Woman Losing Hair, Says Dermatologists Don’t Care to Help

Hello, and thanks for the informative site. I am a 35 year old female and losing hair rapidly. I have no children and as far as I know I am not in menopause. I have no idea why I am having hair fall out in clumps, I have been for a year. I have been to my doctor twice he tested me for Lupus which I do not have and when I returned and said my hair is still falling out he said he could not help me. So I am here, I want to find out the root (pardon my pun) cause of this problem so i can solve it. I live in LA and I cannot find a doctor. They all want to talk about transplants etc? Dermatologists seem not to care. Do you know of anyone who can help me and who is willing to do tests on my hair etc. i really would like to figure out the true problem and fix it as I feel if my hair is suffering there is something wrong.

Thanks for your time.

In a society preoccupied with appearance, balding is a cruel and almost random fate for 50% of men and women. It does not discriminate race, ethnicity, or social boundaries. Hair loss is genetic, but it is not readily predictable. There is no scientific reason why we lose hair. What we do know is that there are many options such as hair restoration surgery, oral medications, and topical medications to treat hair loss.

Before you consider any of the treatment options available, you must find the cause for your hair loss and establish a diagnosis. Unlike male pattern hair loss, women’s hair loss is very difficult to treat. Your first step is to look for any curable causes for hair loss such as thyroid disease, iron deficiency, etc. In order to do this, you will need to find a good doctor who can do blood tests. I am sorry to hear that you have had bad experiece with some doctors, but any primary care doctor should be able to do these tests. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered or ruled out: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions, and emotional stress. It is also important to review the use of medications that can cause hair loss, such as oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin and prednisone. The following laboratory tests are often useful if underlying problems are suspected: Estradiol, FSH, LH, SHBG, Prolactin, T4, TSH, ANA, Iron, TIBC, Ferritin, Free and Total Testosterone.

Aside from ruling out any medical cause of hair loss, you can also have your scalp hair examined with a densitometer (special microscope) for signs of miniaturization. Not all doctors conduct miniaturization studies. At NHI, we conduct miniaturization studies on a regular basis as part of a physical exam. It is our goal to standardize the measurement of hair growth and hair health by subjectively recording the state of hair.

If you are in the Los Angeles area (as I believe you indicated), you can always schedule a free consultation by calling 800-NEW-HAIR.