My hair is thinning at the temples!

[TheChamomileLawn]

I've sort of suspected this since my son was born about 2 years ago, but it's getting more and more obvious. It always grew quite far back at the temples, but looked fine if I had my hair tied back with no fringe in the past. I would not be able to wear it like that now.
The dr has sent off some blood for hormone checks, but is there anything else I can do?
Has anyone else experienced this? I've got to go out now, but would be so grateful for any help, thanks in advance.

Hi,

Ive had the exact same thing happen with my hair! I had DD1 4.5 years ago and i noticed after i had her that my hair had really thinned on one side at my temple and i was really worried, went to GP and had blood tests but they came back normal. Now after DD2 it is really thin and if i part the hairs that are still there, there is smooth skin so an actual bald patch...eeek. The other side at the temple is also thinner but not as bad. I often wear my hair back and have no fringe but luckily the strands that are still there brush back and cover the patch (it is only the size of a 20p coin) I also have hair missing from my hair line right at the front of my head, One side is worse than the other, since having the DC.

I started taking the hair skin and nails vitamins from boots and noticed new hair growing along my hairline at the front but not the bald patch :(

So no advice im afraid, im just hoping mine doesn't get worse!

Hi neverenough, thanks for replying. Can I be really cheeky and ask if you have a copper coil fitted? Been reading that it can cause hair loss. Think I'll get some of the skin hair nails things too.

My hair went thin after having the dcs, I also have an under-active thyroid so hormones definitely played a part. Got so thin at the front was contemplating the wearing of hats and headscarves. Hair came back gradually, after about 6m but I also took supplements of iron, zinc, vitamin B6 & 12, vitamin E & evening primrose.

Thanks Dinah, think it's been thinning for maybe a couple of years now, but now it's definitely noticeable. I'll take a trip to holland and barrett tomorrow! Is yours back to normal now?

Nope, still coming out in the shower (dc3 is 16 weeks) but the hairdresser says she can see new growth, although I can't. Have had it cut shorter to stop it looking so thin and am now quite skilled at getting it to look voluminous! No idea if the supplements actually helped last time but advice was to take them for at least 3m before seeing an impact and that was the timescale where I started to see my hair going back to normal. Have just started taking them again, as they do help with other aspects of my health anyway.

Amyway sorry to go on about my hair, have you had any advice?

Not really had any advice, I've got to wait another week for my blood test results. My hair is pretty short now so don't think anyone can tell when my hair's dry. It does look a bit like how a man's hair would recede which is why the gp is testing my hormones. I don't feel like I'm turning into a bloke though
Thanks for sharing your hair woes.

Just bumping the in case anyone's got a miracle cure.

Or if anyone with a copper coil has had the same thing.

Just cheekily bumping again

No direct personal experience, but I have read that too much copper can be toxic, in fact my ds was tested (via hair sample funny enough for non-hair problems) and was found Zn deficient and too high in copper. Then we started supplementing Zn,B vits etc and his various enzymes have started sorting themselves up (in his case it was liver enzymes showing too much copper).
Theoretically, copper could leach from copper coil, hard to say how much is too much. In my ds case, it wasn't copper coil obviously , but I think he wasn't absorbing Zn in his pre-gluten free days.

Zn will push any excess copper out, as they need to be in balance, so Zn supplement (and the rest as per Dinah) is the right way to go, although maybe not so much iron as it can interfere with Zn absorption. Zn is included in hair & nails supplements.

thanks nightcat, planning a trip to holland and barrett tomorrow. Also might get the coil removed as I now have no use for it
Where was your ds tested for copper? Hope he's ok now.

hi CL, liver enzymes at GP, but the hair test was done privately at Foresight lab in Sussex(by post), another place for that is Biolab in London.

We did that as we wanted least invasive method and it confirmed copper was way too high in relation to Zn.
BTW I always ask for copies of tests from GP so I can digest them at leisure and sometimes there are clues in borderline results or ratios.

I don't think you can ask for blood test for copper as such, but it can be worked out from enzymes.

My ds had malabsorption as he is affected by gluten, it's been a challenge but remarkable improvement. I still give him occasional vit as per Dinah, except for iron.

Same thing here. Hairdresser recommended some pills by Kerstase, I think, supposedly they are mazing, but you can't take them while bf. So dh got me some hair skin nals pills from boots- but they are not the boots ones as he couldn't find them - they are called perfectil. I've been taking them for 2 weeks now and I swear I have less hair coming out in the shower and they seem shinier and less dry. Good thing to do is also to use good conditioners if you have brittle, dry hair as that will help with the breakage- not with falling out, though, obv.

thanks nightcat, interesting....

Thanks winnybella, got some supplements today, so here's hoping!