Rapid hair shedding (diffuse hair thinning). Will i need a HT?

[biger_beter]

6 months ago my hair was completely thick and healthy. 3 months ago i noticed a little bit of hair shedding, but it wasnt anything drastic. Recently the past 3 weeks my hair has been shedding like crazy. I trimmed it down to see what it looks like, and here are a few pictures. Is this the usual MPB? Or is it diffuse hair thinning caused by stress or something like that? Can hair become so much thinner in only 6 months due to mpb? Will i need a HT? I'm getting really frustrated, and i dont want to lose my hair.

Also, i must add that recently my head has been itching quiet a bit. Where do I go from here?

Im 19 btw.

Thanks you all in advance

[biger_beter]

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[biger_beter]

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[biger_beter]

pi 4

[dakota3]

Hi biger_beter! Welcome to the forum!!

 

Im going to give you the only advice that you should heed at this point and that is to get on propecia and minoxidil. At 19 you should NOT consider a HT and anyone who says you should is just plain crazy. If you have seen a doctor for a consultation and he is willing to perform this procedure on you he should have his license revoked.

 

As far as the question of "can you shed that much in 6 months", I would say absolutely! I did! When I went thru a divorce several years ago I lost about 30% of the hair on the top of my head in a matter of 4 months due to the stress I was under. Try to relax and like I said get on Propecia and minoxidil and ride it out. Thats about all you can do.

 

BTW, You still have a great head of hair so doing as I recommend will help you keep it. Good luck

[Guest wanthairs]

i agree with everything dakota said.

[Maxxy]

Just to echo what Dakota said... Being 19 and the fact that your loss has been so rapid in only 6 months, a transplant would be a very bad idea. Sadly, there are doctors out there that will recommended one and treat you, however, I believe it would be a bad idea and one I'm almost certain you will regret massively.

 

Get on the meds - Finasteride (Proscar/Propecia), Minoxidil (Rogaine - I recommend the foam) and ketoconazole (Nizoral, Revita etc).

[biger_beter]

Thanks alot bro. You're probably right about the HT being a really bad idea at this time. I deff did have ALOT of stress previously with my x gf as of last month, and uni, etc.

Honestly i'm scared of using finasteride. I've heard that if your hair is shedding due to TE (telogen effluvium), and you diagnose it with Male Pattern Baldness treatments (fin), you can do more damage than good. Is this true? Is there a way i can find out for sure if its mpb what im going through? Are there any tests I should do?

I'll be seeing a derm next week. I've heard quiet alot of stories about people getting dark circles, and wrinkles, bloat in the face, etc with minox. Are these rare sideeffects?

Here is a pic of what my hair looked like 4 months back with NO thinning whatsoever.

Once again, thanks ALOT for your help..

 

 

Originally posted by dakota3:

Hi biger_beter! Welcome to the forum!!

 

Im going to give you the only advice that you should heed at this point and that is to get on propecia and minoxidil. At 19 you should NOT consider a HT and anyone who says you should is just plain crazy. If you have seen a doctor for a consultation and he is willing to perform this procedure on you he should have his license revoked.

 

As far as the question of "can you shed that much in 6 months", I would say absolutely! I did! When I went thru a divorce several years ago I lost about 30% of the hair on the top of my head in a matter of 4 months due to the stress I was under. Try to relax and like I said get on Propecia and minoxidil and ride it out. Thats about all you can do.

 

BTW, You still have a great head of hair so doing as I recommend will help you keep it. Good luck

[Bill - Seemiller]

biger_beter,

 

Welcome to our community. Our members have given you some excellent advice so far.

 

For only 19 and losing that much hair in 4 months, your hair loss seems quite aggressive. The best chance of slowing down, stopping, or potentially reversing some of your hair loss is getting on the "Big 3" (Propecia, Rogaine, and Nizoral). Be sure to become familiar with each treatment including the potential side effects. You may also want to consult a physician/dermatologist for professional, medical input.

 

Telogen effluvium hair loss is usually caused by a stressor and is temporary. Though your hair loss is probably genetic, consult a dermatologist who can give you a more definite answer. He/she can also perform additional medical tests to rule out other non-genetic causes of hair loss.

 

Best wishes in restoring your hair,

 

Bill

[biger_beter]

Thanks alot for your reply. How can you be so sure that it's mpb if the hair shedding / thinning was that fast?

Can the derm tell me for sure if its mpb not TE, or the other way round?

 

Originally posted by Bill - Associate Publisher:

biger_beter,

 

Welcome to our community. Our members have given you some excellent advice so far.

 

For only 19 and losing that much hair in 4 months, your hair loss seems quite aggressive. The best chance of slowing down, stopping, or potentially reversing some of your hair loss is getting on the "Big 3" (Propecia, Rogaine, and Nizoral). Be sure to become familiar with each treatment including the potential side effects. You may also want to consult a physician/dermatologist for professional, medical input.

 

Telogen effluvium hair loss is usually caused by a stressor and is temporary. Though your hair loss is probably genetic, consult a dermatologist who can give you a more definite answer. He/she can also perform additional medical tests to rule out other non-genetic causes of hair loss.

 

Best wishes in restoring your hair,

 

Bill

[HaiRisWhere]

biger_beter,

 

Any history of hairloss in your family?

I understand how it feels to loose hair at such an early age.I am 21, started thinning in the crown and hairline started receding some months back.I too thought it was stress related since there was absolutely no history of hairloss in my family.After getting on this forum i got convinced that i was indeed suffering from male pattern baldness.Get on the meds as soon possible.It works.I have noticed some thickening in the crown

[biger_beter]

Hey HaiRisWhere. Thanks for your reply

I have one uncle from my fathers side who is bald. The rest, also from my mothers side have a full head of thick hair. What are you currently taking? Thing is, my hairline is not receeding. Did you actually have any stress before noticing the hair loss?

Did you take any blood tests? Would you recommend that i see a trichologist or a dermetologist to have my hair tested before I get an accurate answer on if it is male pattern baldness?

Again thanks alot for your reply man..

 

Originally posted by HaiRisWhere:

biger_beter,

 

Any history of hairloss in your family?

I understand how it feels to loose hair at such an early age.I am 21, started thinning in the crown and hairline started receding some months back.I too thought it was stress related since there was absolutely no history of hairloss in my family.After getting on this forum i got convinced that i was indeed suffering from male pattern baldness.Get on the meds as soon possible.It works.I have noticed some thickening in the crown

[rpachigo]

You'd be wasting your money going to a trichologist/dermatologist. All they would say is "you're losing your hair." There's no blood test for male pattern baldness. If it's telogen effluvium the hair should have grown back already. That's a one to two month phenomenon - it's bene six for you right. Other medical conditions like alopecia areata lead to bald circle patches on your head which you don't have. Medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism can cause hair loss - so see a family doc for a simple blood test to rule that out. Some medications used for gout/arthritis/heart problems can cause hair loss - I doubt you have those problems. So get on meds ASAP.

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

Biger Beter,

Your history certainly sounds like a "telogen effluvium" reaction, which is a relatively sudden shedding of hairs as a reaction to some stress factor that occurred 6-12 weeks prior to when you first noted the shedding. If it is still going on, there is a simple test called a "pull test" that you can actually do yourself. You just grab a large bunch of hairs and pinch them between your index finger and thumb and pull out on them. If you get 5 or more hairs or so, you have what we call a "positive" pull test and telogen effluvium is a good bet. The stress factor can be any one of several things: a new medication, a severe stress (usually divorce, loss of job, or significant death in family level of stress), some sort of "crash" diet, surgery or anesthesia (general anesthesia, that is), chemotherapy, or a severe illness (flu or pneumonia). While it may be helpful for completeness sake to check iron and thyroid levels, they are extremely rare as causes in a male patient your age.

Your photos are a little difficult to evaluate. The last front-on one doesn't look all that bad, whereas the first few do seem to indicate some significant miniaturization present.

Your best bet is an evaluation by a hair "expert" of some sort, whether it is a hair transplant surgeon or a dermatologist with a special interest in hair loss, who can do a magnified exam. If there is significant miniaturization, then hereditary male pattern hair loss is almost certainly the diagnosis, particularly if some of the male relatives on either side of your family have the same condition. If there is virtually no miniaturization, which would be the case with a pure telogen effluvium, then this would point toward this diagnosis and it should improve in several months, as long as the offending cause is still not going on. One final note: it certainly is possible to have BOTH going on, in which case you "jump forward" 4-5 years with what your hair loss level would have been at age 24, but you will end up with that at age 19.

The advice above is also sound, in that medication is the better approach at age 19 if hereditary male pattern baldness is present and not hair transplant surgery. Most docs wait till around age 22-24 before considering surgical treatment.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[biger_beter]

Thanks alot for your reply. I really do hope you're right.

This is how I think it does. Correct me if i'm wrong though.

That unless someone going through mpb started a new treatment (fin, regaine, etc), he usually doesnt shed. In mpb the hair takes its time(just as long as it would usualy take), but when it does shed, it grows back thinner, and usualy after a gradual process stops growing.

Whereas in TE, there is alot of shedding all so quickly.

Do i have my facts right?

 

One more thing. Say this continues for a while and I do decide to take fin, does it help with diffuse thinning?

Thanks alot once again..

 

Originally posted by Mike Beehner, M.D.:

Biger Beter,

Your history certainly sounds like a "telogen effluvium" reaction, which is a relatively sudden shedding of hairs as a reaction to some stress factor that occurred 6-12 weeks prior to when you first noted the shedding. If it is still going on, there is a simple test called a "pull test" that you can actually do yourself. You just grab a large bunch of hairs and pinch them between your index finger and thumb and pull out on them. If you get 5 or more hairs or so, you have what we call a "positive" pull test and telogen effluvium is a good bet. The stress factor can be any one of several things: a new medication, a severe stress (usually divorce, loss of job, or significant death in family level of stress), some sort of "crash" diet, surgery or anesthesia (general anesthesia, that is), chemotherapy, or a severe illness (flu or pneumonia). While it may be helpful for completeness sake to check iron and thyroid levels, they are extremely rare as causes in a male patient your age.

Your photos are a little difficult to evaluate. The last front-on one doesn't look all that bad, whereas the first few do seem to indicate some significant miniaturization present.

Your best bet is an evaluation by a hair "expert" of some sort, whether it is a hair transplant surgeon or a dermatologist with a special interest in hair loss, who can do a magnified exam. If there is significant miniaturization, then hereditary male pattern hair loss is almost certainly the diagnosis, particularly if some of the male relatives on either side of your family have the same condition. If there is virtually no miniaturization, which would be the case with a pure telogen effluvium, then this would point toward this diagnosis and it should improve in several months, as long as the offending cause is still not going on. One final note: it certainly is possible to have BOTH going on, in which case you "jump forward" 4-5 years with what your hair loss level would have been at age 24, but you will end up with that at age 19.

The advice above is also sound, in that medication is the better approach at age 19 if hereditary male pattern baldness is present and not hair transplant surgery. Most docs wait till around age 22-24 before considering surgical treatment.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[HaiRisWhere]

I dont think i was under any severe stress which triggered my hairloss.Check out this thread http://hair-restoration-info.c...66060861/m/865101705

 

The active members on this forum told me that i was suffering from male pattern baldness.I didnt take blood tests.I didnt know which ones to take.I felt that there was something else amiss.Iam on fin and minoxidil for the past 2 months.It is still too early to say if i have grown new hairs but it has certainly reversed the miniaturisation to a large extent.As rpachigo said you'd be wasting your money going to a trichologist/dermatologist.All they would say is "you're losing your hair".But i would recommend you still get it examined once.

Originally posted by biger_beter:

Hey HaiRisWhere. Thanks for your reply

I have one uncle from my fathers side who is bald. The rest, also from my mothers side have a full head of thick hair. What are you currently taking? Thing is, my hairline is not receeding. Did you actually have any stress before noticing the hair loss?

Did you take any blood tests? Would you recommend that i see a trichologist or a dermetologist to have my hair tested before I get an accurate answer on if it is male pattern baldness?

Again thanks alot for your reply man..

 

Originally posted by HaiRisWhere:

biger_beter,

 

Any history of hairloss in your family?

I understand how it feels to loose hair at such an early age.I am 21, started thinning in the crown and hairline started receding some months back.I too thought it was stress related since there was absolutely no history of hairloss in my family.After getting on this forum i got convinced that i was indeed suffering from male pattern baldness.Get on the meds as soon possible.It works.I have noticed some thickening in the crown

[biger_beter]

Thing is i was under ALOT of stress due to issues with my x girlfriend. Anyway i'm going to get a hormone imbalanse test, and I think i'll see the derm. I've heard they can examine your scalp and tell if there is any miniaturisation. I'll take it from there, but I definitely will jump on fin and niz if this doesnt get better anytime soon.

Did you have diffuse thinning like I do?

I'm glad to hear that its working for you. Hopefuly your hair loss reverses man

Btw did you have a receeding hairline? Because mine didnt really receed. Hopefully thats a good sign..

Thanks for the reply bro

 

Originally posted by HaiRisWhere:

I dont think i was under any severe stress which triggered my hairloss.Check out this thread http://hair-restoration-info.c...66060861/m/865101705

 

The active members on this forum told me that i was suffering from male pattern baldness.I didnt take blood tests.I didnt know which ones to take.I felt that there was something else amiss.Iam on fin and minoxidil for the past 2 months.It is still too early to say if i have grown new hairs but it has certainly reversed the miniaturisation to a large extent.As rpachigo said you'd be wasting your money going to a trichologist/dermatologist.All they would say is "you're losing your hair".But i would recommend you still get it examined once.

Originally posted by biger_beter:

Hey HaiRisWhere. Thanks for your reply

I have one uncle from my fathers side who is bald. The rest, also from my mothers side have a full head of thick hair. What are you currently taking? Thing is, my hairline is not receeding. Did you actually have any stress before noticing the hair loss?

Did you take any blood tests? Would you recommend that i see a trichologist or a dermetologist to have my hair tested before I get an accurate answer on if it is male pattern baldness?

Again thanks alot for your reply man..

 

Originally posted by HaiRisWhere:

biger_beter,

 

Any history of hairloss in your family?

I understand how it feels to loose hair at such an early age.I am 21, started thinning in the crown and hairline started receding some months back.I too thought it was stress related since there was absolutely no history of hairloss in my family.After getting on this forum i got convinced that i was indeed suffering from male pattern baldness.Get on the meds as soon possible.It works.I have noticed some thickening in the crown

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

Biger-beter,

Your summary of what I said is pretty much right on. You're correct in saying that there is not a "sudden" shedding with male pattern baldness. Actually, the length of the growth phase ("anagen phase") does get a little shorter when the hairs start to miniaturize. As you probably already know, all of our hairs randomly (not all at once) fall off and get separated from the follicle every 4-5 years. If aone of your follicle/hair combinations is destined to be lost due to male pattern baldness, then each time it fall out and starts growing again, it is a little "wispier" in diameter and the maximum length it will grow to is shorter. Part of this limited length it can grow is because of the shortening of the growth cycle from what it normally is.

You made the right conclusion: You got on medications and you stated you were going to have an "expert" of some sort look your hair over under magnification. That's a good start. You asked about the relative value of finasteride compared to minoxidil or Nizoral shampoo. I would say the finasteride is at least 10 times more beneficial than the others in my opinion.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[Al - Moderator]

A hair pull test does not work and I will explain why. Take a shower and shampoo your hair twice like I do. Then dry it and comb it. Now do a hair pull test. You won't get any hairs because you already pulled all the loose ones out. They are all in the shower drain and in the sink. Now go to the Dr and he will not pull any (or very few) hairs because you just pulled all the loose ones out an hour ago. On the other hand, have a hair pull test done 12 hours after you shower and if you don't run your hands through your hair at all the entire day, the Dr. will get around 5 hairs. This will be the case whether you have aggressive MPB or if you are losing hair from stress or medication. So whatever he concludes has no bearing on what is actually happening to you because he is testing for 10 a second period during 6 months or more of hair fallout.

 

If you have aggressive hair loss, then the 4 to 5 years of growth phase does not apply either. You can go through several growth and fallout and miniaturization phases from thick strong hair with no sign of thinning to completely bald and no growth in 4 to 5 years time with aggressive MPB.

 

I had a hair pull test done and was told I was not losing my hair. The Dr. couldn't even pull one hair out when trying several areas and told me whatever problem or disease I had was gone because I wasn't losing any more hair and that it would grow back and I'd have a lot of hair for many years to come. I was obviously thinning at the time and was nearly totally bald within 2 years after that.

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

BeHappy,

You'll recall that when I described the usefulness of the "pull test," I wasn't talking about trying to diagnose male pattern baldness, even in its aggressive and progressive stage like you went through. I was talking about the middle of a telogen effluvium episode and was simply making the point that an experienced doctor, who tugs on a group of around 100 hairs and lightly pulls will often get a "positive" result of several hairs with this diagnosis. It is NOT a useful test for positively diagnosing hereditary male pattern hair loss. I will retract my suggestion to do your own "home-made" test, as the experience of a physician familiar with this is far superior.

Best wishes,

Mike Beehner, M.D.