can the hair follicles really miniaturize fully this fast?

[EvilLocks]

I thought this was supposed to happen within several cycles, not fully miniaturize within a single cycle. I mean I can still see the miniaturized hairs with backlight from the sun in front of a mirror if i press my hair firmly down to the scalp they stick up everywere, but they're SO tiny - like barely there! and this is happening all over the scalp, including sides... 2 years ago i had a full head of thick hair. i tried the rogaine, finasteride, nizoral, even spironolactone. cannot get my hands on dutasteride. still nothing helped? but i mean is this normal? the hairs are BARELY THERE! :/ i should add i also have scalp pain constantly for 2 and a half yrs. anyone with similar experience?

 

[xRedStaRx]

I thought this was supposed to happen within several cycles, not fully miniaturize within a single cycle. I mean I can still see the miniaturized hairs with backlight from the sun in front of a mirror if i press my hair firmly down to the scalp they stick up everywere, but they're SO tiny - like barely there! and this is happening all over the scalp, including sides... 2 years ago i had a full head of thick hair. i tried the rogaine, finasteride, nizoral, even spironolactone. cannot get my hands on dutasteride. still nothing helped? but i mean is this normal? the hairs are BARELY THERE! :/ i should add i also have scalp pain constantly for 2 and a half yrs. anyone with similar experience?

That doesn't sound like androgenic alopecia.

Maybe fibrosis or keratinization?

 

[SayifDoit]

Why is it I find it hard to believe you actually stuck on finasteride/minoxidil long...

 

[EvilLocks]

Why is it I find it hard to believe you actually stuck on finasteride/minoxidil long...

Why wouldn't I if that could've saved my hair? I am still on minoxidil btw, I have been for over a year along with oral spironolactone. I was on the finasteride for around 8 months though, I would have continued if I could but I couldn't get any doctor to prescribe me and I ran out of the supplies I ordered online and has since been trying to re-order like 6 times, but the pills are stopped at customs and sent back. I live in Norway.

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That doesn't sound like androgenic alopecia.

Maybe fibrosis or keratinization?

I do think it's Androgenetic Alopecia because of the pattern it started with (receding and thinning crown), but has since spread to the entire head. Just 6-8 months ago any person looking at me wouldn't have thought I had hairloss although I had noticed the changes myself much before this, but now not even Toppik can help me look decent. I also have other androgenic symptoms like oily skin and hair, had a problem with acne (not anymore) etc. I started putting minoxidil on the top of my scalp a year ago since that was where I was thinning then, and stuck with it. I did not experience any regrowth, however the hair on top seems to have held on better than the rest of my head that didn't recieve minoxidil. Does this mean it was "working", just my Androgenetic Alopecia is too strong? I have different sizes of miniaturisation too, some hairs are still a bit pigmented but clearly miniaturized, but mostly the barely-there hairs... i have a little normal regrowth but most are horrible. I do think I have Androgenetic Alopecia just a terrible one.

What is fibrosis and kertinization?

 

[Vlatch]

A healthy follicle goes through approximately 25 growth cycles before it stops producing hair, but that's a rough approximation (depending on people it could be 15, it could be 50).

If the follicle isn't healthy, this story about the number of growth cycles doesn't apply, that's why a teenager can become bald only a couple of years after puberty.

That's why you could lose your hair in such a short time.

I saw you were prescribed only 25mg of spironolactone a day, have you got your T levels checked ?
You could try ordering it online or convince your doctor to prescribe a higher dose and take 200mg a day instead, you'll have a better chance of success, good luck !

 

[EvilLocks]

I saw you were prescribed only 25mg of spironolactone a day, have you got your T levels checked ?
You could try ordering it online or convince your doctor to prescribe a higher dose and take 200mg a day instead, you'll have a better chance of success, good luck !

As if I haven't tried all the things you listed, like a million times. I've tried ordering online about 6 times and every time the pills are sent back because of country rules. I can't get my doctor to prescribe because she simply wont. I even asked my dad if he could get it for me and failed. I've asked several doctors and my gp about this crying and begging like a million times. ive tried for a year getting on proper treatment and failed. now so much hair is gone that it is no return. why cant they understand that all i wanted was to be proactive and try everything BEFORE i lost too much of my hair, now it's already almost gone so what's the ****ing point!

 

[zdm632]

So let me get it straight... you are a woman and took FINASTERIDE??
This is the first time i see this, finasteride is not for women and CAN'T work for women!!!
Please please please go to a doctor, a good one-dermatologist , to make you some tests,
because you cannot have Androgenetic Alopecia at 22, for god's sake.
Please stop apllying men-treatments, the do not work for you or may even worsen the situation!!
Hairloss in woman is 90% hormonal and treatable!

This scalp pain you mention is not a common symptom of Androgenetic Alopecia, that's why you could have another condition which is affecting your hair.

What's shocking is that you write here acting like you are a man, and in fact people respond to you believening you are a man, this guy mentions check your T levels, etc...

 

[EvilLocks]

yes women can have Androgenetic Alopecia, "for gods sake".
i have obvious miniatuirsation how do you explain this? i dont lack in anything else, made from blood tests.
i have written with women who got Androgenetic Alopecia at only 14 so yes it does happen. it's called premature baldness.
and the reason why i talk about finasteride is that i tried everything else, nothing worked.
and i have spoken with a few women who benefited from finasteride, that's why.
you should really read up un womens hairloss cause you are misinformed.
i agree finasteride wont work in most women, but im willing to try it at least.

 

[Vlatch]

What's shocking is that you write here acting like you are a man, and in fact people respond to you believening you are a man, this guy mentions check your T levels, etc...

Oral spironolactone is a known treatment for female pattern hair loss (it reduces T levels). I wouldn't have mentionned it if I thought she was a man ^^"

Here is a study about the use of antiandrogens in women with Androgenetic Alopecia : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15787815/

 

[xRedStaRx]

Finasteride doesn't work with women.

Estrogen therapy and spironolactone works very well however.

 

[EvilLocks]

anyone care to explain WHY finasteride doesn't work in women? i KNOW women aren't supposed to use finasteride because of the harm it can cause if a woman's pregnant, which i am not nor am i planning to be - now or ever. i just wanna know WHY it works in most men but doesn't work in most women. what are the differences between male and female Androgenetic Alopecia? i know the miniaturisation process happens in both cases so it makes no sense why it would work in men and not in women. i have written with a few women who have used finasteride and regrown (some of) their hair, and i have talked with women who didn't benefit from it at all. it is to my understanding that finasteride doesn't work in most women but this is weird since the process is the same in both sexes, exept for the pattern (most of the time). I am lucky enough to both have a thinning hairline and overall thinning pretty much all over. i have horrible scalp pain and loads of miniatuirsed hairs. i just haven't heard of a case as bad as mine, that happened at such a young age (starting 20) and so rapidly + the scalp pain. i first started worrying about my hair a year and a half ago when i noticed mild thinning in the bangs, went straight to the dermatologist who looked at my hair and didn't see any miniatuirsation. but a few weeks later i felt my hair was getting worse, so i took a closer look at my scalp and discovered what looked like a few miniaturised hairs in the front of the scalp. went back to the dermatologist (this was a couple months after my first visit), and this time he told me it COULD be the start of Androgenetic Alopecia but said that IF so, it would take 30 years before i'd need a wig. Well fast forward to now 2 years since this started, and I am actually close to wearing a wig. My hairline has receded a full 3 cm and i have plucked hairs with a tweezer at my hairline area in an attempt so straighten it out and remove the thin part. well this worked at first, my forehead was not huge to begin with but as time went on and i needed to pluck more and more to keep a decent looking line it has grown into a 5-head. i haven't plucked any in 2 months except for the part that is already plucked because i cannot afford another mm gone although it's happening for sure. since stopping plucking more the hairline i now have (the 5-head) is also getting so thin and see-through. my hairline hasn't receded in a clean line, just diffusely thinned to see-through-ness.
can anyone help me?

 

[Vlatch]

Finasteride didn't work in a post-menopausal women study.

However, it worked in a pre-menopausal women study (along with a contraceptive called drosperinone), 60% of patients showed improvement after a year.

You're aware that plucked hairs (on the head) never grow back, I hope ?
EDIT : okay, they do, but they'll get thinner over time if you continue.

 

[xRedStaRx]

Because women don't generally have type II DHT, which is how finasteride works in the first place.

For some reason, testosterone and their other derivatives (I'm assuming type-I DHT too) are more responsible, as is low estrogen.

I haven't research women Androgenetic Alopecia much, but I can look more into it if no one else has a clue.

 

[EvilLocks]

Because women don't generally have type II DHT, which is how finasteride works in the first place.

For some reason, testosterone and their other derivatives (I'm assuming type-I DHT too) are more responsible, as is low estrogen.

I haven't research women Androgenetic Alopecia much, but I can look more into it if no one else has a clue.

if you could that would be helpful. i dont understand it..

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Finasteride didn't work in a post-menopausal women study.

However, it worked in a pre-menopausal women study (along with a contraceptive called drosperinone), 60% of patients showed improvement after a year.

You're aware that plucked hairs (on the head) never grow back, I hope ?

They keep growing on me, just more miniaturised

 

[isishearmyplea]

can you post before after pics. . . just your scalp.

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You're aware that plucked hairs (on the head) never grow back, I hope ?

I dont think thats true.

 

[Vlatch]

I dont think thats true.

Feel free to try then. Okay I shouldn't have said "never", but over time, less and less hair will grow back that's for sure !

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichotillomania

 

[isishearmyplea]

my cousin had the habit, we had rented a room together during high school and he would do it all the time while studying. He is Norwood -10000. If you have male pattern baldness thn maybe it expedites the process, otherwise i dont think that the hair wont grow back.

 

[2bald2young]

You're aware that plucked hairs (on the head) never grow back, I hope ?

I also don't think that is true. Because if a hair has around 25 cycles that means that if someone plucks their hair out around 25 times the hair stops growing and I haven't seen that happening on myself at least (correct me if I am wrong or if I read it wrong).

Evellocks Androgenetic Alopecia is something not very well understood, we know that dht plays a role in men atleast but if it is really the dht or is it the chain reaction it causes is also not known. Also your hairfollike is not gone but it has miniaturized to the point were it is barely visible and reviving these follike is very hard because it becomes resistant. My point is finasteride blocks dht but if dht is not the main problem for your hairloss than it is not going to do much, that means that your hair miniaturized not because of dht but because of something else like maybe testosterone causing a production of pgd2 or/and dkk1. I find your type of hairloss weird because 1. you already tried everything and 2. You have a painfull (not a itchy) scalp so I am starting to think it is something else, the dokters should do a proper investigation what is wrong with your scalp instead of sending you on your way home...

btw is your scalp red, scaly, white pus, with pimples?

 

[Vlatch]

That's why people with trichotillomania end up with thinner hair after years of developing the habit. I've had a small bald patch at the top of my head for a few years now, it looks like a scar and it appeared when a girl pulled out some of my hair at a party.
Anyway I guess some people are luckier than others and it's not the right thread to discuss that, but you shouldn't pluck your hair =\

 

[EvilLocks]

I think you misunderstand. I do NOT have trichotillomania!!!

I do not pluck these hairs for fun or habit. My hairline started to thin really bad at the front so it was really see-through, that's why I started plucking the remaining hairs ONLY in that area.

But as time went on and more hair started to miniaturise and my hairline became thin looking again, I plucked a little further up. Only very little at a time.

I have also STOPPED plucking 2 months ago cause like I said, I cannot go any further up.

Still, it seems like my forehead is ever growing because of the balding process.

I wouldn't have plucked a single hair hadn't I been going bald. Plucking to even out my hairline helped me for many months to look better, but unfortunately it's not helping anymore cause the balding has gone too far.

BTW the hairs I plucked are still growing in, but the balding process is what is making them miniaturize and eventually dissapear.

If I hadn't plucked any in the first place my hairline would be completely see through by now so at least it bought me some time but wasn't gonna last forever.

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I find your type of hairloss weird because 1. you already tried everything and 2. You have a painfull (not a itchy) scalp so I am starting to think it is something else, the dokters should do a proper investigation what is wrong with your scalp instead of sending you on your way home...

btw is your scalp red, scaly, white pus, with pimples?

My scalp feels itchy but it is painful as well. The sensation is REALLY hard to describe, but my head feels dirty, crawling and infected. It feels like I have a sunburn that never goes away, and it's all oily and gross. The pain can be very strong sometimes to the point where I find it hard to sleep. It's also hard concentrating on anything else when the pain is this bad. Also my scalp feels very "hard", but IDK if this is normal? It feels harder then before, almost like there's hardly any skin layer if that makes any sense. Yes this sounds gross.

My scalp is not red, scaly or with pimples and puss. When you look at my scalp you don't see anything wrong, except it can be a little dry sometimes but not bad at all, like there's no visible flaking in my hair etc. The only thing is that it's oily.