Diffuse Thinning and Change in Hair Texture: My Story

WorriedGirlEM

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Hello Everyone,

I grew up with what I guess would be considered normal hair. My ponytail was about 1.5-2 inches across and the strands were normal, not thick or thin. I guess I didn't notice the changes my hair was going through because it was so gradual and I don't do anything with my hair, just wash, brush and go. Anyway, last September, I washed my hair and a handful ended up clogging the drain. It freaked me out, but I didn't notice any bald spots so I just thought it was a fluke. Then it happened again the next time with more than 100 hairs falling out. A week later I went to a salon and got my hair trimmed, thinking that would help and the girl commented on how baby fine my hair was. What?! My hair has never been baby fine. She spun me around so I could see in the mirror how thin it was when wet and that freaked me out even more. There was practically nothing there! I tried to put my hair in a ponytail to hide the thinness because I was so embarrassed and it took four twists to get the ponytail holder to stay in because it was only half an inch across.

I ended up scheduling an appointment with a dermatologist that same week. On my first visit, she was very optimistic and said that it was probably just Telogen Effluvium because I had a lot of baby hairs growing in and I had an unusually stressful year. She didn't seem worried about the change in my hair texture for some reason. She prescribed biotin, which I was already taking in the form of a b-complex and multivitamin . I was still shedding after four months so I went back to her last Monday and she ordered some blood tests to test for thyroid disorder and anemia. I'm almost guaranteed to test negative for both because all the women in my family have all the symptoms of both except for the hair issues and never test positive for either. She also said I could try minoxidil, but I'm skeptical because my hair loss is diffuse, not female or male pattern.

Hopefully, I can get back to my normal hair soon! It's either stay hopeful or cry at this point.. Normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm getting married in 6 months and don't want to be immortalized in photos with this horrible hair. Thanks for listening and thanks for this forum!
 

Chino

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I totally share your pain. So my hair has decided it no longer wants to live on my head. Some days I lose about 40-50 hairs in the shower, and on the good days it's only 5 or 10. Today was a bad day. I had a hard cry in the shower. I was so loud my dog came running in to see if I was ok. I'm starting with what was once nice, thick hair, but the texture is quickly changing. My scalp burns and itches like crazy though. Do you experience this too?
 

WorriedGirlEM

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Hi Chino! I've been there! I spend a lot of time worrying and crying about my hair and wondering whether it will still be there when I wake up the next morning. I shed about 40-80 hairs in the shower a day and about 30 every time a brush goes near my head. I haven't experienced burning as much as I have the sensation that someone has been pulling on my hair. Every now and then my crown and temples will burn like crazy though. It kind of feels like my legs do when they have razor burn. I got my results back from the dermatologist and they ruled out anemia and thyroid conditions. She says she's stumped unless I want to do a scalp biopsy. I'm debating over whether I want to do that or take my bloodwork to an endocrinologist for additional tests. I have other symptoms too such as weight gain and irritability and I'm only 28 so I think they would be better at looking at the big picture. Thoughts? I would really hate to have a scalp biopsy done for no reason.
 
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