Anyone else had experience of hair beginning to thin and fall out?

[MeanBean]

I'm worried I'm going to end up bald at this rate! Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this might be happening? (I'm not menopausal by the way - I know this sometimes happens then, but it's way too early for that - I hope.)

Have you recently had a baby?

That happened after both of my babies and also when my thyroid was over active.

No - not for two years!

I'm 38 and I do use hair-dye, but only the semi-permanent stuff (no peroxide).

This can also be caused by stress or lack of iron.

Could be thyroid. Very typical symptom. Or low iron. Get a blood test from your GP.

Hi Meanbean..

I had a similiar problem. I am only 22 so I was as concerned as you!
Have had appointments doctors and also consultants at the local hospital and they have put it down to low iron supply and slight alopecia due to stress! so am now taking iron and it seems to be working.
As others have suggested I would go for the doctors.
She/He will almost certainley get you a blood test and check out your thyroid etc and will probably refer you to a consultant. It should take about three months depending on waiting lists.
My best advice is to go to the doctor..make sure you have regular trims at the hairdressers as split ends don't help and also to not use any harsh products on your hair and try to not use hairdryers/straighteners.

Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you need any more infor,

Jules x

Hi Meanbean. I'm having exactly this problem at the moment (I'm v nearly 40). Do you have any other symptoms - unexplained weight gain, facial hair, acne etc? As they may well test for PCOS even though you've had children, also thyroid is a strong possibility. Have you changed pills recently?
Stress can be a major factor too. I've had a million tests with an endocrinologist, and mine has been put down to too much "free testosterone circulation" (while people picture me as a Rumaniam shot-putter now!)so if the thyroid etc tests don't come up with anything, push to be referred to an endocrinologist. I hope you get it sorted soon - I know how distressing it is.

I've had this problem a few times, the worst being well before I ever had children. Each time taking a good multivitamin and mineral supplement has helped enormously. I could see that I was loosing less hair within a fortnight (looking at the hairbrush, pillow, shoulders of clothes, etc). It takes a couple of years for the hair to regain its thickness - only grows at about 1-1.5cm a month after all - so it can be encouraging to cut your hair short if it's long, as the thinning and subsequent regrowth are less noticeable that way. I went from elbow-length to chin-length bob! And looked and felt much better.

Thanks for all the help. What's an endocrinologist and what's PCOS? I don't think it's stress, as I've probably got the most stress-free life ever, wondered if it was the hair dye. But I think I will see a doctor - and maybe a hairdresser!

I've had this problem for a while now, but only with my eyebrows, which have been completely gone now for over a year! No sign of regrowth apart from the odd straggler. The GP tested for thyroid problems or anaemia, but found nothing.

It could be your hair dye maybe, but definitely worth a visit to your GP.

PCOS = polycystic ovary syndrome (sp?) I think.

I have alopecia owing to PCOS. As far as I understand it this kind of 'PCOS' hairloss is usually male pattern baldness ie: you lose it on top and at the front.

If PCOS is diagnosed your doctor might prescribe a pill such as Dianette to help with your symptoms. Also, I do think it's well worth following the advice re vitamins and iron - can't do any harm and may do a lot of good.

If your GP isn't supportive get another one -I first visited a GP in my mid twenties re my hairloss and he was uninterested. If positive action had been taken sooner then I would have a better head of hair now.

Good luck - I understand just how distressing losing your hair can be and, as people tend to be very secretive about it, it can feel like a very lonely experience.

Mojo

poor you.

My hair fell out last summer after I stopped breastfeeding.

I was mortified as I've always been quite proud of my hair.

It went all wispy and manky - it feel out at the back, so fortunately I did not look like friar tuck.

Was back to full strength within six months - I took lots of vits, held off the bleach and gave it lots of treatments.

Hair loss after pg is normal - I knew this but it still pissed me off.

Have you spoken to a hairdresser about it? I know this sounds nuts but a good hairdresser will know more about hair than the GP.