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Thinning hair question...
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Has anyone else dealt with this? I noticed more shedding than usual a couple months ago and at first chalked it up to dry winter climate. It's continued now for several months, more scalp is becoming visible and I'm starting to freak out.

Several things: I'm 35 and at a healthy weight (heck, even a little higher than I'd like to be), I eat relatively healthy, including chicken and fish (not vegan), had my thyroid tested which doctor said was in the higher normal range and regularly take multi-vitamin/fish oil. Switched my BC from Yaz to Yasmin last month. Also tried switching shampoo/conditioner to ones with no sodium laurel sulfate, but then my hair/scalp was very greasy. Ugh. Hair loss is not in patches, but appears to be consistent all over scalp. (Notice it especially in the front where I part my hair.)

So, question is... do I go to a dermatologist? An allergist? A wig specialist? :) Any advice is appreciated...
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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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There is a lot of info about this on the net. Do a google.

Female hair loss is more common than many people realize. Seems to be hormonal and can happen after pregnanacy or after coming off the pill among other reasons. Rogaine seems to be the treatment of choice.

Here's a brief description, but do a google as there is lots of info.

http://www.aocd.org/...ale_pattern_hai.html
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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not a doctor but you may want to talk to your doc and get a blood test done to check thyroid activity. When my thyroid gets out of wack I loose a lot more hair then normal and I think the stats are something like 8million US women have a thyroid disorder and don't know it. Good news is it's a really easy blood test to rule that and perhaps iron deficiency, etc out.


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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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Ug. I was losing what I thought was a lot of hair last Fall. I usually have a few strands come out when i comb it after showering, but it was way more than that. My hair is thin to begin with so losing more made me nervous. I never did anything about it, but the excessive shedding eventually stopped. I chalked it up to changing seasons, but I really have no idea why it happened. I hadn't changed my diet, hair products etc. Check with your Dr. if it doesn't stop. Good luck to you.
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Re: Thinning hair question... [QRgirl] [ In reply to ]
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Rogaine for women worked for me as well - not discounting the effect of thyroid function or lack thereof. Female hair loss may have a hereditary component, and looking at the women on my biological mother's side one can find some support for that claim ;). Anyway, Rogaine has worked so well that I only use it once a day, even though it is labeled for use twice a day. It took a couple of months to have a noticeable effect, also as stated on the label. A haircut that makes the most of fine curly hair helps too, and it took a while to find that.

Jacquie Mardell

USA Triathlon certified coach
ASCA/USA Swimming certified coach
http://www.ladolcevelo.com

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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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I had this happen about 7 or 8 years ago. After many months of searching and doctors tests it turned out to be a reaction to a medication I was taking. Way way down on the side effects list of Zyrtec it listed hair loss. I had increased my daily dosage a little bit before the hair loss started. When I cut back down to 1 pill a day the hair loss went away. If you are taking any medications you may want to check into those. The dermatologist who prescribed the Zyrtec didn't really even believe me when I told him the correlation so I think it was a really rare side effect.
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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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get your thyroid and ferritin levels checked.
low iron stores are the number one reason I see for hair loss in women
thyroid second

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cat
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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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I had this problem/worry a couple of years ago as well. The things I was doing wrong...

1) Didn't get my hair cut enough. I was going more than 8 weeks between hair cuts because
I was worried about losing my hair. Healthy hair breaks off less (especially at the root).

2) Wasn't taking enough Folic Acid.

3) Too much stress.

4) Not having enough Iron in my diet. I don't eat red meat and probably not enough spinach.

5) Fashion head bands, pulling my hair back in a pony tail, hats while running, head bands under my bike helmet.

*Now that was just me, I would suggest going to your doctor or hair stylist and asking their professional
opinion. Those hair stylists are experts too. I certainly pay her enough to get some advice out of her :)

Heather Sweet
http://thesweetsadventure.blogspot.com/
Last edited by: hj-rockstar: Mar 12, 08 13:14
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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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Along with the hairband thought, do you usually wear your hair in a ponytail? If you are putting your hair up wet every day and putting it in traction in a ponytail, that may play a role as well. As it dries, it contracts a bit, so may add tension to the hair follicles...well...at least that's what one of my hairdressers told me once ; ). If this is the case, dry your hair first (yes, I know it takes an extra 5-10 minutes that none of us has) and then do one less loop on the ponytail band to make it less tight.

Diana

Racing Ironman for Athletes in Tandem...http://www.firstgiving.com/...manworldchampionship
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Re: Thinning hair question... [hj-rockstar] [ In reply to ]
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I had this from stress first, then thyroid second. Seems to have stabilized now. Pretty scary all right.

Ap

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: Thinning hair question... [jen jen] [ In reply to ]
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Get some blood work done...check for the following:

ferritin
lh/fsh ratio
free testosterone
Thryroid - you did this

You need a full endocrine workup- there are cases of female pattern baldness but you seem to be describing a sudden onset which is more suggestive of a hormonal shift.

In the 90s the condition of poly cystic ovaries was diagnosed like crazy= it usually presents with cystic ovaries, extra hair growth, some hair loss, and irregular cycles...now its realized that the condition is actually caused at its base by insulin resistance- now mind you- i'm not saying that you have insulin resistance or even pcos- but the good news is that with some blood work you can often discover the root of your problem (no pun intended) and then take steps to rectify- in most cases it can be stopped and even reversed...

i say all this not as a physician but as a patient...i lost a lot of my hair in my twenties until we figured it out and now i have all my hair again...i happen to be insulin resistance which just means i make smarter choices about food which as a triathlete i had to anyway...

so get some blood drawn and youll be pointed down the right direction...
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