Kara46's Hair Loss Story

Kara46 · Post by **Kara46** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 1:41 am

Happy Holidays All.
Have any of you heard of anything more devastating? In March of 2004, I thought I was losing hair (and I was, but I think that was due to taking an antibiotic every day for a year). Well, I was prescribed Minoxidil 5%. After 3 days of application (2x a day). The hair that I had was gone!!! I actually had hair and the Minoxidil 5% removed it and killed the follicles (I felt burning). To this day, my hair has not grown back. If I had not used that garbage (Minoxidil 5%), I would still have my hair today. I should have never touched that crap or believed the horrid Hair Specialist who prescribed it.
Have anybody out there had the same thing happen to them or know why this happened??? I mean, I'm a woman and although baldness is accepted for men, it is NOT the same for a woman. I haven't slept a full night since that happened almost 2 years ago. Thank you all for any information.

James · Post by **James** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 7:22 am

I personally have not heard that happening to anyone and I am really sorry about your current situation. I am a guy and I know how devastating losing my hair has been for me and I know that it must have been much more devastating for you. Is the hair loss just in one area or is it on the entire top of the head? Have you tried any hair loss concealing products to help out your situation?

There are a lot of people who react badly to minoxidil, myself included. When I used minoxidil I also got burning and inflammation. I do not believe that the minoxidil killed your hair follicles because they are located deeper in the dermis. How long has it been since your hair fell out?

Kara46 · Post by **Kara46** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:49 pm

Thank you for your reply.
The hair I lost is exactly where the Minoxidil was applied (where most people recede, the temporal areas). I have hair otherwise. That garbage is dangerous and actually removes hair that people actually have. I tell you, I was better off not touching that crap.
DO NOT believe your dermatologists (hair specialists), they don't know enough and they don't even take any of your information into consideration.

Jacob · Post by **Jacob** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 7:38 pm

I'm just curious to know..if you went back to your derm- what kind of response did you get from him/her?

Are you using anything else these days?

James · Post by **James** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 10:13 pm

I know how awful this stuff is and I am sorry that you have to feel these things. I guess it is possible that it could happen but I just have not heard of anything like that happening so severly. I have only heard of really bad shedding with minoxidil. On the main page of this website there is an area where you can ask an expert, I would recommed putting in a question there.

Kara46 · Post by **Kara46** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:11 am

Thank you Jacob and Blueshard for your replies.

I went back to the specialist (it took 2 weeks before I could see him even on an urgent basis). I was in shock and so upset I didn't eat or sleep and had lost 10 lbs in the 2 weeks before seeing him. A former friend of mine (who I hadn't seen for a year) panicked and thought I was dying and she and my sister stupidly, against my wishes, phoned the Dr's office before my appointment and told him that I would die if he told me my hair wouldn't grow back (of which it didn't). I mean, how stupid is that?? I mean if it didn't grow back, wouldn't I die also???

So, to make a long story short, the Creep-Dermatologist/Specialist lied to me and keeps lying and now says that I made up the whole story because my sister and my former friend (I got rid of her as a friend) also lied and said they never saw any difference in me (despite the fact that they make fun of how thin my hair is at the front due to the fact that it is gone from the minoxidil). Thank goodness I have 2 close friends who sees me quite often who knows I don't lie and saw the difference right away.

I had also requested to view my "before" photos from my file which showed how my hair was before I used that crap. I told the Dr's office exactly where in my file it was located to ensure they were there when I went to view. When I arrived, the only 2 photos that I wanted to see were gone. The specific ones that I requested to see!!!! So...this is such a horrible case of a dermatologist knowing what he did was wrong and is now trying to cover his ass.

If there is karma or something greater out there, I hope he gets his due and suffers pain and horrid things due to the suffering and ridicule (yes, his office staff smirked and he smirked when I went to see him) he put me through during all the visits to his office. I am telling the truth, he knows it and he wants it covered up or he would lose his funding. I hate the man and will discredit him to whoever listens.

Blueshard, if you mean to ask Dr. Baumann, I have already emailed him and he hasn't heard of such a severe reaction though he doesn't deny it could happen.

So...DO NOT use Minoxidil 5%!!!!! It's Garbage and it WILL take your hair away. Hair that you had!!!! There's not enough research. Don't believe all the medical specialists. They DON'T know enough!!!!!

Post by **HairLossFight.com** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:06 am

Hello Kara,

I am sorry to hear that you've lost your hair, and don't doubt your sincerity. I have a few points that I'd like to make though to make things clear about Minoxidil and treatments in general.

Anyone can have an adverse reaction to just about anything, drugs or otherwise.

My father has a terrible reaction to mushrooms. He has to be hospitalized if he eats them, even if its a tiny amount that he wasn't aware in the food. Does that mean mushrooms will make everyone have to be taken to the hospital?

I get a severe reaction if I take a certain antibiotic, but millions of people use that antibiotic without any problems and it does what it's supposed to do.

I totally understand how painful it is for you to have had such sudden hair loss after you used Minoxidil, but Minoxidil has been around for many years now, and there HAS been many studies done on it with large control and experimental groups, and while certain small percentages of people had adverse reactions like irritation, rash, etc. Some people experience sheds, and sometimes severe sheds, but usually this is an indication that it's working, as if you understand the hair cycle you'll know that all hair goes into a shedding phase, followed by eventually a growth phase. Androgenetic Alopecia happens when the growth phase produces a smaller hair in each successive cycle, and the resting phase becomes prolonged.

For the majority of people with androgenetic alopecia, the current extensive medical research shows it to be safe. So if you did have an adverse reaction (and I don't doubt that you did) then you are a very rare case of it.

I personally know that Minoxidil can and does work. It did so for me for many years. Eventually though, I did develop a sensitivity to it and had to stop. But at the same time, I have sensitive skin and pretty much anything I use can cause irritation and inflammation, unless it is super anti-inflammatory. However, had I not had the sensitive skin I would still be using Minoxidil, and happily.

Anyway, I highly recommend that you see another dermatologist. Do your research in your city to find out who the best one is, and preferably one who is an expert on hair loss, and seek his or her diagnosis and advice for your situation. You may have a type of hair loss that is not responsive to Minoxidil.

And one last thing, no matter how much distress it causes you to have lost your hair, please don't panic! Don't stress yourself out to the point where your stress becomes overly detrimental to your health. Try to keep calm and do your research, and get lots of help and support and professional medical help.

While the people here can be helpful in providing you with moral support and pointers in the right direction, you should definitely seek a professional that you can trust to help you.

Best of luck.

Sam

Note: I am not a medical doctor, and neither are the moderators of this forum, so please be aware that our comments are not meant to act as medical advice. If you're going to follow anyone's advice it should ultimately be a licensed medical practioner.

Kara46 · Post by **Kara46** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 2:17 am

Thanks for your response, Sam

Sam, I did not shed (I only used it for 3 days!). The Minoxidil destroyed hair that I had. If I hadn't used it, I would still have the hair there. The hair is only gone where the Minoxidil was applied. It HAS NOT grown back in almost 2 years. That stuff is Garbage and Dangerous. It may work for men, but what about women? Was research done on women?

I have also researched until there's nothing left to research. Do you not think I did all I could after what happened? The public is not kind to women who look weird which is what the Minoxidil did.

The Dr. (Dermatologist) I was seeing was the best in the country and a specialist. There is NO other. Do you not see my dilemna?
The guy tampered with my file, destroying evidence (photos) and actually doctoring them (to the point where he actually had the slides replaced into different cardboard and re-dated to allay his error. He didn't even know my file and had the wrong facts. This is irresponsible and he knows it. If he actually tried to help, it wouldn't be so bad, but he went into denial and cover-up mode almost immediately.

Sam, I will not rest until he is brought to justice and exposed for what he did and may be doing to other patients.

Kara46's Hair Loss Story

Kara46's Hair Loss Story

Woman loses hair due to Minoxidil 5%

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