Hair loss in women

Parent Cafe
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<p>My doctors seem mystified about my hair loss, so I’m turning to the ever-knowlegeable CC parents. Here’s what we have so far:</p>

<p>*Hair loss is diffuse, not patchy, not hairline. It started suddenly 9 months ago and has continued at a steady rate.
*Menopause was 5 years ago.
*I’ve seen my primary, an endocronologist, and an allergist.<br>
*My thyroid was a little low, so I was referred to the endo. He suspected from the beginning that it wasn’t thyroid-related since I have NO other symptoms. But he did successfully treat my slight hypothyroid, and I’ve “graduated” from him. I’m continuing with the medication, and my primary will manage it.
*Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 have been corrected and are now within normal limits.
*Iron, Vitamin B6, and magnesium are within normal limits.
*Three weeks ago, the allergist put me on Spironolactone 50 mg/day. She says this is normally used for high blood pressure, but has been shown to help with hair loss. She said I should see some improvement within a month. I have a follow-up with her next week, but it’s been three weeks with no improvement.</p>

<p>To look at me, it’s not too obvious yet. I had masses of hair to start with, as a margin of error. My locks are short and curly which camouflages the problem, and I have a good stylist who’s showed me how to work with it. But I’m hoping to get this fixed before it does become obvious.</p>

<p>Any ideas?</p>

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<p>Here is hair loss prevention 101 from your favorite source Fox News.</p>

<p>[Hair</a> Loss Prevention 101 | Fox News](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/24/hair-loss-prevention-101/]Hair”>Hair Loss Prevention 101 | Fox News)</p>

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<p>^^ As noted, my iron and Vitamin B are fine. The only Rx I take which causes hair loss is the thyroid med, and that’s only for the first 2-3 months; I’m past that now. The only Rx I was taking when this started was Simvastatin, which doesn’t have that side effect. I shampoo every day of my life.</p>

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<p>LasMa, according to the person who does my hair, shampooing is very bad for hair, and shouldn’t be done more than one time a week - with exceptions for very oily hair, in which case you use a special shampoo. He also says water and all the additives isn’t great for hair either, and you should keep your hair in it as little as possible. </p>

<p>I recently started using a new hair product which I like a lot - Bumble and Bumble.</p>

<p>I have heard Rogaine, an over the counter drug, is used to regrow hair.</p>

<p>How is your D3? Most people are supplementing for that.</p>

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<p>While your hairdresser may be a very good stylist, his ideas are a bit wacky. ;)</p>

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<p>:eek:
What?! I can’t imagine washing my hair only once a week! Can’t imagine a hairdresser suggesting that, either.</p>

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<p>I go to a Curly Girl salon and they advocate that you should never wash your hair. They sell a product called No Poo, which basically is a fresh smelling conditioner. I have to admit I can’t quite stick with “never”, but I definitely do not use shampoo more than once a week.</p>

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<p>I think a person’s climate might also dictate the degree of washing - however, women I know in NYC (humid climate) that have their hair done weekly at a salon, don’t wash at home between apts.</p>

<p>Hair loss is frequently related to cheap hair care products.</p>

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<p>Well, anyway, I didn’t intend this to turn into a debate about hair care. I use various shampoos, and had not made any shampoo changes when this problem started, very suddenly. I’ve been shampooing daily since high school, so no change there either.</p>

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<p>I thought it was usually related to hormonal changes, stress, auto-immune issues, etc. Using inexpensive shampoo doesn’t make your hair fall out. [Causes</a> of Hair Loss in Women](<a href=“http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/features/women-hair-loss-causes]Causes”>Causes of Hair Loss in Women: Medical Reasons and More)</p>

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<p>Just playing detective…
Any other symptoms that may not be obvious at first? Weight gain or loss for example, changes in texture of skin? Excessive dryness? Nail problems (ridges, cracking, weak?)
(And I know that this is not a debate on hairwashing but once weekly is plenty–more than that dries out the hair and causes other damage)
But in that vein…do you have your hair colored? Or some other treatment? Been using the same hair dye for a long time?
Thyroid is often measured by blood levels which while corrected by MD and be within limits may still not be what you as an individual require. How do you feel overall?</p>

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<p>Have you tried biotin supplements? Since I have been taking this (about 3 months) I notice distinctly less hair in the shower drain after shampooing. Hair feels thicker and definitely less shedding.</p>

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<p>I’m losing hair too but I just thought it was due to changes in hormone levels since I’m going thru perimenopause. I lost hair four months after both my children were born due to the change in hormone level too. The hair grew back after my hormones became stable. Hope the same happens now too…</p>

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<p>Curlies should only wash their hair at most once a week as anymore strips away what little oil you have. My hair actually looks much better the longer I go between washes. Only if you have very oily hair should you wash it every day. Normals should never wash their hair that often - more like every 3 or 4 days for them.</p>

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<p>I suggest you take a look at your family history- often the hair loss in women is genetic, its just much less pronounced than the typical male pattern baldness. the spironolactone blocks the effects of testosterone in multiple places (yes women have testosterone too, just much less). This is way medications like spironolactone actually cause breast enlargement in men- it blocks their testosterone too, tipping the testosterone estrogen balance!</p>

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<p>I’ve been battling major hair loss for at least 6 months. Every time I wash my hair, comb or style it, it falls out by the handful. Fortunately, I’ve also always had a massive amount of hair, so even though I’ve lost a lot, it’s not something anyone would notice at this point.</p>

<p>I only wash my hair every other day or three. Washing your hair is not what makes it fall out. In fact, on the days I don’t wash it, It just sheds a lot throughout the day. </p>

<p>I do have a thryoid issue, so my doctor just upped my medication a month ago. I haven’t seen a change yet but she said it could take a few months. She is a GYN. I went to her thinking it was peri-menopause and hormones and she said that women do not experience large amounts of diffuse hair loss during menopause. She said that it is normal for it to thin slowly over the years but not to fall out over a short period of time. She did said that usually the type of hair loss I am experiencing will cycle for about 6 months and then stop or slow down.</p>

<p>LaMas, I’m sure you know there are several good forums out there for women with hair loss. PM me if you haven’t stumbled across them yet and I’ll send you the sites. From what I gather, they often have no idea what causes this. There are actually several types of hair loss. Too complex to write about in a post. The Spiro is one of the things I read people talk about using. Of course, there is Rogaine and some other rx shampoos. Right now, I’m trying Nirozol. They say that can help. </p>

<p>Good luck. It’s not much fun. I take all the vitamins you mentioned plus Biotin. Nothing seems to be making a real difference at the moment but I have read that the hair loss can stop abruptly as it began. Keeping fingers crossed for both of us.</p>

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<p>Thanks all for your input. </p>

<p>gouf, on that list of symptoms, I assume you’re getting at a thyroid issue, and no I haven’t had any of them, either before the hair loss started or since. The endo ran down a very long list of symptoms at my first appointment; that’s when he said he suspected that my thyroid wasn’t causing the hair loss. I know that getting the thyroid optimized can be extremely tricky. However, since in my case, there never has been anything else besides the bloodwork which points to thyroid as the cause, and since I’m now within normal limits, I’m going to assume it’s something else.</p>

<p>I’ve never colored my hair, except for highlighting done by a professional. It’s a fairly subtle highlight not involving a large quantity of the hair, and it’s only done about 3 times a year. I’ve been having it done for years, since long before the hair loss started. </p>

<p>As for the Great Shampoo controversy (which I had no idea existed until yesterday!): I do use “cheap” shampoo – if by that we mean shampoo I don’t have to go to a salon to get. But I suspect this isn’t the source of the problem for two reasons. First, I use several different brands, and second, I was using cheap shampoo for many years before this problem started. But I will ask. </p>

<p>I don’t want to use Rogaine unless I absolutely have to, and I’m not at that point yet.</p>

<p>What is so puzzling and upsetting about this is that it began so suddenly. If I had made any change to my hair regimen in the weeks/months leading up to the onset, the answer would be obvious, but there were NO such changes. Also no changes to my diet, energy level, skin, eyes, nails, sleep, stress level – nothing. Everything was going along as usual and then one day, my hair just started falling out.</p>

<p>When I see the allergist next week, I will ask about shampoo and hair care issues, to rule that out if nothing else. I also will ask about using Biotin.</p>

<p>Any other ideas about what to ask?</p>

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<p>lasma
this is my first post but when i read it i had to respond. I have done a lot of research on statins (of which simvastatin is) i had gastrointestinal side effects so i learned a lot about their side effects. simvastatin can cause hair loss it might not be common but it can occur of course if you ask your doctor he will deny it. i have been to so many statin discussion boards and it has happened to some people</p>

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<p>I’m wondering whether you eat fish frequently. There has been a study, at least one that I recall, that connects hair loss, fingernail ridges, and numerous other maladies we suffer with with a lack of iodine. Hypothyroidism is a sure sign you are lacking apparently. I started taking Lugol’s solution a month ago and have begun to notice smoother fingernails along with better energy. Interesting.</p>

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<p>Thyroid medication can cause hair loss. It sounds like you are fighting genetics. What about other women in your family? Slow diffuse loss is usually genetic. Try rogaine, it will at least prevent you from losing more… Also, take biotin.</p>