Hello, I am a recent transplant from New York City to Istanbul. I was a model for 10 years and have been losing my hair since my late teens. As a woman, and one paid for her looks, I do not have to belabor the point of how this has ruined my life. I have worn every possible type of hair extension and now a custom made hairpiece covering my crown and hairline in addition to extensions in the back. I have lost roughly 70 percent of my hair and the remains resemble a troll doll’s fluff. The cost (approximately 300.00 every 2 months) and the constant fear that the extensions will fall out or move in such a way that my scalp will show have left me feeling so hopeless.
I am in my late 20s and can hardly imagine what I will have to face in 20 years when the wig and extensions will cause traction alopecia and pull out the rest of my hair. I cannot wear full wigs since I cannot pull them back into ponytails when working out and they are just not a livable solution. I have traveled all over the world for consults regarding transplantation but I just don’t have enough hair to make the operation worth the expense. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding real solutions – realistic hairpieces, best extensions, etc? I think that I also ran through all of the possible drugs too, up to and including Proscar – I do not plan to have children. Drugs don’t seem worth it either as it is not just about preserving the hair that I have but the fact that I will never have a normal amount of hair to begin with.
It is also noteworthy, I suppose, that my hairloss is both genetic and I know discovered due two 2 courses of Accutane in high school that was prescribe like candy to kids that had minuscule amount of acne (I grew up in the entertainment industry…) Thank you for reading and I would be so grateful for any thoughts or advice.
Your questions are not uncommon and your history is typical of many women. There is little that doctors can do for you unless you have an identifiable hormone defect or medical problem like thyroid disease. I wish there was more I could offer.
As for realistic hairpieces, extensions, etc — If any readers have advice for this young lady, please leave a comment!
With regular henna ink, I would not think so. Henna ink is essentially henna powder mixed with eucalyptus oil and coffee/tea, and none of those will stop the absorption. It’s commonly used for temporary tattoos (see right).
Hair transplantation works well for scars. I would imagine that a transplant would be in the $3000 range. We would, of course, need to evaluate you first and then a quote can be offered.
First off, if you are female with a poor donor area, why would you even consider follicular unit extraction (FUE)? That surgical technique is mainly for people who want to cut their hair very short (like a crew cut) and not see any scar or just might want to shave their head, not likely for a female. If you are a woman, a scar (large or small) on the back of your head should be inconsequential and will never be noticeable with long hair covering it. I generally try to convince my females patients against FUE.
Many diet or light sodas (like Diet Coke) contain aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener used as a sugar substitute. As far as I know, it does not cause hair loss. There are natural health “experts” that will claim that aspartame and even chocolate are toxic to hair, but I’ve not seen any actual proof of such.
Probably not. While many drugs do have hair loss as associated side effects, Xanax (alprazolam) isn’t one of them. It’s possible in rare cases, I suppose, but generally speaking, medications are usually one of the last things to consider as a cause for your hair loss.
Hair loss in women is a bit more complex than in men, as women tend to have other medical issues such as low-thyroid hormone levels, hormonal changes, and even anemia that can impact hair. We created a partial list of female hair loss causes 