Anyone got quite significant hair loss (female)?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

It started about 3 years ago and about a year ago I was diagnosed with female pattern baldness. Bloodwork was fine. No solution.

I'm now a year on and it's significantly worse. I'm mid thirties and don't quite know what to do. I feel like there should be a reason for it and a possible medical solution.

I don't even know how to do my hair to maxomize coverage. I'm conscious of doing anything in public that may display it (eg swimming, wearing hair down on a night out etc).

Doctors only solution is a specific shampoo which (is crazy expensive) has to be used every single day for the rest of my life.

My life is likely to last this long again, so it doesn't feel like a suitable solution.

Would a full hormone check indicate any reason/possible treatment?

If you have this, what do you do? How do you wear your hair?

Bump

I have this too :( similar age and likewise the doctor hasnt been much use.
I'm honestly tempted to shave it off what little I have left as its so bad and just be done with it, I've been doing basically a trump style combover 😱 and lots of hats.
I've tried supplements, the shampoos, nothing has worked for me so far.

I was considering just buying a load of cloths to wrap my head in. I just don't understand why there is no fix. We put a man on the moon fgs but we can't help women who are going bald.

If you join the alopecia UK facebook group you will find loads of women with female pattern hair loss and find more ways of managing it.

Make sure you are screened properly for Celiac disease. My middle child has it and I an old friend of mine who had hair loss starting in her 20s discovered she had it when her first child was diagnosed with Celiac when he had failure to thrive as a toddler. Celiac can prevent the absorption of nutrients and symptoms can include unexplained hair loss. Celiac is also seriously under diagnosed. Like my friend who wasn't diagnosed for more than a decade. (You can also lose hair about 3-6 months after sudden weight loss).
www.imaware.health/blog/celiac-disease-and-hair-loss

A UK helpline isitcoeliacdisease.org.uk/

Can I just request this through my gp? I also read that Cushings can cause hair loss, and I do have a couple of indicators of that.

It could just be genes - my paternal grandmother and aunt had/have very thin hair/balding, and my hair is definitely from that side of the family. However, it's interesting to read of the coaeliac link, because that's also in that side of the family.

So sorry to hear this. Lots of women in this position in my thyroid groups. Have a search & see if you tick any more boxes for hypothyroidism.

Thyroid testing in the UK is ABOMINABLE! 😡So many women dragging themselves around because their GP's say all their tests are 'fine'.

If you need more advice & guidance on how to get tested & treated so that your body actually functions as it should, then join this knowledgeable friendly group 👇🏻

healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk

If all your bloods are fine it is unlikely that you have coeliac disease. (You would be iron and/or calcium deficient.)
This does not mean that you have to tolerate this. Ask for a referral to a dermatologist who specializes in scalp problems. I had some biopsies taken and also had to keep daily brush contents and all other fallen hairs (even the ones in the shower - ew!) in separate bags for ten days. They were counted and averaged and the part of my hair cycle where everything went to crap was assessed. I was diagnosed with FPB and telogen effluvium and prescribed oral minoxidil and spironolactone. While my hair is not like it used to be, it doesn’t look abnormal anymore.

Did it go from thick to thin?

I used to have such thick hair that if I washed it in the morning, it would still be damp underneath at the end of the day

Now, only 3 years later, its completely bone dry within 30 mins.

I lost an inch of fringe in my early 40’s. GP just told me to take iron. I’ve no diagnosis and it’s never grown back, I just style my hair forward.

Are you peri menopause age OP ?

I'm 37 so probably a little early generally, but my mother went through the menopause in her early 40s.

Celiac is notoriously hard to diagnose. I would talk to the Celiac helpline in your country.

So not early if your dM went through it in her early 40’s. It’s a possibility.

liver issues can affect hair, would it be worth looking into this? e.g. fatty liver

I’m having regular blood tests currently and an underactive thyroid reading turned up.
My hair had been thinning and a low daily dose of Levothyroxine has reversed that completely - I even have those baby hairs regrowing along my hairline.
If you have any other symptoms do push for testing. (I had quite a few but I’d never considered them to be symptoms, just put it down to aging!)
www.nhs.uk/conditions/underactive-thyroid-hypothyroidism/symptoms/

It is tough isn't it because the medical professional does not really have much to offer once blood tests have ruled out any specific conditions. Psychologically the impact is huge though.

I started losing my hair at puberty (around 14). I think a combination of genetic factors and because I had endometriosis and adenomyosis and was often anemic because of heavy periods.

One thing that helped slightly improve things (people have commented that my hair looked better) was to take regular vitamins that support hair and skin. Nothing special or too expensive, just something I got from a regular health shop. I also use minoxidil (which you can get from high street places like Boots with no prescription and there is a version aimed at women specifically).

Beyond that I use hats and scarfs as well and keep my hair in a short bob. It is probably still visible to other people but as I have grown older I have stopped caring so much.

The female-targeted minoxidil is a great example of “Pink Tax”. Doctors usually suggest that women skip it and use the male one instead as it’s stronger.

Following, my similar aged sister is going through the same and she's stressed beyond belief about it 😣
She's had the blood tests and they have come back ok.

I lost patches of hair after having both of children. The patches were the size of 50 pence pieces. I had several patches but the most visible were in my hairline. Hormones can have a huge impact on hair loss. My mum has lost a lot and had texture change with menopause. I also suffer hair oss with stress. I usually lose hair from the front and middle of my hairline. It's very visible. I wear thick hair bands and scarfs.

I think NHS doctors literally don’t have enough time allocated to them to really consider the wider ramifications of hair loss for women. (It affects self-esteem, can impact work situations, etc…) It is not considered “medical” ergo, is not with further investigation if the bloods come back normal. Don’t accept that as a final answer. Ask for further investigation.

I’m sorry you’re going through this OP. I can’t help with any medical suggestions, but for some reason on my Instagram page, things keep coming up for ‘toppers’ which are a type of wig that goes over your existing hair so not as thick or heavy as a normal wig. I’m not sure if you’re interested in solutions like this, so forgive me if that suggestion is inappropriate, but I just thought I’d mentioned it as they look really good. I’ve since learned that somebody I know where is one and I would never have guessed.

I'd definetly be interested in something like that - even just for bigger social occasions.