I have been battling hair loss for the past 10 years. I am a 32 year old african american female. I was first diagnosed with Keloid Folliculitis in 1999. I have received continuous treatment from various dermatologists and specialists. The folliculitis issue appeared to have cleared up by 2002 with no reoccurrences. My hair loss began in 2000. I have had a series of blood tests and a scalp biopsy. The biopsy showed my scalp had scarring. The blood work showed that I had high levels of testosterone, low performing follicle hormone, and low iron. (this occurred 3yrs ago.) Since then, I am taking 65mg of iron 2x each day and on birth control. I am also insulin resistant and taking metformin. I have tried various over-the-counter solutions for hair growth, but I am still losing hair.

Bosely will not grant me hair restoration; Duke’s Hair Clinic has temporarily closed. Currently, my primary care physician is injecting cortisone shots to see if this will trigger any hair growth. I am bald on both sides of my hair, and thin on the top and back. Wigs are my only savior at this point. My hair is natural. Please help me with my next step. I am tired of finding hair everywhere but on my head. Thanks!!!

I have never seen a person with keloid folliculitis and have no experience with it. Regardless, your situation is clearly complex and giving you any opinion without at least an examination would not be in your best interest. There are some doctors who specialize in such conditions and do hair transplants. Since you’re near Duke University, I’d be happy to recommend Dr. Jerry Cooley in Charlotte.

3 weeks ago I’ve stopped taking the fertility PROGESTRONE known as PIO injections, Progynova 2mg- Tiny light blue tablets that are taken orally to help build the lining of the womb. and Ultrogestan Progesterone-creamy white pills that can be taken rally or inserted vaginally. I did both.

I’m African American with very thick strong natural hair, and now, my hair is falling out by the handful. my hair egges are going bald. I never went through no crap like this. My hair went from very thick to very thin.

Am I able to get a lawsuit? How long will it take for my hair to grow back? When will all the medications be cleared out my system and for my hormones to go back to normal. I’m way to young for menepose affects and that is what one of the medications does. thanks so much for your help. I am experiencing boldily sharp pains too from that medication after I have stopped taking it.

One has to be careful when treating medical conditions in a patient that requires hormones and has genetic hair loss. The connection between hormones and hair loss are published all over the web. Progynova (estradiol valerate) is also known as Delestrogen, and the side effects do include hair loss (full list here).

Although I can not give you legal advice, I would suggest that you have a long talk with your doctor and review the “informed consent” sheet he should’ve given you before starting you on hormone treatments. I am hopeful that your doctor at least discussed the side effects of such treatments.

I’m a black female and two years ago I wrote to you guys about dreadlocs and hair loss. I cut them off and kept my hair almost to the bone most of 2007. Last year, after growing my hair back for a few months I cut them off after experiencing very localized alopecia at the back of my head along my ears (about an inch inside my hairline). I thought that maybe it was reaction to the hair dyes I used so I cut it all off and started over and was all growing in nicely. Well now a year later I’m having the alopecia problem again.

I’d been growing my hair since I trimmed it in June. But when it started getting cold here it started to get the itchies behind my ears, something I remembered from the previous time I lost my hair and whenever I’d wash it, it would have lots of hair coming out. I thought maybe it was because I did my hair in styles that I kept for a week (and therefore losing on in day a weeks work of shed hair)but deep down I knew it was much more then that.

So I looked in the mirror yesterday and saw the bald patch, much larger then what I had last year. I just don’t understand what’s going on. If you drew a line from ear to ear, my hair is much denser from the front to that line, I get thick braids when I style that part of my head. At the back it’s much finer. I’m really at a loss as to what could be going on.

I don’t use relaxers, artificial hair dyes (only pure henna), I don’t use heat to straighten my hair and I’m as gentle as possible when combing my hair. Can you shed (no pun) some light?

What I tell black women is that anything they do to their hair can cause hair loss if it is done often enough. It’s a general statement, but I see it almost every day. Hair straightening with relaxers does it, pigtails do it, dreads do it. Perhaps you are best served with a good afro, but if you’ve already lost a considerable amount of hair, that might not be an answer. Wigs work, but the attachment mechanisms can cause hair loss. It’s a huge catch 22. I really can’t give you any kind of solution without at least seeing what the problem is for myself.

If you’d like to visit my office for a consultation, I may be able to come up with something. I might suggest hair transplants (I’d need to see you first), but then again, that is an expensive solution and it still may not help 100%. Just don’t let any doctor recommend a hair transplant unless he/she is honest and straightforward with you. Good luck.