18-yr old College Student, Diffuse Thinning

[sketch]

Hi everyone,

I started at college as an 18 year old freshman last September, and since then, I began to shed huge amounts of hair diffusely. I often wake up with a pillow covered with hair, and over just a couple months my head hair is now noticeably thin. My hair is dark and used to be exceptionally thick - I had to part my hair tightly to see a narrow line of scalp. Now, my scalp is nearly always visible in some place regardless of a person's perspective, particularly on the sides of my head where I sleep. When I get out of the shower, I can see the outline of my scalp fairly clearly. I am terrified that this is happening to me at such an early age. I haven't brushed my hair for weeks because the loss is so bad, and every time I look in the mirror, there are long hairs hanging out the back and sides which are detached. Further, my studies are starting to suffer as a result.
Although my father's side of the family has a history of hair loss, their loss followed male pattern baldness, and he has maintained hair on the sides of his head all his life since he lost the top at age 24. Furthermore, his hair is very fine, and mine isn't. What can I do? The hair loss isn't slowing down after a few months, and it is very hard dealing with a bad day of loss after a good one. I keep hoping it will slow down or go away, but it isn't. Is there anything I can do to slow down and reverse this terrifying process?

P.S. Since starting at college, I have also experienced significant weight loss, going from 186 to 166 in two months, and also losing another 8 pounds between the beginning of December and now. I am also experiencing symptoms of fatigue, and a sore throat that hasn't gone away for almost four weeks now. I have seen a doctor, and thorough bloodwork has come back negative for everything including thyroid problems. This is in response to some replies which suggest that the problem is likely male pattern baldness - my doctor believes my hair loss has something to do with these other symptoms, and therefore it should halt and reverse once we find the root of the problem. My problem is, we haven't found it yet.

My heartfelt thanks to anyone who replies.

 

[nikeaddict]

ok, first off, your doing the right thing here. What i would do is start out by looking all over this site for info on the different treatments. the majority of people here will tell you the best approach would be the big 3 (minoxodil (spelling), finistrade and nizerol shampoo). The minoxidil, an example is rogaine, can be bought at any walgreens type store, it is applied to the scalp twice a day, and can help stop hairloss and promote hair regrowth, the finasteride, an example is propecia, is gotten by perscription from a dermatologist, you take one pill a day and is proven to help stop hairloss. and the nizerol is a dandruff shampoo, and help keep a healthy scalp. dont let this become too much of a bummer for you, know you are doing everything you can very early on, and i am sure you will have much success. again, do your research here, buy the stuff as soon as you can, and get going with a good hairloss regimen and im sure you can stop it right in its tracks. good luck, J

 

[sketch]

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you so much for replying to my post. I have heard of minoxidil and propecia, but the thing is I'm not sure how relevant they are to my case of diffuse thinning. I am not suffering from male pattern baldness, and I have been told by my primary physician (not a specialist) that my hair will come back, I just want a way of stopping the loss for now, without committing to a lifetime regimen of forced hair control. I know that I will lose any hair gained if I ever stop taking Propecia or Rogaine, and that commitment is what I wish to avoid if at all possible.

Again, thanks for your reply to my original post. Heartfelt thanks to anyone else who wishes to reply.

 

[Mad Woes]

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you so much for replying to my post. I have heard of minoxidil and propecia, but the thing is I'm not sure how relevant they are to my case of diffuse thinning. I am not suffering from male pattern baldness, and I have been told by my primary physician (not a specialist) that my hair will come back, I just want a way of stopping the loss for now, without committing to a lifetime regimen of forced hair control. I know that I will lose any hair gained if I ever stop taking Propecia or Rogaine, and that commitment is what I wish to avoid if at all possible.

Again, thanks for your reply to my original post. Heartfelt thanks to anyone else who wishes to reply.

Answer: very relevant. Get on these while you can. Trust me. I started balding at 18 (diffuse thinning too). Why do you think it isn't male pattern baldness? Because it is diffuse? That surprises me since many peoples thinning is diffuse, even though that is more of the female pattern for some reason. At least use something more than biotin shampoo. I made that mistake when I was your age and if I would have acted earlier, I would probably have more hair now!

MW

 

[coffee]

sketch, a few people on these boards have mentioned recently that their doctors don't know too much about male pattern baldness. A dermatologist is the one to talk to. Now I do hope your Doctor knows what he's saying. But given how hairloss effects some people fundamentally, it may be worth having your Doctor send you to a specialist for good look-over...to be sure. If a dermatologist says you need to do something then you'll be in a better place to fight it and turn it around. I don't want to scare you with all this shtuff but it would be tragic if you were being misdiagnosed by your Doctor and losing your best chance at stopping the hairloss. I hope this all goes a good way for you.

 

[Healthy Nick]

Hi everyone,

I started at college as an 18 year old freshman last September, and since then, I began to shed huge amounts of hair diffusely. I often wake up with a pillow covered with hair, and over just a couple months my head hair is now noticeably thin. My hair is dark and used to be exceptionally thick - I had to part my hair tightly to see a narrow line of scalp. Now, my scalp is nearly always visible in some place regardless of a person's perspective, particularly on the sides of my head where I sleep. When I get out of the shower, I can see the outline of my scalp fairly clearly. I am terrified that this is happening to me at such an early age. I haven't brushed my hair for weeks because the loss is so bad, and every time I look in the mirror, there are long hairs hanging out the back and sides which are detached. Further, my studies are starting to suffer as a result.
Although my father's side of the family has a history of hair loss, their loss followed male pattern baldness, and he has maintained hair on the sides of his head all his life since he lost the top at age 24. Furthermore, his hair is very fine, and mine isn't. What can I do? The hair loss isn't slowing down after a few months, and it is very hard dealing with a bad day of loss after a good one. I keep hoping it will slow down or go away, but it isn't. Is there anything I can do to slow down and reverse this terrifying process?

My heartfelt thanks to anyone who replies.

If this has only been going on for a few months, and you can see your scalp, then I would have to question whether this is male pattern baldness or something else. I think you should go to a doctor. Don't leave until you get get full blood work and any other tests which may be useful. Watch out though. You've got to pressure these doctors because 99% know nothing about hairloss of any kind, and will give you retarded, uninformed answers.

Don't get on any type of male pattern baldness treatments until you go to the doctor.

 

[sketch]

Possible factors against male pattern baldness

This reply is especially in regard to the one by Mad Woes.

Since starting at college I lost 20 pounds within 2 months, and since mid-December I have also lost a further 8. This rapid weight loss, without any intention or forms of dieting, has led to my feeling fatigue despite 8 hour nights. I have also had a sore throat constantly for around 4 weeks now. I have seen a doctor and extensive bloodwork has come back negative for everything including thyroid problems. He believes that if we can find the root of my weight loss problem, the diffuse hair loss (he believes, a side effect) should come back. I must stress that my hair loss is extremely diffuse and these days the worst parts are the sides of my head, usually the last to go in male pattern baldness. My problem is, we still don't know what the source of the symptoms is, and although the other symptoms continue to persist, I am by far most worried about my hair.

Thank you so much to those who have replied, and heartful thanks to those who will.

 

[Guest]

Re: Possible factors against male pattern baldness

This reply is especially in regard to the one by Mad Woes.

Since starting at college I lost 20 pounds within 2 months, and since mid-December I have also lost a further 8. This rapid weight loss, without any intention or forms of dieting, has led to my feeling fatigue despite 8 hour nights. I have also had a sore throat constantly for around 4 weeks now. I have seen a doctor and extensive bloodwork has come back negative for everything including thyroid problems. He believes that if we can find the root of my weight loss problem, the diffuse hair loss (he believes, a side effect) should come back. I must stress that my hair loss is extremely diffuse and these days the worst parts are the sides of my head, usually the last to go in male pattern baldness. My problem is, we still don't know what the source of the symptoms is, and although the other symptoms continue to persist, I am by far most worried about my hair.

Thank you so much to those who have replied, and heartful thanks to those who will.

IF it were me, I would find another Doctor right away and likely an endorcinologist. The weight loss and hair loss are not normal (assuming you are not on a diet) and the sore throat isn't either.

Could be tons of issues including mono but who knows?

Work the medical end now and you can tackle male pattern baldness later if it is still an issue.

Good luck.

 

[ShedMaster]

Re: Possible factors against male pattern baldness

This reply is especially in regard to the one by Mad Woes.

Since starting at college I lost 20 pounds within 2 months, and since mid-December I have also lost a further 8. This rapid weight loss, without any intention or forms of dieting, has led to my feeling fatigue despite 8 hour nights. I have also had a sore throat constantly for around 4 weeks now. I have seen a doctor and extensive bloodwork has come back negative for everything including thyroid problems. He believes that if we can find the root of my weight loss problem, the diffuse hair loss (he believes, a side effect) should come back. I must stress that my hair loss is extremely diffuse and these days the worst parts are the sides of my head, usually the last to go in male pattern baldness. My problem is, we still don't know what the source of the symptoms is, and although the other symptoms continue to persist, I am by far most worried about my hair.

Thank you so much to those who have replied, and heartful thanks to those who will.

IF it were me, I would find another Doctor right away and likely an endorcinologist. The weight loss and hair loss are not normal (assuming you are not on a diet) and the sore throat isn't either.

Could be tons of issues including mono but who knows?

Work the medical end now and you can tackle male pattern baldness later if it is still an issue.

Good luck.

My thoughts exactly! There is some underlying cause here which is playing havok on your body. You need to go to a different doctor like brucelee said and find out what the hell is going on. This is not normal and I think when you do find out what is going on your body will return to normal, hair included. Male pattern baldness treatments would be the last thing I would be worrying about right now because I dont think thats your problem. In the long run, if and when you get figure out what going on and your body returns to normal, you will be glad you didnt have a problem with male pattern baldness.

 

[Karch]

I would say not to go on Propecia and Rogaine right now. First find out the problem? I know when I entered college I had a lot of stress? Maybe that is it? Maybe see a pscychiatrist or psychologist for that. Doy ou have gastro-intestinal problems(any one or more of these symptoms: diahrea, bloating, constipation, stomach pain, pain in intestinal tract) I don't think it's male pattern baldness from what I know, since you are losing the majority from the sides of your head. If you do want to use Rogaine and Propecia, I suggest go seeing a dermatologist and ask for there advice. MAke sure you tell them everything. And make sure you tell every doctor you see, everything, somethings are connected sometimes. Best of luck.

 

[sketch]

Another thing...

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all your replies - while I'm waiting for doctor's appointments, etc. it does make the going a little bit easier! I would like to add to my previous questions/comments, that I suffered relatively little stress from the initial adjustment to college, in fact I loved the change and have thrived socially. One thing is that I went to an all-boys school in the UK between the ages of 7 and 18, so I had my first girlfriend here during my first three weeks. The breakup was quite stressful for me, so that may have been a contributing factor. Thing is although bad, breakups don't usually make everyone lose hair(!) so I'm doubtful that can be the entire cause. Academically, I have been under no more stress here than I put myself under during high school.
In relation to other issues, I have a doctor's appointment soon and may be referred to Gastro-Intestinal to check for problems there.

Once again, to all of you who applied, each of you have made my day a little better by letting me know there are people in similar situations who care. Thank you.

 

[Stabber]

Get on a multi vitamin. Start working out. Get sleep. Start eating more. Buy some Nizoral shampoo at any drug store and use it every 3 days

Give it a few months. If you continue to low hair despite regular blood test results...you have male pattern baldness. Just dont stress whatever you do. It makes everything worst. Trust me

 

[Healthy Nick]

Get on a multi vitamin. Start working out. Get sleep. Start eating more. Buy some Nizoral shampoo at any drug store and use it every 3 days

Give it a few months. If you continue to low hair despite regular blood test results...you have male pattern baldness. Just dont stress whatever you do. It makes everything worst. Trust me

Nah, this dude has something wrong with him. It's not male pattern baldness. Don't go recommending vitamins, working out, and Nizoral to someone like that. Jesus. :roll:

 

[ShedMaster]

One thing is that I went to an all-boys school in the UK between the ages of 7 and 18

Possibly post traumatic stress syndrome?