Hi friends,
Even though I'm not losing my hair, I do believe that I have some kind of undiagnosed condition which I can't seem to find any kind of research on. I have always had an incredibly full head of thick black hair, but when I was 21 one day my hair became very dry, brittle, and flat- in short it was lifeless and no matter what I did it wouldn't return to its normal state. I would describe it as being "asleep".
I did some research and it turns out I had a weird form of telogen effluvium brought on by rapid weight loss. I started Rogaine (which made my forehead flake like CRAZY) and in a few months time I noticed my hair was beginning to come back to life. I should mention that I only applied the Rogaine to my temple area. In nine months it was completely back to normal. I've stayed on Rogaine on-and-off as a precautionary measure.
Cut to 6 years later, I'm 27 and my hair is going through the *SAME* thing except this time it's different- I haven't lost any weight (in fact I've gained some muscle) but I feel like my individual hairs are shrinking in thickness, though the actual number of hairs on my head remains the same. I've started using Propecia and Rogaine together (the Rogaine is causing a tremendous amount of itch and flaking, and even Nizoral can't seem to contain it much) and this time I am applying the Rogaine to my corwn. I am not shedding much, if at all, but my dilemma remains as such:
One day my hair will be thick and full and look normal and then the next day it goes into "dead" phase where it's dry, brittle, and lifeless. This 'lifeless' cycle might last a few weeks and then suddenly one day it'll "wake up" and my hair is full again- and this lasts for a few weeks until it goes back to being "dead". It repeats like this until it returns to normal full-time, hopefully in the next few months.
I've told my dermatologist (who I absolutely adore, btw) but he isn't able to identify what this condition is. I've done blood work and tried all kinds of shampoos/conditioners/hair products but nothing really affects my hair. I've done tons of online research but with no results. Perhaps a scalp biopsy would help . . .
Can anyone help me identify what *exactly* is going on with my hair?
Thanks!
Even though I'm not losing my hair, I do believe that I have some kind of undiagnosed condition which I can't seem to find any kind of research on. I have always had an incredibly full head of thick black hair, but when I was 21 one day my hair became very dry, brittle, and flat- in short it was lifeless and no matter what I did it wouldn't return to its normal state. I would describe it as being "asleep".
I did some research and it turns out I had a weird form of telogen effluvium brought on by rapid weight loss. I started Rogaine (which made my forehead flake like CRAZY) and in a few months time I noticed my hair was beginning to come back to life. I should mention that I only applied the Rogaine to my temple area. In nine months it was completely back to normal. I've stayed on Rogaine on-and-off as a precautionary measure.
Cut to 6 years later, I'm 27 and my hair is going through the *SAME* thing except this time it's different- I haven't lost any weight (in fact I've gained some muscle) but I feel like my individual hairs are shrinking in thickness, though the actual number of hairs on my head remains the same. I've started using Propecia and Rogaine together (the Rogaine is causing a tremendous amount of itch and flaking, and even Nizoral can't seem to contain it much) and this time I am applying the Rogaine to my corwn. I am not shedding much, if at all, but my dilemma remains as such:
One day my hair will be thick and full and look normal and then the next day it goes into "dead" phase where it's dry, brittle, and lifeless. This 'lifeless' cycle might last a few weeks and then suddenly one day it'll "wake up" and my hair is full again- and this lasts for a few weeks until it goes back to being "dead". It repeats like this until it returns to normal full-time, hopefully in the next few months.
I've told my dermatologist (who I absolutely adore, btw) but he isn't able to identify what this condition is. I've done blood work and tried all kinds of shampoos/conditioners/hair products but nothing really affects my hair. I've done tons of online research but with no results. Perhaps a scalp biopsy would help . . .
Can anyone help me identify what *exactly* is going on with my hair?
Thanks!
