Thank you for you response. I just started minoxidil 5% once a day foam. I am just trying to do what I can for the best results. Lots of time spent researching! I saw a derm but she wasn't very helpful. Thinking about seeing another and maybe getting a scalp biopsy so I know what the heck is going on. Hair has been drastically thinning for the last several years. I am in my late 20s.
I have had my thyroid checked as well as checked for anemia. Both are normal. I have read your threads and I am thinking about going to get my ferritin checked. I am a supplement junky and take an iron supplement along with other vitamins that are supposed to be great for your hair (b12 biotin fish oil calcium etc) I haven't checked my hormones but I am not having any issues so I'm not sure that's necessary.
When I go back to see the derm I will ask about topical DHT blockers. Do I need a script for the spironolactone topical? I am apprehensive of trying the oral medication because of the side effects. What have you read about yaz? I am currently not on birth control and i am afraid it might cause more hair loss! This is such a frustrating journey. I appreciate your responses.
You have to find out if you have androgenic alopecia which is what I have.
My Androgenetic Alopecia is mild but it was accelerated or premetureing appeared because I was ferritin anemic.
The easiest way to know if you have Androgenetic Alopecia is to look at your biological parents and grand parents and how there hair was around your age...any of them could have passed it to you male or female.
Hair loss and physicians is hard..a lot of dermatologists are not that knowledgable unless they specialize in alopecia..so if your Dr seems uninformed you may want to try and find a specialist.
I would see if they would do a biopsy--be prepared to do a follow up biopsy because a lot of biopsies can be inconclusive or wrong etc. Usually a Doctor who knows their stuff will be able to tell if a biopsy is wrong
(its hard to explain but my first biopsy came back as areata...because I had 'lychocytes' so they assumed from the inflammation it was areata--but my Derm from my physical exam knew this was unlikely so did a second biopsy--they compared both biopsies and re did my original report that I had androgenic alopecia with 'scant' inflammation which was the leucocytes...Just means i have typical andgogenci but I had some scalp inflammation---so you have to be aware these things happen)
Once you get a firm diagnosis its good to get your ferritin checked..Ferriitn wont cure your hair loss neither will most vitamins unless you are really deficient in something--BUT it will help your hair loss treatments work better since hair needs ferritin to grow..so if the hair is being damaged and you are low on ferrite it will make it harder for it to respond to treatment...Kind of misleading how it is often spoken about in articles you read because they will cherry pick the study to make it sound as if the low ferritin is the cause of hair loss..so keep this in mind.
IF you start taking Iron--do NOT do it without talking to a Dr to monitor your ferritin levels every 6 weeks or so to make sure you are not over dosing as it is easy to build up iron for some people and get toxic levels.
hope that helps and did not confuse you.
Not all Doctors are familiar with topical DHT blockers because they don't work as efficiently as the orals so a lot of Doctors are probably not going to be on board but some will..it depends.
Yay and Yazmin are estrogen and progestin type birth control these often (but not always) help women with androgenic alopecia and PCOS (which at your age make sure you get tested fort this)
Some other birth control pills are high in testosterone which accelerates hair loss.
Birth control are tricky because although the Yaz type BCP help people with Androgenetic Alopecia always a few who it makes it worse--I dont know enough to explain why it works in most and does nothing or makes it worse in few others.
Also it is higher risk for side effects than other birth control pills for blood clots--so if you have a family history or personal history of this speak to your Dr.
