Female Hair Loss Still Continuing Over a Year After Chemical Damage

Hi Doc,

I’ve read a whole lot of your answers here, and I did your advice of waiting for months in order to see if my hairloss due to chemical damage will stop.

It’s been 14 months since my hair started shedding abnormally. Between then and now, I’ve been to several dermatologist visits. All my lab works came back normal, and the doctor said he does not see any scarring. To date, my hair is still shedding badly, and the worse thing is, a lot of short thin ones (looks like new growths) falling out too. I had very very thick hair before the incident, and now, I could honestly say half of it is gone. My scalp has gone scaly and flacky too.

My question is, since it looks like my new growths are falling out too, does it mean that my hair is still not recovering from the damage or that hairloss is going to be permanent for me? I have been extra careful handling my hair now, but hair just keeps coming out even just with gentle strokes. Very different from how my hair was before.

I would really appreciate your insights on this. If this question has been answered already, please provide me with a link.

Thanks a lot!!!

24 y.o. female

If the hair does not return after 8-12 months following chemical burns, it may be permanent. You should be under a doctor’s care. The use of minoxidil may help, but that can not be my recommendation, as I am not your doctor. I have seen some women with chemical burns and all I know is that they can produce significant permanent hair loss. Your doctor is in a better position to judge that I am. Have you had biopsies, and were they reviewed by a good dermatopathologist?