With normal to "agrressive" MPB...

[jw34]

..is it still normal to be shedding vast amounts of hair each day. im talking like 200-300 plus a day(that i can see and guess, so its probably more). im also noticing that im not just shedding from the top anymore but on the sides. this is so god dam frustrating

[jw34]

..is it still normal to be shedding vast amounts of hair each day. im talking like 200-300 plus a day(that i can see and guess, so its probably more). im also noticing that im not just shedding from the top anymore but on the sides. this is so god dam frustrating

[Bill - Seemiller]

jw34,

 

Normal hair shedding can occur up to 50-100 hairs daily. Hair loss of 200-300 daily could be an indication of male pattern baldness, or hair loss on the sides, could indicate something else.

 

I encourage you to use the Hair Loss Learning Center as a research tool to learn more about what causes hair loss.

 

You may want to consult with a dermatologist who can evaluate your scalp and perform tests to determine the cause and recommend a proper treatment.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[hatrick]

what NW are you? are the hairs your shedding miniaturized or are they normal, mature hairs?

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

JW334,

You didn't mention your age. As Bill mentioned, it is normal to lose 50-100 hairs a day simply from the random rotation of the hairs on your head through the growth and resting cycles. So on any given day, you will have that many hairs falling out and that many hairs starting up growing out from the follicle again. The number you mention, assuming you've proved this by counting them - that's a hard thing to "eyeball" - and you are losing that many, then one of two things is going on. Either you are really in an accelerated phase of male pattern baldness, or you have experienced a "telogen" reaction from one of many causes. These phases are very common and usually occur around a few weeks to a couple of months AFTER the incident or exposure that actually caused it, which makes it a little harder to figure out.

Common causes of telogen reactions are some of the following: a surgery or general anesthetic; a severe psychiatric event such as a death of a close one or a sudden divorce breakup; a crash diet of very low caloric total; various medications; a viral illness or pneumonia; and there are quite a few others. If this were the cause, then after the 3-4 month period of time passes after most of the hair falls out, there should be a rebound of hair growth gradually back to what it was. It won't happen quickly, because these hairs won't grow faster than a half-inch a month.

If you are in the midst of this experience, there is a valuable diagnostic test that a physician does, which you could actually do yourself. Simply take two fingers (thumb and index finger) and pinch a wad of your hair (perhaps 100 strands or so) and simply pull on them. If more than five hairs come out, that may indicate a telogen reaction had occurred. Don't worry, you won't lose those hairs. They have already separated from the underlying follicles, which is what occurs in telogen.

Mike Beehner, M.D.