Postpartum bald spots - help!

[Werewolfnotswearwolf]

Not sure if this is the best topic but my little boy is now 10 months any my usually thick, curly hair is literally falling out in clumps.

I have thinning bits round my hairline and actual bald spots on the crown. I’m absolutely horrified - had no idea it was that bad until I saw a pic!

Is it hormonal? Will it stop? What products etc can I use in the meantime? It seems to have coincided with trying to stop breastfeeding. I’ve started taking iron tablets and biotin.

Any advice or experiences?

Super complex vitamin B and L'Occitane Volume & strength shampoo have done wonders for my hair after losing it in handfuls. 6 months on it is thicker and I have several inches of regrowth.

@CoffeeBeansGalore thank you! I’ll start there.

This is the one I use. Lindens, available from eBay.

I had thin spots at my temples postpartum and they've eventually filled in - took about a year though! I disguised them with a little brown eyeshadow on a fluffy brush.

HOWEVER, your bald spots on the crown remind me more of alopecia areata, which is an autoimmune condition I also have. I've usually only seen hormonal hair loss as temple bald spots and diffuse thinning at crown rather than the clear spots you have.

It's worth going to your GP to confirm a diagnosis of alopecia areata and see if they will offer any treatment, as some people have success with steroid creams. Unfortunately it's never worked for me and I work around having a few bald spots with different hairstyles.

@CombFromAShoe thank you - there’s an even bigger one at the back of my head that seems to have appeared overnight so I wonder if there is more at play. Can pregnancy trigger it?

Yes, pregnancy can trigger it, as can stress or illness. In most cases there is no obvious trigger and unfortunately it doesn't always just go away at the end of hormonal changes/ stress etc.

Lived with mine for 20+ years now, hoping yours will be temporary!

@CombFromAShoe thanks so
much - it’s literally coming out by the handful so I think I’ll have to go to the GP. Luckily I have a lot of hair so hiding it’s okay atm - strategic headbands for a while I think!

I'm in a similar position hair wise,two tiny bald spots no bigger than 4mm at the front of my head...how did it go with your GP? x

@goldenraspberry unfortunately mine progressed quite quickly - I have absolutely no hair on my head, very little body hair and half an eyebrow and a handful of lashes left.

I think this is a very unusual case though so please don’t panic!!

@goldenraspberry i was prescribed a steroid cream initially but made no difference for me.

I know this is a super old thread, but I'm 8 months pp and I've recently (yesterday!) found a bald spot on my crown very similar to your original post. I saw that you lost your hair - I'm trying not to panic, but I think my case has been quite rapid. What happened after?

I'm planning to contact my GP on Monday but I'm spiralling a little.

To add another data point, I also have alopecia areata and have had different bald spots come and go for the last 20 years but never over about 5% of my hair gone. I also have many friends who have had just 1 bald spot, it's fully regrown within a year and they've never had it since.

It does happen quickly and can feel very worrying! Fingers crossed you'll have your hair back soon - just wanted to reassure you that losing all your hair is extremely unlikely.