Help thinning hair!!

[coffeecake]

Hi I was wondering if anyone experienced this before, my hair seems to get really thin and fine, when I look at old pictures of myself my forehead looks a bit smaller too, and it looks thinner at the fringe area and hair line.

I'm really really anxious about it, my husband doesn't seem to think it looks any different but I don't think he's looking properly, he just thinks it's anxiety.

Also luckily I have (or used to have) lots of hair so it might not be obvious to other people yet.

I've had 3 weeks of hell worrying about it and looking at other women's hairlines and old pics of myself, it's a nightmare.

Plus I'm losing sleep over it which does not help matters.

I'm only 36 but I am wondering if it may be the perimenopause, as I have also noticed lately that my boobs are facing south and my bum too although that could be caused by recent weight loss (just a few kilos which I don't seem to be able to regain).

Although my period is regular, it seems to last 3 days, stop for a couple of days and then start again very lightly for another day or so and my PMS symptoms seem worse (irritability etc...)
Also we have moved house 2 months ago and the DCs had to start a new school etc... so all a bit stressful.

Any advice on the matter would be welcome, I will go and see a GP about it too but in the meantime I would love to hear some of your (reassuring) stories.
Thanks a lot!

bump

coffeecake, I have experienced this on and off since my mid 30's, I am now 40 something. Luckily like you I have quite thick hair but since pregnancy it seems to almost imitate its pregnant state.

What I mean is it goes for months with hardly any shed, gets really thick and then when it can't get any thicker starts to shed quite rapidly. Mine does get back to its usual volume in time, depending how long the shed was, is usually how long it takes to get back to normal.

Over the years I have had blood tests and nothing has ever shown up. I definitely wasn't peri-menopausal when it first started and I just put up with it. I have tried supplements etc but they gave me an upset stomach. Sea Kelp, iron supplements and something from Holland & Barrett which I have forgotten were recommended but didn't agree with me.

Go to your GP to rule out anaemia/thyroid etc but in my case it seems to be jsut the way I am.

Thanks for that, the worrying thing for me is that over the years, my forehead line seems a bit bigger than it used to be. Surely that's not normal for a woman? I don't want to look like my husband. Luckily enough I've always had quite a small forehead so now it just looks normal rather than big, but frankly I'm terrified it's going to keep receiding!

I am in exactly the same situation. I'm now 41 and have a receding hairline. It has caused me untold worry about it. I had a blood test a year ago and doc said I was peri menopausal. Suggested HRT. I said no. I felt too young for it. Reflexology was a miracle for me, in terms of hot flushes, regulating my periods etc but sadly, my hair loss continues. I have a theory. I look very feminine (been mistaken for Denise van oulten more than once) but actually have quite a lot of what is considered to be traditional male traits (high sex drive, very competitive, ruthless at work, crap at showing emotion - yes, yes, I know I'm stereotyping massively!) and I think I have a high level of testosterone, which causes this male- pattern baldness. I might be totally off- piste but it's my theory and I'm sticking with it!

I've found Aveda InVati shampoo has helped to reduce the loss a bit but you have my sympathy, as it's so distressing.

I wouldn't be surprised if I was perimenopausal as I found some unsightly hairs on my chin recently.
Can I ask you, how quickly is your receding hairline developing?
My forehead seems to get slightly bigger since my second child four years ago.
My husband doesn't seem to think it's any different at all and thinks I'm mad to lose sleep over it and lose appetite, but I'm so worried it's going to develop quickly and look really freaky soon.

There could be several reasons for it, but coupled with the weight loss could point to a thyroid problem, or an autoimmune condition like lupus.

I would see your GP to rule out anything serious, but in the meantime there Is a sticky in active convos looking for testers for the Aveda hair care range!

Well, it kinda developed over a period of time but seems to have found a level now and isn't getting any worse. If it does, I'll be devastated.

Phew my god that's a relief!! Anyway you must be very attractive if you look like Denise Van Outen, lucky you!!

Could it be alopecia? I have had alopecia for years, and have permanent bald spots, and very thin hair on my hairline. Rogaine for women sometimes helps, Ive tried it, it didnt help me, but its worth going to your GP, getting serious things ruled out. DO ask about rogaine.

Hi I'm not sure about Alopecia, I haven't got any bald spots it's more a general thinning throughout the hair (probably worse at the T section where I've had very blond highlight put in), although when I brush it there doesn't seem to be a lot on the brush.
At first I wasn't sure whether it was the hair itself getting fine and lifeless or the hair falling out and thinning.
Now I think it's both, although when I try and pull one out it's not as easy as that.
The first thing I noticed a few months ago was that my hair was becoming greasy really quickly compared to before, so I had highlights and it made it worse.
Looking back I think it has been happenning very gradually that's why I haven't noticed it, but lately it's so flat and dry (at the ends) that I couldn't help but notice. When it's wet it's the worst, it feels so flat compare to before it freaks me out.
I have just had 3 weeks in a very hot country and my hair has been subject to sun and sea water which probably didn't help matters, but I am sure the problem started even before my holiday.

Coffeecake, mine did this in 2010 for 5 months and then gradually replaced itself.

Try coconut oil as an overnight hair conditioner. Slather it on before bed all over the scalp and lengths of hair then wash out in the morning

I noticed my hair was looking shit a few months ago and read (on here - te joys of mumsnet lol) about coconut oil being good for hair so I have been doing it since then and my hair has never looked better

Also sea kelp tablets helped my post partum hair loss with both dcs so maybe persevere with them too?

I think/hope it's quite common as you have children... Mine is falling out a lot less recently. Stress definately doesn't help, or dieting. Take supplements if you can. I think iron really helps.

I have bought something called Perfectil Original, they are triple active tablets for hair, nails and skin. Hopefully they will help, they seem to have quite a lot of vitamins in them (Vitamin D, E, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, Folacin, B12, Biotin, Panothenic Acid, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Iodine, Manganese, Copper, Chromium GTF, Selenium, Cystine).
I will go to GP and book an appointment tomorrow, to have blood tests done. But I have spoken to my MIL who has extremely fine and thinning hair and she said that hers was at its worse years ago when she had 4 young boys and a very unsupportive husband and was very stressed indeed.
She said that she sometimes could feel some tingling at the top of her forehead and at the crown where it's at its thinnest, and it's EXACTLY what I have been experiencing.
The tingling seems to be worse when I'm stressing or anxious, and it's a vicious circle as the tingling itself freaks me out, and I become more conscious of it.

I experienced the same thing a few years back. I went to the gp on my mum's advice and asked her to check my thyroid function. Turns out mine was underactive. It took quite a bit of back and forth with blood tests and various doses of thyroxine. But after 6 months or so the dose was right and my hair was noticeably thicker after a while. Might be worth checking as age and pregnancy can affect thyroid function.

coffeecake, I had the tingling too, for almost 6 months. Go to your GP to rule things out but try not to worry. My hair did grow back, but has been shedding a bit lately. It seems to go in cycles and if you google it, this can be the way it is for some people. Honestly after almost 6 months of losing handfuls of hair, I felt just like you.

Eskimo when you have an underactive thyroid, does that mean you put on weight or lose weight? Because in my case it's loosing a small amount of weight, like I said 2 kilos or so, and not being able to put it back on (although that could be due to the ridiculously high anxiety I have had over it which gave me nausea the whole time so I wasn't hungry.).
I also suffer from anxiety so I'm used to the symptoms now, but I hadn't had a bout for nearly a year until now!
It's only now that I've heard stories from you lovely ladies that I am beginning to eat and sleep kind of normally again.
Cahu I'm relieved you got that tingling too, I can kind of cope with the thinning of the hair but it's the thinning at the temples and hairline I freak out about.
No one would ever notice if I showed them because I was lucky enough to start of with a very low hairline so now it looks normal as opposed to high. In fact I prefer it like this , but I am so worried that it's going to get worse and worse and I'm going to look like a man.

Did you get that hairline and temple thinning too Cahu or was it just the rest of the hair?
Also where was yours at its worse? Mine is at the front near the fringe and the crown and on the sides but at the top (T section basically). It feels so flat. The tingling seems to gather at those areas too.
I couldn't get GP appointment until next Wednesday so I'll keep you girls posted.

Cahu sorry to be a pain but the other thing is, when your hair is thinning do you also notice that the rest of your body hair is more fine? Mine is (to my delight!!). I wonder if there is a connection there.

Have you had your thyroid checked?

If that comes back clear or just in the ok range, start taking kelp that really helps hair from thinning.

HI coffeecake, I didnt associate the tingling with the hair loss at first until I googled it and its quite common apparantly. The worst shed I have had was 2 years ago and it lasted almost 6 months.

I would lose handfuls of hair at a time every day, definitely worse at the front and sides but I guess there is less hair there to start with. The house and car seemed to be covered in my hair and if I ran my fingers through it any time, loads was loose.

When it slowed down my hair around my hairline started to come in again, I thought quite noticeably, like baby hair. It was fine about 6 months after last shed and back to normal after a year I think.

Regarding body hair, it has always been fine and not much of it so I didnt really notice.

Thanks Cahu, lucky you for having fine body hair!!

I didn't want to Google the tingling in case in came up with something sinister so I'm glad you mentioned it!

Funny that I am not noticing any hair being lost though, I did about 4/5 months ago when there was loads of hair on my straighteners mat and quite a lot on the carpet after I'd washed it but other than that nothing dramatic.

I think it must have been very gradual and I didn't notice at first because I had my hair up nearly every day.

My last child is 5 now, and I have probably been losing hair gradually since having him.

Cahu did you do anything special for it to grow back at all? Like supplements or something? Or did it come back naturally?

I am definately going to try that Aveda Invicta shampoo as well, although it's so expensive!!!

Sorry Cahu, just read one of your earlier posts and you did mention the supplements which didn't agree with you so I've got my answer!

The only thing that came up in the last blood test was slightly low iron, not quite anaemic though. My GP jsut told me to take iron supplements but I couldn't stomach them. Tried the sea kelp too, they also gave me an upset stomach. The thing I got from Holland and Barratt I think, was floradix, and I couldnt stomach that either. Strange, not sure why.

The dramatic shed started at the beginning of August 2010, slowed down by about December and my hair started to improve in Spring 2011. I had been trough a very stressful few years but was out the other side of it really by then so couldnt blame stress unless it was delayed or something

I tried a kerastase shampoo my hairdresser recomended but it made no difference. I knew the way my hair was coming out a shampoo couldnt really improve it. So it just seems to be a natural cycle for me, every few years. Do get your bloods done though.

Yes will do next week. Yes perhaps there is a delay or something, you may start losing your hair when you your stress is over.
It's possible isn't it?

I think it may be possible, yes. Please post here when you get the results from GP. Good luck. x