So I went to a new derm, who diagnosed me with telogen efluvium AND androgenetic alopecia, for which he is going to prescribe me Spiro (sorry can’t spell the full name) and Minoxidil, however I told him about my misfortune with taking Minoxidil previously and he said well then just take the Spiro, 50mg (IMO I need 200, because I have less than a fifth of my original hair left). I appreciate that there is already a lot of info in this site with regards to Spiro, but can anyone specifically answer me these questions please?

1. Providing that it helped at all, how long did it take before it started
to work?
2. How well did it work/is it working?
3. Were there any unpleasant side effects?

Thanks
Ame

*******************
Hi Ame,

I do take 200mg Aldactone (brand name for Spironolactone) so I can speak from my own experience having been taking it for about 8 years now. I think the easiest of the three questions for me to answer is the last one. The only side effect I noticed from taking the drug was that I seemed to get a little light headed, especially when I would stand up from a chair. The doctor told me that could be related to perhaps not enough sodium in my diet. Since Spironolactone is also a diuretic you do loose extra electrolytes since you go to the bathroom more frequently. I found that eating a pickle or sucking on a ketchup packet would instantly make me feel better. Actually as I am typing this I do remember being tired a lot as well, but taking in that extra sodium seemed to always do the trick and bring me back to life again. I speak in the past tense because I no longer experience any of these side effects and haven’t for many years. [click to continue...]

So I am starting to go through a bit of a shed once again. Still not terrible and much better than the last 2 years, but a shed none-the-less. Here is my lemon into lemonade update. As most everyone probably knows who has followed my story, I lowered my synthroid dosage awhile back since I felt it was contributing to my excessive shedding. The shedding slowed down dramatically and I’ve been trying to enjoy each day that I don’t see a gazillion hairs laying in the sink after a comb through.

It has been probably a couple weeks now where I’ve noticed my hair starting to shed more and more. But I’m still doing okay, why? Because the hairs that are shedding are full length, long and strong terminal hairs. This is such an improvement for me. In the midst of my most horrible shedding time, my hair would shed all different lengths of hairs, one inch long, two inch, four inch, six inch, 1/2 inch and some that even looked the size of arm hairs. That would depress me to no end because I felt my poor hairs were not getting even the slightest chance at a decent hair life cycle. They were exiting my scalp way too prematurely, so any new growth would just fall out. Shedding long hairs, while not pleasant either, means that my overall hair cycle is improving and stabilizing. I least that is how I have decided to interpret it! It keeps my mind healthy and strong, and allows me to continue on with my days. So whether it is true or not matters very little, all that matters is what my mind believes.

Be positive, be positive, be positive.

Also, just a reminder, tomorrow (Thursday April 10th) is our first women’s hair loss support chat meeting at 6:30pm - 7:30pm PST. If you are interested in joining us, sign up in advance for an account in the network. http://community.womenshairlossproject.com/

You’ll need to login to your account tomorrow at that time and click on the “Chat” link in the top navigation bar. Hope to see you there!

I’ve finally set up the time to have our first Women’s Hair Loss Support Chat. The date is Thursday April 10, 2008 at 6:30pm -7:30pm PST. I’m hoping that this time and date works out for the women who are interested in participating.  I am very much looking forward to getting to chat and interact real time with the women of The Women’s Hair Loss Project so stop by to say hi! I will do my best to answer any hair loss questions you may have, and of course share with you my experience with various hair loss treatments.

The chat will be taking place in our network. To to sign up for the event go to: http://community.womenshairlossproject.com  and login to your account, or sign up for an account if you haven’t already (it only takes a minute and it’s of course free). Once you are logged in, click on “Events” in the top navigation toolbar, and then click on “Browse Events.” You will see “Women’s Hair Loss Support Chat” listed there.  Click on the link to view the event and the women who will be attending, you can then click on “attend this event” to add yourself to the group of women already participating.

Join the Women’s Hair Loss Support Chat to learn, share, and lend support to another woman with hair loss. Hope to see you there!

The Women’s Hair Loss Project is looking for creative, passionate and knowledgeable volunteer hair loss writers to write original articles for our blog. You must have a good command of the English language and be able to effectively communicate your thoughts through words. You don’t have to be a professional writer by any means, just need to be passionate and with a desire to help other women and write articles that other female hair loss sufferers can relate to and learn from.

The hair loss world is much bigger than my thoughts and views and I am looking to provide women with a greater hair loss perspective outside of my own. I’ve seen the blog writings of many women in our network and realize that so many others have so much to contribute. I’ve already reposted a couple of writings written by Dottie and Kathyloulu, members of the Women’s Hair Loss Project Network.

What Type of Articles Are You Looking For?

Pretty much anything that would be of value to another woman going through hair loss. Some example topics of interest could be:

Tips and suggestions for coping and dealing with hair loss

Thyroid and hair loss

How to emotionally deal with hair loss.

Making the decision to wear hair

Adjusting to wearing hair ( If you are a hair wearer you definitely have something to contribute here)

How to find a reputable hair loss replacement provider

Hair loss treatments (the real ones only used by medical professionals) Rogaine, Aldactone (spironolactone) and oral contraceptives. Vitamins and nutritional supplements are good too expand upon.

Help finding the right doctor.

How to avoid getting scammed by the online hair loss predators

PCOS and hair loss

Hair loss news commentary

Etc Etc. The list could go on forever.

By opening the blog up to other writers I am probably going to get a swarm of people interested in only writing a fluff article to embed a million links back to their own site. So here our my over protective rules.

Guidelines and Rules

Since I am looking for only sincere people I have to get a bit creative. All articles written will contain the author credit at the top and bottom of the article. [click to continue...]

You know what, my dog doesn’t care if I have hair so crazy thick like the Pantene girl or two like Homer Simpson. He’d love me fat, he’d love me bald, he’d love me in ugly clothes. He’d love me because he loves me and he doesn’t judge those things. Why do I judge myself so harshly? Why does society judge so harshly? Everyone always says it, but often it is difficult to make yourself believe, beauty comes from within. That is the truth. We are all going to get old, and looks fade, but who we are inside, how we treat other people, how we impact their lives… that will last through our lifetime and beyond.

But it is difficult to translate that idea to the brain when you stand in front of a mirror and hardly recognize the person staring back. It will sound funny, but when I attempt to clip my hair with a butterfly clip (hard to do with not a lot of hair) I resemble an ICE CREAM CONE! Hard to explain but let me tell you, it isn’t a good look!

Admittedly, I watch American Idol more for checking out Paula’s latest hair than for the actual singing competition. She is a hair wearer, love her for that, and she looks so darn good. It is a testament to how good hair can look. It changes pretty much weekly and it gives me hope.

The other problem I find myself confronted with is finding a really good local salon that can provide quality hair without having to mortgage my house to afford it, although I’d sell my car an anything else I had to just to be able to get what I needed to feel comfortable in my own skin. Where do Tyra, Beyonce, and every other celebrity who wears hair, get theirs? I haven’t really pounded the pavement searching for a hair replacement service provider so perhaps I haven’t searched hard enough. Online providers are plenty, but I’d prefer meeting with a compassionate hair replacement provider in person when the time comes. If you haven’t already, you should read my Ebay wig purchasing experience.

Well there are my hairy thoughts. I wish everyone a great Friday night! Go out, stay in, do what you do and feel good about being you. You are beautiful. Judge Judy says “Beauty Fades Dumb Is Forever,” so I’m working on making myself smarter than the women with the shampoo commercial hair, in the end I’ll be the leader!!! Whoo Hooo! Gotta laugh right?

A Blog Post By Dottie

Last week … for the very first time… I saw a women with male pattern baldness. Not just the diffuse all over loss that I am used to seeing, but completely bald on top with hair on the side and in the back (just like those Propecia commericals on You Tube). The lady was probably in her late 60s with gray hair. The surprising thing for me was that the hair she had on the sides and back was still quite thick! I was impressed by the fact that she was out in public without a wig or hair covering of any type. This wasn’t a woman who doesn’t care about her appearance because she had taken the time to put on her makeup and dress nicely.She passed by me so quickly that I only had time to register her hair loss and glance at her face before she was gone. After she was out of my line of vision I actually found myself wondering if she could possibly be a cross dresser or transsexual. My mind simply could not wrap itself around the idea that a woman could really have that type of hair loss.I know that this lady was not in my line of vision long enough that looking at her could have been considered staring, but I know that if she had not walked away from me that I would have definitely tried to get a closer look. I like to think that I would have found something kind to say or some way to pay her a compliment.

I sometimes wish that I had little WomensHairLossProject business cards to hand to women I meet… but then I have to remind myself that many of these women might still be in a place that having someone notice their loss may be insulting. I feel as if this website has made me more open and accepting of my own hair loss. I think I should remind myself more frequently that not everyone is ready to discuss this condition openly with people they have never met ;o)

About the author: Dottie is a community member of the Women’s Hair loss Project. To learn more about her and read her other blog posts, visit her profile: http://community.womenshairlossproject.com/Dottie/

Here is one of those propecia commercials Dottie was making reference to.

A Blog Post By Dottie

Hey y’all,

I noticed that we use a lot of abbreviations when we talk about our histories & diagnoses here. I thought a simple index might help alleviate some confusion for the newbies. I included some basic information because I know that it took me awhile to figure some of this out, and I’m an RN! So here it goes…

AGA - Androgenetic Alopecia (AKA Androgenic Alopecia) is a common form of hair loss in both men and women. In men, this condition is also known as male-pattern baldness. The pattern of hair loss in women differs from male-pattern baldness. In women, the hair becomes thinner all over the head, and the hairline does not recede. Androgenetic alopecia in women rarely leads to total baldness. A variety of genetic and environmental factors likely play a role in causing androgenetic alopecia. Although researchers are studying risk factors that may contribute to this condition, most of these factors remain unknown. Researchers have determined that this form of hair loss is related to hormones called androgens.

Spiro - Spironolactone is a diuretic commonly prescribed for treatment of high blood pressure, but due to its anti-androgen properties may also be prescribed for hair loss.

AA- Alopecia Areata is a form of hair loss from areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Because it causes bald spots on the head, especially in the first stages, it is sometimes called spot baldness. In 1%–2% of cases, the condition can spread to the entire scalp (AAT-Alopecia totalis) or to the entire body (AAU- Alopecia universalis). Alopecia Areata occurs more frequently in people who have affected family members, suggesting that heredity may be a factor. In addition, it is slightly more likely to occur in people who have relatives with autoimmune diseases.

TE- Telogen effluvium is characterized by sudden, diffuse hair loss caused by an interruption in the normal hair growth cycle. A typical example of telogen effluvium is seen after pregnancy. In this condition women lose a significant amount of hair a few months after delivery when the protective effect of estrogen is removed. This shedding usually stops spontaneously and these patients will (generally) re-grow hair after 3 months.

Basics of hair cycles: In a normal healthy person’s scalp about 85% of the hair follicles are actively growing hair (anagen hair) and 15% are resting hair (telogen hair). A hair follicle usually grows anagen hair for 4 years or so, then rests for about 4 months. The resting or telogen hair has a club or bulb at the tip. A new anagen hair begins to grow under the resting telogen hair and pushes it out. Thus, it is normal to lose up to about 100 hairs a day on one’s comb, brush, in the basin or on the pillow, as a result of the normal scalp hair cycle.

PCOS- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately one in ten women. It occurs amongst all races and nationalities, is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and is a leading cause of infertility. The principal features are weight problems, lack of regular ovulation and/or menstruation, and excessive amounts or effects of androgenic (masculinizing) hormones. The symptoms and severity of the syndrome vary greatly between women. While the causes are unknown, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity are all strongly correlated with PCOS. Common symptoms of PCOS include irregular, few, or absent menstrual periods, infertility, unwanted body hair, acne, and androgenetic alopecia.

I am not a physician, nor do I claim to know everything about female hair loss… I just hope that someone might find this helpful! I wish that there had been an easy “one stop” place for me to look for answers 20 years ago when I started loosing my hair. Maybe this information can help someone out there find answers.

About the author: Dottie is a community member of the Women’s Hair loss Project. To learn more about her and read her other blog posts, visit her profile: http://community.womenshairlossproject.com/Dottie/

Hi everyone I’ve finally gotten over my sickness, and I want to thank you guys for your well wishings, I really do appreciate it. Being sick stinks, and I think I have a lower immune system than most so I’m more susceptible to all the germs floating amidst us out in the world. But on with my post…

I received an email a little while back from a woman named Lisa who was interested in starting a support group for women with female pattern hair loss. Here is her story:

I’m 29 years old and have dealth with hairloss since around twenty years old. I have AGA and am going through Tefflogen Effluvium for the 2nd time due to a miscarriage. I have gone through all the motions and emotions that women deal with hairloss. I have tried numerous types of treatments and am currently just using the hair laser treatment, AGAIN, at the suggestion of my husband. I said I would try one more time and if it didn’t work I will start looking for hair replacements, he is hesitant for that to happen. My hair loss is diffuse and I just don’t think its going to return to the thickness I once had.

Now, I want to try to help women, as you do, with your website. I am interested in starting a local support group for women with hair loss, specifically , with FPHL, AGA. Do you have any suggestions or someone I could contact to help jump start this project. I just don’t think there’s enough support for women like us and its time we we act locally. Thanks so much for your efforts, its help me greatly in dealing with the ups and downs of our affliction. -Lisa

I don’t have much experience with how to start live support groups since I’ve never been to one or started one either. I think a good place to start is to sort of get a feel for whether or not women with female pattern hair loss would attend. So the question is, if there was a local support group in your area where you could meet with other women with female pattern hair loss would you want to attend? Next would be finding people in different locations that would be willing to be the “host” or, really the go to contact person for that area. Then all that would be left is putting the word out, which I would be more than happy to use the Women’s Hair Loss Project for posting a bulletin of different locations that are offering support groups. Also Craig’s list would be another great place to post the support group listing. Lisa, where do you live? Why don’t we work on your first support group in your area. If anyone else has any ideas or suggestions on how to get this going please leave your comments and suggestions. I think it is a great idea that you are trying to launch this project, you are right, there really isn’t enough support out there for women suffering with female pattern hair loss, so I’ll help anyway I can. You are the same age as me, and have been we’ve have probably been losing our hair for about the same length of time since you indicated you began losing your hair around the age of 20. Is your husband supportive of what you are going through? Would he support you if you decided to wear hair? It is just awful to have to deal with this… 29 isn’t when we should lose our hair, and certainly not at 20, but I try and always look toward the positive and all that I am fortunate to have. I repeat to myself that “I am not my hair” and I need to live for today because tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. Obviously easier said than done, but I still try. The worst was feeling alone, but we aren’t, there are so many women out there like you and me. I have received countless emails from women, more than I ever imagined I would. I promise to post every story that has been sent, it just takes time to get to them all. Each one is unique and yet so alike. I hope that you will be able to organize this support group in your area and I’ll help in anyway I can.

~Y

I came across this article today while doing some hair loss research on the internet, and I thought it covered a lot of questions that women have about hair loss. The article is about both male and female pattern hair loss and provides a good overview. It was published on medscape from ACP Medicine Online. Here it is:

David A. Whiting, M.D.

Androgenetic alopecia is the common type of nonscarring hair loss affecting the crown. It results from a genetically determined end-organ sensitivity to androgens. It is often referred to as common baldness, male-pattern alopecia, and female-pattern alopecia.

Epidemiology and Pathogenesis

Androgenetic alopecia affects at least 50% of men by 50 years of age and 50% of women by 60 years of age.^6,7 Males have more androgen than females and therefore are usually affected earlier and more severely. Male-pattern alopecia often starts between 15 and 25 years of age. Male-pattern alopecia has two characteristic components, bitemporal recession and vertex balding [see Figure 1 -- omitted], which in pronounced cases can progress to complete balding of the crown.^6,7 Female-pattern alopecia is more likely to start between 25 and 30 years of age (or sometimes later, after menopause). It is characterized by an intact frontal hairline and an oval area of diffuse thinning over the crown [see Figure 2 -- omitted]. Bitemporal recession in women is much less obvious than it typically is in men, or it can be nonexistent. In general, androgenetic alopecia in women progresses to mild, moderate, or severe thinning but not to complete baldness. The best predictor of outcome is the degree of progression in affected relatives.

Androgenetic alopecia is an autosomal dominant disorder with variable penetrance. Susceptible hairs on the crown are predisposed to miniaturize under the influence of androgens, notably dihydrotestosterone. In both sexes, miniaturization results from a shortening of the anagen cycle, from years to months or weeks. Miniaturized hairs are characterized by reduced length and diameter; this accounts for the appearance of hair loss.⁸ Androgenetic alopecia largely spares the back and sides of the scalp.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia is usually obvious from the clinical pattern of hair loss from the top of the head.⁹ In some men, a female pattern of alopecia (see above) causes diagnostic confusion but has no other significance. In women, a male pattern of alopecia (i.e., bitemporal recession and vertex balding) occurring with menstrual irregularities, acne, hirsutism, and a deep voice is significant. The virilism indicates significant hyperandrogenism, the cause of which must be identified and treated [see 3:IV The Adrenal -- omitted].

Scalp biopsies are rarely necessary to diagnose androgenetic alopecia. Biopsies cut horizontally are sometimes useful, however, in differentiating female-pattern alopecia from chronic telogen effluvium (see below). [click to continue...]