Ok so it is a hereditary trait in my family. All the women have thinning hair to the point you can see there scalp. But problem is, mine is alot worse than my moms. I am 35 yrs old and VERY self conscious. I cant always where a hat and to be honest i dont want to. I look at all the other women in stores etc.. and say now why can't i have hair like that. I wouldnt care if it were thin, but to actually look like i am going bald on the top of my head just doesnt make you feel femine.
I have tried volume shampoos, lifters, follicle enhancers, haircuts short and layered etc.. Nothing works!!! The only thing i havent tried is rogain for women, only because i know you have to use it for the rest of your life!! I can quarentee you that i am not a candidate for a hair transplant since my hair is thin all over, although its mostly on the top. But i am calling a hairtransplant specialist anyway just to see.
My question is are any of you moms going through the same thing? Have yous used something that has restarted your hairgrowth? and it worked? My problem is not from stress or from having a baby or being pregnant!! It is simply a hereditary trait that runs in my family. Someone please help, it really is affecting me socially!!!
I have heard that vitamin B plus niacin helps the hair grow back... Do it under a physicians care (or herbologist), though. My father in law (who was totally bald) started taking niacin from the health food store. His hair started coming back, but his head got quite "hot"... He had to hang his head out the window sometimes when he was driving down the freeway.
While reading your post I thought to myself..."This is me." You always think you're alone...but you're not. A few years back, I went to a derm who gave me kenalog (sp?) injections into my scalp in the thinning areas. It worked!!! I thought I was "cured". However, whether it is hormones or stress or heredity (unknown since I was adopted), I started thinning again after about 18m-2yrs.
I went back and had the injections again----nothing!! I was devasted. Now I'm at the thinnest I've been. I too, am not a hat person(because I don't look good in them). Even worse part, I'm graying like crazy!!! I had my hair dyed for the first time a year ago---minimal hair shedding. But this year, I lost tons of hair to the point where I was told by the derm that it's #1 go gray, #2 dye it nad live with the thin patches, or #3 try propecia. Propecia, he told me, is 2x per day and leaves you looking oily. Great---just what I need---thinning, oily, graying, hair at 40! I have also seen docs who automatically think I have a thyroid problem, but tests come bacl, "within normal range". That's it....they leave me alone and say it must be stress. Well, now it is because I'm losing my hair and that's stressful!!! Go to a derm and ask for hormonal imbalnce testing to be done to see what you're lacking. Ask about the kenalog injections. Maybe propecia is for you if you stay at home most of the day. I am always at meetings, at school events, etc. so I didn't think it was for me. I live in New York and have a world of specialists at my feet, and still have not found anyone to find why this is happening or how to stop/control it. None of the shampoos have benefited me at all. I hope others might have some helpful suggestions. You are not alone. DON'T let it stop you from "having a life"....I did initially, and I regret it. Do some people stare or comment....sure, but that just makes them look petty. Stay strong!
It could be also from Polycystic ovarian syndrome. I would google this. This can be caused by an imbalance of your hormones and also from being overweight. The best way to diagnose this is via an ultrasound. Have your hormones checked by a doctor. If you're overweight, loose it. This is a significant part of the PCOS. Stay away from any type of sugar real or synthetic. This may sound difficult but PCOS can cause a starter for diabetes as well.
Have you had your thyroid checked??? Mine was coming out so fast ........scary as hell. I got my thyroid checked and oh boy was it off. I started meds and my hair stopped falling out and grew back.
T.,
I feel for you - what a difficult thing to bear. When I was 17, I lost 95% of the hair on my head due to alopecia areata. This is not what you have. What got it growing again was vitamin/mineral supplements (unfortunately I don't know what was in them) and gelatin, taken in the morning on an empty stomach. The kind you can buy in the health food store is tastier than Knox.
Mix a T or 2 in a small amount of cold water or juice, then add boiling water or tea. Flavor with honey and drink. At the time I needed 5T. I figure it would be easier for you to do this 2 more times a day rather than making it so thick in the morning. At the very least the hair you do have will be shiny and healthy, and your nails can benefit. Good luck.
D.
Hi T.,
Shaklee has a Prosante Scalp Treatment that may help. They also make the best B complex. Don't take a mega dose of one B like Biotin all by itself. It can cause a deficiency in the rest of the complex.
If these products interest you, you can find them at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife
Good luck and God bless.
Victoria
buy a wig. may be you can get something that looks natural. I have a friend who has alopecia and she wears one. They make ones out of human hair. They are more expensive but look natural. I did not know until she told me. I am sorry for all that you have to deal with.
Like others said, you are not alone. YOu sound just like me. I am 29 and have had thinning hair for a while. I figured out that after my divorce, when I stopped taking 'the pill' and started running more and dating and was happy, that my hair looked great. Now that I'm remarried, with a kid, not running too much, it's gotten thinner again. Was pretty when I was pregnant too.
I tried Rogain for women a long time ago and did not see results. It's expensive too, so if you try it, look online for coupons/deals. I have heard of Hair Ovation (Google it). I do not know if it's worth the $100 to start it. A few years ago I had a consultation with Hairclub for Women & Men and it was going to cost me about $4,000 for the first year, about $2,000 I think for the following years for the rest of my life. (not for the shampoos, but for the transplanting). I could not afford that. If you're very very thin, you'd probably cost more. On The Doctors the other day, they taked about a laser device, I think it was called Hair Max. I read some reviews on Amazon.com and they were about 50/50 of it being good product. It was $500.
Good luck. I'm going to save your question so I can see other's answers. When I'm having very thin days, I use a scarf around my head and pull it back. Another option, maybe, instead of a hat. And I would suggest also maybe trying another hair stylist. When you see someone with voluminous, yet thin hair, ask who her stylist is. Or ask the dermatologist/hair transplant specialist if they have someone they recommend. And yes, I had my thyroid checked too, when my hair was really bad. Results were "normal" they said.
How about a hear weave? I had a friend who did it and he looked fabulous.
Hi T.,
Have you tried a Biotin supplement yet? I take 5000 mcg daily and it has helped some of my hair grow back...
There is a condition clinically named: Alopecia Areata (Balding). Alopecia areata is a hair-loss condition which usually affects the scalp. It can, however, sometimes affect other areas of the body. Hair loss tends to be rather rapid. Current evidence suggests that alopecia areata is caused by an abnormality in the immune system. This particular abnormality leads to autoimmunity. We have a friend who suffers with this condition. It has been helped with proper nutrition. We found that certain nutritional combination have helped with amazing results. It maybe that your vitamin, mineral and nutrient system is out of balance. There are a couple of amazing 100% natural balanced whole nutrition that I love. The first is Zija Moringa and the second is Life Force Body Balance. Here are the links, if you are interested in checking out this wonderful nutrition.
http://www.insiderreports.com/storypage.asp?StoryID=20012381
http://www.my-healthy-miracle.com
and
www.drinklifein.com/my.healthy.miracle.com
and
http://www.lifeforce-intl.com/index.php?mode=products&...
**NOTE: When ordering from Life Force International give the customer service rep. this number #20590834.
Good luck and best wishes to you for a quick recovery and a feeling of total wellness.
Hey T.,
I just wanted to share with you that my aunts (both of my mom's sisters) have dealt this this as well (one beginning in her 30s the other not until her late 40s). The younger one had some success wiht Rogain and I'd probably say the inconvenience of having to use it forever is minimal compared to the stress your thinning hair is causing you now. Ultimately, however, the both discovered they had some thyroid issues that were contributing to their thinning hair. Have you had your thyroid checked? I know you said it's "simply a hereditary trait" but thyroid conditions can run in families as well, so it's possible that the women in your family all have a common cause other than a baldness gene.
Hope this helps. Good luck with this.
T.
I absolutely understand what you are going through! The women on my dad's side of the family all have thinning hair, and I have been dealing with the same problem now for at least 7 years. Over the past 4 years, I have tried everything to combat this problem. I have added Biotin, Zinc, and Selenium to my daily supplements, in addition to using rogaine twice a day--all while still suffering the frustration of a ton of lost hair in the shower drain!!!!
As I am an independent consultant with Arbonne, I recently took a fellow consultant's advice, and addded shampooing with Arbonne's Intelligence Tea Tree Oil Shampoo to my daily routine. I can honestly say I saw a huge difference after only a couple of weeks. Now after using the product for a full 6 weeks, I have a lot of new hair growth at my hairline and now only notice a few strands here and there in the shower. Please contact me for more information about this product! It's worth the try!!!!
T. M.
____@____.com
I started a business with Arbonne last September. One of the products
No advice on how to get it to come back, but something that really helped me when I was feeling self conscious about my thin hair was Xfusion.. it's a powder you sprinkle in your hair and it makes it look very naturally thicker. I would use this anytime I felt self conscious about it and I was amazed everytime. It's just a powder and it will wash out anytime you wash your hair and may need to be freshened up everyday you do not wash your hair but it really did make me feel a lot better... you can probably go to your hair stylist and have her match up your color and from that point on go to amazon.com to order as it's MUCH cheaper here.. it may seem expensive but a bottle of that stuff lasts a long long time. My husband uses the bottle I bought this last summer and it's not even half gone yet.. My husband loves the stuff as well and will not leave the house without it..
Not a cure but definitely something to give you that extra boost of self confidence to go out and have fun.
Sounds like female pattern balding, rather than alopecia areata. As you said, it's hereditary, progressive with aging and influenced by hormones.
My mother and sister have it to, and I have noticed signs in myself as well, though it appears that my hair has gotten better since I had my daughter.
I would speak to an endocrinologist/gyn about it and have him review your prescriptions (especially birth control) as well. In my family the hair loss goes hand in hand with hirsutism (excessive male pattern hair growth) and I used to have a terrible time with birth control pills, until I found one that did not exacerbate the problem.
Having a complete blood workup may also reveal additional issues (such as thyroid problems) - but in many cases it's simply genetic.
Good luck!
