by Y on September 30, 2007
I must first clarify and make it known that I am NOT a doctor and cannot provide medical advice, the following post is merely my opinion based on my own experiences.
In answer to which doctor should I see for my hair loss, my opinion is that you should probably see both. Most doctors don’t know enough about hair loss as it is, so seeing doctors in different specialties may actually help you get a better, more accurate diagnosis. I am sure there are various conditions of hair loss that might be better served by seeing one more than the other. Perhaps a dermatologist would be better suited in determining if the cause was an infectious skin condition such as ringworm or scaring alopecia, and an endocrinologist may be better at diagnosing hormone related hair loss. The truth is, any doctor whether it is an endocrinologist, dermatologist, or general practitioner with a strong interest and knowledge in hair loss can make a proper diagnosis and work with you on the the treatment they think will produce the best results. The operative words here are “interest and knowledge.”
Try and find a doctor that seems to care about women’s hair loss, and understands the emotional devastation it causes. I don’t want my doctor to dismiss my hair loss, and I don’t want him/her to tell me it’s no big deal. It is a big deal and if your doctor makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, they he/she is not for you. If possible try and speak with the doctor by phone (believe it or not some doctors will talk to you on the phone first) and if the rules of the office don’t permit this then try and ask as many questions to the receptionist, such as, does Dr. X see a lot of women for hair loss? Does he order blood work? What does he usually prescribe for treatment? The reality of that last question is that their is no “usual treatment” every woman is different and hopefully the receptionist tells you something to that effect. I don’t want to see a doctor that prescribes Rogaine as his/her first line of defense even before making a proper diagnosis with blood work or any other necessary tests. I firmly believe you should not be walking out with a bottle of Rogaine the first day of your appointment. Sure the doctor can probably be able to tell if your hair is experiencing miniaturization, but what about the blood work to determine the causes? Rogaine may be the right treatment for you, but I’d like to know why. [click to continue…]
by Y on September 29, 2007
I have had round patches of hair missing for several years. Fortunately, it grew back after months of rather inventive hairdos. There were years where I had absolutely no problem. Then the familiar sensation would return, a small bump pops up (like a bug bite), the hair falls out and a new bald spot is
formed.
Over the years, the spots have gotten larger. One of the ones I have now covers almost all of the top of the back of my head. This particular spot is finally growing hair (after a whole year) and contains a wonderful little tuft approximately one inch in length. It sticks out pretty good right thereon the top of the back of my head.
I am not a person who experiments. Many years ago I sought advise from a dermatologist who administered shots into the scalp. I’ve asked regular physicians, tried volumizing shampoos and conditioners, rubbed ointments into my head and decided, screw it. I’m not doing the potions and the lotions nor am I doing the pills or the shots. Mind you, I’ve been very lucky that it hasn’t fallen out to the degree that I have now seen in other women. The sad thing is that I have been dealing with it for so long, that I feel like it is just another part of life.
I had absolutely no idea it affected so many women! Perhaps a solid solution is forthcoming.
————————
Pat, Thank you so much for sharing your story. Reading the different stories I see that some of our hair loss situation’s our so very different, some the same. Depending on where you are in your hair loss, some women seem to have adapted better, others not, but at some point we all have known intimately the struggles and insecurities that hair loss brings out in the women it attacks. Your hair loss sounds like it is alopecia areata. Is that what you were diagnosed with? Like you said, I hope a solid solution is forthcoming as well. It’s long over due, and not enough emphasis has been put towards figuring out exactly what causes women to lose their hair.
Updated
Pat Writes: Yes, I was finally diagnosed with alopecia areata in 2001. [click to continue…]
by Y on September 28, 2007
India.Arie released a song titled “I Am Not My Hair” in November of 2005. How did I miss this one? I guess I don’t listen to the radio enough. This song is so fantastic, it should be the women’s hair loss anthem. While I don’t think she shaved her head for hair loss reasons, more as an expression of her creativity, the message of the song is still the same.
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations no no
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am a soul that lives within
Amen to that. Listen to the song.
[audio:1audiotrack.mp3]
Spend the .99 cents and download a copy from itunes or amazon.com, it’s well worth it. Music for the soul, more than just a good song with a good beat, it speaks to me… it has meaning “ I am not this skin I am a soul that lives within” [click to continue…]
by Y on September 27, 2007
I hope for this to be a constantly evolving list with other women adding their own suggestions that have helped them. These are a few that have helped me to try and avoid focusing on my hair loss and just live a more normal life.
1. Be positive and maintain hope. Everyone’s hair loss situation is very different, and yours may actually be telogen effluvium caused by some type of stressful event, or perhaps may be a temporary shedding due to a hormonal change. If it is not, you still must remain positive, even on the down days. Believe that there is a possibility of a brighter tomorrow.
2. Vacuum A LOT. I think the vacuum is the hair loss sufferers’ best ally. By vacuuming frequently you avoid seeing all your hair all over the place. The less hair I see on the floor or on the counters the better I feel, even when I am shedding a lot. Constantly seeing your hair everyone is just a frequent reminder of your suffering and doesn’t allow you to focus on other things (at least that is the way it is for me).
3. Get Rid of Your Shower Drain Hair Catcher. I’ll wait while you throw it away 🙂 That thing is evil! Counting your hairs is one of the cruelest forms of self torment. I am guilty of it myself.
4. Invest in a sticky roller brush. I make sure before I leave the house that I’ve given myself a once over with those sticky roller brushes that are meant to pick up animal hair (I even keep one in the car). I do this because I would prefer to take the hair off my own clothes rather than have the person I’m with feel compelled to pick it off my back for me. UGHH. I hate that. If I was having a good day, that would ruin it for me. I once had a friend I was out with tell me how much hair I was shedding… gee thanks. This was early on in my hair loss and she had no idea I was losing my hair, but that certainly put a damper on my day. I also had another person tell me I was shedding like a cat, I think you know how the rest of my day went after a comment like that. [click to continue…]
by Y on September 26, 2007
Seeing so many women walking around with hair loss is agonizing. I just want to run up to them all and give them a big hug, let them know that I know exactly how they are feeling about their hair. I notice all the little things that probably no one else does, the frequent touching to the head, eyes down, general display of uneasiness. I look at all those women, and I see myself. Do they see me? I do those same things as well. I wrote a past post talking about the high prevalence of hair loss in women today, called “Hair Loss, Hair Loss Everywhere – What’s In The Water?”
Shouldn’t there be a universal sign all women hair loss sufferer’s should have to acknowledge from afar that we are one of the same. I feel like jumping up and down and waving my hands in frustration that there is so little women’s hair loss awareness. It is a life upsetting disorder, it has robbed me of being the person I really am. Feeling self conscious has thrust me into the gates my home and made me a prisoner for years. I am working on improving that, improving my situation, improving my life. Realizing I am more than my hair and if other people judge me because it, then shame on them.
How do we create more women’s hair loss awareness? It’s hardly ever taken serious by the media, it is frequently not taken serious by doctors. Several of the doctors I visited early on in my hair loss either brushed me off saying that they didn’t see any hair loss or stating that it was probably “just” telogen effluvium that would stop on it’s own. Hello doc, that was 8 years ago. Where has the bedside manner of physicians gone? When they do tell you it’s androgenetic alopecia (female pattern hair loss) they frequently like to allay any of your fears by letting you know “hair loss isn’t going to kill you.” Maybe not, but it has killed a part of me, a part of me I haven’t seen or known for the last 8 years. I have made myself sick over this, and it has caused tremendous feelings of hopelessness and despair.
So I guess that’ll be my universal sign to other women suffering with hair loss, I’ll jump up and down like a crazed lunatic, flailing my hands wildly above my head, at least that would make you smile 🙂
by Y on September 25, 2007
After years of driving myself crazy, using all sorts of products, including polysorbate 80, on my hair, I got a wig. The woman was wonderful, she put me at my ease and came in with styles and wigs that she felt would work. I kept with my natural hair color, very dark brown. It was 1987 and I was 49. Some of my hair showed at the sides of my face and under the back of the wig. That added to the natural look. About five years later, I was fully coloring my hair, my problem was on top, and decided to try a wiglet. I had a beautician cut my hair to fit and she showed me how to use it. Wiglets are lighter than wigs and you feel better because more of your hair is uncovered. The color of my dye and the color of their dye matched perfectly.
Now I am 69 and almost a year ago decided to stop coloring, even tho I knew getting a match would be difficult. After several mistakes, one too dark, one too light, to be put away for the future, I have found something that is fairly close. When I went for a haircut today, the girl did not know I had a wiglet on until I began taking it off. She was nice enough to cut my wiglet to match my haircut. [click to continue…]
by Y on September 25, 2007
I think if you ask 10 different people, you might get 10 different answers. This definitely is a subject of much debate. My opinion is that nutrition certainly does have some effect on hair loss, having said that I don’t think that genetic hair loss can be reversed or stopped simply by nutrition alone, but it makes for a good adjunct. For myself, I’ve attempted to employ strict nutritional perfection for long periods of time in an attempt to help my hair loss, but it never seemed to really help me, but it possibly could help you because we all all made up so differently and the causes of our hair loss are different as well.
You should always try to eat as nutritionally balanced as possible, good nutrition provides for a better more stable and clear mind, which is always helpful when dealing with anything traumatic or stressful, such as hair loss. Also, I see food as a drug, it can have immeasurable unpleasant damaging effects on the body or really great wonderful effects. Ever eat something that causes you to be sleepy, wired, cause an allergy attack or become nauseated? Something is taking place in our bodies when we eat different foods, and the effects are going to vary from person to person. I would never downplay the importance of good nutrition, not just for hair loss, but more importantly for your health. Later in this article I’ll point out the connection between the body’s insulin level and it’s testosterone level. [click to continue…]
by Y on September 24, 2007
by Y on September 24, 2007
You know you are in trouble when you start envying your dog’s hair. I frequently have stared at my dog’s thick coat and thought to myself, “I’d gladly take his hair, even if it had to be that color, all black and tan” 🙂 I have become incredibly obsessed with staring at everyone’s hair. It seems as though I can no longer watch a movie, a tv show, a commercial, the grocery clerk, the mail lady and not focus on their hair. After I watch a movie I can explain in detail every character’s hair (man and woman) right down to the diameter of the ponytail, color, thickness.. and on and on. I may not know what the movie was about, but I can surely tell anyone who cares to listen, all the intimate details of the actors hair characteristics. I even notice when a hair shed’s off their head and falls onto their sweater. Ha! It actually can really get quite annoying because I would just like to watch a show without focusing so much on hair. After all that is suppose to be a time to relax, but it isn’t for me. I’m much better off reading a book, I think it’s healthier for the mind anyway.
I guess its normal to focus on the things we lack, once had, and wish we had back.
by Y on September 23, 2007
Throughout the time I’ve suffered with hair loss I’ve had several episodes of scalp pain, sensitivity and a burning sensation. Trying to touch my head, lying down on a pillow or even moving my hair slightly would cause excruciating severe pain to my scalp. I had no idea what caused this and why it was sporadic, it would last for while then just disappear, last episode I had was this past July. Apparently there is a correlation between hair loss, telogen effluvium and scalp pain, also called trichodynia.
This is what I found about it on Wikipedia:
Trichodynia is a condition where the patient experiences a painful sensation on their scalp. The pain sometimes is described as burning. Trichodynia often is associated with hair loss, but some studies show it has no connection to hair loss. Often there is an underlying psycho-somatic cause, such as stress, depression or anxiety.
Only a few studies have been conducted on this condition. A theory behind the condition is that nerves innervating scalp hair follicles send pain messages back to the brain when the follicle no longer has a hair in it, in a similar way to phantom limb pain. Another theory is that people who have this condition (sometimes called “ponytail syndrome”) have super-sensitive nerves in their scalp.
A possible treatment is to halt hair loss in the patient, however it is important to understand and address any underlying psychologic comorbity (humm…of course I’m thinking, easier said than done)
I also wanted to share this article I found about it:
Hair Pain (Trichodynia): Frequency and Relationship to Hair Loss and Patient Gender
Barbara Willimann, Ralph M. Trüeb
Background: Patients complaining of hair loss frequently claim that their hair has become painful. Objective and Methods: The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of this phenomenon and its relationship to hair loss. Patients seeking advice for hair loss either spontaneously reported or were questioned about painful sensations of the scalp. [click to continue…]
I am noticing a lot of new traffic coming in from different places and I wanted to welcome all the new reader’s to The Women’s Hair Loss Project and to write a little about our community. I started this blog to basically start journaling my life with hair loss. I write my daily thoughts as they come to me with all my quirks and sadness too. I write about my 
