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Who has similar hair loss...
I have been to different doctors in search of some kind of answer...I've had biopsies, blood work, blah blah... I have heard my ferritin levels were low...a 14 to be exact and that was what was causing hair loss...but who is to say I haven't always had low levels? I took iron pills..that did not help. My hair started to fall out drastically the summer before last. One day I had my hair..the next is was all coming out..this was not a gradual loss. I had just started exercising and eating healthier and my award...hair loss. My hair strands became extremely thin. I have dirty blond hair, but I also noticed some hairs turning white or transparent almost. I have no family history of alopecia, but that is all the docs could come up with. Has anyone else had a drastic and sudden hair loss..actual hair follicule thin..and transparent hairs? I would love any feed back!!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen Smith on -
My daughter's hair loss was extremely sudden and complete. When the hair starts growing back in some of it is white. There is no "normal" pattern to this condition and the most frustrating part is noone can tell you what will happen.
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Permalink Reply by Brittany on
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Yeah, I really do not like not knowing a definite answer..but then I tell myself...the diagnosis could always be worse. I already have anxiety disorder..so the hairloss has definitely taken a toll on my social life! :(
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Permalink Reply by Figarosmom on
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Well Brittany, I am just going to share with you something I read on Her Alopecia forums. A gal on there mentioned that with Female Pattern Baldness or Androgenic Alopecia, hair over time does come in white or transparent. I am sure you have also read that since the follicule is being destroyed with AGA,the hair shaft gets thinner over time too. Also it seems that many AGA suffers don't experience slow, long-term loss but instead it happens quickly. Everyone is different.
I have also seen lots of gals post that there is no history of genetic hair loss in their family, yet this is the diagnosis they are given. I think the genetic hair loss is used when they can't find any other cause for the hairloss, like AA for instance. That's my opinion at least.
To echo Karen...it's frustrating. No one can tell you anything!
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I appreciate your feed back. I have to accept that this will be something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life. I know they say with some Alopecia, you might not go fully bald..but this doesn't look to great either.
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Exactly. Sure we have hair but it's wispy hair. Or so thin you see your scalp through it. Well for me that's not hair. It may not be bald, but it's still so bad you can't go out like that. So when a doc says "you won't go bald." I think "define bald." I see more and more that doctors are very isolated from the reality of the health problems they are dealing with. They walk around with their statistics and their text book information. But guess what we are real people not text books or statistics. Time to tune in to your patient.
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Permalink Reply by Nathalie27 on
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your story sounds just like mine, with my 2 boys I have put on allot of weight and so this summer I began excercising and eating mainly lean meats and fruits and veggies lost 25 lbs and was really feeling good about myself and then all of a sudden in july I noticed my hair shedding alot more then usual and by september I noticed it significantly thinner and see through so I freaked went to every doctor I could find did a million tests and in the end they said it was female pattern baldness and suggested rogaine ( have you tried that?) well it made my scalp itch and I didnt like the side affects it listed so I quit and my hair is still shedding and becoming thinner and now I am just waiting till I have to buy a wig and I am very upset about it. also wanting to buy a full lace wig but scared to put the money into it and not liking it and also afraid the glue wont work plus what to tell people I dont want them to know it seems so embarrasing.
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Yes, I have tried rogaine to and it did not work out. I already think everyone is staring at me, so I can't imagine how I will feel knowing I am wearing a wig..but that is what it's coming down too. I just hope I can find one that is practical and durable. I am sorry to hear you have similar issues to mine, but I felt like I was the only one. Now everytime I exercise I think "am I going to loose more hair" instead of "dang, I feel good". I thought it was a good thing to get healthy! :(
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Permalink Reply by Randi on -
I just read your story, and I cannot believe how similar it is to mine. Though my hair didn't turn white, my hair loss was completely rapid. I did the biopsy and blood tests (low ferritin as well!). Nothing seemed to help. The doctors had neither explanation nor cure. The WORST part was feeling like I was the only one. Within a month it looked like I had gone mad and ripped out clumps of hair in some sort of psychotic rage. Very unattractive. Which leads me to one of your concerns: wigs.
They are both the best and worst part of this disease. I bit the bullet and started wearing one as soon as my hair got too thin to bear. Shortly thereafter I shaved my head. The hair I had wasn't doing me any good and was just getting in the way. The two negative things I've found about wigs are 1. in the summer (depending on where you live) they get HOT. I also get sweaty running around work too much. It's not fun. And 2. if you get one that's cheap, it's going to itch! The good part is that there are reasonably priced synthetic wigs that I've found that don't irritate the scalp. Plus with a mono top (individually sew hairs with a scalp-colored lining) people cannot tell I'm wearing one!! I've created quite the collection of styles and colors, and I'm looking in to purchasing my first human hair wig. My top of the line straightener is out of practice.
Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that even though it TOTALLY sucks, there are ways to cope. And people to help you along the way! If you have any questions or just want to talk to someone who's "been there" don't hesitate to give me a shout!
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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My hair fell out within 3 weeks. In the first week, I had an incredible amount of white/silverish hairs. I did blood work and it came back that I am perfectly healthy. Over a year I had noticed that my hair was falling out more than it was before. But, it was sudden that chunks came out instead of strands. I was eating healthy and exercising as well with no family history of alopecia. I'm still spellbound about it.
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