What if family members all lose their hair @ the same time?

[tortelilni]

Okay, maybe I'm crazy, paranoid, and looking for trouble, but for weeks I had been feeling that my 2 girls' (ages 4 and 8 ) hairlines had been looking odd. I kept dismissing the thought, because clearly, obsessing about my own hair was just making me see it everywhere.

But tonight I did a long overdue ear cleaning as they stared at a video. The littlest girls hair really is sparser. I ran my hands through it, and it feels a little like mine, thinner at the edges, more at the top. I parted it various different ways and it seems like way to much scalp is visible.

The oldest girl has always had tons of hair, and it seems like her hairline is higher, and there is miniaturization like mine along the edges and in the temples.

Lead paint? Group stress? I tested negative for malnutrition, and I make sure they eat better than I do. WHAT IS GOING ON??

I'd like to take us all in to the doctor, but we're on different health plans.

How should I research this? ACK. :freaked:

 

[Guest]

There is a UKmum on one of the threads with the same problem. You may want to look for her post.

 

[Guest]

Sorry about the above post. I thought I was on another site. Go to
http://www.heralopecia.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

UKMUM's post is on the first page. It is titled: Family Hair Loss

 

[Guest]

Re: What if family members all lose their hair @ the same ti

hey Concerned Mom,
I've been experiencing mass shedding for the past two years. I don't know the cause, and I can certainly emathize the anxiety and pain that it causes...especially with girls so young. I think that it may be due to the environment. Four months after I moved into the city and out of my parents house I began to experience this shed. My parents have an air cleaner built into the house that cleans it every 4 hours. The air in the city is not nearly as clean as where they live, nor is the air in my apt. that i reside in. I noticed that when I first began to shed whenever I went back home my shedding would subside for a while. Even when I was SUPER sick during my visit during Xmas last year (which forced me to stay a week at their place) I noticed that my shed was pretty much back to normal (when I had normal hair). I am going to move back there in January in hopes that my hair can try and recooperate. I don't know if it will, as after I have examined them the shaft is significantly smaller in diameter than before, but I am willing to give it a shot. I will pretty much do anything. I am 21, female, and terrified.
Sorry, this probably doesn't come as much consolation to you, as I doubt that you will relocate your family to some country farm...but those are my thoughts. They are totally unsubstantiated by any medical research and are totally based on my own anecdotal experience...but I honestly think that my environment is causing my loss.... or perhaps this is merely my hope for a simple remedy. I have already spend an exhorbinant amount on unsuccessful treatment (consequence of which is a very empty bank account and part of my necessity to move back home.)
Good luck to you.

Homeward Bound

 

[Guest]

I do think environment must be the cause- there are a couple of reasons why this could be so-
- some toxins (like lead and cadmium) can mimic the function of iron in the body. with less iron, hair can be lost due to anemia.

- some toxins (like volitile organic compounds) can intrerfere with the hormone balance.

- mercury can also cause hairloss- and when we moved, it was within walking distance of a power plant grandfathered out of epa regulations. mercury (common emission from coal) isn't even reguolated by the epa anyway. Too restrictive for business. The plant said the emissions went up high, and by the time they settled were far away from the neighborhood. That left me unreassured- the utitlity owners didn't live anywhere near the place, I noticed.

Good luck with the hair- I think the laser comb can help with the hair'd diameter. I bought a used one off ebay, but too soon to see results.

We have since moved again, but it's fairly urban here as well. time will tell.