depo and it has been going good until now. I started losing ALOT of hair. I have naturally thick hair and have never had an issue with it falling out. I fill the drain in the shower then fill a brush after the shower. It started happening about a month ago and i can feel the differance in it already. I have read that it happens with the depo but will it come back and how long will it keep falling out like this?

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If you are talking about depomedrol, it is a steroid and it is a know cause of hair loss. In men with genetic hair loss, it may precipitate permanent acceleration of the hair loss. If you stop the steroids and possibly take Propecia (assuming you are a man), then it might take a few months before you may see new hair growth once the offending agents disappear.

If you are a woman and are talking about Depo-Provera, then birth control pills are known causes for hair loss in women. If you stop the Depo-Provera, chances are that the hair loss will reverse in a number of months. Be sure that your doctor is managing the process and is checking you out for other causes of hair loss. Ask your doctor about alternative birth control to this medication.

July 25, 2006

Shaving Donor Area for FUE – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I am scheduled for a minor FUE procedure to fill in a scar on my scalp, (non-transplant). My hair is very long, and I found out that the back of my head would have to be shaved. My question is, how much of the back of my head will be shaven if the procedure only requires 100 grafts? Would I be able to hide this shaven area will the rest of my hair while it’s still short like that? And also, about how long would my hair take to grow to a normal lenghth again? How many inches does hair grow in a year? And for my final question, to bypass this whole shaving back of head thing, would it be possible to retrieve these hair from another part of my body since there is such a little amount to be extracted?
Thank-you so much

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These questions should have been addressed between you and your doctor. If not, you should call him or her and ask these questions. I think that the actual answer can be seen by looking at the creative way we extracted grafts with FUE. Generally, for a 100 graft FUE procedure, your hair would not require extensive shaving and what shaving was done should not be detectable (the photos below show how well the FUE shaved sites are covered when the hair is left long).

Normally your hair grows at 1/2 inch a month (so 6 inches a year) on average.

There are doctors who do body hair transplants on the scalp. However, these are not proven or widely accepted techniques. More importantly, body hair has a short growth phase and long sleep phase which makes it a poor transplant source.

July 25, 2006

Woman Losing Hair and Possibly Her Husband – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,
I’m a 26 year old female. I have been losing hair for the past 10 years and tried many things to improve it. AFter researching extensively about hair loss I’m now taking Biotin and B-Complex supplements. But I still have not seen any result. My husband has lost interest in me because of this. I don’t want my marriage to break because of my hair loss. Is there any way to prevent hair loss . My mom and my brother have a similar hair problem. is it hereditary? Is there any medication to improve my Hair loss. Please Help.

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There are many causes of female hair loss. Before any treatments, you must find the correct diagnosis. More importantly, you must rule out any treatable medical causes of your hair loss. You may want to see a medical doctor who can do blood tests and/or evaluate your hair for any miniaturization pattern. I realize that in our society hair loss is a very emotional process for men and women. We identify much of our sexuality with our hair. It is not normal to lose a husband so I suspect there may be deeper relationship issues and that hair loss is not the sole cause of that problem.

July 21, 2006

My Doctor Told Me To Use These – I Need an Opinion – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I was on Depo Provera for 9 months (3 shots) for ovarian cyst control and as of my last shot, my hair started falling out in large quantities all over my head. Some days it sheds a lot ( more than 150 hairs), other days it’s normal hair shedding, but I now have 1/2 the hair I had 3 months ago and my scalp tingles. My regular doctor said that shedding is possible with Depo and it should stop soon when the Depo wears off. I am now on Microgestin for the ovarian cyst control and just found out that it is high in androgens, so I’m not sure if that means my hair will take longer to grow back in. I feel fine on it, other than the continued hair loss. While on Depo, I was prescribed Nizoral shampoo 2% for the control of excessive dandruff and scalp flaking, but I am wondering if I should keep using it given my hair loss? Any helpful info would be appreciated.

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You should ALWAYS consult with your doctor for any medication changes. You may also benefit from seeing a good dermatologist for these problems and also explore any medical conditions (other than medication related) that may be responsible for your hair loss. Female hair loss is frustrating for doctors because there are few treatment options if the diagnosis is purely genetic.

July 21, 2006

Treating Female Androgenetic Alopecia with Proscar and Avodart? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to hair loss! You are a Godsend, my friend.

I have female androgenetic alopecia (first uncoverd after using Accutane) diagnosed at age 27 by scalp biopsy. I began using regular Rogaine, only available at that time. I am now 41 and use an advance regimen of Xandrox 5% BID topically, Proscar 5 mg QD, Spironolactone 100 mg BID, Avodart 2.5 mg (just started two weeks ago) as well as Saw Palmetto, Stinging Nettle, Pygeum, Soy Isoflavones, as well as a few other things like Viviscal and use the Laser Comb every other day. I try to keep up with the latest advanced and spend a lot of time and resources keeping my hair on my head.

My question is there is conflicting information in the literature about the best birth control pill to take to help with adrogenetic alopecia. I currently take Desogen but have tried Ortho Cyclen, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Yasmin. I use the American Hair Loss Associations guidelines now. Can you weigh in?

Also, any idea when there will be a topical growth modultor that keeps the follicles in anagen? I’ve seen Dr. Kevin J. McElwee of the University of Vancouver’s work with mice and it is facinating.

Your thoughts on these issues as well as any other advice is much appreciated. Take care and thanks in advance for your kind reply.

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You are scaring me!

Finasteride currently does not have a FDA approval for use in women. Even if it did, Proscar (5mg finasteride) is a very high dose for androgenic alopecia and in the studies on men, it was shown that the 1mg dose was just as effective as the 5mg dose. That is why the recommended dose is 1mg for androgenic alopecia.

Avodart (dutasteride) is not FDA approved for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. There are many patients who still use Avodart for hair loss, but they typically do not use it in combination with Propecia or Proscar and I do not understand the logic for this therapy. Avodart has a very long half life (the time it take half of the drug to be cleared from the blood stream) measured in weeks or months (compared to a few hours for Propecia) and this makes its dosing a controversial issue because nobody really knows what the best dosage to use is. The most important factor for women taking these medication is its potential implication of cervical, uterine, ovarian, and breast cancer because of its hormonal interactions and its potential for birth defects (well proven in pregnancy).

General disclaimer that needs repeating — BaldingBlog is not meant to diagnose medical condition or give medical treatment plans or advise. It is meant to educate the general public on hair loss issues. Before taking or stopping any medication, please see your doctor and discuss any issues, but I can state categorically that you are on a plan that has little benefit in sight and great harm as a possible clinical outcome.

July 21, 2006

Birth Control Pills and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I am a 29 year old female and have been slowly losing my hair for several years. It’s gotten to the point where it is noticible and I am very concerned. I have been to my pcp and determitologist. I have had the standard thyroid tests, etc. and everything is normal. I also have mild vitiligo which I have heard can cause hair thinning as well. I am currently taking spironolactone and am using minoxil. They don’t seem to be helping but I know those can take time.

I have also been taking Levora for about 8 years. I hadn’t thought about that as being a possible cause, but then I noticed that it is listed as a possible side effect. And one of your posts mentions that hair loss is a side effect of birth control pills in 1-5% of women.

Any suggestions? Are there better pills to be on or should I try to go off the pill?

Thanks for your time

It is true that birth control pills can cause hair loss. I realize hair loss is a very sensitive topic, especially for women, but so is an unplanned pregnancy. You should definitely discuss any medication changes with your regular doctor. Some birth control pills may have more hair loss than others, so ask your doctor to experiment with a few of them to determine which one has the least impact on your hair problems.

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July 20, 2006

Weaved Extensions Caused Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have recently taken out weaved extensions (conrows) that I have worn for over 3 years. I have lost almost all my hair in the back where the braids were. Do you think this will be a permanent loss and it’s too late now?

I also just started using rogaine extra strength (5%) for men, even though I am female (since like I said I have a ton of hair loss), is this okay to do, and do you think it will help in my case of all traction loss?

It sounds as though you indeed have traction alopecia from your braids. Given that you recently took the braids out, your hair may grow back. It is too early to tell as it could take several months to see new growth. I do think minoxidil is a reasonable choice in the meantime. However, the male version of rogaine 5% is oil based and makes hair styling more difficult. The female version is alcohol based and tends to hair styling a little easier.

July 19, 2006

16 Year Old Girl Wants Lowered Hairline – Balding Blog

Okay so, I am a 16 year old female and I have done constant research on lowering of the female hairline (which is very difficult to find, most sites only direct me to men with balding patterns) and I am desperate to know if there is any way to lower the hairline without grafts while still looking natural. Due to my high hairline, my forehead looks rather un-shapely. I envy those beautiful girls with such a proportionate face and wish that I did not have the haunting insecurities of my own. I have brought this up with family since I know I am very young for something drastic like this. Please help me. I appreciate your time and am looking forward to your reply. Thank you.

There are procedures to lower a hairline and this procedure is often done on women. It is a more complicated procedure than a regular hair transplant surgery so a standard hair transplant surgeon may not be comfortable performing it. Some (like me) are not uncomfortable doing it. Most of the doctors that perform these types of sugeries are plastic surgeons. I would consider performing the procedure on a 16 year old female, provided I see maturity, understand the motivation, the teen shows a normal and healthy mental state, and have parents who understand what the procedure is and what it means with all of the risks associated with such a surgery. In other words, I want to be a good doctor that does what is in the best interests of his patients.

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July 17, 2006

Eating Disorder Caused Thin Hair – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello,

I had an eating disorder as a child and as a result, I have thin hair. I used to have really thick hair, but it has thinned dramatically. Is there anything I can do now? I eat and live normally now, but my hair still hasn’t come back.

You need to have a full medical examination to be sure that you do not have other medical conditions that contribute to hair thinning (and may continue to progressive), which are common in women. Often, changes as you have described are permanent changes in your hair character and there is nothing that can be done for it that I know of.

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July 14, 2006

My Daughter’s Hair Won’t Grow – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My 5 year old daughter’s hair will not grow! I have tried almost everything and it still seems to be the same length since her birth-very short, course hair. I have recently resorted to extensions (braids) in an effort to give her hair a break from everyday styling, but nothing appears to work.

Could she have a medical problem?

Hair on the scalp grows in cycles. They have three phases of growth:

Growth phase (Anagen phase) which lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 years. This is the phase where your hair is actively growing at approximately 10cm per year. 85% of hair is at this phase at any given time.
Transitional phase (Catagen phase) which lasts about 2 weeks. This is the phase where the hair follicle shrinks and prepares to enter the resting phase.
Resting phase (Telogen phase) which lasts about 1- 6 months. This is the phase where hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle. Some hairs are shed at this phase, but at the end the hair follicle re-enters the growth phase to start the cycle over again. 10-15% of hairs are at this phase at any given time.

I do not know why your daughter’s hair has not grown in 5 years. There is a peculiar genetic condition that impacts children of her age causing hair loss and balding. There may be variants of this condition worth exploring. You should discuss this issue with her Pediatrician and determine if she has any medical conditions that may be contributing to such slow hair growth. The use of hair extensions may cause the hair she has to fall out from the traction it causes. If her hair is not growing as you reported, then she may become bald at the point the ‘extensions’ are attached.

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