Hi people. Sorry it'll be a long post and I'll greatly appreciate if you read it <3 I'm really desperate.
So I'm 30 and I've always had a great hair, curly and strong, always some finer strands and thicker ones as my parents had different hair texture. Mum thinnish afro-like hair and dad thick and straight, so I'm wavy with some coarse and some finer areas and it's always been this way. No early hairloss or balding antecedents in neither sides of my family not even dating back to my grandparents (nor great-grandparents, looking at the pics I've got of them, all had hair even in their 80s), except for my maternal grandma who lost a lot of hair in her 50's but she had always serious hormonal problems with her thyroid, malnourished from infancy, loads of meds for decades, etc. Her sister never lost density or receding hairline except for natural ageing. I've got PCOS (irregular menstruation and a low grade of hirsutism, but my dad is really really hairy too) but never the 15 years of my life I've had it I've experienced any hairloss linked to it. Sometimes I would lose a bit more of hair but all within 1-2 months. Never worried about it, always recovered. I am slim, no problems losing weight and haven't suffered from acne since I was 18 or 19, in my 20s just the odd spot now and again before my period. No thyroid problems or any metabolic disorder.
So two years ago, in September 2018, I had a very very rough month emotionally speaking, I lost a lot of weight (I had lost weight the year before because of not being able to eat out of emotional shock and poor diet) and two months after I started to shed hair like crazy. I thought it was normal considering the circumstances and kept going with my life. In 2014 I moved countries and between 2014-2017 my hair became a bit duller and less voluminous compared to years before but didn't notice a change in density, may've been the change of hair products and different weather. It was fine again in 2016 and 2017 moved back to my country during a terrible breakup. Lost weight and hair became a bit duller but by spring 2018 it was pretty good and normal. Coming back, Nov 2018 big shedding starts. In February 2019 I went to a dermatologist since hair loss wouldn't stop and told me I had Telogen Effluvium, prescribed me vitamins and iron since ferritine levels were low (22). A few months later loss slowed down and it came back again in July after some holidays abroad. Worth mentioning the year wasn't favourable to me, emotionally-speaking. I tried to take care of my diet and not under-eat. I have to say my drastic weight loss and undereating coincided with seeing duller hair. Things calmed down and December 2019 shedding like crazy again. I was already concerned about the loss I was suffering, no one could notice but I saw my thickness wasn't the same as before. I went to the same dermatologist in January and he diagnosed me with CTE with incipient Androgenetic Alopecia because of my PCOS and not recovery, no blood test involved. He prescribed me minoxidil. I thought that was a bit of nonsense but scared the hell out of me and sought for other dermatologists' opinion. I got hormone tests done and testosterone and DHEAS came out a little above the maximum but nothing really remarkable. The other two dermatologists said by no means that was Androgenetic Alopecia, it was all stress and didn't give importance to the slight rise in androgens. By that time, I was losing hairs that had been born just some months ago, hairs with finer thickness that would get thicker at the root. I noticed pain in my scalp from time to time.
So the pandemic began and during April I started to feel better emotionally, stopped using minoxidil due to scalp irritation and in May and June I felt really good and not unhappy and my shedding decreased dramatically to levels prior 1ºst shed, maybe 10-30 hairs when shampooing. My hair looked a bit better (a friend of mine who saw me months before told me so too) although it wasn't recovered. In July I had some emotional turmoil and anxiety and started to see a slight increase in shedding, getting worse and this time seeing many fine, very fine both long and short hairs (some of them were so fine I would touch them and como out) coming out my scalp which I had never seen in my life. First time ever, in such a short amount of time? I went to a couple of cosmetic centres and both doctors said that miniaturization had probably to do with stress damage to the follicles and not to Androgenetic Alopecia, despite telling them about my androgen levels. I visited a trichologist, blood test again, ferritin levels still low (24), slight copper deficiency, testorerone (free, total, 4 delta androstenedione) and prolactine completely normal and DHEAS levels still a bit higher than limit but now lower than previous test (results 3.74, max 3.3). He didn't specifically told me I had classical Androgenetic Alopecia but blamed the androgens for my miniaturisation. He prescribed me vitamins with natural anti-androgens and a list of shampoos and anti-hairloss lotions (which are useless). The more I worried, the more I shed, and I've noticed when I become stressed, racing heart, etc, almost instantly I run my hands through my hair and 5-20 hairs come out. I booked a PRP session and intense shedding started again after the first session so I didn't have any more. Shedding has slowly decreased and for example today I shed around 40-50 which I guess lies within normality (I've NEVER shed those 100 per day on a regular basis it's commonly said). Some other days I shed about 80 or 100, but it's still more than the huge halt in May-June this year.
Last week my last dermatologist saw my scalp under trychoscope and noticed there were thinner hairs but he said they were very few compared to the normal ones (mind the hundreds of fine ones that are out of my scalp already...), also that I had dermatitis. He said that an anti-androgen would make me recover my hair but said objectively I didn't have the need to, but he didn't say explicitly whether my hair would recover on its own. He said it was up to me and how much this hair loss worried me. So, what the hell, does it need to become worse and worse to do something about it? Of course I'm weary of taking anything that messes up with my hormones because the other symptoms of PCOS don't really bother me that much anymore and I'm not planning to become a mother, but the thought of not doing anything if my androgens are causing this seems totally foolish. Maybe he's saying it's up to me as he's seen my reluctancy to medication, I don't know. If it's Androgenetic Alopecia, this is an early stage when I supposedly can avoid more damage, although I can't understand how so much hair can miniaturise in as short as one year due to androgens, I thought that Androgenetic Alopecia was a years-long process, but I didn't notice any fine hairs coming out before 2018. Just normal thickness. Ironically, if it's Androgenetic Alopecia my central parting looks good and is even fuller than it was last year. Hairs grow like crazy there and the top of the scalp in general, not so crazy somewhere else. The most affected areas (although I've lost density everywhere) are the sides of my head and upper neck sides, which aren't supposed to be androgen-sensitive areas. Fine hairs come particularly from the back of the head, not so much from the top. Right side of my head has less hair than left, and I've lost a lot around the area where the lower skull (occipital) lymph node is. I had mononucleosis starting in Dec 2019 with very few symptoms (no fever, just sore throat and a bit of tiredness but otherwise doing normal life) and the lymph nodes in that side became swollen... I wonder whether there's a link between both things. In April I went through a sort of weird cold that may've been coronavirus but it was mild and have no proof of it. Because of this (more areas affected than others) I'm wondering whether this is the case of diffuse AA too. How can I also explain fine blond hairs that progressively become thicker and darker (I'm dark brown) towards the root? Why some hairs recover and others don't?
Anyway no my image isn't bad and most people wouldn't notice I've lost much hair but luckily I've had a lot of hair to begin with (and with volume). And yes, many new hairs are growing, most of them fairly thick, some of them finer... And still fine short hairs keep falling, as well as thick hairs that I reckon started to grow 6-12 months ago. So I can't recover easily if I keep going like this. I'm a musician and my image is part of my brand, as it is the thick, long wavy hair since I do 70s oriented music, so it affects me personally in multiple ways. My hair is something I've felt the most proud of. This is making me depressed, obsessive about now knowing what's really going on or whether this is reversible. I understand I can't have the hair I had at 22 (at 22 I had the best hair ever, even too thick to style and cut) but the status quo I had two years ago before the first Telogen Effluvium would be more than enough for me to be happy. I know by the age 40 i'll have less hair but if things keep going this way I don't know what's gonna be left out of what it was. I know there are really worse cases out there but this is disturbing enough to make me feel miserable.
I've read (oh, google... the place for nightmares) that after CTE hairs can come out miniaturised, but they don't say why and whether it's reversible. Some others say scalp inflammation produces this phenomenon too and i've definitely felt pain in my roots at the most acute stages of shedding. So once inflammation ceases, hair grows normally? What it's clear is that there are two phenomena: CTE and miniaturisation. Thing is, I'm not sure about their triggers (first one probably stress, but I'm also wondering whether having irritable bowel syndrome predisposes me to not absorb well the nutrients, hence leading to poor absorption as I had this copper deficiency and no illness is to blame).
On Friday I'll visit a dermatologist who is part of the most renowned group of trichologist in the country, advised by my former one since he wasn't very sure about the possible treatments for my case. I really really wish there's hope and finally come back with a clear diagnosis and treatment...
So I'm 30 and I've always had a great hair, curly and strong, always some finer strands and thicker ones as my parents had different hair texture. Mum thinnish afro-like hair and dad thick and straight, so I'm wavy with some coarse and some finer areas and it's always been this way. No early hairloss or balding antecedents in neither sides of my family not even dating back to my grandparents (nor great-grandparents, looking at the pics I've got of them, all had hair even in their 80s), except for my maternal grandma who lost a lot of hair in her 50's but she had always serious hormonal problems with her thyroid, malnourished from infancy, loads of meds for decades, etc. Her sister never lost density or receding hairline except for natural ageing. I've got PCOS (irregular menstruation and a low grade of hirsutism, but my dad is really really hairy too) but never the 15 years of my life I've had it I've experienced any hairloss linked to it. Sometimes I would lose a bit more of hair but all within 1-2 months. Never worried about it, always recovered. I am slim, no problems losing weight and haven't suffered from acne since I was 18 or 19, in my 20s just the odd spot now and again before my period. No thyroid problems or any metabolic disorder.
So two years ago, in September 2018, I had a very very rough month emotionally speaking, I lost a lot of weight (I had lost weight the year before because of not being able to eat out of emotional shock and poor diet) and two months after I started to shed hair like crazy. I thought it was normal considering the circumstances and kept going with my life. In 2014 I moved countries and between 2014-2017 my hair became a bit duller and less voluminous compared to years before but didn't notice a change in density, may've been the change of hair products and different weather. It was fine again in 2016 and 2017 moved back to my country during a terrible breakup. Lost weight and hair became a bit duller but by spring 2018 it was pretty good and normal. Coming back, Nov 2018 big shedding starts. In February 2019 I went to a dermatologist since hair loss wouldn't stop and told me I had Telogen Effluvium, prescribed me vitamins and iron since ferritine levels were low (22). A few months later loss slowed down and it came back again in July after some holidays abroad. Worth mentioning the year wasn't favourable to me, emotionally-speaking. I tried to take care of my diet and not under-eat. I have to say my drastic weight loss and undereating coincided with seeing duller hair. Things calmed down and December 2019 shedding like crazy again. I was already concerned about the loss I was suffering, no one could notice but I saw my thickness wasn't the same as before. I went to the same dermatologist in January and he diagnosed me with CTE with incipient Androgenetic Alopecia because of my PCOS and not recovery, no blood test involved. He prescribed me minoxidil. I thought that was a bit of nonsense but scared the hell out of me and sought for other dermatologists' opinion. I got hormone tests done and testosterone and DHEAS came out a little above the maximum but nothing really remarkable. The other two dermatologists said by no means that was Androgenetic Alopecia, it was all stress and didn't give importance to the slight rise in androgens. By that time, I was losing hairs that had been born just some months ago, hairs with finer thickness that would get thicker at the root. I noticed pain in my scalp from time to time.
So the pandemic began and during April I started to feel better emotionally, stopped using minoxidil due to scalp irritation and in May and June I felt really good and not unhappy and my shedding decreased dramatically to levels prior 1ºst shed, maybe 10-30 hairs when shampooing. My hair looked a bit better (a friend of mine who saw me months before told me so too) although it wasn't recovered. In July I had some emotional turmoil and anxiety and started to see a slight increase in shedding, getting worse and this time seeing many fine, very fine both long and short hairs (some of them were so fine I would touch them and como out) coming out my scalp which I had never seen in my life. First time ever, in such a short amount of time? I went to a couple of cosmetic centres and both doctors said that miniaturization had probably to do with stress damage to the follicles and not to Androgenetic Alopecia, despite telling them about my androgen levels. I visited a trichologist, blood test again, ferritin levels still low (24), slight copper deficiency, testorerone (free, total, 4 delta androstenedione) and prolactine completely normal and DHEAS levels still a bit higher than limit but now lower than previous test (results 3.74, max 3.3). He didn't specifically told me I had classical Androgenetic Alopecia but blamed the androgens for my miniaturisation. He prescribed me vitamins with natural anti-androgens and a list of shampoos and anti-hairloss lotions (which are useless). The more I worried, the more I shed, and I've noticed when I become stressed, racing heart, etc, almost instantly I run my hands through my hair and 5-20 hairs come out. I booked a PRP session and intense shedding started again after the first session so I didn't have any more. Shedding has slowly decreased and for example today I shed around 40-50 which I guess lies within normality (I've NEVER shed those 100 per day on a regular basis it's commonly said). Some other days I shed about 80 or 100, but it's still more than the huge halt in May-June this year.
Last week my last dermatologist saw my scalp under trychoscope and noticed there were thinner hairs but he said they were very few compared to the normal ones (mind the hundreds of fine ones that are out of my scalp already...), also that I had dermatitis. He said that an anti-androgen would make me recover my hair but said objectively I didn't have the need to, but he didn't say explicitly whether my hair would recover on its own. He said it was up to me and how much this hair loss worried me. So, what the hell, does it need to become worse and worse to do something about it? Of course I'm weary of taking anything that messes up with my hormones because the other symptoms of PCOS don't really bother me that much anymore and I'm not planning to become a mother, but the thought of not doing anything if my androgens are causing this seems totally foolish. Maybe he's saying it's up to me as he's seen my reluctancy to medication, I don't know. If it's Androgenetic Alopecia, this is an early stage when I supposedly can avoid more damage, although I can't understand how so much hair can miniaturise in as short as one year due to androgens, I thought that Androgenetic Alopecia was a years-long process, but I didn't notice any fine hairs coming out before 2018. Just normal thickness. Ironically, if it's Androgenetic Alopecia my central parting looks good and is even fuller than it was last year. Hairs grow like crazy there and the top of the scalp in general, not so crazy somewhere else. The most affected areas (although I've lost density everywhere) are the sides of my head and upper neck sides, which aren't supposed to be androgen-sensitive areas. Fine hairs come particularly from the back of the head, not so much from the top. Right side of my head has less hair than left, and I've lost a lot around the area where the lower skull (occipital) lymph node is. I had mononucleosis starting in Dec 2019 with very few symptoms (no fever, just sore throat and a bit of tiredness but otherwise doing normal life) and the lymph nodes in that side became swollen... I wonder whether there's a link between both things. In April I went through a sort of weird cold that may've been coronavirus but it was mild and have no proof of it. Because of this (more areas affected than others) I'm wondering whether this is the case of diffuse AA too. How can I also explain fine blond hairs that progressively become thicker and darker (I'm dark brown) towards the root? Why some hairs recover and others don't?
Anyway no my image isn't bad and most people wouldn't notice I've lost much hair but luckily I've had a lot of hair to begin with (and with volume). And yes, many new hairs are growing, most of them fairly thick, some of them finer... And still fine short hairs keep falling, as well as thick hairs that I reckon started to grow 6-12 months ago. So I can't recover easily if I keep going like this. I'm a musician and my image is part of my brand, as it is the thick, long wavy hair since I do 70s oriented music, so it affects me personally in multiple ways. My hair is something I've felt the most proud of. This is making me depressed, obsessive about now knowing what's really going on or whether this is reversible. I understand I can't have the hair I had at 22 (at 22 I had the best hair ever, even too thick to style and cut) but the status quo I had two years ago before the first Telogen Effluvium would be more than enough for me to be happy. I know by the age 40 i'll have less hair but if things keep going this way I don't know what's gonna be left out of what it was. I know there are really worse cases out there but this is disturbing enough to make me feel miserable.
I've read (oh, google... the place for nightmares) that after CTE hairs can come out miniaturised, but they don't say why and whether it's reversible. Some others say scalp inflammation produces this phenomenon too and i've definitely felt pain in my roots at the most acute stages of shedding. So once inflammation ceases, hair grows normally? What it's clear is that there are two phenomena: CTE and miniaturisation. Thing is, I'm not sure about their triggers (first one probably stress, but I'm also wondering whether having irritable bowel syndrome predisposes me to not absorb well the nutrients, hence leading to poor absorption as I had this copper deficiency and no illness is to blame).
On Friday I'll visit a dermatologist who is part of the most renowned group of trichologist in the country, advised by my former one since he wasn't very sure about the possible treatments for my case. I really really wish there's hope and finally come back with a clear diagnosis and treatment...
Last edited: