Female_Hair_loss

StillHaveHair, Stress really can cause DIFFUSE hair loss. What comes through in your post is your extreme anxiety about this hair loss--and I completely empathize with you about the anxiety. It is normal, and I know that a lot of us who have been diagnosed with AGA or MPB live in the hell that is our mind. I would recommend, since you want to take proactive steps, asking your dermatologist to do a biopsy of your scalp. That is how my AGA was definitively diagnosed. Also, start a count of the hair you lose. It sounds arduous, but it isn't. Just collect what you see and set up a daily tally. TAKE that tally with you the next time a doctor says that he doesn't notice your hair loss. That is, tell him/her that he needs to HEAR you and acknowledge your hair loss. If the doctor insists on being a jackass, see if you can find another doctor. Also, talk with a nutritionist. If you are in college or graduate school, your health service may have one because most schools are investing in preventative measures. So, if you are stressed at home and at work, then you are possibly not eating healthily or, maybe, not sleeping well. Identify for yourself: Are you getting necessary nutrients? Are you sleeping enough hours a night. What are you doing to reduce stress in your life? These are very tactile and very practical steps you can take that may not only reduce your hair loss but may at least help your overall well being. Keep a hair transplant surgery a distant option--at least until after you have exhausted ways to reduce stress and anxiety; increase nutrition; start or enhance exercise. I work with/advise people in your age group day in and day out, and I know just how stress affects weight, skin, hair, memory, EVERYTHING. So, yes, be proactive about getting a definitive medical diagnosis for your hair loss, but don't ignore all the things that traditional medical field (and western mindset) considers New Age B.S.--it's not B.S. most of the time. Unless it is New Age music, and we all know what that is, eh? Keep your chin up.

Bayscholar (or others): I am intrigued by your use of emu oil with existing shampoos. Would you be willing to elaborate? Do you add a capful of shampoo with a capful of pure emu oil? If you have had a HT procedure, is it safe to use emu oil on the scalp (I worry about how its intense anti-inflammatory effects as well as its absorption levels may possibly affect the follicles)? I hadn't heard of Revita, so I am really eager to buy some now. Thanks for the info, Mrjb.

Sabravo I am 20 days post-op (Dr. Epstein patient) and I still have a few scabs hanging and a fair amount of the implanted hair. Since the literature from the clinic said that the scabs would be gone in 10 days, and some are still there at day 20, and the hair is supposed to fall out in 3 weeks, I am going to assume that the implanted hair will fall out in 4-5 weeks. That's my guess. I am still using baby shampoo and will transition to H&S dermatitis shampoo in a week to keep the Rogaine foam (which I am using once a day) from irritating the hell out of my scalp. Hope this helps!

Bill, I think you and I are making the same points . I do think that we are only beginning to study and understand the effects of stress and lifestyle on our bodies holistically, so I think it is worthwhile to evaluate studies on the effects of stress on weight, diabetes, heart, mental disorders, and other illnesses. I think we should take those into account. PGP, I too have seen significant diffuse hair loss in a couple of my female friends, and one of them never regained her hair, while the other grew all of her hair back. It made me wonder if the one whose hair never really came back had a genetic predisposition to HL. I know that she has PCOS, and PCOS increases androgens. What I find frustrating is how mainstream doctors do not even try to connect the dots. As a woman, I feel like I spend most of my time just reading a multitude of books from various angles, and then synthesize the information on my own. So, from what I have in several naturopathic/homeopathic/regular medical texts is that stress DOES raise androgen levels in the body, predominantly because it prepares the body for the fight or flight response. Anyway, while AGA is obviously genetic and NOT OUR FAULT (I am all too familiar with the feeling of guilt and shame b/c of my hair loss), I FINALLY have a found medical doctor who actually suggested weekly meditation and yoga and other biofeedback techniques that even my thyroid doctor two years ago laughed off. (My two cents--more like a dollar)

I apologize if my defense of DaveJoseph added to this. I lost my sympathy for him quickly enough once the tone of his posts seem to be more and more abrasive rather than genuinely in need of help. Bill, I was impressed with the way you handled the matter. I know that even the best of us in the best of times have been reduced to weeping puddles, so I felt for the man.

I think sustained stress--either for months or years or because of a large traumatic event can cause hair loss. Prisoners of war or victims of abuse have shown to have hair loss. The lost hair comes back if the stress is alleviated, but if someone also has a genetic predisposition to AGA, then the loss is diffuse and seemingly permament. I do think that stress can actually kill people (increase risk of heart attack, etc.)--so stress causing hair loss, or at least exacerbating the loss, doesn't seem too far fetched.

Morenewhair: I understand how you feel. I am nuts about a guy and have known him and dated him (on and off) for SIX years, but I just canceled flying out to see him next weekend b/c I feel--well--embarrassed about my recent HT. He probably couldn't care less any way, but I care, so that affects it all. I did tell him that I had a "head procedure" and he figured out what I meant, and he really didn't care, but he respected the fact that I am embarrassed. So, maybe, if you have been with your gf for a while and if she likes-like or loves you, she will be okay with it. Hope that helps a bit. About when the scabs may come off: I just heard back from Dr. E., and he mentioned that it can take up to 3 weeks for the scabs to come off. For me, even though I have some hair to hide the the scalp, the scabs show through clearly. For what it is worth: I hear you 'cause I am in the same boat.

Blowdry, YAY!!! Thank you so much for your response. Double YAY: It's nice to know that you are as much freak that I am <span class="ev_code_GREEN">(and I mean that in a vert positive way )</span> . Your suggestions are really good,and I will try them tomorrow. I have noticed that I cannot even touch the grafts in my front hairline because they hurt like hell. But as my friend mentioned last night: Patience, grasshopper, patience. Burt1973, I have contacted my doctor. Getting him to respond to me has not been as fruitful. More than anything, I really appreciate it every time each of you tells me not to worry . Thank you for your time. I will try-- try being the operative word--to not come here to only ask for advice and questions. I realize how rude it must be. I am familiar with forum etiquettes, and I seem to have left them at this door during this stressful time. (quit yo whinin', girl) Hope you all have a nice rest of the week!!!

Hi Bill, Thank you for always taking the time to respond. I am now at day 11/12 and those grafts (scabs, I suppose) are very tightly lodged. I have been shampooing once a day and letting warm water loosen the scabs while working through them, but, wow, I have barely been able to move some scabs off. 1.Even though from the other threads I can tell that will be another few days on average to the scabs to come off, I wonder if anyone found that even at day 12, the scabs were not dislodging? 2. Epstein's literature states that i should start using rogaine on day 10. I want to start using it tonight, but with all the scabs still on, is that okay to do? I don't want to inflame/traumatize my scalp anymore than it has gone through already. Any recommendations? Bill, Epstein did NOT take post-op pics, which was an oversight, I know. I was too exhausted to ask at that point, but yes, that should have been documented. I sent E. some questions 2 days ago and I haven't heard back from him with answered. Knowing how prompt he is (or was) before my procedure, not hearing from him is worrying me. i will give him a couple more days and then call the office to get a better (more realistic, maybe?) sense of what to expect in the coming days and months. Also, I looked for aloe, and all I could find was moisturizer WITH aloe in them. Is that what I should start putting on my scalp?? Thanks!!

Fal, Thank you for your response. Sorry for the quality of the pics--I used my cellphone camera. I don't have a digital (I know, I live in a cave-era). Now, I thought the grafts were to be placed very closely together. That is, the intention was to have them be densely packed so that I could get the maximum effect in the area in the front where people can see me the most when we interact. So your comment that they are not densely packed worries me . I wonder if my showering regularly after only 5 days might have dislodged some grafts! Ah. My roller coaster of emotions have started, i can see. Thank you for the link on shock loss. I think I need a glass of wine first. Sigh.

These are 8 days post procedure. The last one is my way to document shock loss. Any response is appreciated. I had 1600 grafts (I believe). I can confirm with my doc, if needed, but I think that is what he said I had put in. Although it could have been 1400 grafts, with 1600 hair. What do you think? Does this look on track? Thanks!

Wow, thank you for this advice. I think I have been too timid. I barely touch the grafts for maybe a minute at most! Ten minutes twice a day! I will try that tomorrow. THANK YOU! can I get these at local pharmacies (dumb question, I know). Also, I need to start using rogaine in a few more days. So how does this work? Do I put on the rogaine, wait an hour, put on aloe vera for the day, wash my hair at night, and do the routine, and sleep with aloe on? Thank you, Bill. That is much needed perspective. Ahhhhhh, my worst nightmare is coming through. Ah, I just feel really, really scared--combined with ubiquitous shame . Thank you for your vote of confidence. I really should start posting pics. Maybe it was partly a joke, but I tend to be out spoken and sometimes mods do not like that. I meant no disrespect. Regards.

Hello, I am a female and I am at 7 days post-op. My swelling has subsided, and I am feeling much, much better. My questions: 1. My scabs are very firmly attached at this point. I am using Johnson's Baby Shampoo and have been using the shower regularly for about three days (that is, letting the water from the nozzle hit my head). I do not "scrub" the grafts and just gently ease shampoo there. So, when and how can I expect the scabs to loosen? Should I be "scrubbing" the graft area more vigorously (not scratch or force, but just generally wash more strongly)? I recall during my procedure asking Dr. Epstein, and he said that I should have the scabs off within 10-12 days and that I should facilitate that, and that is mentioned in the literature he provided. But I am not sure howto facilitate this. 2. I am reading that Aloe Vera or some kind of oil (Emu?) can help with itching. Where should i apply these? And how often? 3. The donor area is still very sore for me and I still cannot sleep on my back. I am pretty concerned about that, even though my doctor here said that it looked like it was healing fine. Any thoughts? 4. lastly, and most worrisome, I am having a lot of hair loss! I am literally pulling long and healthy hair (not the miniaturized kinds) from the area where the grafts were placed. Is the sign of shock loss? I wasn't expecting shock loss to occur for a few weeks. Did anyone else who had grafts placed WITHIN spaces of existing hair get this kind of hair loss? i am not brushing my hair or anything, but there is just hair and hair on the pillow--well, just everywhere. Anyone who can provide support with some shared experience or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you, and I hope that the community here will help me through the coming months (if Bill doesn't ban me first--see other threads . I am a victim advocate--sorry, that's in my blood ). Peace.

Hello, I am a female and I am at 7 days post-op. My swelling has subsided, and I am feeling much, much better. My questions: 1. My scabs are very firmly attached at this point. I am using Johnson's Baby Shampoo and have been using the shower regularly for about three days (that is, letting the water from the nozzle hit my head). I do not "scrub" the grafts and just gently ease shampoo there. So, when and how can I expect the scabs to loosen? Should I be "scrubbing" the graft area more vigorously (not scratch or force, but just generally wash more strongly)? I recall during my procedure asking Dr. Epstein, and he said that I should have the scabs off within 10-12 days and that I should facilitate that, and that is mentioned in the literature he provided. But I am not sure howto facilitate this. 2. I am reading that Aloe Vera or some kind of oil (Emu?) can help with itching. Where should i apply these? And how often? 3. The donor area is still very sore for me and I still cannot sleep on my back. I am pretty concerned about that, even though my doctor here said that it looked like it was healing fine. Any thoughts? 4. lastly, and most worrisome, I am having a lot of hair loss! I am literally pulling long and healthy hair (not the miniaturized kinds) from the area where the grafts were placed. Is the sign of shock loss? I wasn't expecting shock loss to occur for a few weeks. Did anyone else who had grafts placed WITHIN spaces of existing hair get this kind of hair loss? i am not brushing my hair or anything, but there is just hair and hair on the pillow--well, just everywhere. Anyone who can provide support with some shared experience or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you, and I hope that the community here will help me through the coming months (if Bill doesn't ban me first--see other threads . I am a victim advocate--sorry, that's in my blood ). Peace.

Oops, I do have a couple of questions, and I am not sure where to post them, so they are going to go here: 1. How long before I can shower normally (that is, allow the shower water to hit my head normally)? 2. How long did many of you wait until you started shampooing normally (instead of gingerly ?) 3. How long before I can start brushing my hair? 4. When can I expect the scabs to start to loosen and fall? I have instructions on when I can expect these to happen, but they don't seem realistic. Are people brushing their hair in 3-4 days for real? Or are there patients who really started heavy weight lifting 7 days after a procedure?

Bill, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. I appreciate it. I think we both read the same thread, just with different perceptions, that's all. I didn't know that this forum is partially funded by the doctors (so much for my research abilities) recommended here. However, now I have a better understanding. === wanthairs! Thank you for letting me PM you. From your siggy, I can tell that you had your HT about 9 months ago, and you had a lot more grafts put in than I. How is your growth coming along? Were you pretty thin before your HT? Have you been using Rogaine? When did your grafts fall out? Are you feeling nervous at all about what hair you may or may not have growing back? Sorry for all the questions--feel free to answer only what you like and when you want. I am nervous of losing the hair that had already existed. In my first HT procedure, I had permanent shock loss, and that was harder than losing the hair I was going to anyway. But this time around, I am also of the POV that I will stop stressing about my hair loss if this doesn't turn out well, and will just put on a wig and try to get on with my life. ---- My Epstein Experience (a few days post-procedure): pros and cons mixed in together 1. An excellent team. I was very nervous, and the skilled women (the splicers and planters, as I called them in my head) are truly wonderful people. They were very kind and gentle. They listened to my every request, to my every motion of concern. I felt comforted and comfortable. As a woman, I think I really liked being in the company (for 6+ hours) of very caring women because I felt that I could be vulnerable (because I felt vulnerable) and because they let me be vulnerable. The overall atmosphere was calming. 2. The party treats, aka the meds, after the procedure are a terrific touch. I didn't get that after my first procedure, and it was nice to have all the necessary medication nicely packaged and given to me with clear instructions. I was in a city where I didn't know anyone, and the last thing I would have wanted would have been to try and get prescriptions filled. 3. Dr. E. is definitely a professional. I liked how happy HE sounded about the amount of grafts they were able to get from my donor site, even though I couldn't care less once I was in pain! But the fact that Dr. E. felt happy enough about it to mention the total number of grafts to me TWICE showed his care for his work. I care NOW, but I didn't during the procedure, but I can now see how nice a touch it was for Dr. E. and his team, for that matter, to care that much. 4. I wish I had insisted a bit more strenuously about the area that I really wanted filled in more. I am fairly certain that I will not get another procedure done--the stress, the cost, the everything is too much for me--so I wish I had gone in with a better articulated plan of what I wanted the outcome to be. (Note to others: Be sure to do that). 5. Dr. E.'s response time on emails before my procedure was phenomenal. I communicated with him for months on end, and he patiently responded to every question. By the time I flew in, I was out of questions to ask him in some ways (I still wish I had insisted on his filling in parts of my head rather than others). He answered all my questions in detail beforehand. I know that I will have more questions on hand if I have another procedure. 6. The surgery time was changed at the last minute by Roxy at 9:00pm the day before the surgery. Not cool. I was supposed to go in between noon-2:00pm, and I had my shuttle set for that, and then I got a call at 9:00 or 9:30pm and told to come by 7:15am. When I was concerned about finding a shuttle service for that time (I stayed at a hotel not recommended by the office), Roxy sounded very annoyed--which I found very annoying. So my recommendation would be that patients confirm their surgery time ahead of time and expect to have that time remain set. It is stressful enough as it is to get into an unfamiliar city all by yourself and to try and steel yourself for a long day ahead without having the schedule be up in the air until the last minute. 7. Overall, an impressive and professional team. I recommend them for their service--at this point. I will hold off on recommending Dr. E on his credentials until after I see what kind of growth I get. 8. I know that there are some people who fly in for the procedure and then fly out the next day, well, I have no idea how people do that. For those of you who may find this more overwhelming, I recommend that you fly in a full 12 hours before the procedure to get acclimated. I also stayed in Miami the day after the surgery, and i had my hair washed late in the day. I think it is worth your time to catch your breath. Also, if you, like me, get a lot of fluid injected into your skull , then expect a LOT of swelling--even if you follow all the instructions. I am happy to answer any questions!

I am surprised when i read about people having these surgeries and being all fine and flying about, etc.!!! This past HT procedure was the second one for me (the first one was six years ago, and the last one was less than a week ago) and in both cases I was in unreal pain. I know that I have a high threshold for pain, but after my first HT I knew that I would feel pain in the donor area and the graft sites for days and weeks. So far, with the second procedure, even with the massive amounts of painkillers, etc., I am completely swollen (all over--especially my forehead), in awful pain, pretty nauseated, etc. This is surgery, plain and simple. I am still dumbfounded by the number of people who apparently have these procedures and go back to work in a couple of days??? WOW. I don't even look human--my face is that swollen with fluid from the anesthesia! I do appreciate the person who created this thread. I want to throw my voice in and say that this is not as simple an out patient surgery as you may think. It is an overwhelming endeavor. Expect your forehead (and face and possibly body) to swell (I had a band on my forehead continuously for three days AND I took the prescribed prednisone), expect nausea if you have any history of nausea with anesthesia or painkillers, expect pain in the donor and graft area for a while. Of course, the reality is that we all are going for these procedures because hair loss has taken so much of our lives away from us, so I am bearing through this pain with the hope that this time--this time--I will have enough regrowth for some sense of normalcy. But it is no walk in the park! Today I had to go to my family doctor because of the pain and the swelling. I was also dehydrated. My doctor mentioned that the donor area looked like it was healing very well. That was good news. Anyone else who experienced a lot of pain or discomfort: When does the pain start to ease off? Also, those of you who have had significant swelling--when did the swelling start to go down a bit. I am at almost 6 days, and my face is genuinely unrecognizable: It's that swollen.

I did go ahead and get a procedure done with Dr. E., primarily because I realized that no amount of research will really allow me to know a surgeon. Knowing myself, I knew that I could easily spend years reading everything each renowned HT specialist has ever written and still have doubts. In regards to the procedure, I will wait a while to comment on my overall experience. I am still in the "my forehead is swollen, my head is numb, my scar hurts like hell" phase. I don't know quite how to shampoo my hair because i am terrified of washing away the grafts. So I am tired and cranky, is the best way to put it. Also, I just read "Felicity"'s exchange of words with Dr. E. and Bill in another thread, and the tone of that exchange bothered me quite a bit. I think Felicity should have been allowed to speak her mind more openly. It seemed that she was not allowed to say anything negative. Billero, Are you and others on this forum remunerated by the "coalition doctors"? That is, will negative posts about these doctors result in the member being hounded? I know that I am coming to this forum as someone genuinely stricken and depressed by my hair loss. I want honest and completely heartfelt reactions and responses. And I want to be able to give back similar responses. Anyway, if this is a completely OPEN forum, then I will be happy recount my experience for others--especially women. For now, I hope some of E.'s female patients will hold my hand as I go through the post-procedure process? When will the scar stop hurting? How long will my forehead remain swollen (it's not too bad, but the swelling is there)? wanthair and Lisa, May I PM you?

It looks like there are only men here, but I hope you can help. I am at the stage of seriously considering going to Dr. E. for about 1300 grafts for my pretty serious hair loss. I am a woman (duh--read my screen name) and the last time I had a transplant, I had permanent hair loss. 1. Is Dr. E. as good as he seems to be (I am ignoring the comments on his site--they will obviously be positive)? 2. Has anyone had permanent shock loss? 3. Do the grafts grow? Many doctors put grafts that don't grow or fall out soon after growing. 4. Does anyone have scarring in the donor area? Are there dark-skinned HT patients, because we tend to scar more easily. 5. Are there any WOMEN here who will be willing to chat about Dr. E., and his success/regrowth rate with women? I am 37 years old, and have been living in a hell of plummeting self-esteem! To the men here: bald is sexy in men. Really.