hair loss.....

[Seashell70]

Can anyone help me with practical suggestions for thinning hair?

I'm thinning on top and at the front and see that people are now noticing it which I'm upset about.

Are there any specific vitamins or diet related things I should be doing? I am trying to lose weight (not successfully) and realise I've probably done some harm to my hair via dieting.

Thanks

I use a hair topper to cover up the thinner areas at the front of my hair. I love it it has given me back my confidence and everyone compliments me on my hair which I have never had before :)

There are lots available to buy (harder in the UK but loads in USA online) and can be made of synthetic or real hair. They are basically a small hair piece which you just clip on top of your head and they integrate with the rest of your hair.

I have the Easipart topper which is has a very similar density to my own hair and my hairdresser cut a fringe in and trimmed it and its fab :)

I love it so much I am now saving for a bespoke human hair one which will hopefully be almost the same density/hair type as my own hair and last longer.

PS There are loads of hair topper advice on YouTube and I too would recommend looking at the blog 'Corner of Hope and Mane'.

OP, have you ever thought about covering your hair? I've just had a look at the Suburban Turban website and I have to be honest, I'm really tempted to order one so that some days I can just choose not to bother with all the faffing about needed to hide my hair loss...

Major, how do you attach a topper?

Hi can I join your thread? I've had the year from hell (major bereavement followed by a horrible illness) and I've noticed my hair is thinning, especially at one side. If I was to increase my own iron/ferritin levels can I but something over the counter? Normal iron tablets make me horribly constipated.

I've heard people talk about Spatone, but haven't tried it myself.

I tried some Toppik today. I think it helps a bit. I wonder if I'm not doing it properly?

I had a hair loss experience in June of last year - my hair was falling out everywhere, it would shed in the shower after washing, then after the rinsing, then again when combing it through. I did go to my GP who wasn't particularly sympathetic, saying it's age related/menopause etc etc! I did have a blood test done, the results came back and the GP said they were all fine and nothing was wrong!

However, I knew something was wrong with my hair and went to see a trichologist, and took the blood test results with me. She explained that my ferritin level was low (42) and said that for normal hair growth it should be upwards of 70. She seemed to think that the cause was probably a recent illness - I'd had the flu 2 months earlier which took around 6 weeks to recover from!

She gave me Florisene, 3 tablets a day. Generally they shouldn't cause any side effects, I did have some slight nausea the first week of taking the pills, but that disappeared completely. The hair loss has stopped! I am due for a blood test to check my ferritin levels now, and if the levels are ok, can probably reduce the tablets down to 1/2 a day. The cost is £16.95 for a box of 90 tablets, you can buy them from Amazon, but I'd advise seeing a trichologist and buying them from him/her.

I think I've found the source of my hair thinning. I inject with Clexane every night (I can't take warfarin) and hair loss is a side effect. Candy I'll have a look on Amazon for those as I'll be on those bloody injections for life.

I think I've decided that I want to cover my hair some days, just to get a break from fretting about how it looks. I wore a very wide headband to work today and I felt an awful lot more confident than usual. I feel really sad about it, though .

On a more positive note it's only an 8 week weight for the dermatologist, and they made contact this week so I should have an appointment soon.

Has anyone had any problems with skin from Minoxidil use?

Definitely get a print out or ask GP for exact ferritin level on blood test. I was referred to a dermatologist for the same problem. My ferritin was 35 (which is normal in terms of anaemia) but the dermatologist said level needs to be 70+ for hair growth and health). She put me on 120mg ferrous fumerate twice a day along with 1000 mg Vit D twice a day. It took 18 months to notice an improvement but it stopped shedding and the hairs felt slightly thicker. 3 years on it's doing ok. Doesn't shed and while it always has been and always will be fine and thin, it's the best its looked for years. It's such a distressing thing. Some days I wore a head covering just because I couldn't handle fighting with the damn stuff to look acceptable (to me). I'm from a religion where devout women are supposed to cover their heads, so even though I'm an atheist, I wore a scarf in a 'religion appropriate' style sometimes.

I was also prescribed Minodoxil drops but because I have very sensitive, eczema prone skin, especially on my scalp, I didn't dare use it.) For a lot of women it does help I've heard but only for as long as you keep on using it I believe.

Ferrous Fumerate, Vit D and getting my hair cut short (yy to fringe), were the things that really improved the situation in my case. Hope your GP will put you on supplements and/or refer you to dermatologist/trichologist.

Forgot to say my Vit D levels were low (which is very common in the UK as not enough sun to absorb enough through skin)