Shanna001

That's true. But in my (obviously non-professional) opinion, I believe that the original cause of my hair loss is due to the PCOS. I acknowledge that traction alopecia has probably contributed to it, but I believe the original cause is PCOS. The hair loss started well before I started wearing extensions. I have almost all of the classic PCOS symptoms -- polycystic ovaries, hirsutism, extremely irregular cycles, infertility, insulin resistance, and high testosterone levels. So it's a good likelihood that I have DHT issues also. I don't think it's too far-fetched to believe that my hormonal inbalance may have contributed to my hair loss. I don't know too much about dermmatch or other concealers, but I'll do some research on them.

Well at this point, i I'm more interested in finding a resolution than the cause. any suggestions?

Thanks for your response. I know that the extensions aren't helping at all, but I don't really have any other options at this time. I didn't start wearing the extensions until the hair loss got pretty bad. Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to not have to wear them any longer.

I'm a 31 year old African-American female who's been suffering from hair loss for several years now. I first noticed thinning in the hairline during my late teens and over the years, it's progressively got worse. I also suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which may be a contributing factor in my hair loss. A few years ago, I went to a dermatologist to see if there was anything I could do. Overall, the dermatalogist seemed very disenterested and spent no more than 5 minutes with me. She said she could not determine if my hair loss was caused by the Polycystic ovarian Syndrome or if was traction alopecia, and that there was nothing she could do to help. So I've basically been hiding my hair under extensions for the past 10 years. Nobody has seen my hair except for my hairdresser and the dermatologist. At this point in my life, I'm tired of the embarrassment and the shame, and I know I have to do something about it. From browsing the forums the past few weeks, I see that it's not recommended to select a doctor based on price but unfortunately for me, money is an issue. At times, I've been tempted to go to one of cheap hair transplant mills and take a chance. I know I'm probably thinking irrationally, but it seems like it would be better to walk around with a bad hair transplant than go through life with no hair. I know the photos are terrible quality but I won't be able to take better ones until the extensions are removed. I'm looking for recommendations of reasonably priced doctors in the Georgia/Carolinas area who have experience working with ethnic hair. Also, if anyone can provide a rough estimate of how many grafts I may need, I would greatly appreciate it!