What does the white bulb mean?

T

The Gardener

Senior Member
Reaction score
25
The reply above is completely incorrect.

The bulb on the end of loose hairs is the remainder of the small skin-like sheath at the end of the shaft that once connected to the follicle root in your scalp. It's normal and expected for shed hairs to have these bulbs, and hair shed by both male pattern baldness and non-male pattern baldness people BOTH have bulbs on them.

It means that the hair was shed, as opposed to being broken off or cut off. All shed hairs should have a bulb on them, although the hair bulb can vary greatly in shape, size, and color depending on your personal pigmentation and which area of the scalp it came from.

You can't make any determination as to your male pattern baldness status from a hair bulb because non-male pattern baldness people shed hairs which have bulbs on them as well.

The difference between male pattern baldness and non-male pattern baldness folks is that for the non-male pattern baldness person, that hair will be replaced by another that is equally as thick as the shed hair. Wheras, for the male pattern baldness person, some of these shed hairs, depending on where on the scalp they came from, might end up getting replaced by hairs that are more thin and not as strong as the hair that was shed.
 
G

GonnaBeatHairLoss

Member
Reaction score
16
The Gardener said:
The reply above is completely incorrect.

The bulb on the end of loose hairs is the remainder of the small skin-like sheath at the end of the shaft that once connected to the follicle root in your scalp. It's normal and expected for shed hairs to have these bulbs, and hair shed by both male pattern baldness and non-male pattern baldness people BOTH have bulbs on them.

It means that the hair was shed, as opposed to being broken off or cut off. All shed hairs should have a bulb on them, although the hair bulb can vary greatly in shape, size, and color depending on your personal pigmentation and which area of the scalp it came from.

You can't make any determination as to your male pattern baldness status from a hair bulb because non-male pattern baldness people shed hairs which have bulbs on them as well.

The difference between male pattern baldness and non-male pattern baldness folks is that for the non-male pattern baldness person, that hair will be replaced by another that is equally as thick as the shed hair. Wheras, for the male pattern baldness person, some of these shed hairs, depending on where on the scalp they came from, might end up getting replaced by hairs that are more thin and not as strong as the hair that was shed.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much The Gardener!
I have been noticing that my hairs that fall out do vary in thickness, some are very thick and black (I have black hair), while the others are so thin that they are barely visible.

I am not sure if I have male pattern baldness because I don't have the traditional hair loss patterns. I guess I am more of a diffuse thinner, although some spots are hit harder than others as it seems. I've been to 3 dermatologists in the past and had blood work done and all that. The result; no male pattern baldness, but I can also say that I was shocked at how these idiots became hair specialists as they didn't know 1/2 of the stuff I was telling them.

I have one more question, do hairs that were "forcefully" pulled out grow back in good shape? Thanks!
 
T

The Gardener

Senior Member
Reaction score
25
Your hair is constantly cycling, but there are times when humans (like our long lost genetic cousins) tend to have "synchronized shed" events where we seem to lose a lot of hair in one period. This is usually a seasonal thing, in spring and fall. After hair is shed, it can take up to three months for the hair to resume growing a new shaft and for this shaft to grow long enough to be visible above the surface of the scalp.

These "shed" events can be triggered by a number of events... seasonality, stress, nutrition, etc. Take special care of your psyche and nutrition over the next few months and see what happens. One thing I CAN tell you is that nobody goes from a full hairline to hippocratic baldness overnight. male pattern baldness is usually suffered in slow and gradual stages over the course of decades, so don't go into panic mode, but, keep an eye on your hair, and despite the fact that you will probably recover from your shed, look for potential signs of male pattern baldness just in case.

These signs would be:
Hair thinning in traditional male pattern baldness areas of the scalp.
Scalp itching or irritation.

If you notice these symptoms, consider some treatments... especially the irritation. If you feel any irritation or itchiness, hop on Nizoral 2 to 3/x week ASAP.
 
G

GonnaBeatHairLoss

Member
Reaction score
16
The Gardener, I can't thank you enough for your quick, informative, and kind responses! Thank you!

IBM, the hairs that fall out are usually around 2.5-3 inches in length but are sometimes shorter/longer. As I have stated before, most of them are really thick, but some of them are very thin.

I was wondering if hair lost to "shock loss" can be regrown to it's normal state. My hairloss concerns started after I got into a fight and got my hair tugged on pretty hard. I guess you can say the other guy got the last laugh even though I kicked his ***, since I would have gladly taken an *** beating over years of depression and constant concern about my hair(loss).

Prior to this incident I used to NEVER see hairs falling out and I used to have a pretty decent head of hair. I used to play around with my hair and style it using a lot of mousse and gel, yet no hairs would fall out. Now I see hairs everywhere even when I try to be gentle with it. It seems as if hair falls out whenever I touch my hair! :freaked2:

My hair is A LOT less dense than it used to be, it seems as if i lost a lot of volume in my hair, it doesn't "poof" up a bit like it used to. Rather it's very limp and tends to flatten down.

I've noticed that it's a lot harder to even brush my hair as it has become somewhat wirey and unruly. My hairs (when wet) tangle against each other and pluck out whenever I brush through.

I towel dry my hair gently instead, but even then I notice at least 10-20 hairs fall out!

My hair looks pretty much like crap unless I shave it when it's without a styling product. However, with the aid of styling products, I can make my hair look "normal" although it takes me a shitload of more time compared to what it used to take me.

I have searched around the internet for the closest representation of my hairloss problem and I came across this thing called "loose anagen syndrome". Unfortunately, they said there has not been any effective treatment for this. Does anyone else who has been suffering from a similar hair loss pattern to mine know of any effective treatments?

I am not sure if my condition is a mixture of the above + male pattern baldness or just the above... whatever it is I would like to fix it so that it doesn't get any worse. Thanks for reading!
 
T

The Gardener

Senior Member
Reaction score
25
Hmmm... that is just plain bizarre.

I would insist that your case be escalated to another doctor. Be proactive with your health care provider, keep pushing until you find a resource that can either help your situation, or at the very least give you some answers. Stick up for yourself, and don't take no for an answer.
 
G

GonnaBeatHairLoss

Member
Reaction score
16
Thank you my friend.
My parents and everyone else used to just brush it off that I was paranoid, and yes maybe at that time I was since even though I was noticing hairs shedding like crazy, I still had a normal head of hair. That is no longer the case. I am scheduled for a check up in 1 week. I will ask my doctor for another referral, hopefully this time to someone who knows wtf he/she is talking about!
 
T

The Gardener

Senior Member
Reaction score
25
Well, at the very least, given what you have told me I can understand why your doctor thought a steroid might be the solution.

I've got my fingers crossed for you. I'm hoping that your hairloss is not hormonal (male pattern baldness), because if there is another cause that some doctor can find, your chances of growing it back will be a LOT better.

No matter what, just keep cool and work the issue. Focus on your nutrition and managing your stress. Peace my brother.
 
G

GonnaBeatHairLoss

Member
Reaction score
16
Thank you friend!
Hmm they never offered a steroid lol did I write that somewhere?
Only 1 of the 3 said maybe I should go on propecia... but at the time I was only 16 going on 17. Is finasteride a type of steroid?

I would use finasteride + minoxidil, but since I am not sure if I have male pattern baldness or not, I don't know if it will work in regrowing hairs back for me. Also I like to lift weights, and I heard some bad side effects about finasteride.

I have another question, does anyone actually notice hairs falling out whenever they take a shower, towel dry, brush, or style their hair? I mean I have a safety guard in my drain so it catches hair and there's always a thick chunk of it. Whenever I towel dry or brush my hair, another 10-20 hairs fall out! Styling my hair also takes out anywhere from 5-10.

Is noticing hairs falling out during daily activities a sign of male pattern baldness?

Also, I stated before that I came upon this symptom called "loose anagen syndrome". I think I might have it but I am unsure as I lose hairs left and right, but don't have the traditional male pattern baldness pattern.

While I was researching I came across this: http://www.hooked-on-nails.com/naildisorders.html.

I have noticed I have Melanonychia, (middle of page) "vertical pigmented bands, often described as nail 'moles', which usually form in the nail matrix. Seek a physicians care should you suddenly see this change in the nail plate. It could signify a malignant melanoma or lesion. Dark streaks may be a normal occurrence in dark-skinned individuals, and are fairly common."

I am not dark skinned at all. And I know for a fact I never had this until after my hairloss incident.

Thanks for all the help!
 
G

GonnaBeatHairLoss

Member
Reaction score
16
Anyone know the answers to the questions above?

Also, at one point I've been really paranoid and I did something really stupid... For a short while I thought if I ate the hairs that fell out, my body would convert it back into material for reproducing those hairs lol. Yeah I know it's stupid, but you don't understand how big of an impact hairloss had/has on me. This went on for a few weeks, until I realized that it was just retarded and not normal.

Now I'm beginning to think that since I ate my hairs for a bit thinking they'd grow back, maybe my body is eating away at my hair follicles? I hope to dear God that this isn't the case! Does anyone have the answer?

Thanks again!
 
s.a.f

s.a.f

Senior Member
Reaction score
67
Bet even CCS could'nt believe that one! :freaked: :hairy:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2023 XenForo Ltd.
Top