I think I might be losing my hair (Pics)

[LukeSkywalkerBoots]

Hi all

For some time I have felt like my hair might be thinning. On one side of my head my ear pokes through my hair when it never used to. Also it looks like on my parting more of my scalp is visible than it used to be.

I’m concerned as my grandma lost all her hair due to alopecia.

Does my hair look thin to you?

Ear visible through hair on the same side where I lifted it

Forgot the pic

No, all ears look like that when you lift the hair up.

I'm going to say I think it does look like a small amount of thinning there, but that doesn't mean you'll develop alopecia. Thinning is normal with hormone changes around menopause, also thi g like a low thyroid or anaemia ca impact your hair. I would suggest a chat with your gp to rule out anything medical and try a good all round supplement. Stress also affects it, so try not to worry too much!

Hi, if its thinner than usual it could be general shedding through stress or a deficiency but it will grow back.
I clicked on your thread because I discovered a smallish bald patch at the side of my head (different thing, I know) a couple of months ago but can't get a referral to diagnose alopecia atreata because of covid so am going out of my mind.
I didn't realise how devastating any type of hair loss is until it happened to me

If you're really worried, you can contact Phillip Kingsley Trichological Clinic. They are very good.

what about trying a multi vitamin designed for hair such as perfectil skin, hair and nails. It might help? There are loads of vitamins for hair on amazon

How old are you? Everyone's hair thins with age. But that certainly doesn't look pathological to me.

You should be able to tell from the amount in your hair brush or when you wash your hair. Is it coming out a lot?

Your scalp looks quite visible.

Low ferritin can cause hair loss so see a dr for a blood test maybe?
Try using caffeine shampoos which slow down the loss?

OP, my parting looks a bit like yours and I have androgenic alopecia. I saw my GP who referred me to dermatology and now I use minoxidil 5%.
Before then I wasted an enormous amount of money on shampoos, lotions, pills etc.

SpeedofaSloth can i ask if you are getting any good results from using minoxidil? i have recently started it at 5% and not seen anything different yet,but only about a month

Forgot to ask how long you have been using it,
Dermatologist i saw said it was stress related and would grow back,that was 2 years ago,and hasn't shown any improvement yet, so fed up

My ears definitely weren’t visible through my hair before and now they’re very visible. And the hair looks sparser on my parting, you can see my scalp more. I can’t figure out how to style my hair where it doesn’t look wispy and shit.

Maybe I should call the dr about it then based on the responses.

My hair has always been thin. Worse now I'm in menopause.

This is supposed to be good

https://beautifulbetsy.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxNT8BRD9ARIsAJ8S5xY3SbCxbiloihjT5uocR--A0JZVfUIXKS06VkHWtUgpwHxSy9mZAaAs5nEALwwwcB

Stress or rapid weight loss can often cause hair loss.

I hope you get it sorted OP

I have noticed my hair thinning recently, I have put it down to prolonged stress of pandemic and my DH having a social media EA over lockdown. A month ago it was coming out in handfuls but has pretty much slowed down. Hoping that it regrows. I’ve always had a lot of hair according to my colourist who moans that it takes twice as long to do my highlights than anyone else.

How old are you? As someone mentioned, hair loss can happen, or worsen, around menopause. Definitely get blood tests, low iron can cause hair loss. Also thyroid issues.

My hair is thinning and has done a couple of times due to hormonal medication, the pill and HRT.

@princessTiasmum yes, it has helped a bit. I also switched to highlights rather than solid hair colour and had a sweeping fringe cut in, all of which help to disguise the thinning bit.

I’m 41.

The last four years have been immensely stressful, I went no contact with my mother having had a nervous breakdown over my childhood, then had two deaths in the family in four months. I’d say I’m doing the best I have done in all that time right now mentally but still struggling with some issues and obv Covid has been hugely stressful for all of us.

@Angrymum22 I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.

I'm very similar. It actually burns my scalp now when I use the hair dryer, as there's such thin/little hair left. I can't leave to dry naturally nor not wash every day as it's so fluffy and greasy at the same time. I work in a management role so can't have grungy looking hair.
It's been a horribly stressful couple of years, but there's absolutely nothing I can do to reduce my stress levels so that's not an option.
Where do we go from here ?!
It's so un feminine feeling and I totally feel your pain.
I'm going to spend the next few days researching and then come back to this thread 🍀

Although it's only cosmetic, I can highly recommend Toppik Hair Fibres - they've been a godsend to me. You sprinkle the fibres on your thinning areas and they cover the sparse bits by attaching to your own hair. They really work, it's quite amazing. You can get them in various shades to suit your hair colour.

It does sound like life has been stressful for you lately, so it could be down to that. Still, it's probably useful to get blood tests just in case you're low on something that can be rectified.

In the first two photos you posted, yes it looks like you’re losing hair (sorry to say). My hair looked a bit similar when I had telogen effluvium (stress induced temporary hair loss). Luckily my hair is getting back to normal as I have fresh regrowing. I have been using minoxidil.

The 3rd photo you posted looks normal IMO.

If I saw you in person with your hair like the 3rd photo, I wouldn’t think that you may suffer from hair loss. It just looks like your ear is visible because that’s how you have styled your hair, especially because of the length. Your scalp isn’t visible through your hair.