Female hair loss - please help

[Toooldtopretend]

Posting this in the menopause section as I assume it’s age related…

I’m 48 and really struggling with hair loss. I’ve had blood tests that showed a vitamin D deficiency and so I’ve been on high dose supplements. These seem to have helped but I still have hair loss at my hairline. I already had a high hairline anyway so this is really affecting my confidence. I’ve used Plantur shampoo, again it seems to help generally but not with the hairline.

Ive been reading about hair transplant surgery this morning and would love to hear from anyone who has explored/taken this option. I’d definitely go for it if I knew it would work but am suspicious of claims and people preying on people’s insecurities. Any insight or advice? Thank you!

I think to say “ stop flapping” is unnecessary and unkind, which I’m sure wouldn’t be your intention when putting time into a lengthy reply. It is a very upsetting issue which can’t be minimised though.

I’ve poster on here before about my very distressing hair loss. I’m 46 and have been shedding far too much for three years, previously thick hair is now very thin and lank. Find hair all over the house all the time.

anyway I have tried all the different supplements and expensive shampoos over the last three years, none have done anything. However I’ve has a bit of a breakthrough with pumpkin seed oil (capsules), taking three a day for the last month. I noticed a decrease in shedding within about 5 days. After a month I think I can see the very beginning of new hair growing in that hopefully won’t fall out. I just am using the most basic stuff on Amazon, a month’s supply is £8. It’s a natural DHT blocker and DHT is a leading cause of hair loss during menopause. Do give it a try.

I had this - I've been taking a very low dose of oral minoxidil for 3 years now and I have never had such thick, long hair- it's literally given me my hair back (no side effects either). It used to be wispy, thin and ratty- my ponytail would be the size of a 5 pence piece. I have AGA which is basically like male pattern baldness where you get diffuse thinning on the crown and at the temples. It really affected my mental health. I get my prescription/got a consultation from the London hair and skin clinic in Holborn. I hate that I had to go private for it but sadly, the NHS doesnt consider hair loss to be a medical need and for me, the cost was worth the effects it was having on my mental health.

By "flapping", I meant you are panicking and looking for instant and drastic solutions when it may be easier, cheaper and more sustainable to deal with the causes of your hair loss.

Was that your actual take-away from the lengthy post I wrote? There's years of personal experience in that post, as well as the minutes of time it took to get it all down in a way that relates to your own situation.

Just wanted to suggest that you get yourself checked for under active thyroid. Hair loss/thinning hair can be a symptom, and under active thyroid is usually seen in association with low Vitamin D and ferritin (as well as low B12 and folate).

I had massive loss due to food poisoning, about 3 months after I had it my hair started falling out. Apparently 3 months later is the exact timing for hair loss after a fever, flu, stuff like that
i I had a 40c temp for 7 days and lost 17lbs
The loss slowed but not totally, so I went to the GP. Turns out my iron saturation is 14% when it should be 25-50 and my folate is a bit low too
this is the first huge loss I had in January and my loss tonight so you can see how much it’s improved

I’ve had thinning hair from AGA since my 20s. I wore hair toppers for a few years but unfortunately they caused traction alopecia and I deeply regret having used them. However, I was desperate as my crown nd front hairline was thinning at a rapid rate to the point that by my mid 40s even scalp cover up couldn’t help which is when I used hair toppers. In 2018, I decided to try Viviscal supplements. I was at an all time low and decoded to just give it a go. Within 3 months I saw the tiny tiny beginnings of growth and so kept up with it. Now 7 years later, that area has significantly thickened up. It’s surpassed my extremely low expectations. Yes you can still see scalp but I can comfortably cover it up with those hair fibres or powder cover up. It quite literally changed my life. Hope this helps someone 💚

I appreciate what you are saying and suppose my original question about hair transplants could be seen as flapping but this is making me very anxious. I’ve always been envious of thick hair and self conscious of my high hairline so this is knocking my confidence even more. Unfortunately I have a cow lick so multiple hairdressers have told me that a fringe won’t work - would love a Taylor Swift perfect fri fe to hide my fod!

I’m happy to take more supplements but guess I’m a little concerned about how many/which ones - the big issue being that it takes so long to see any results that you never really know what has worked (if anything!). As mentioned in an earlier post, the problem with any hair growth is that it’s takes so long and im very impatient (and very self conscious).

Hair loss is a symptom, surely? Can you ask for a blood test?

I had a lot of hair loss in peri menopause. More all over thinning. I found it extremely stressful, but it did stop.

OP- please dont spend your money on anything else until you've got to the bottom of the cause. Vitamins are utterly pointless if there is an underlying cause that hasnt been addressed. I must have spent thousands of pounds over the years on various vitamins/supplements that did absolutely nothing for me- I was just flailing around in the dark hoping something would work. It wasn't until I got a proper diagnosis that I managed to take control of it.

The things you need tested are:

1. Thyroid. Underactive thyroid can cause brittle, thinning, dry hair
2. Iron- you've mentioned this- you need a level between 50 and 100 for decent growth
3. Hormone balance - if you are estrogen dominant or have an imbalance which is common in peri for example, this can cause hair to thin
4. Vitamin deficiencies - you've mentioned D I think but also get B checked too.

If none of those reveal anything major then you need to see a dermatologist who diagnoses hair conditions (like mine- AGA). There is no specific blood test for AGA but they can usually tell from the pattern of the hairloss. Eg AGA causes a male pattern type hair loss and as mentioned is caused by androgenentic factors such as DHT build up which can cause hair to miniaturise over time. There is also telogen effluvium which causes hair thinning all over the head and can be caused by stress/illness/iron deficiency etc - that usually causes your ponytail to gradually become thinner and thinner but its a general all over thinning rather than on the crown or the frontal sides.

Then there is Alopecia which can cause small round bald patches on the head - this doesnt sound like what you have. Really recommend you see someone to properly diagnose you so that you can target treatment to the actual cause. I suspect you may have AGA from the way you've described your hair loss but definitely get a professional opinion.

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is a form of alopecia which affects only the front hairline, and not round patches.

Ferrous sulphate from chemist. Low iron linked to hair loss. Needs to be over 50/70 level wise.

@Toooldtopretendhow are you getting on? Did you manage to find a topper that worked well for you?

Coming back here after some time to share what I ended up doing. After months of trying supplements and topical treatments with no visible improvement along my hairline, I went to Hairtec Haarkliniek(^https://hairtec.nl/^) in the Netherlands for a consultation. They clearly explained the DHI versus FUE options, and I chose a small DHI procedure on the frontal area. The recovery was smooth, with no marks, and after six months I started seeing new hairs growing that have actually stayed.

Thanks for the update @JonSnow12 - do you have FFA?