Hair loss - where now?

[Likeafurchin]

My (already fine) hair is so thin. I've lost about half of it and nothing has helped. 😪I don't really know where to go from here. I know it's shallow, but everytime I look in the mirror I want to cry. I'm in my fifties and I'm not ageing well - I've never been beautiful but without hair I actually look scary. What's next? Wigs? Turbans? I'm a teacher and the thought of standing up in front of a new class next week makes me feel queasy....help!!

Overheating and hair thinning in your 50s sounds like menopause. I would seriously consider discussing HRT with your GP as it can help a lot IME.

@Thorinfling my mother had some success with steroids, I think it took a few months to notice though. Try not to worry if you're shedding after starting oral minoxidil, it's to be expected.
@DoodleMum12 Do you still have much hair beneath the wig or do you keep it short? I was put off by my stepmother needing one for a while during chemo and she said it was really awful to exercise in, and it was a super expensive wig. It is scary for me to make that leap.
Was just looking at latest photos from my brother, who is 5 years older than me and has a beautiful dense hairline. WTH!!!

@Hairsterical thank you for that, it's good to hear that the steroids had some effect and I hadn't realised they may take that long, knew it wasn't instant. I also hadn't realised the oral minoxidil would cause increased shedding - honestly I really appreciate your reply, has eased my mind a little bit!

@Thorinfling Speaking from my own experience, there are a couple of facebook groups run by Alopecia UK, which can be helpful, whether you have a formal diagosis of alopecia, or are experiencing hair loss. I also recommend trying to find hairdresser who specialises in hair loss - it was such a relief to hear the words 'there is always a solution'. Good luck.

@Hairsterical I have androgenetic alopecia which is male pattern balding - I still have hair but it’s very thin and I have a receding hairline and a balding spot at the crown 🙁 I have enough hair to tie it into the smallest of buns and I wear a fabric headband to cover the front of my scalp. I do this or wear a cap/hat when I exercise and sometimes for longer walks too. At home I just wear my headband. I cover my bald spot with the little bit of hair I have and put hairspray on it to try and keep it in place. My latest wig cost my £220 and will last me upto a year at least as I look after it and don’t wear it daily, plus I have a few others I can just throw on if just nipping out and want my hair on.
I guess you can call me a seasoned wig wearer now but this took a long time - when I first got wigs I was ashamed to be seen without one - now I have accepted my hairloss so it’s a little easier but I still have my days.

I forgot to mention in my original post that the dermatologist I saw did offer to put me on Spironolactone- in fact he gave me a prescription and I filled it but then I read I’d have to be on it for life as any hair growth would fall out when stopped (same as with minoxidil) and I really didn’t want that. This medicine is for treating hypertension but has also been used to treat certain hairloss related to pcos/peri and menopause as it reduces androgen levels in women. It’s very off label and more commonly used for this purpose in the states so probably not easy to get prescribed here in the UK (Im
still surprised my dermatologist prescribed it) The idea of having to be on meds for the rest of my life just didn’t appeal to me

I started taking smooth as silk plus for dryness. It has omega7 from sea buckthorn oil, and some of the other ingredients have really helped my skin and hair. After regrowth, I noticed my hair feels stronger. It’s vegan, and I noticed a visible difference after almost a month