Category: Female Hair Loss

I am an almost 19 year old female and I have a high forehead. I was coloring my hair the other day and noticed that I have a receding hairline. I also noticed that there is ‘new growth’ but it is very blonde and there is not enough of it to cover the areas. I have also smoked for three years and have been under quite a bit of stress lately. Will it continue to fall out? Is there anything I can do to stop it from doing so? Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

High hairlines in some women are normal genetic patterns, like the size of your nose and other facial proportions. If you really have a high hairline since you were much younger, then there are things you could do for it surgically.

Some women with the genetic hair loss genes can lose their hair in response to stress and when the stress is over, most regrow their hair. What you are describing, however, is not clear for me to make a diagnosis. I always tell women with hair loss to get checked out by a doctor and be sure that there are not medical causes of hair loss. The most common include hypothyroidism, genetics, hormonal imbalance, pregnancy, anemia, crash diet and oral contraception pill. In your case, smoking does not help your situation, but it is not the main reason for your hair loss. Otherwise, every smoker would be bald. Cigarettes have many chemicals which are toxic to your body and may assist other factors to induce your hair loss. Smoking may lead to less blo0d supply to your scalp which may lead to weakened growth of hair. I recommended that you visit a dermatologist and your primary care doctor to evaluate your hair loss and run blood tests to find out the cause of your hair loss.

This is an interesting article published online yesterday focusing upon women’s hair loss, alopecia areata, and some of the interesting research being done by credible people in the field who are looking for the genes that cause hair loss and excessive hair growth.

• ScienCentral – Female Baldness

I am in my early twenties, with two toddlers. A little while after my second child turned 1, my hair started to thin through out the length of my hair. At first, it was only on one side in the back. Then it kinda started to thin on right side. What I am left with is hair that is growing back unevenly and a very small amount that has not broken off. I know my hair grew too fast when I was pregnant. It was so long and all one length, but its not now. I have a very small amount of really long hair that remains, but the rest is shorter. I don’t have bald spots, just a lot of broken hairs. My question: Is this post pregnancy hair loss or some form of it, and how long can this expected before it completely stops. I have never had hair loss issues until now and my daughter is almost 3 now.

What you are experiencing right now is postpartum hair loss and the shorter hair should eventually get longer. You will have to wait (possibly a year or two) to see if your hair becomes fuller. Sometimes, we see changes in the character of hair as we go through different aging periods. Infants have one type of hair, children another, young adults still another, and aging adults will see a thinning of the hair shaft. Although the last phase takes years, it does occur sometime in people in their 20s and 30s. You might see a doctor and get your hair mapped out for miniaturization just to get a base line in case things do not go the way you want. Measurements are important to document when you look for change.

I am a 41-year-old mother of five who’s been experiencing male pattern hair loss (similar in pattern to Dr. Rassman’s photo) for three years. In the past 15 months, the hair loss has advanced significantly. My scalp itches incessantly, especially in the areas of concentrated loss (temples), often waking me at night. I’ve seen three dermatologists, all of whom summarily dismissed me; only one testing my hair, another sending me off with $100 shampoos. I’ve traveled to NYC to see a specialist only to be shuttled out the door with a $950 bill. Extensive bloodwork by an internist showed normal range results.I’ve tried Rogaine 5% and 2%-but scalp irritation intensifies without results. Two questions: (1) Is there a topical or oral product that will eradicate the unbearable itching-I’ve been told itching is characteristic of hereditary hair loss. (2) Could you recommend an ethical, knowledgable expert colleague on the East Coast-would like to know honestly if I’m a candidate for hair transplant or will be taking the wig route. Hair loss certainly stinks! Many thanks for your response.

You may want to look up Dr. Bernstein in New York. He is compassionate and very knowledgable. I can not recommend a treatment when I do not have a diagnosis. It does sound like you are not getting a serious evaluation. Certainly with a $950 bill for an office visit, I would expect far more value than you seem to have gotten.

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