A Few Questions...

[Jeeper]

Hi Everyone,

Maybe this is just paranoia setting in but I have to make sure and make myself happy because if I don't, I'm just going to stress over this.

I'm 16 years old and for many many years I had very long thick hair that was down past my shoulders and about a year ago I started to experience a ridiculous amount of shedding/hair loss. I thought about it and said, screw it. Hair grows, I'll cut it and it will grow back healthier. I had the sides and back of my head buzzed and left enough on top to come down to the tops of my eyebrows. I have been noticing that when I brush my hair in the morning and a night I am losing strands both with white and black bulbs (I have black hair, too.) so I'm not sure what that means. People tell me that hair has a cycle and can go into resting which can cause those bulbs, so I put that to the back of my mind. I have no idea why in the hell I did this but I decided to put a mirror up to the back of my head and to me, it looks like a bald spot. Everyone is telling me that almost every guy has a tiny whorl at the back of their head and I've noticed it a few times on other men but I guess it is normal to have a bit of paranoia? Lol...My Grandma told me that it could just be because you have had such long hair you just haven't noticed it ever before. The hair dresser is telling me it could be hair breakage making it look like a bald spot. Others have told me it could be male pattern baldness. Baldness does not run on my Mother's side of the family but my Dad's Mother is very thin on top of her head. My step-brothers and sisters are not having the problem I am having. (My step-brothers and sisters are also my Dad's kids.)

If you guys would like pictures I can post some here...It is an awful feeling. 8O

I don't know if this means anything either but I am Filipino also.

 

[rerun]

In the past year, have you lost a lot weight (crash diet), been majorly ill, had surgery, or experience a traumatic event?

 

[Jeeper]

In the past year, have you lost a lot weight (crash diet), been majorly ill, had surgery, or experience a traumatic event?

A near rape in my apartment complex, so yes. This happened about five months ago. Yes I did stress about it long after it was over. My Jeep was broken into and vandalized too. So I've had a stressful past few months.

- - - Updated - - -

I will also be going in for surgery on Dec 19th.

 

[rerun]

A near rape in my apartment complex, so yes. This happened about five months ago. Yes I did stress about it long after it was over. My Jeep was broken into and vandalized too. So I've had a stressful past few months.

- - - Updated - - -

I will also be going in for surgery on Dec 19th.

If you are experiencing diffuse thinning (thinning all over, even the back of your hair and sides), then perhaps you triggered telogen effluvium. Run a search online for more information. This is something that should resolve itself over time once the initial trigger is removed.

Are you a male or a female? I say this because if you are a male and a prone to male pattern baldness, telogen effluvium can cause your male pattern baldness to speed up, in which case you may need to go on treatments to address that issue.

 

[Jeeper]

If you are experiencing diffuse thinning (thinning all over, even the back of your hair and sides), then perhaps you triggered telogen effluvium. Run a search online for more information. This is something that should resolve itself over time once the initial trigger is removed.

Are you a male or a female? I say this because if you are a male and a prone to male pattern baldness, telogen effluvium can cause your male pattern baldness to speed up, in which case you may need to go on treatments to address that issue.

I am a sixteen year old Male. Mom has no bald relatives in her family. My dad has a head of hair that is ridiculously thick, much like mine used to be. The only person that has experienced hair loss is my Dad's Mom and she started losing it in her 40's but I'd say that is pretty normal for male or female at that age, right? Everyone is telling me it is stress related because of what has happened to me over the past few months. Also, my scalp is extremely itchy. I have like bumps on my scalp that flake really bad. Like I can pull skin off these bumps...I always associated this with dry scalp/dandruff but now that I am researching I am finding fungal infections could also be a cause of the hair loss I am experiencing?

 

[rerun]

I am a sixteen year old Male. Mom has no bald relatives in her family. My dad has a head of hair that is ridiculously thick, much like mine used to be. The only person that has experienced hair loss is my Dad's Mom and she started losing it in her 40's but I'd say that is pretty normal for male or female at that age, right? Everyone is telling me it is stress related because of what has happened to me over the past few months. Also, my scalp is extremely itchy. I have like bumps on my scalp that flake really bad. Like I can pull skin off these bumps...I always associated this with dry scalp/dandruff but now that I am researching I am finding fungal infections could also be a cause of the hair loss I am experiencing?

Thanks for that additional information about the skin. I think you have seborrheic dermatitis, which is often characterized by red bumps and scales on the scalp and can result in hair loss.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seborrhoeic_dermatitis

 

[Jeeper]

Thank you so much for the information! I read all I could about it. I try not to itch but sometimes it is ridiculous how much your scalp itches with this PIA problem. Do you think it would be good for me to try the Head & Shoulders Seborrhoeic Dermatitis Shampoo first and see if it gets better before making an appointment with a dermatologist?? I sometimes think that when I itch (I itch really hard and deep into my scalp.) I might be pulling hairs out because I especially itch at my crown area and that is where I first noticed the tiny spot.