I Worry That My Anxiety and Depression Will Cause My Transplanted Hairs to Fall Out
Dear Dr Rassman,
I am a male, 45 years of age. My question is – I have had two transplants and the results are not that great because I have fine hair, which was very thick in the past. I have been suffering from anxiety and depression for 20 years plus and I am currently taking prozac. Will my illness cause my transplanted hair to fall out? there is history of family hair loss.
There are many variables that can impact hair growth, including the drug Prozac (fluoxetine) that you’re taking. Depression can also cause hair loss, as you’re aware. Usually though, transplanted hairs are more resistant to hair loss than the genetically impacted hair which will more readily die off with stress in some people.
In other words, as long as your transplanted hair was taken from the permanent donor area, I would not expect it to fall out.
what kind of stress are we talking about here? severe stress when nutrition is impacted or just daily stress?
also I emailed a lot of hair transplant doctors regarding stress and hairloss and these were there answers to me. I won’t paste there names, just there answers.
“I doubt if it will have any effect. Stress doesn’t usually affect the course of genetic hair loss in men.”
“Don’t worry, hair loss from stress is rare and would be temporary if it occurred.”
“stress and hair loss is not common at all”
“Stress does not make genetic hair loss worse. Stress can cause temporary shedding, but this is uncommon in men.”
“Stress will not affect genetic hairloss.”
“Stress can occasionally cause hair loss, but it is reversible. It is uncommon for stress to cause hair loss in men however”