Quality of Shedding Hair

Doctor,

I’ve been searching this blog for some time and can’t find the answer to this everlasting question: Can the “quality” of the shedding hair tell anything about what’s happening with the hair loss? Does losing shorter, miniaturized hairs say that one is balding more rapidly than one who sheds healthy terminal hairs? I’m saying this because you diagnosed me with an early Norwood 3A pattern last year, and I have been on Propecia ever since. But it seems that the hair that I shed from the front is thick on the end, and thinner near the root. Does this indicate miniaturization or just the hair cycle?

I don’t think I’ve miniaturized further since you last saw me on October of 2007, but only a re-exam from you would tell.

Thank you for your time.

Clearly you should see me at about a year for your annual re-examination. The thick hairs you are shedding are most likely part of the normal cycling that we go through. We generally lose about 100 hairs/day and that it probably what you are seeing. It does not make sense to me that the hair thickness on the scalp side of the shed hair should be finer than the distal end. If you bring the hair into the office, I can measure it for you with a micrometer.