Hair Loss distress? Help me avoid a comb-over please!

[HairLossDistress]

Have suffered hair loss at different stages of my life (early 20s stress at work/early 30s diagnosed as hormonal - basically same as male pattern baldness) but now mid-30s combined with post pregnancy hair loss/stunted regrowth it is at its worst. I know it may never get better (may bounce back a bit about 2 years after pregnancy said hairdresser but don't hold out too much hope) and after a lot of worrying about it I have started to accept it and focus on what I can do to make it look better.

Which is where avoiding a comb-over comes in!

Is there anyone out there in a similar boat? Any tips? Does Nourkrin actually work? GP prescribed Rogaine a few years back but I kind of think that if that stuff actually worked, why do I see so many bald men everywhere so gave up on using that!

Am looking for any ideas on volumising at the roots/disguising thin hair on the crown. Am off out to try and track down a Babyliss Big Hair 2775u this afternoon and have recently had it cut very blunt at shoulder level but would love to hear from anyone else who has been through this and how they've coped. Thanks in advance.

Just a thought - have you had your iron levels checked? My hair's always thin at this time of year and a blood test showed really low ferritin levels. Ive been on iron for 3 months and ive noticed a definite improvement with lots of new short hair growing in. Good luck HLD, its the most stressful thing. I havent tried the Babyliss Big Hair but its on ebay.

There is other stuff available in Boots and places that Cheryl thigummy who used to be in Bucks Fizz advertises. Viviscal?

I would go back to GP and ask for blood tests as LoneRanger suggests. There can be lots of reasons for hair loss including infection somewhere in the body. I was losing lots of hair a few years ago and went to GP. She helpfully said she would rather deal with a heart attack! But she did refer me to a dermatologist (I am in Hungary with private healthcare so you tend to get referred for anything) and the dermatologist took loads of bloods, sent me to gynae in case of gynae infection, sent me to dentist in case of an infection in a tooth. Turned out I had a urinary tract infection.

Thank you both - Will go back onto iron just in case (have never been anaemic and did have many blood tests during diagnosis but you never know and can't harm) and I might try Nourkrin (Cheryl Whatsit's stuff - though I saw her on another advert yesterday and was thinking hmmmm your hair ain't looking so fulsome) but I have been pretty much been decisively diagnosed by a consultant in Harley Street (GP made private referral) as suffering from male pattern baldness (pre-cursor of testosterone attacks hair follicles as if it is invading apparently eventually killing it off). Having psoriasis on my scalp doesn't help either - use betnovate for this but hate hate hate looking like I have dandruff or having flaky eyebrows (also get it in eyebrows and ears for some reason - nowhere else).

Very interesting about infections in the body Buda. Will think about this. Thank you both. Did you discover any good cosmetic tips/products to help you through?

I was fortunate it didnt get too bad although I did have my hair cut shorter which I think helped it to look less whispy. I became alarmed at the amount of hairloss when washing my hair daily and was immediately tested for anaemia. Luckily my iron levels were ok but the ferritin levels were virtually non existent. Im not sure what the difference is but the nurse at my doctors said that ferritin levels have to be quite high to trigger hair growth. In the 3 months on iron ive gone up from 4 to 40. I wish you lots of luck HLD, I really hope things improve for you very soon.

i had an attack of alopeica areata last year and the 3 pathces have all filled though the texture is very diffrent to the rest of my thick hair. I've had some extensions put in just above and below the patches and it looks much more balanced

Regaine - good for hormonal hairloss

Nourakin - combination of vitamins and minerals specifically for hair ( I'd look on back of packet first and see if you can buy the various vits seperately and therefore more cheaply )

If you can see the scalp, Nanogen fibres (pangea) are wonderful. They are coloured electrostaticly charged fibres that you sprinkle on to the thin areas at the scalp which make the scalp disappear and the hair look thicker. A type of hair makeup ( no medicianl value but totally harmless too ) They come in all hair colours.

Dermovate lotion or cream from the Dr could help, it helped when I had alopecia areata but now I have a more diffuse hair loss too (right at the ruddy front too grr) so not sure it will this time.

Sympathies.

Dermovate works on alopeacia as it is a steroid based medication. Alopecia areata ( patches of hairloss not general thinning ) is caused by the bodies immune system attacking the hair as a foreign body and getting rid of it - steroids , I believe, work as the sort of divert the bodies attention an also kick systems back into action so maybe not the best solution for OP.

general hairloss ( general thinning )

IRON, ZINC, FISH OILS and try to get an Anti-Anagen shampoo ( negates excessive hormones present on the scalp when hairloss caused by this )

HLD - I am in exactly the same position as you. I had pretty good hair in my 20s, in the early 30s noticed that it wasn't as great as before and it was no big deal. I then got pregnant and during my pregnancy my hair was great. Of course a few months after the birth of my child my hair started falling out, and since then it has been gradually thinning.

I also went to see a specialist in Harley Street. Probably the same one you saw !!!

At the moment my hair still looks ok if freshly washed, but you can see it looks thin. I think it another year or two it will be worse and I am not sure what I will do at that stage. I am still in my 30s and look pretty good otherwise (I think !!!) but the hair thing is really getting my down.

I work in a professional office environment and while my job involves me using my brain, rather anything to do with my looks, it is important to look reasonable, and I really think the day will come when I will need to get a wig.

If you need a good trichologist (hair specialist) don't bother schlepping up to harley Street as you will pay a much higher price for the same information you will get from a tricologist in your local area.

The Institute of Trichologists have a list of members on their website, and any of these will be fine

I also have hair loss. I am currently using Wellwomen Tricologic tabs and they are definatley making an improvement. My hair started to get a bit thin so I had extentions put in and these were ok. Then I lost 4 stones on lighter life diet, and then when I started to eat again my hair loss got very bad. I have a problem with my thyroid as well.
I went to a salon who specialises in hairloss and had a kc system fitted. This has given me a new lease of hair life and restored my confidence.

Whats a KC system?

I'm always really concerned about any 'system' sold to people. Anything permanently attached to your hair is going to eventually cause traction alopecia to the extent that you will be reliant on hair replacement of some kind for the rest of your life. Traction Alopecia is often irreversable.

Also salons who sell systems which only they can remove do this for their own gain, often charging quite high prices for reattachment every few weeks. You are a regular source of income to them.

Whenever you lose large amounts of weight/ have a baby it is not unusual to suffer telogen effluvium- a large shed of hair all at once. 6-12 months and it should recover itself.

Merrywidow - a trichologist is not a doctor and to be honest I think they are a waste of time. The person I saw was an actual doctor - a dermatologist who specialises in hair problems.

If you are interested and can tell you what I did. I have spent the past 6 months addressing this issue using various supplements ( NOT the ones specifically designed for hair loss) and additions to my diet, scalp massage etc. It HAS worked for me. My hair loss is back to a normal level. My hair is thinner than it was after all the loss and the new growth will take ages to grow down but handfuls are no longer coming out. There are no super quick solutions but a change of diet and appropriate supplements can really make as difference

Have you seen this in the DM today?

I'm sorry Daydreaming, but I am a trichologist, and I can't tell you how many times I have seen patients who have been misdiagnosed by their doctor. GPs receive no training in hair. We are specialists in our field, just like say a chiropodist. As Merrywidow says, the website for the Institute of Trichologists provides a list of all qualified trichologists.