After Excessive Drinking and a Period of Illness, My Hair Stopped Growing

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I am a 23 year old male. Recently after an extended period of excessive drinking followed by a short period of illness the hair on the top of my head
suddenly stopped growing and when it began again it was very thin, sparse and light. I have no family history of mpb. I went to a dermatologist and he told me it was mpb.

Now I read somewhere that it is common for mpb sufferers to also have very oily scalps and, while neither has any effect on the other, they are controlled by the same mechanism. Is this ever not the case? My situation is the exact opposite. My hair and skin are remarkably dry to the point where bathing is difficult and they didn’t used to be. Thanks.

You need a good doctor to evaluate you. If you don’t trust your dermatologist’s diagnosis, get a second opinion. Illness is know to cause hair loss and prolonged illness may change in your hair character if your nutrition was poor. Without seeing you, I have no way to know if what you’re seeing is caused by illness, stress, diet, genetics, etc.

Men with genetic hair loss can have oily or dry scalps, but if your scalp is dry enough to make bathing difficult, you should go back to a dermatologist to figure out why.