Category: Hair Loss Causes

Hi doctor I have three major concerns:

1. I have been using Tricovivax (“Minoxidil 5%”) for about two months and I have noticed a massive rate of hair fall, shedding, and thinning. Even my family members are telling you are starting to have bald spots in your head.
2. I am very concerned with thinning at the back of my head (donor) are and when my doctor mapped my hair for “Miniaturization” noticed that my donor area is thinning too; and he applied the “pull test” and noticed a large amount of hair being pull.
3. Is setting long time at the computer screen during work will accelerate my hair loss since the computer screen emits radiation?

Thanks a lot doctor

I am pleased to hear that you have had a miniaturization study done. By your brief description, you may have a condition known as DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia) or chronic telogen effluvium. Using drugs such as minoxidil or finasteride may not help in these cases. You need to follow-up with your doctor for options, diagnosis, and treatment. Sounds like he started off by taking the first correct steps.

Sitting at a computer screen will not cause hair loss.

I’m a 27 year old male. About 3 year ago, at the age of 24, I went to work abroad for a year. At the time of leaving home I had a full head of hair.

When I was abroad my diet deteriorated. During this time my hair became very unhealthy. It became brittle and it stared to fall out. I returned home 2 years ago and my diet has returned to normal. My hair’s condition has improved and it has stopped falling out.

Though it has improved, progress is very slow and it has not returned to its former condition.

Could you help me, please?

A normal diet should not have any significant impact on hair loss. If you were malnourished during your travels abroad, it may have had some impact. However, once you start the hair loss process, I have found that it is difficult to stop the hair loss process. Some have explained this phenomenon by analogizing to a light switch that is turned on, but can’t be turned off. You should have your scalp hair mapped for miniaturization to see it there is a pattern to this hair loss. You have a component of genetic hair loss which may not be related to the diet issue.

I am not sure if you have been asked this, but could you explain the hair counting thing? Does counting the hairs that come out in the shower really tell you anything? Thats not really a good indicator of anything is it?

Counting the hair in the shower (hair by hair) would mean that you are likely obsessive about hair loss. It would be logical that if you are losing hair, the hairs lost in a single shower would vary by time of day, the vigor of your washing and massaging, the number of times you actually apply shampoo in a single shower, etc.. Generally all non-balding people lose about 100 hairs a day. If you see a change in number of hairs (a gross change) over a long time frame and keep all of the things you do constant, you may be losing hair.

Hello,

My hair has been thinning and while I understand this is natural I have a few questions. First off, my hair is very thin in my sideburn area. I is distinctive because hair the same length a little farther back is much fuller. When I say sideburns i mean the whole thing and in both sides. My doctor said this is genetics but I cant find much online on people loosing hair in this area. I am also thin in the front but it isnt very noticeable. Interestingly it is much more apparant on one side where it seems to be like a line of no hair. I just went on propecia a week ago. What do you think??

If you are thinning on your sideburns, it may be related to genetics or just a normal part of the aging process. There are many other considerations in the differential diagnosis, but it is impossible for me to guess what you may be going though without a examination including a miniaturization study.

Hi Dr.,
I plan to get a transplant in the future and have been reading on this site about shock loss. I have been on propecia for about 4yrs, i am 28 white male, i also take dutasteride & minoxodil. Does shock loss happen at the area where you put the hair or take the hair from or anywhere on the scalp? How long after surgery can you go (time) until its safe to assume shock loss wont happen? Thanks

If shock loss happens, it hits the miniaturized hair, not the healthy hair. Propecia (finasteride) seems to protect the miniaturized hair from shock loss in young men.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Hello Dr,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to so many of these questions. It provides untold comfort for those of us who are plagued with hair loss problems.

I am quite certain I have seborrheic dermatitis-induced telogen effluvium. I have all the characteristics, long dark hairs with tiny white bulbs at the end (TE), and my scalp is red and itchy with noticeable scaling (SD). I have been inflicted with this condition for 7 months now, when can I expect for it to stop falling out? Will I see my hair return to the way it once was?

Thanks in advance.

If you have telogen effluvium, it has nothing to do with seborrheic dermatitis. You should see a good dermatologist to make the diagnosis of TE.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

I’m experiencing excessive hair loss 4 months after baby.It is still happening,now that baby is nine month old.When will it end? Also,i have read that dental treatment casues hair loss.I had dental fillings ( mercury alloy) after my delivery also. Does dental treatment causes hair loss and if so what kind? Eg, Dental implants or crowning?

Postpartum hair loss in women is not uncommon. It should return within a year or so. Stress can cause hair loss in those that are genetically prone, and so I have seen hair loss in men and women who had stressful dental surgery — or any stressful surgery or illness. There is no connection between implants and crowns and hair loss that I know of.