Traction alopecia -HELP

[Stevie]

So here's how my story goes: I had very long, very heavy dreads for 4 years. I stated noticing hair loss in the area of the front of my hair line and was told I needed to cut my dreads off. I did that and now 6 months later I still have thin patches. I understand that Traction alopecia may cause permeant hair loss. My questions are:how long would you have to have your hair pulling on your head to cause permeant hair loss? how long would I have to wait until all the hair that was going to re-grow would? I have heard everything form 4 months to 6 months to a year. Also if this loss is permeant am I a good candidate for hair transplantation? I worry that because the hair is thin and not really gone that I might do more damage with the risk of shock loss. Any info would be greatly appreciated. It's very hard to get answers and am getting really stressed and depressed. It seems to be all I think about these days. Also I am only 29 with no family history of hair loss and this was a sudden onset and has not seemed to get worse. Thank you again to anyone that can help me.

[HairLossFight.com]

Hi Stevie,

If your hair doesn't grow back after a year then you most likely have permanently lost that hair. I suggest that you visit a dermatologist specializing in hair loss to get a full diagnosis of your situation. If it is truly traction alopecia, then you are most likely going to be eligable for a hair transplant (barring having any other condition that would preclude this).

Try asking one of our site hair loss experts. Dr. Bauman and Dr. Jones are a good start. Go to the following page:

http://www.morphollica.com/hairloss_experts/

From there you can select a doctor to ask.

Good luck and keep us posted on your situation. For you, the good thing is that if you don't have regular androgenetic alopecia, or some other form of hair loss other than the traction alopecia, then hair transplants can produce a good result if that is an option that you would be willing to undertake.

[Stevie]

Sam,
Thank you very much for the information. After a very stressful appointment with a dermatologist that lasted five minutes and included her looking at my head for a second and telling me that it was female pattern hair loss and not listening to a word I said when I mentioned I had dreads that pulled for years, the loss was sudden and that I had no family history of hair loss. She told me to use Rogain and Fluocinonide for dandruff and come back and see her in two month. Yeah right!!!!! So I have now made an appointment with a Dr. James Harris. Keeping my fingers crossed he is more helpful. He has been wonderfully informative though his emails so we will see. It's really nice to have a site like this with help and advice from someone that isn't trying to sell you or rush you out of there office. Thanks again and I will keep you posted.

[Tricia]

Stevie,

I hope the new doctor can give you some better answers.

I agree with Sam. If it's traction alopecia, then transplants might work great for you. Best wishes.

[Stevie]

Thank you both so much. Again I cannot express how nice it is to have some place you can receive support for this. It is all very frustrating and scary. I have a question. Is female pattern hair loss always go along the Ludwig Classification chart and if it was that would I have thinning all over or could some parts be a lot thinner while others where fine? Thanks again!

[Tricia]

If you search on female baldness, they usually say that women retain the front hairline. However, if you look in female hair loss forums, women frequently complain of thinning hair lines.

It's not uncommon for a woman to have nearly bare patches at or around the hair line. Some have receding hair lines like men.

I have tons of hair on the back of my head. Most of my thinning is in the front close to the hair line.