Is My Alcohol Increase Related to My Hair Loss Increase?

I’m a Korean male 34 yrs old and began noticing 2 years ago that my hair was beginning to thin out. By thin out I mean that it was falling out and many of the hairs were now thinner. I’ve always had a very thick head of hair and never thought that baldness would ever be something I’d have to worry about. Concerned I went to a dermatologist who seemed to think I was a bit crazy with this concern but suggested that I begin using propecia and rogaine as they have a synergistic effect. At first there seemed to be a slow down of loss but recently it seems to have accelerated. The hairs that fell out in the past seemed to all be rather thin or thinner at the root end now the hairs falling out seem to be thicker otherwise healthy looking. My routine and diet have not changed except for an increase in alcohol intake. I wonder why I’m seeing an increase in loss all of a sudden and why thicker hairs are now coming out in greater volume. It seems that medications are doing little to maintain my hair and certainly are not resulting in any new growth. Is it possible that I’m seeing an increase in loss due to a natural shedding rhythm? I’d estimate that in the last 2 years I’ve lost 25-35% of my hair. My hairline is still in tact and to someone not looking for the loss it would not appear that I have anything to worry about, but I notice. It’s especiallly noticable when wet. My scalp is expossed all over whereas it used to be even with a wet head you would not be able to see much scalp. Furthermore I’m adopted so I have no genetic history available. One last thing regarding the increase in alcohol; could this contribute to the loss or lack of result from the medication?

Thanks for your time.

I very much doubt that alcohol is related to your hair loss… unless your diet is compromised, which could then make it an offending cause of hair loss. Even alcoholics can have full heads of hair, though.

I am a bit confused what you are saying about the dermatologist who thought you were “crazy” and prescribed you Propecia. Is there a definite diagnosis of male pattern baldness or are you just taking these medications without a diagnosis? What are you really treating? It sounds like you need a good miniaturization study to find what pattern of hair loss you have and how you are losing hair. It may be just a cycle, but I really cannot say. Unless you have male patten baldness (MPB), Propecia will not help.