So distressed. Did this man make me lose my hair?

[safefacespace]

I'm so distressed about my hair. This year, but particularly in the last 6 months or so my hair has drastically thinned to the extent there's almost nothing left!! I went to the trichologist after no products were working. She said I had generalised thinning and thought it may be a deficiency or I could be a coeliac.

I had the tests which came back normal although I messed up my coeliac test so hopefully I can do it again.

I got hair extensions at the end of July just before going away as my hair was getting so thin, I had three rows which gave me lovely thick hair. I went to get them replaced yesterday and I was could have cried!! I have next to no hair left! I go to a very reputable and expensive technician who promises me that the extensions do not damage my hair (LA Weave). She showed me that my scalp seems to have lots of hairs and no gaps but almost everything else is gone. If I was to plait it it would be the thickness of a thin carrot, if that.

I've had to make another dr appt and email the trichologist again in a panic. I've been racking my brains for why this is happening. I eat a healthy diet, take my vitamins, I'm still relatively young. I was looking back through my photos and saw that last November I had lovely hair, no problem.

I then realised that this coincides with a very traumatic incident that happened around that time, when a man pulled my hair to the absolute extreme. I thought all my hair was going to be ripped from my head it was so hard. It lasted for a few agonising seconds before it was stopped.

Ever since I have had very bad scalp sensitivity and find it hard to stand any sort of pressure on my hair now. I have to ask hairdressers to be gentle as when they wash my hair it is painful and I get very anxious.

I'd not connected the two things before and google isn't being helpful but I'm wondering now if it could be the reason for my hair loss. Best case scenario if it is then I have lost a lot of hair but I have healthy new growth which I will just need to wait for that to grow down. Or is it more likely to be health related? I'm so upset and worried.

Have you been tested for Thyroid disease OP? This can cause significant hair loss and is strongly associated with Celiac Disease (which is already on your GPs radar by the sound of things).

Extensions do put a lot pressure on the scalp. They can cause traction alopecia. In regards to your general hair thinning it sounds like androgenic alopecia OR severe iron deficiency. Have you been to the GP for a blood test? You can take an estrogen based birth control and use midoxill for androgen alopecia. Iron deficiency is obviously treated with iron tablets. What
vitamins do you take-are they formulated for hair growth with iron, zinc and biotin?

I was diagnosed with Telogen Effluvium and alopecia areata. For me the alopecia (a small patch) triggered the TE. Luckily for me I have loads and loads of hair so even when shedding a significant amount, no one else would've known.
Your incident with the hair pulling couldn't triggered the TE. I'm surprised you haven't been diagnosed, all it took for me was a referral to the dermatologist and she told me in 5 mins what it was.

Could've*!