Hello,

I’m a 34 year old woman that has always had a full head of naturally curly hair. Unfortunately, my hair has started to shed ALOT. It is noticably thinner and I’m starting to freak out. My doctor is somewhat concerned and has ordered blood work done (waiting for results) In the meantime, I have a few questions:

1. I lost approximately 30 pounds in 5 months the right way–diet and excersise. Can this be a factor? My body fat has went from 29% to 19%.
2. I have always had dandruff???? But is seems to be getting worse.
3. My hair was pulled severely in an accident 3 months ago. Would this start the process?
4. If my tests come back fine, what avenues should I then look toward?

1. Malnutrition or poor diets can cause hair loss along with any rapid history of weight loss.
2. Dandruff does not cause hair loss, but excessive scratching will.
3. A one time pull of your hair will not cause permanent hair loss.
4. It seems that you have a good doctor, so ask him/her what the plan is for you after your blood work is back.

Howdy Doc!

My girlfriend, 27 years old, losses hair and has done so for some years. It’s mainly the forehead (which has very small in her teenages years) which is receding and her hairline is now very uneven. She also has some thinning “down the middle”. Some of her aunts are also losing hair but they are at least then years older.

She hasn’t been eating any hormonal medications for at least 6 months but we still doesn’t see any improvements. She has been under a lot of stress for several years and I think this affects the hair loss, at least a bit.

She is naturally darkbrown but I have noticed that she have some orange strands! Why? Could this be some kind of deficiency symptom? Doc, any suggestions what to do?

Women lose hair in a different pattern than men. Female hair loss may not be related to DHT or androgenic causes as it is in majority of men who lose their hair. As such, there are many potential medical causes that should be explored. Your girlfriend need to be evaluated by her primary care physician who can address these issues.

I do not know of any deficiency that would cause hair to turn orange other than hair coloring or bleaching.

Hello,

I am a 28 years old female, I was told diagnosed by my Derm when I was 24 years old …up to recently I have had extremely mild case of AA but starting in May on this year I got 5 spots and diffuse hair loss with the end of the hair from the scalp looking very dystrophic for example it looks like the hair is tapered feathered like.

I have seen four different Derm the last one was referred to me by NAAF she took some hair samples told that I have Telogen Effluvium but I don’t believe it.

The hair that is falling is almost dead like..and it short and I have long curly hair also I did get some Kenog injection and my spots are slowly filling in but the diffuse hair loss is continuing..I am lost here I am also using 5% minoxidil for men two cups full daily but I see more of hair shedding. please help me if you have any ideas

The dermatologists you visited with had the advantage of being able to observe you and examine you closely. They can perform a pull test and elect to do a biopsy if they wish. They can examine the hair microscopically on the head and look for miniaturization. I can not do this through the internet and I’m particularly reluctant to take a position against these other doctors who had the opportunity to examine you. Sorry.

Hello,
I am a 20 year old female and just had a question about my hair. I have been experiencing abnormal hair loss for the last year or so. My hair has always been really thick so it’s been really noticeable for me. I went to the dermatologist last year and he said it was stress. I was and have been under no stress so I ruled out that possibility. Then a doctor told me low levels of iron can contribute to hair loss. I got some blood work and my ferritin level was 4 which, from the information I’ve gathered, is very low. I read that the level needs to be around 40 to stop falling out and up to 70 to start to regrow. My doctor recommended that I take ferrous sulfate 325mg so I have been taking one tablet a day since May 2007. She said it may take 2-3 months to notice any results, but it’s been almost 5 months and I still haven’t noticed any changes. I just wanted some professional advice on the whole situation. I am getting pretty worried that I haven’t seen any results and starting to think that my hair loss may not be due to low iron levels. I have looked up TONS of information on hair loss; I am a very healthy women with no serious health problems. My thyroid levels are fine, I don’t have diabetes or lupus, I’m not under any stess so I don’t know what to do. Could this be just a phase? Please help me!!

Hair loss in women can be the result of a variety of medical conditions. At top of the list of culprits — iron deficiency, thyroid disorders, autoimmune diseases, and hormonal imbalances.

Iron deficiency could be the cause of your hair loss. Treatment of iron deficiency is usually easy, but you need to continue taking iron for a while to overcome your deficient status and then continue for months to fill the iron reserve in your body.

After completion of iron deficiency treatment, it may take a few months before you see any hair growth and even after that the new hair may not be noticeable due to its short length compared to the rest of your hair. It is possible that the hair won’t fully come back to its original strength. I recommend that you complete the treatment of iron deficiency and wait for at least 6 to 8 months. At that point if you are not quite satisfied with the growth of your new hair, you should see a hair specialist for further evaluation.