It has been almost 3 years since my shedding started. Mine was started I believe after switching brands of a DIM supplement that I was taking to balance hormones. About the same time I had a cancer scare and I became extremely anxious and hardly slept for months. Three months after I started the DIM and had the cancer scare I noticed my hairline was thinner. I attributed it to the stress and thought it was Telogen Effluvium and it would resolve. It did not cross my mind that just a new brand of DIM could cause it. Then after a YEAR of hair loss I finally stopped the DIM all together and my shedding slowed after about 2 weeks. So I then thought that after a few months I should start to get back to normal, but nope. It has continued slowly over the next two years. I now just cut my hair short to try and hide it. I have loss at my temples and all over the crown and down the sides.
My mom had some thinning after menopause but no scalp showing. I am only 33 and have more loss than her at this point. My blood work came back "normal" even thought my ferritin was only at 17, I have been trying to raise that over the last year and it is a slow process for me. It took 9 months to get it to 37.. I have been vegetarian for about 20 years now, which could mean I have chronically low ferritin. Another thing I read is that chronic low ferritin can mimic Androgenetic Alopecia because it can cause your hair to grow so poorly. I may be grasping at straws here though!
I then had a biopsy done and it said that the Telogen Effluvium hairs were "essentially within normal limits" and that the miniaturization was so subtle that it was basically inconclusive. Dermatologist saw subtle miniaturization and said to start Rogaine. She only biopsied one area from the crown. If it was that subtle then why would I be losing so much hair? The hair that comes out now is full length with the bulb. Not sure what that means.
Am I just delaying the inevitable of needing Rogaine? Could this still be CTE?
My hormones are still all crazy too and they mimic menopause symptoms. I am having new blood work done in about a week to recheck my hormone levels.
Any thoughts, feedback or insight is appreciated.
My mom had some thinning after menopause but no scalp showing. I am only 33 and have more loss than her at this point. My blood work came back "normal" even thought my ferritin was only at 17, I have been trying to raise that over the last year and it is a slow process for me. It took 9 months to get it to 37.. I have been vegetarian for about 20 years now, which could mean I have chronically low ferritin. Another thing I read is that chronic low ferritin can mimic Androgenetic Alopecia because it can cause your hair to grow so poorly. I may be grasping at straws here though!
I then had a biopsy done and it said that the Telogen Effluvium hairs were "essentially within normal limits" and that the miniaturization was so subtle that it was basically inconclusive. Dermatologist saw subtle miniaturization and said to start Rogaine. She only biopsied one area from the crown. If it was that subtle then why would I be losing so much hair? The hair that comes out now is full length with the bulb. Not sure what that means.
Am I just delaying the inevitable of needing Rogaine? Could this still be CTE?
My hormones are still all crazy too and they mimic menopause symptoms. I am having new blood work done in about a week to recheck my hormone levels.
Any thoughts, feedback or insight is appreciated.