I doubt I will get any real help but I figure it can't hurt to ask. I have lost about 1/2 of my hair over the past 2-3 years and I'm getting desperate. I've had numerous tests and my hormones and thyroid are OK. My doc thinks I may have PCOS, but I am already taking glucophage for diabetes and I have a blood condition that prevents me from taking hormones. Glucophage and hormones are the 2 things used to treat PCOS. The doc doesn't want me to take Propecia because it's long term effects haven't really been studied. I've tried Rogaine with no luck. I am desperate....at this rate I'll be bald in a another year or 2. I am pretty much willing to try home remedies. My hair is pretty healthy....a bit dry from coloring it but in good shape overall. But it's so thin now and I'm really scared and don't know what to do or where to turn. Does anyone have any ideas?

I tried Rogaine without success. The only thing it did for me was give me a terribly itching scalp that I could not deal with, but I did for the nine months recommended by Rogaine and I did not notice any significant regrowth. I visited a dermatologist this past summer and she prescribed a compound which she said her female patients were having greater success with even for those that didn't see any difference with Rogaine. The compound consists of 5% minoxidill, diprolene and tretonin. Whereas the 2% minoxidill was causing my scalp to itch, the 5% does not. The reason being is that it is mixed with diprolene which is used to treat excema and other skin disorders. It soothes your scalp. Hair actually cannot grow if the scalp is irritated ,which is why Rogaine by itself probably does not work for people. Tretonin is retin A. My dermatologist said that that works to rejuvinate the hair follicles. The good news is that I have been using this compound, which my pharmacy makes up, since the early summer and my hair has dramatically filled in. I would, without reservation, recommend this to anyone. If you need any more info about this let me know.

Thanks for the info....I will print it out and take with me to my docs office.

Do you know why you lost your hair? Were you diagnosed with anything specific? My docs seem to take this problem lightly but I feel devastated.

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I've had several episodes in my life where my hair began falling out in droves, and I'd have handfulls in my brush, running my hands through my hair, in the drain after a shower,... I'm going through it again. The first episode I had was when I was 26. I had another one a few years back, and now this one (I am 39, almost 40).

I think doctors take us women in general not as seriously as they take men, and they write everything off to "stress." Well uhm, okay that's all good and fine, but stress also kills, it raises blood pressure, it affects hormone production (including hormones responsible for our weight), it can affect our skin, our blood's clotting abilities, our neurotransmission, our digestion. So "just stress" is a total cop out because it assumes the person suffering from whatever symptom they have has control over it and can just "stop it," or "just relax," or somehow if we just take a vacation, or "don't let it bother you," that everything will turn around.

That's highly presumptuous not to mention it's not a darn bit helpful.

I have baby fine hair. If I pull the front part back to put in barettes you can see my scalp. It's as if I could literally count the hairs I have. Even at the part, there's a lot of space between each hair folicle.

I also colour my hair because if I didn't it would look even thinner. It gets limp, oily, flat, and dull. But colour gives it body, thickens the shaft and increases volume.

Many derms will say offhanded things like, "stop colouring your hair" assuming chemical damage is causing it to break off. What we know that they apparently aren't investigating is that this is not breakage, this is fall out.

Do you have patterns? (I don't - no bald spots or patches, it's overall, and especially noticable on the top of my head and sides -- you know, the part where everyone sees when they look at you -- and in places you cannot cover up).

If the hair falls out and has a bulbous tip at the folicle end, it could be hardened sebum build up causing the shaft to choken and die off. I have this, and I found that using Polysorbate 80 with Biotin and Niacin helped. It's made by Twinlab and it's a solvent - it breaks down oils on the skin without damaging the skin or hair. It only affects oils, not collagen. IF this is what is causing the hair to fall out, you may like this product. I had good results with it, but you have to be faithful. (I need to just go buy several bottles at a whack so I don't put long periods of time in-between).

So it does not work on a chemical or hormonal level, it's purely topical and works only in the way of sebum reduction. The niacin causes temporary reddening because it increases blood flow. This is thought to help nourish the scalp. Because it is not a systemic-based product it should not interfere with any of your medications or your health conditions.

Oxygen deprivation has been cited the cause for many conditions. I believe this to be the case, personally, as well.

If it is the sebum, then the barrettes and hair pieces (which I have worn) *can* cause damage but not by breakage, - rather because the root itself is weakened and thinned from being choked off so slight pressure is sufficient to pluck the hair from it's folicle home.

Another consideration is Avacore (sp?) -- and similar products. I heard on a radio talk show (where people called in to discuss various consumer products, not just this one) - people called in with having good results with this preparation. It apparently attacks the DHT production which they say causes hair loss. Again it is not systemic, and the theory is sound. I've never tried it but I'm probably going to end up doing so eventually.

I understand and empathize, believe me. It's frustrating to not be taken seriously, or to have this condition minimized as a superficial cosmetic concern. This affects our quality of life greatly, and I can only hope eventually that the medical profession recognizes this.

how about your mother and grandmother...did they have the same problem...i have had very thick hair all my life..i am 55 now...and several months ago i noticed my hair falling out..i went to my internist and my dermatologist..the diagnosis is that its most likely hereditary hair loss...my mother had thick hair but as she aged it got terribley thin...from what i have been told and what i have read..when we stop producing estrogen the hair follicle shrinks and the hair falls out.....i think its pretty common..i have 2 friends who are my age and have noticabley thinner hair than they had even 5 yrs ago..its devastating buti dont knowthat there is a fix for it ...old age bites..period!

Well, I'm 38 and this problem started about 5 years ago and is getting worse each day. It may have started as a hormonal thing....I lost 5 pregnancies within a few years. But even it the pregnancies caused it the episode should have been over by now, as my last pregnancy was over 2 years ago. I've had all the tests done....they all came back OK. I might have PCOS....the doc would normally prescribe metformin and bd pills for PCOS. I already take metformin for diabetes and I can't take estrogen due to a blood disorder. One doc told me it was hereditary )my dad was bald and my brother is getting there, but my sisters are older than me and fine). I've read that Lipitor can cause hair loss and I'm on it for cholesteral. But my hair was already falling out before I started the drug.

I do have some pattern baldness at my temples...just the same as a guy would get. No baldness on top yet but a dramatic thinning. At this rate I'll be noticabley bald in another year or 2. I've tried Rogaine and that didn't help at all.

I'm so depressed about this. I've talked to my family doc, my ob/gyn, 2 derms and an RE. None of them have helped me at all. I alos have hirtuism, which means I have alot of hair on my body, sort of like a guy. Yet the docs all say that my hormones and thyroid are OK. I just don't know what to do http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif It makes me cry.

My dermatologist checked my ferratin levels -- that's a specific iron level -- and said my ferratin levels were too low to grow hair. She prescribed an iron supplement called chromagen.

She also recommended I wash my hair with Nizoral shampoo. It helps block DHT from adhering to the hair follicle.

My hair has filled back in. There are fewer hairs in the brush, fewer in the sink, and more on my head. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Best of luck to you. It's heartbreaking for women to lose their hair.

One more thing my dermatologist told me, and it was a shocker.

IBUPROFEN can make your hair fall out, if taken regularly in large doses. I was taking lots of it for muscle aches.

hi to all! i am 27yrs old and 2 and a half yrs ago, i lost all my hair including body hair within 4 months. it started off falling out in patches and then just all disappeared. my doctors tell me its called alopecia. so many people suffer from alopecia but causes are really not known but thought to be maybe stress, shock or hormonal changes. alot of people may suffer from just one small bald patch and others like myself can loose it all. my hair had almost fully regrown to cover my head but then within two weeks all fell out again. i am also suffering problems with my immune system so this may be the cause for me. i miss having my hair and i was devistated the first time it fell out but last year when it fell out again, i promised myself never to get my hopes up as it hurts too much. i also get an itchy scalp and cant wear wigs cause my head gets so hot and then my scalp gets covered in little red sores. does anyone else suffer from alopecia? if so, what has it been like for you?

I know how you feel because I am going through losing my hair. I have thin hair to begin with, and if this keeps up, I don't know how much will be left on my head. I am currently menopausal, so it could be hormonal. I am going to the doctor in a week and hopefully I will be given answers to stop this. I hope that you too, can find answers so you will no longer lose your hair. Good luck.