I'm wondering what are causes of extensive hair loss?

I'm an 18 year old female who had really think hair. I've noticed over the last few months that my hair has thinned significantly. Especially for the last month it seems to be falling out in clumps. I don't see any baldspots although there seems to be a lot of thinning going on around the back of my hair...(the scalp is more noticable then it has been). Also, when I was getting my hair cut about a month ago the hair dresser told me that when she was washing my hair it felt extremely dry. Other then hair loss, and dry hair I don't really have any other symptoms except for diarrhea which is an on and off sort of thing...maybe suffer from it 2-3 days a week.

If anyone could help me out that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

hey

Im not an expert on this but thought id give my opinion. have u tried to use a different shampoo? maybe the shampoo you are using has something in which doesnt agree with you?
I had a friend that used to curl her hair..put extensions in her hair..stuff like that.. (she is 20)and now her hair is soo soo thin!thinner than before. ive heard that if you do that kinda stuff it can damage your hair and even cause scarring. I remember reading somewhere that it can be a sign of illness(dont quote me on this) but i think your way too young

i woould make an appointment with the doctor or maybe just get advise from a hair dresser first - then a doctor if hair dresser doesnt know.might be a simple case of just changing shampoo or something.

O and happy new year!

Sophie x

I don't think its the shampoo I'm using because I change it periodically. Thanks for your imput though!

Are you on any kinds of medication. I know some medications have the side effect of hair loss. Some antidepressants can cause hair loss.. Just a thought.

Thanks,

No, I'm not on any medications at all.

Try to use a LOT of conditioner or a deep hair mask.... i noticed when mine was getting dryer it was falling out /thinning easier ( im not much older than you ) so i started to use a lot of conditioner and it helped a lot. Also try to take a biotin supplement...it is supposed to help with hair loss/thinning. good luck!

Thanks I will definately try that.

You said you aren't on any meds...what about anything else like vitamins or supplements(herbs)...so you aren't on "the pill" or anything? Always use a detangling conditioner after shampooing as to not pull hair unnecessarily. I use the "pro V stuff"(hint) and I prefer to shampoo my hair and rinse and then lightly towel dry my hair and take a dime size amount of the conditioner on my hands, rub them together and rub it into my hair without rinsing. Doesn't leave my hair oily in the least bit and I have oily hair to begin with. It makes a bottle of conditioner last forever and detangles great and I want you to know, my hair is a tangled up mess after shampooing! Use less if your hair is short. Start out with a pinto bean sized squirt and go up if any more is needed.

Thanks for the reply.

No, I'm not taking anything, no vitamins, and I'm not on the pill either. I'll try different shampooing and conditioning techniques, although I don't think I'm having any problems with the shampoos I use.

I just read in another thread that Pantene is causing some to have hair loss!!!! I have never heard of this and I use it all the time but....I suppose if it's causing hair loss for some, it could be your shampoo and conditioner causing your hair to fall out. Learn something new everyday!

i have the same problem as you do and mine is because of a hormone imbalance so i have to go on birth control pills to fix it.. you might wanna consider talking to your docter about it!!

How's your diet? Have you had your serum ferritin tested? If it is low, that can definitely cause hair loss. Also get all of your hormones tested. That includes male hormones like DHEA-S and testosterone.

I do know that worrying about it will make it worse. For me hormone therapy helped a lot. Estrogen did the trick.

Thanks for the feedback.

If certain hormones are low won't other symptoms be present too? Other than the hair loss. What other symptoms may be present?

there is something called alopecia (sp) has to do with stress...doc can give you meds..but it is normally noticed by bald spots. vitamin deficiency also causes hair loss. Go to doc and get some blood test done. they can tell a lot about you.

I too have some hair loss it comes and goes I asked my hairdresser, she said that stress could be causing it .... the only thing that is stressing me out the fact that everytime I go in the shower I have strands of hair on my hands!!! I use Nioxin shampoo everytime this happens it is especially for thinning hair. Try a salon in your area or you can get it online. I just bought online a couple days a go.

Summer,


Get your thyroid checked, it is a simple blood draw and labtest. Underactive thyroid (hypothyroid) will cause the dry brittle hair you describe and yes, hair loss. Also it can cause dry skin, brittle nails, tiredness, coldness, and hosts of other symptoms. And it is a very common thing for women to have. :)

You need to see a doc. Could be a vitamin deficiency. Things must be ruled out. Let me know on the Pantene thing. I was using Nioxin which was horrible, amde it worse switched to Pantene and still badddd. Good luck!

My mom has also notice her hair is thinning. She read an article in a women's magazine that stated, meds, stress, and zinc defiency can cause hair loss. My mom thinks her hair loss is due to wearing those knit caps.

It also could be her bp meds, although she take something for her thyroid. If your thyroid is high, your hair will grow, and become dry. However, if the thyroid is low, your hair will fall out. My mom is waiting to have her T3 and T4 checked as well as her TSH. If you have you thyroid checked, make sure they do all three things. Good luck.

Look into the cereal grass juices, wheatgrass and barleygrass. High amounts of RNA/DNA in them might be able to regenerate hair growth. I've been reading about people who got their hair back by taking wheatgrass juice capsules. I started them on Thursday and my scalp doesn't hurt as much and there is definitely less fallout in the shampoo, rinse, conditioning stages. It's only been 5 days but so far very promising.

The store clerk told me about an Ayurvedic herb for hairloss/graying used in India. It is called Bhringaraj. It comes in different forms: an oil for the scalp, a raisin like fruit that tastes like licorice, and a powder for tea. I'm buying the oil this week.

Look into the cereal grass juices, wheatgrass and barleygrass. High amounts of RNA/DNA in them might be able to regenerate hair growth. I've been reading about people who got their hair back by taking wheatgrass juice capsules. I started them on Thursday and my scalp doesn't hurt as much and there is definitely less fallout in the shampoo, rinse, conditioning stages. It's only been 5 days but so far very promising.

The store clerk told me about an Ayurvedic herb for hairloss/graying used in India. It is called Bhringaraj. It comes in different forms: an oil for the scalp, a raisin like fruit that tastes like licorice, and a powder for tea. I'm buying the oil this week.
Hi
Am in India and we've known of Ayurvedic medicines forever [5000 yrs!] but it still makes sense to see your doctor, apart form stress etc as mentioned by others in this forum, you want to check your hormone levels asap. Imbalance there can cause male-pattern hair loss on the head with hirsutism on the face and chest. Beta carotene supplements [a capsule at bedtime] works for me...I tend to have some hairloss in winter.

Thanks, my orthomolecular doctor did a hormone panel test last year and things were good but he thought could be slightly higher levels. I took maca for 4 months and he tested again, and they were better. The hairloss has been since my early twenties, now I'm forty, and since various blood tests for iron, B12, thyroid, and hormones are normal it's been attributed to severe stress. I'm looking forward to the future and my health is much better this year.

I'm surprised more didn't respond with accurate statements.

Yes, stress can cause thinning hair, but that should be shortlived.
Chemical treatments, such as dying hair can cause it, but again, that's not permanent.
Alopecia is not stress induced. It's a disorder and there is no medication to reverse it. If you have alopecia you will have actual bald spots.
Thyroid plays a significant role, so have that checked out.
Vitamin deficiency too, so up your Biotin and B12.
Lastly, women can suffer hair loss due to genetics and this is the most common cause. It's usually due to excessive androgen but again, meds can't address this.

I feel for you as I have a genetic loss and it's hard on one's self esteem.

Do any women in your family share this with you? In my case, both my mom and my aunt on my dad's side do.

How severe is it? Maybe consider saving for hair transplants? That's the only thing that will change your appearance if this is genetic.

"Lastly, women can suffer hair loss due to genetics and this is the most common cause. It's usually due to excessive androgen but again, meds can't address this."

Actually, Spiro, which is a DHT blocker can sometimes help. Also, a combo of BCP and Spiro too. Right now, I have high DHEA, due to taking a stupid supplement last year, and now have hair loss. I've just started Spiro and might add BCP later.

I agree with you that self-esteem takes a dive. I had thick, luscious hair before this DHEA nightmare. Who knows if I can correct it, but I'll die trying.

Holst, by "spiro" do you mean "spirulina"?

For about a month or so during mid summer, my hair moults like crazy. It seems like after shampooing etc i'm left with handfuls of the stuff. From what i've been told it's normal to shed a lot more hair during summer.

I began losing a lot more hair than i thought was normal in my early 30's. I had been on antidepressents for about 5 months and the first signs of abnormal hair loss seemed to coincide with the med's. I did have a huge amount of stress and later on, even though i felt i was coping better, i guess subconsciously i may have still been stressing out.

On the other hand, i feel something else must be the cause. Like others have suggested, it could be a thyroid condition, but then again i don't have many of the thyroid symptoms. I have had it checked in the past, but the specialist only said it was in an ok range.

My menstrual cycle is also very stuffed up and i'm wondering if it's all hormonal. I have been on birth control for short periods of time in the past and am thinking of resorting to it again, but BC pills tend to make me feel either depressed or cause extremely sore breasts and fluid retention.

I went to see one naturopath who wasn't able to do much for me. I then took Vitex for a while and it appeared to help my menstrual cycle, but then it went a bit crazy all over again. I'm now going to go to my doctor to get some blood tests and i'm also going to see another naturopath which someone recommended as being very good. My monthly cycles used to be ok until doctors gave me fertility drugs after i couldn't fall pregnant. So my dramas could stem from a combination of things.

I don't have any bald spots. It's simply unformly thinned out and i don't want to sit around waiting to see what will happen.

Holst, by "spiro" do you mean "spirulina"?

For about a month or so during mid summer, my hair moults like crazy. It seems like after shampooing etc i'm left with handfuls of the stuff. From what i've been told it's normal to shed a lot more hair during summer.

I began losing a lot more hair than i thought was normal in my early 30's. I had been on antidepressents for about 5 months and the first signs of abnormal hair loss seemed to coincide with the med's. I did have a huge amount of stress and later on, even though i felt i was coping better, i guess subconsciously i may have still been stressing out.

On the other hand, i feel something else must be the cause. Like others have suggested, it could be a thyroid condition, but then again i don't have many of the thyroid symptoms. I have had it checked in the past, but the specialist only said it was in an ok range.

My menstrual cycle is also very stuffed up and i'm wondering if it's all hormonal. I have been on birth control for short periods of time in the past and am thinking of resorting to it again, but BC pills tend to make me feel either depressed or cause extremely sore breasts and fluid retention.

I went to see one naturopath who wasn't able to do much for me. I then took Vitex for a while and it appeared to help my menstrual cycle, but then it went a bit crazy all over again. I'm now going to go to my doctor to get some blood tests and i'm also going to see another naturopath which someone recommended as being very good. My monthly cycles used to be ok until doctors gave me fertility drugs after i couldn't fall pregnant. So my dramas could stem from a combination of things.

I don't have any bald spots. It's simply unformly thinned out and i don't want to sit around waiting to see what will happen.

Hi Audrey,
By Spiro, I mean Spironolactone. It is a diuretic that is an anti-androgen and is used to combat hair loss in women. I am on my 3rd week of it. I have hair loss caused by taking DHEA supplements. DHEA is a male androgen, and unfortunately for me triggered my androgen levels to go sky high. Theoretically, Spiro should block the effect of androgens in your body. If you do not have high androgens, then it might not work. It is best to get tested for all your hormone levels.

Since you said your period is irregular, you might see a doctor. Hair loss and irregular periods can be a sign of PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Check on this board for more info on symptoms. The usual treatment includes BCPs, Spiro, and if you are insulin resistant, Metaformin.

Like you said, antidepressants and stress can cause hair loss too. It's best to go to a doctor to rule everything else out though.

good luck - much hair to you! (and me!)

Holly