scrawler wrote:Hello everybody,
I've only just joined and this is a completely new thing for me. Not just the hair loss but the looking-online-for-support for it. Usually, I deal with things in my own way but with this..I'm not sure I can.
Welcome scrawler, I know what you feel like because I have been in exactly the same situation before. It's what made me want to start this website.
scrawler wrote:
I've been suffering from hair loss (thinning) for a few weeks now but have yet seen A GP (doctor) about the problem (will be visiting him on Monday). So, at this time I do not know the cause of the hair loss.
Depending on what type of hair loss you have, I would guess you mostly likely have been losing your hair for quite a while longer than just two weeks. You can typically lose a lot of density before realizing that you've lost anything at all. When I look back at my own situation, I first thought I was losing my hair when I was 19, but it's clear to me now that it really started when I was about 18. I can tell when I look at pictures of myself. But when I first discovered it I thought it was only for a month that I had been losing the hair.
scrawler wrote:
Things have gotten noticeably bad that instead of being annoyed at the cat for his fur, it's mine that's the problem. If I don't go, I don't bother washing or brushing my hair to try and lessen the loss each day. My hair is naturally fine but I can tell it's a lot thinner that it used to be. When I do brush or wash it, there's hair in the toilet, floor, sink, bath, my clothes, my hair brush, my mouth, everywhere. Even taking a bath is a joke as there is more hair in the bath than water. I've had my partner check my head for bald patches and he cannot find any.
You're going through a shedding phase. For many of us, including myself, that suffer from hair loss there are occasional periods where you lose what seems like a ton of hair all at once. Typically most of these will probably grow back, but a bit thinner. This is the unfortunate miniaturization phase of the hair follice. See the following:
http://www.morphollica.com/research/how ... r_grow.php
scrawler wrote:At present I have itching and pain on the scalp and I thought that a form of dermatitis was the cause but I've only read one account of hair loss being a problem with this. So am unsure if this is the cause. I use T-Gel shampoo which although causes pain in the scalp after use (seriously bad pain) it does not relieve the itching or lessen the hair loss.
Inflammation is thought to potentially be involved in hair loss. Conditions like seborrheic dermatitis and eczema and various others should be brought under control as much as possible by people suffering from hair loss to try to minimize the impact of inflammation. You should consider cycling shampoos like T-Gel (which you're already using), Head and Shoulders, Nizoral (which is also potentially helpful in fighting hair loss), and various others. I also use two other shampoos now (I have used many different ones over the years), Revivogen Shampoo and Crinagen Shampoo. There is also a good product, but expensive, called InFlamil which really helped me get my inflammation of the scalp under control. Here is my review of it:
http://www.morphollica.com/product_reviews/inflamil.php
scrawler wrote:My thyroid gland has been checked out numerous times for various reasons (gut problems) and although is shown to be maybe a couple of points lower than normal, I've not been diagnosed or treated for it.
Stress and worry has crossed my mind as a cause but I've have a relatively stress free life compared to what it was 10/15 years ago. Is it possible to have a backlash of stress?
Do you exercise at all? I find that exercise has a great impact overall on things like stress and there are studies that show it has beneficial effects on your immune system and general hormonal health (of course this depends on what type of exercise you're doing).
Stress may be somewhat involved in hair loss by causing telogen effluvium, but if it is involved it's minimal in impact and the hair lost from telogen effluvium is thought to grow back eventually once the stressor that caused it is eliminated.
The only other thing I can think of is Alopecia. Despite several difficult situations in my life that I've dealt with, I feel that hair loss to the point of baldness would be devastating to me. I don't wear hats and any other type of head covering would be unusual for me. I've had my cut really short once and believe me, it did not suit me at all!
First, definitely try to find out if you're suffering from the most common type of hair loss, Androgenetic Alopecia, or something else like Alopecia Areata or Cicatricial Alopecia or various other types. It sounds to me like its most likely Androgenetic Alopecia, but I'm no doctor so make sure whatever you decide to do to first go see a doctor and get a proper diagnosis. There are dermatologists that specialize in hair-related conditions. Find out if there are any of these in your area and try to book an appointment with them. Having said that, if you're suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia, one of the most effective regimens is the following:
Minoxidil 5% topical solution
Propecia
Nizoral a few times a week
The first two are the only FDA approved medications for hair loss, and the third is good for keeping scalp inflammation in check.
I have personally started using the Hairmax Lasercomb after many years of sitting on the fence. I'm going to use it for at least a year to see if it helps me in anyway. If I were you I would try the Minox-Propecia-Nizoral combo first and stick with it for a while to see if it helps. Typically you need AT LEAST 6 months to tell if something is working because of the hair cycle. It's not going to be overnight results. Even a hair transplant takes about a year to fully grow in, so medication typically can take longer longer to have any effect. Thems the breaks unfortunately.
Over time you'll get an idea of what's working for you and what's not, especially when it comes to the topicals. At that point you may consider upping the ante a little and using things like Xandrox 15 and various other "extra strength" or alternative products. You may want to add a copper peptide or SOD/SOD-mimetic type of product like Tricomin or Folligen, etc.
Whatever you do, please keep us posted and be patient. For most people the minox-propecia combo will at the very least significantly slow down the rate of hair loss and/or help you keep your existing hair. For a lucky percentage of people, regrowth will occur to various degrees.
scrawler wrote:I'm looking forward to joining with things on this board and I hope that I can find some answers to my problem very soon.
Good luck!
Sam
