11 Months POST-Transplant - Hair Thinning?!?

[ed]

Ok...
a curious thing has been happening:
I am 11 months out from my hair transplant and my hair has started thinning over the past 3 weeks (in the transplanted area). It seems as though my head wants to go back to its original self or something. Any ideas on why this is happening?? Has this happened to anyone else? Everything was going great (growth-wise) until this started happening

 

[not me!]

Ok...
a curious thing has been happening:
I am 11 months out from my hair transplant and my hair has started thinning over the past 3 weeks (in the transplanted area). It seems as though my head wants to go back to its original self or something. Any ideas on why this is happening?? Has this happened to anyone else? Everything was going great (growth-wise) until this started happening

Could be the result of a natural hair cycle. I know my hair goes to crap in the fall/early winter each and every year. Your transplanted hair *should* be fine. Let me ask you this: Were your transplanted hairs placed in between thinning hairs or on a slick bald spot? If it was the former, it could be the natural hairs shedding due to cycle/shedding/change in regimen/etc. If it is the latter, consider whther you have changed anything at all in your habits, diet, regimen, etc. Also try to think back to your condition this time last year. Have you ever noticed a pattern where your hair seemed to be thinner at some times than at others?

 

[Guest]

Hair whether natural or transplanted should have their follicules cycling at different intervals. In other words I would find it highly unlikely that all of these follicules or a high percent of them in the area you are thinning are going into telogen at the same time. Step in front of your bathroom mirror and get your face close to it and slightly tilt your head back so you are able to see the hairs on your hairline commencing from the scalp. Make sure there is good lighting too. What you will notice are many different hairs in different lengths. The shorter hairs will look thinner and not as fat as the longer ones. The variation of length is related to hair follicules coming back into anagen (growth) at varying intervals. Otherwise there would be uniformity of length among a very high percent of them. For most folks hair grows at roughly 1/2 inch per month unless one is taking supplements like MSM where the growth rate can be accelerated.

I have a question for you. Have you been under a fair amount of stress recently? You may be experiencing some stress alopecia. The bottom line? Contact your doctor with this situation.

 

[ed]

yes - stress. lots of it.
I thought that may possibly be a reason...diet change also as a result of about 2 weeks of stress.

 

[Guest]

Ed,

Well that certainly was my suspicion but there is good news, the positive thing is that hair will grow back from stress alopecia once the stress comes down to a managable level. Then your follicules should re-enter the anagen phase and "poof" hair starts resurfacing.

I remember several patients who had hair transplants and the hair just did not grow in like it should have. They were dealing with some very stressful situations, some very personal. Never-the-less once discovery was done with them and it became very obvious they needed some help, they really came into the realization that sometimes we need help to get help.

What I have noticed once the doctors gave their diagnoses was that the stress alopecia mostly manifested itself in a blotchy type of pattern or what they would sometimes diagnose as alopecia areata related to high stress.

Certainly consider getting some assistance if this situation continues on and I wish you the best.