I’m Losing Hair in My Donor Area

First of all I, among many other really appreciate your work in helping people out with hair loss questions.

My condition, starting at 18 (two years ago) began abruptly with hair falling out at all parts of the scalp. This includes the “donor area”, sideburns, the top, the crown, the sides…everything. I researched and thought it may have been telogen effluvium but it never stopped which led me to the unfortunate conclusion that i was losing ALL of my hair. Two years later it is still going strong with all parts of my scalp significantly thinned but no receding hair line at all. This past year alone I have been having constant, very serious dandruff ( to the point where I don’t even understand how my skin cells keep up with all the skin shedding) and toward my hairline it almost looks like a rash where the dandruff begins. I feel like either the dandruff is causing hair loss or the hair loss is causing dandruff.

Anyway, I am just wondering if you have any knowledge of this and if there is any sort of treatment just to at least give me some extra tie with my hair since I’m am not even 21 yet! My mother’s father lost all of his hair by 30 but since much time has passed there must be some sort of working treatment other than minoxidil and propecia. I am also 100% Italian if that helps at all. Any thoughts at all will be extremely helpful since I am too scared to tell my parents or anyone because I am so young!

Thank you

You need to see a good doctor. If you are losing hair in the donor area and the sides (as well as elsewhere on your head), you might have diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA)… or there could be something else entirely (allergy? fungus?). It would be foolish to treat yourself and second guess what is going in.

You’re 20 years old, but you’re never too old to lean on your family for support if you need it. I’d start with a doctor to help determine what is causing your hair loss.