To ask about your hair loss?

[thefamilyupstairs]

Dd18 has lost a lot of hair in the last 2 years. She doesn't want me to post a picture, but a birds eye view makes her look closer to 80 😢. It's extremely thin in particular areas and her scalp is very visible. We've been to GP numerous times and all tests have come back normal. She takes multivitamins. She was referred to a dermatologist but there's about a 2 year wait. I'm thinking to take her to a trichologist.
Just asking if anyone ever got a diagnosis and if they found a solution?

Is it alopecia? There is a good facebook group for women with alopecia hair loss which might be more helpful for you

I had alopecia as a teen. There are some very good fb groups. Other than paying for private you may have to wait to see dermatology. I'm so sorry this is happening to your dd

Take her to a private trichologist and get minoxidil. You can get lower concentrations on the NHS but for severe hair loss you need the 5% or 8% concentration which can only be got privately. It works - I've used it for over 20 years - I was about the same age as your daughter when started and hair was very thin. It's distressing for young people. You wouldn't know there was anything wrong with my hair now.

If you are in London, go to the Belgravia Clinic - they have clinics near Victoria and Liverpool Street stations. If not in London, ring around and ask specifically about the minoxidil concentrations as I outlined above.

Hair will grow back with monoxidil as long as the follicles are still alive. Over time they die which is why you shouldn't wait too long. But even if some of her follicles are dead, you can at least prevent further hair loss with the treatment.

All the best.

Ah that must be tough. Is it worth seeing the gp and ruling out medical issues.
Dr Berg on utube has looked at hair loss and given reasons why it maybe occurring. May be worth looking at. B

Has she had Covid? I had hair loss after Covid and it's been a year and only just starting to get better. I started taking high strength biotin and using Champo shampoo, conditioner and growth serum.
What is particularly frustrating about hair loss is that it's made worse by stress and of course you are going to be stressed if you start losing hair.
I hope you get answers soon, I really feel for her.

I was diagnosed with female pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) at 21. I'd thought I was too young for it to be that, but apparently not. Was shedding hundreds and hundreds of hairs every time I brushed, and would lose loads just running my fingers through my hair.

GP did tests and they all came back normal. I was referred to a dermatologist who did more bloods and advised me to try that caffeine shampoo (the one with the annoying woman whispering that it's for over 40s on the ad). It didn't make a difference. She diagnosed and discharged me at my follow up appointment, told me there's nothing they can do, it's just bad genes 😕 If there's nothing obviously wrong with your bloods they don't seem really bothered, unfortunately.

Has your daughter been stressed recently? Anything that would be traumatic or a shock to the body, an accident, surgery, periods of not eating well or anything like that? Telogen effluvium is a hair loss condition that causes heavy shedding that can trigger up to 3 months after a traumatic event (eg postpartum hair loss is telogen effluvium). With TE the loss isn't permanent, but it can take a while to sort itself. They say it usually take 3-6 months to stop but it has been known to take a few years.

I wish your DD all the best. It's a really horrible thing to go through, especially at a young age and people really underestimate how badly it affects you.

@potniatheron you can buy 5% minoxidil, It works out at £12.00 per month. Private hair clinics will often try to sell their own brand at a massive cost. This is what Phillip Kingsley does.

@potniatheron sorry meant to add you can buy at Boots.

Has she got PCOS? That can contribute towards hair loss.

I've had very bad hair loss for a month, first time that's not been post partum thyroid issues. Probably menopause related but I'm taking iron supplements. Def check thryrpod first if she can get an appointment...

Thank you for the replies everyone. All bloods have come back normal, waiting list for dermatologist is 2 years. I'll most likely get a private appointment in the hope that something can be done. @dottyshihtzu she was quite stressed about her A levels, but that's behind her now. My worst fear is that they say its just genetic and nothing can be done.

I have hair loss, female pattern, the only thing I think can have triggered it is having low iron. One of the doctors along the way told me that although my iron levels were in range, I should get them much higher. I believe it and I take iron every day, its horrible on my stomach but wfh due to pandemic means I do it more consistently and I think it helps. I can tell when my iron starts getting low as my sleep becomes restless and within a week of taking iron pills it improves. So i think iron is magic.
Even if your daughter has normal bloods I'd consider additional iron...over the counter sort. Check with doc but it won't hurt

@BigWhiteRabbit although her iron/ferritin levels were normal, she takes a multivitamin and iron supplement everyday. I read somewhere that the range for 'normal' iron in UK is much lower than in other countries, so I thought it couldn't hurt for her to take a bit extra.

I get sudden hair loss when I eat too restrictive calories, perhaps it could be diet related? Anything under 1200 triggers it for me and it seems to be commonly reported for some people with keto and intermittent fasting.

Yeah, GP blood tests don't really pick up levels accurately enough. You need to understand what's going on first before treating it otherwise you could be addressing the wrong thing. Look at Nadine Baggott and Jo Jones recent posts on Instagram. They went to see a Philip Kingsley trichologist.

Important to find the underlying cause, but in the meantime Regaine might help - it’s completely reversed my stress hair loss.

I could have written this post. My Dd was diagnosed with female pattern hair loss at 17. We were able to see a private dermatologist and she was prescribed Oral minoxidil and spironolactone but in all honesty we haven’t seen a great improvement although maybe the hair loss has at least not got worse. I sometimes feel as a mum I worry more and my Dd is fairly accepting of the situation but is also perhaps in denial?

Please look into using Revela (a topical). It’s helped me grow back my edges after years of hair loss for various medical reasons.

Hopefully the GP checked for polycystic ovaries. It's a poor name for the condition, because essentially it's hormonal, and the result of that may or may not include a symptom of cysts on the ovaries.

PCOS caused my hair loss from my early twenties. I didn't present with the more obvious sign of PCOS - excess hair - but did have acne. With medical help (prescription anti-androgens), I kept my scalp hair ticking along. for many years.

All the best for you and your DD .