Will a GP be able to do anything about thinning hair?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I am mid 30s. My hair has thinned massively over the last year. I now have a stupidly wide parting due to the hair loss, and significant patches where my scalp is visible through the top (now v thin) layer of hair.

I dont want to go see the gp if theres a chance they will fob me off. It will be so disheartening to be told "theres nothing we can do, live with it".

Has anyone had this and successfully received treatment which has worked?

I've always had incredibly thick hair. It's very upsetting.

Thanks yddraigoldragon I will look cushings

No, I don’t relate to the cushings symptoms but thanks for telling me

Are you on the pill or any other hormonal contraception? Have you stopped the pill?

Taking the pill/hormonal contraception for years can cause hair loss and so can stopping it.

Are you on any other medication or have you stopped taking any? Likewise taking other medications or stopping them can cause it.

It could also simply be a vitamin D deficiency or vitamin B12/folate deficiencies. However you haven't been tested for those.

You may have to test them privately. It's only worth doing a test if you notice more symptoms than just weight gain.

So noticed anything about your skin anywhere? Nails? Joints? Level of tiredness? Pain levels?

I stopped taking hormonal contraceptives in 2010 and have not resumed. I dont take any medication aside from the odd painkiller if I get a bad headache that cant be otherwise shifted.

I will look into vitamin deficiency testing. I'm generally well, just what I would consider side effects of age/weight gain eg a little achey in the ankles.

Hi op,
I have terrible thinning hair and my doctor just shrugged his shoulders and was dismissive. There’s lots of support groups on Facebook. I use a root cover spray from Home Bargains and it helps disguise the baldness. Good luck. It’s crap having hair loss. Xx

OP have any of the women in your family, that you are blood related to, had issues with hair loss for any reason especially around the same age as you are now?

Worth asking them as it could be genetic.

You might need a referral to a specialist.
GPs can only do so much. The main thing with female pattern baldness is that you must catch it early and don't let it worsen.
It might be better to pay the money and get some private care and more targeted help.

@WhatMattersMost

It could be thyroid, it could be hormonal. Either way, you'll almost certainly need a blood test to rule various things out and to check your levels, e.g. Iron, Ferritin, Oestrogen, Zinc, B12, D3.

As above. D3 deficiency really does have an impact but once treated hair recovers well.

It could also be stress, I know we're used to it now but the pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. Hair goes through a 3 month cycle so often the stress which triggers hair loss occurs 3m before the hair sheds...With this timeline can you pinpoint anything that happened a couple of months before it started to thin?

All is not lost - good luck with the gp

My ferritin was the same as yours when my GP did bloods for hair loss and thinning and brittleness . She referred me to a dermatologist who said 35 is ok as far as anaemia is concerned but not high enough to maintain hair growth and health. My vitamin D was also low. She put me on ferrous fumerate, vitamin D and minodoxil drops (which I decided not to use as I have such sensitive skin). It took about a year for the shedding to calm down and over 18 months for it to look a bit thicker.

Last year I stopped hrt And the shedding was dreadful. I’ve gone back on it and it’s stopped now. There’s definitely a hormonal and stress link in my case. I’ve found olaplex 0&3 helps condition and strength. If I pull out a strand of hair I can now see it whereas before it was so thin it was almost invisible.