Hair loss

[LifeInAHamsterWheel]

My lovely mum (late 60s) is suffering hair loss. She's so upset Is minoxidil the best thing to get? Can anyone recommend a brand or even anything else that would be worth trying. I hate to see her so upset and I know I'd feel the same if it was me. I really want to help her. Thanks

The treatment really depends on the cause of the hair loss. Could she have low iron levels? If it's female pattern hair loss then that's less likely to show results with treatment but not impossible.

Yes she might want to have bloods to check her ferritin levels. It needs to be at a level of 70 or more to ensure proper hair growth.

Thank you I'll tell her to start with bloods so. Maybe something will show up that can be (relatively) easily corrected.

Always the drs first for this sort of thing. The body just doesnt stop producing hair for no reason.

@Fluffycloudland77

Always the drs first for this sort of thing. The body just doesnt stop producing hair for no reason.

I agree about seeing a GP in the first instance, but correct you on the second point. In many cases of long term alopecia universalis, the cause is never determined. Not saying that will be the case here as the lady in question is in her sixties, when unexplained alopecia is a lot less common, but sometimes hair does fall out and never grow back for no explicable reason.

I'm the same age and have had hair loss for 5 years. Check her thyroid is OK but, apart from that, doc will probably be uninterested. I've tried viviscal (waste of money) and multivitamins. I have recently upped the strength of my biotin and iron tablets and upped my protein intake and, touch wood, the hair loss has slowed down. It might be a coincidence but I'm not stopping in case!

Is it patchy loss, or general thinning, or receeding hair that resembles male pattern balding? There are several different ways of losing hair and many different causes, and until you know what the cause is, it is probably not a good idea to spend £££ on products that probably won't work. GP appointment should be the first step - particularly since some types of hair loss are symptoms of health problems that might be affecting her in other ways too.

I have alopecia (hair loss caused by an auto-immune disorder), and I'm painfully aware of all the mant different semi-fraudulent products out there. Even partly-effective products like minoxidil (or however you spell it) are ineffective for several types of hairloss (and, even at best, not all that effective at all)

"In many cases of long term alopecia universalis, the cause is never determined."

--that isn't quite right. It is true that the condition is unpredicable and only partly understood. But it is known that the hair falls out as a result of an auto-immune attack on the hair follicles. Some of the genes at play have been identified, along with some of the environmental triggers, and there are some treatments that work for some people..

I have rubbish fine hair that refuses to grow past a certain length that is genetic. But a few years ago I started losing hair all over, diffuse thinning, I think it’s called. I just accepted it as Im very sceptical about supplements/oils/shampoos etc. However I remember glancing in my car mirror and I could see my scalp which made me realise it was worse than I thought. I started using minoxidil which has really helped, it works out at about £11 per month.

But like a pp said it doesn’t work for everyone. Im now saving up for a topper, which will be expensive but worth it I think.

You can get a powder which is coloured which you shake on your scalp to disguise the thinning .

Is your Mum taking any medication that could be causing her hair loss as a side effect? This was the case with my Mum.

Thank you all for the replies. Her GP isn't great to be honest. She's been on HRT for over 10 years and was told to stop it now as it's not necessary at her age but she went to a private menopause doctor and got her prescription there (she's been advised it would be beneficial to stay on it and fully intends to) So she's wondering if maybe the dosage needs to be looked at. I think maybe she'd be better to request an appointment there rather than with her GP?

It's thinned all over, and looks like it's broken off quite high up, particularly at the back like where she'd lie on it when asleep?

She is very stylish and takes great interest in her health and appearance (she looks amazing for 68 and is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside). She already takes lots of supplements so I think blood test would be best route to see if there's any deficiency that needs to be addressed.

@Random789 My comment is correct though, in that on an individual level, doctors may be unable to give their patient a cause for the trigger for the auto immune attack. That's what I mean by hair falling out for now apparent reason. This happened to me nearly 30 years ago and in all that time no doctor has been able to explain my alopecia universalis, so I do know what I am talking about.