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Hi everyone! This is my first post on here so please bear with me! I would greatly appreciate some insight from those who have experienced/are familiar with hair loss.
I am a 21 year old male and I have been noticing a decline in the volume of my hair over the past 1.5 years. Around March of 2018 (approximately 20 years old) I was in the midst of a very stressful, prolonged period of my life and I started to notice more hair falling out than usual. Combined with my hair falling out, I also started to notice that my hair would easily come out when I pulled on it. During this time I was also taking medication that could have contributed to my hair loss (although hair loss was not listed as an official side effect, many people online have stated that they have dealt with hair loss as a result of this medication). I eventually brought my stress levels down by the end of that summer (August 2018) and quit taking the original medication that was prescribed but was switched to another medication that has been proven to cause hair loss (although I was taking very low dose). When I went back to college in August 2018, I began to go out and socialize more at the expense of a healthy lifestyle. Binge drinking was a common occurrence most weekends, as was a lack of sleep, and poor nutrition - I frequently eat at fast food and at sit down restaurants (probably not the healthiest foods either). Once December 2018 hit, I quit taking the medication that could cause hair loss, but my unhealthy habits such as a poor diet and binge drinking continued through the next semester until May 2019.
I consulted with a dermatologist in March 2018 and they diagnosed me with Telogen Effluvium. They told me that the hair should grow back by the end of the year. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
I would agree with the doctor's original thoughts that a Telogen Effluvium episode might have been originally triggered because of the stress I was under, however once I got the stress under control the hair stopped shedding, but the thickness did not return. Is it possible that I could have hindered regrowth by continuing my unhealthy habits? Since this past summer I have corrected my lifestyle by quitting drinking, eating more nutritiously, getting proper amounts of sleep, etc., but my hair still seems thin. I am trying to figure out if what I am dealing with is actually male pattern baldness vs Telogen Effluvium. My hair has went from being very thick and completely covering my scalp to my scalp now being somewhat visible and my hairline has receded slightly. Since I just recently altered my lifestyle should I be more patient to see if it will have an effect on my hair density and see if my hairline will slightly restore itself?
One other important thing to note is that although there is a history of male pattern baldness on my mother's side of my family, they started to lose their hair when they were in their 30s, not as early as 21. My father's side of the family does not have a history of male pattern baldness.
Thank you for reading this and I appreciate your insight into what I am dealing with!
I am a 21 year old male and I have been noticing a decline in the volume of my hair over the past 1.5 years. Around March of 2018 (approximately 20 years old) I was in the midst of a very stressful, prolonged period of my life and I started to notice more hair falling out than usual. Combined with my hair falling out, I also started to notice that my hair would easily come out when I pulled on it. During this time I was also taking medication that could have contributed to my hair loss (although hair loss was not listed as an official side effect, many people online have stated that they have dealt with hair loss as a result of this medication). I eventually brought my stress levels down by the end of that summer (August 2018) and quit taking the original medication that was prescribed but was switched to another medication that has been proven to cause hair loss (although I was taking very low dose). When I went back to college in August 2018, I began to go out and socialize more at the expense of a healthy lifestyle. Binge drinking was a common occurrence most weekends, as was a lack of sleep, and poor nutrition - I frequently eat at fast food and at sit down restaurants (probably not the healthiest foods either). Once December 2018 hit, I quit taking the medication that could cause hair loss, but my unhealthy habits such as a poor diet and binge drinking continued through the next semester until May 2019.
I consulted with a dermatologist in March 2018 and they diagnosed me with Telogen Effluvium. They told me that the hair should grow back by the end of the year. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
I would agree with the doctor's original thoughts that a Telogen Effluvium episode might have been originally triggered because of the stress I was under, however once I got the stress under control the hair stopped shedding, but the thickness did not return. Is it possible that I could have hindered regrowth by continuing my unhealthy habits? Since this past summer I have corrected my lifestyle by quitting drinking, eating more nutritiously, getting proper amounts of sleep, etc., but my hair still seems thin. I am trying to figure out if what I am dealing with is actually male pattern baldness vs Telogen Effluvium. My hair has went from being very thick and completely covering my scalp to my scalp now being somewhat visible and my hairline has receded slightly. Since I just recently altered my lifestyle should I be more patient to see if it will have an effect on my hair density and see if my hairline will slightly restore itself?
One other important thing to note is that although there is a history of male pattern baldness on my mother's side of my family, they started to lose their hair when they were in their 30s, not as early as 21. My father's side of the family does not have a history of male pattern baldness.
Thank you for reading this and I appreciate your insight into what I am dealing with!