Category: Female Hair Loss

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Stress and Alopecia Universalis – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I keep reading that stress is not a factor in Alopecia Universalis but my daughter who just turned 20 began losing her hair a year ago, a few months after her sister died in a car accident and now is totally bald, lost most body hair and eyebrows. We all know it is from the shock and trauma…why doesn’t the medical profession accept that and what is the prognoisis now that it has happened?

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I can not comment on what you were told, but I know that such genetic conditions, which may occur normally in those with the impacted genes, can be accelerated by stress. You are correct, in a sense, that stress can precipitate what genetically would have come with time.

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Hair Loss InformationTreating Alopecia with Acupuncture – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi dr. rassman! i came across your website and i found it to be very helpful. im a 14 year old girl and about a month ago i was made aware of a bald patch at the crown of my head about the size of a 10p.a few days ago,i noticed that it had grown to about 2inches by half an inch. this is the only patch that i am aware of. im only 14 and i am sooo soo depressed about it and am constantly crying about my hairloss. ive been to see several doctors and i know there is no cure accounted for. today i went to a chinese health practice and went for a consultation with a chinese doctor, i was asked many questions about my diet and health and then acupuncture was suggested to me. i was very shocked and scared but went ahead with the acupuncture session there and then. and i was given a selection of herbal remedies to help with the alopecia also. what i would like to know is, how effective is acupuncture for the treatment of alopecia as i am extremely confused and scared as whether or not go ahead with regular acupunture. i am absolutely terrified of needles and i know i will be crying the whole way through, but if there is that possibility of my hair growing back again, i would definitly go ahead with the treatment. please please give me any advice you can im very scared that i will lose more hair and im confused as to what to do about it! please help im desperate

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Acupunture should not help hair loss. Patches of hair loss are often caused by alopecia areata and this should be one of the diagnoses to consider. It sounds like you need a competent medical doctor to examine your case. It is impossible for me to make the diagnosis without seeing you, but if you send me digital photos to the address on the Contact page, I might be able to make a suggestion in the differential diagnosis.

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Hair Loss InformationAlopecia and Pregnancy – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,
I got alopecia and I am 4 months pregnant. I have started using fluort lotion as it helped me 5 years back, but I worry if it will have side effects because I am pregnant now. Will it effect my baby’s growth? I am very worried. Please help me out.

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I would be hesitent to use things that can be absorbed into your body (transepidermal absorption) as they may harm your baby. Hair loss in pregnancy is not uncommon, most of the time it will reverse after the baby is born (give it up to a year post partum). On occasion, pregnancy may precipitate the onset of female genetic balding, but until a year has passed after the baby is born, do not focus too much on that possibility. Good nutrition is critical both to the baby’s welfare and health, as well as your hair health.

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

Female – In 1986 I was on a high dose of prednisone for sarcoidosis.The disease affected my eyes and my lungs.Within 3 weeks of taking the medication, my hair was thinning. I ended up being on the drug for a year. Needless to say all my hair fell out. Even after being off the drug, my hair never grew back. To this day I am still bald. I do believe that the sarcoidosis was started from fumes. I worked with a very strong glue and liquid rubber at work. Some of my co-workers were having nose bleeds also .I find the whole ordeal very upsetting. But I didn’t know how to prove the the fumes were the cause of my problem. Being on prednisone has been a life time nightmare for me. I kept the hair loss a secret for 14 years.I wore wigs or glued on weaves. I finally decided to tell my family in 2000. This situation has caused me much grief. I can’t date because I’m afraid that the person will reject me because of no hair. Thank for reading this.

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Your hair loss maybe due to both Sarcoidosis and steroid. Sarcoidosis involves inflammation that produces tiny lumps of cells in various organs in your body. The lumps are called granulomas because they look like grains of sugar or sand. Sarcoidosis can occur in almost any part of your body, although it usually affects some organs more than others. Thus, in theory, Sarcoidosis could cause hair loss. I am not certain about fumes causing sarcoidosis, but that is clearly a distinct possibility and more research would be a good idea (not something that I can do through the site). You may want to see a dermatologist and ask for a referral to a toxicologist for better evaluation of your hair loss and possibly biopsy the scalp to rule out inflammation and disease that may cause your hair loss. Good luck and please let me know the outcome from the referral sources I discussed here.

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Female Thinning Hair and Kevis – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 41 year woman and for the past two years I have noticed my hair beginning to thin. My Mother (67) and Aunt (58) both have thinning hair which did not begin until their fifties. I am hypothyroid but it has been well undercontrol for 8+ years now. The texture of my hair has changed significantly over the past 3 years or so, much less thickness etc. I do not want to see my hair thin anymore if I can avoid it, would I see a dermatologist or an endocrinologist for this issue? Also there is a “natural” hair loss product called Kevis on the market that is suppose to stimulate new hair growth – do you have any experiecnce or knowledge of this product? Thank you

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There is no scientific data to support Kevis is any different than minixodil, which is actually the active ingredient in Kevis (but many times more expensive). Minoxidil comes in generic form or Rogaine (brand name). Use the minoxidil made for women, which has alcohol and is easier to style your hair with, rather than the variety made for men.

If the thinning is already in two members of your family who turned through menopause, then it is likely that this will also be your fate. I would like to see that you have an accurate diagnosis, which can be obtained by mapping out our scalp for miniaturization. In addition to pointing to the diagnosis, it should clearly show the degree of hair loss and give you a good baseline for future comparisons. Please be sure that you are medically OK; read through the Female Hair Loss category for more info.

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Daughter Has Psoriasis and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

My daughter is 26 and has scalp psoraisis since the age of 15. The worrying thing is that the hair-line parting her hair in the centre is wide about 1/2 inch and clearly bald. The rest of her hair area seems normal. I gather from your feedback that psoraisis does’nt cause balding. What can she do to reverse her bald hair-line? Svensson was consulted and they have their usual hair commercial treatment. Will they be able to do something to adress her problem, albeit costly. I am 53 and bald, and the wife also 53 is losing hair along female hair loss pattern. Is there a connection of our problem with my daughter’s hair problem? Really appreciate your feedback.

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Although psoriasis does not cause balding directly, balding from genetic causes can be occuring. With both your wife and daughter having hair loss, you might assume that hair loss is in the female family line. I suspect that other women also have similar problems. First, take a look at the Female Hair Loss category of this blog.

Please send me pictures to the email address on the Contact page and I would be happy to give you my opinion. It is very difficult to diagnose women over the internet, but the pattern of hair loss you are defining for your daughter is a pattern I have seen from time to time in genetic hair loss. Your daughter may be following your wife’s pattern of genetic balding. Check with your wife about her earliest symptoms of hair loss.

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Ortho Evra and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have been using ortho evra for now about 3 months, and I realized that I have been losing a enormous amount of hair…This has been happening since I started using the patch…If I stop using the patch, how long does it take to leave my system, and will I regain my hair???I have lost so much hair that it is depressing at times for me to see that I have lost so much….
I would appreciate a response from you asap…
Thank You!!!

I’ve answered a similar question before: Severe Hair Loss from Ortho Evra

The use of hormones and birth control medications will produce hair loss in genetically prone females. I do not have an answer to your question on the timeline for any reversal, though. There is no assurance that it will be reversed if the hormones precipitated the expression of the hair loss gene, but I would stop using it and consult with your doctor as early as you can.

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Hair Loss InformationStress Induced Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m 42/F and in the past three months I have lost a good amount of hair and there is no balding in my family. I am on thyroid RX (5 yrs of Levothyroxine). Since then I have had my thyroid checked and it’s is normal. I have noticed my scalp does itch (not intensly) and the hair is falling out from the follicle (white tips are on the ends of each strand) and it comes out worse in the shower. Dr recommend to seek a dermatologist, which is my next step. I also take Estrogen (7 years), Topamax (6 mo), Maxalt (2 mo). I have alot of stress in my life besides.

Scared of going bald.

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There many reasons for hair loss, such as hypothyroidism, ezcema, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, lupus, drugs, stress, crash diet and infections. I recommend that you have extensive blood work done to rule out many of these causes for your hair loss; a good endodrinologist or dermatologist should be able to do this. Alopecia Areata and Telogen Effluvium are causes of hair loss where biopsies may be indicated. You also need an extensive mapping of your head for miniaturization. Female patterned hair loss has very characteristic findings on mapping. You must realize that it is normal to lose up to 100 hairs per day.

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Size of Miniaturized Hairs – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there,
I have read your explanation of hair miniaturization, and have a question. I am a 30 year old female and I am experiencing hair loss. My hair loss seems to be diffused, with areas that are worse which are my hairline, as well as the crown (alot of my scalp can be seen at the crown). I have been obsessively reading about it on the internet and have found it helpful but confusing information. Anyways, back to the question. I have alot of miniaturization hairs throughout my hair. By alot I mean alot, they stick up everywhere. Do these hairs every stay at a certain size, or do they always end up being very small and thin? Some of mine are extremely thin, and others are thicker. Thanks in advance

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This is a good and insightful question. The general belief is that miniaturized hairs are impacted by hormone and genetic influences. As some hair is impacted and others are not, I would think that the impacted hairs (the miniaturized hairs) remain impacted and thin, unless things change like hormone balance, or the effects of medications such as Rogaine/minoxidil. As no one has ever actually tracked a single hair in a follicular group when cycling occurs (anogen through catogen phases), one really can not tell the actual answer to this question other than make a good guess (like I am doing here).

Follicular units usually contain a number of hairs. Mature healthy hairs are called ‘Terminal Hairs’ while the small hairs in a follicular unit are called ‘Vellus Hairs’. Miniaturizated hairs are thought to be ‘sick’ terminal hairs, not vellus hairs. Does a terminal hair become a vellus hair or visa versa? I doubt that, but do not know for sure. Do the hairs in a follicular unit play musical chairs (opps hairs) and change their appearance over time in a single hair cycle? I can have fun with these types of questions, but that is my intellectual exercising of random thoughts that you stimulated have no particular value to help you with your question.

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Hair Loss InformationTests to Run for 13 Year Old Girl Losing Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman, my 13-year-old daughter (caucasian) has been experiencing thinning hair these past few months. Her dark wavy hair in the past had always been pretty thick. Her pediatrician ran anemia and thyroid tests which came back normal. We then saw a dermatologist who ran free testosterone and DHEAS-these too came back normal. The next step we are doing is seeing a endocrinologist (appt. not available until February). Are there some other tests that ought to be run in the interim, or should we see a hair specialist (do you know of any in the Metro Detroit area with a female (teenage) hair loss specialty?)

Her diet is fairly balanced, she has not experienced any stressful episodes, and she feels fine physically. I have recently been giving her Women’s 1-A Day vitamins since this problem has occurred. In the Spring of 2005, she began taking Cephalexin (Keflex) for acne. The dermatologist gradually reduced her intake, and she has recently stopped taking it entirely. Another note is we visit the Islands every February (during the past 7 years) whereby she has her hair braided. She would generally keep the braids in for a week, which looking back must have caused a lot of stress on her hair, but again, that would be 8 monts after the fact that the problem began. Thank you for any insight you may be able to provide.

-Very concerned parent

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You daughter can go through periods of shedding hair and then reverse and regrow the hair. It is normal to lose up to 100 hairs per day. Now, if she continues to lose more than 100 hairs and she begins to show bald spots or more scalp, then it is a concern. There are many causes for hair loss in women as you outlined she is or has been evaluated for. The list includes: hypothyroidism, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, androgenic alopecia, repeatedly over plucking, surgery, trichotillomania, stress, chemotherapy, radiation, cancer, eczema, seborrhea, scleroderma, lupus, hormonal imbalance, psoriasis, parasites, fungal, autoimmnune disorders, poor diet, poor nutrient, burn, trauma, leprosy and drugs. The common medications which may cause hair loss are beta-blocker, coumadin, oral contraceptive pill, antibiotics and chemo-medications. Braiding hair could cause permanent hair loss if it is kept for a long period of time and especially when a person has sensitive/weak hairs. I believe visiting a hair doctor in your area is a got start. A full analysis for miniaturization with a good microscopic evaluation of the scalp hair is critical in understanding the process. Continue with your present course and get the scalp mapped out as well.