Unexpected Hair Loss

[Tyr]

Obligatory "Help me BG, you're my only hope"--

A recent wave of hair-thinning and bald-spots has me irate and worried. I've noticed for a while that my hair was thinning slightly, but didn't think much of it beyond perhaps hereditary causes. But now I've got some weird baldspots that aren't really from the top of the hair, it's at the side right above the ear, and the hair loss is getting really frustrating.

The balding is not patterned, and where it's occurring has me wondering what's going on and how I can fix it. There are a bunch of causes that come to mind, but I can't put my finger on which might be causing it:

Genes: Both my grandpas, who are well into their 80s/90s, are not bald and have a substantial amount of hair. My mom has excellent hair and my dad (55ish) also has a near-full head of hair (he's only now beginning to lose hair).

Diet/Age: I'm 24/M, and I eat pretty healthy and exercise on a routine basis. I don't eat fast food, probably eat out once a week.

Poor digestion: My plumbing's backed up fairly often, though I still eat high-fiber foods and fruit. That's a tangent concern, but I considered maybe it's part of the problem?

Poor circulation: I've always had terrible circulation. My hands/feet are always freezing cold -- it made me think maybe there's not enough blood getting to my head?

Thyroid problem: My mom and sister both had thyroid problems, and I thought I was a good match with the symptoms. However, I recently had a blood test and everything came out normal.

Personal care: Maybe I'm using the wrong shampoo/conditioner, or that the water I'm using is a factor? I have, for the past few years, consistently used hair products that are on the more expensive side (at least as far as over-the-counter goes). I've used Nioxin to no avail, and am currently using the S/C combo of Organix.

-Not on any diets
-Don't see any extreme shifts in my daily life
-Not on any medication


It's not just hair loss, but my hair has health has generally degraded over a while. I used to have great hair, but now my head feels like it's a mop of split-ends and thinned, dry hair.

So, has anyone seen a lack of symptoms despite persisting hair loss? I know the bailout is "it's hereditary," but I really don't see that in my family -- on either side. I'm thinking it's most likely a nutrition issue or related to my poor circulation. But maybe I'm missing something entirely...can anyone that might have some insight in the area help a brother out?

[Syntex]

In before cancer/lupus/aids ect..

On topic though it could be a specific mineral you're missing to cause said symptoms or possibly with lack of digestion could be pointing to the inability to process said needed mineral despite already consuming enough of it.

Also do you smoke?

[Tyr]

In before cancer/lupus/aids ect..

On topic though it could be a specific mineral you're missing to cause said symptoms or possibly with lack of digestion could be pointing to the inability to process said needed mineral despite already consuming enough of it.

Also do you smoke?

I don't smoke/drink or use recreational drugs. Don't drink caffeine with exception to a cup of tea once or twice a week, or maybe a cup of soda once a week. I drink a lot of water, juice, and milk (cereal).

Would taking vitamin supplements help? I was under the impression that usually, your body just flushes out supplements as opposed to the vitamins found naturally in foods like fruit, which make the latter a much better option.

[Kerberoz]

Would taking vitamin supplements help? I was under the impression that usually, your body just flushes out supplements as opposed to the vitamins found naturally in foods like fruit, which make the latter a much better option.

That makes zero sense. Just diet/nature woo and magical thinking. Your body flushes anything it can't use, regardless of the source. Vitamin supplements aren't particularly useful unless you have a real deficiency (diagnosed by a real doctor, not a woo doctor), but multivitamins are cheap and generally harmless. I really doubt your diet is responsible, unless you're drinking mercury. There are a handful of prescription drugs labeled for prostate health that also promote hair growth. Ask your doctor about causes and treatment options.

[Cleverness]

Have you tried hitting it with a water bottle

[Mazmaz]

You might have iron deficiency.

[Osede]

Do you always stay up late? or does not sleep enough? Sometimes some unnoticed pressure could also cause this

[Hank]

Just as an FYI, should you go the Propecia route, it's expensive with no generic. However, Finasteride does come in a 5 mg dosage, and it's not uncommon for doctors to write you for seven a month and have you split them into fourths.

[RKenshin]

As a potential solution I've heard, if you have health insurance you could likely get a cheap prescription for Proscar. It's used to enhance prostate health and you can pretty much get it at any age if you're concerned and/or problems potentially run in your family; as it has a low chance of non-serious side-effects, so it's not very dangerous (as far as I've heard).

But it has the same active ingredient as Propecia, which is a ~$150/month prescription to aid in hair growth. Only difference is that Proscar has 4-5x the dose, so you'd have to break those pills up.

This is only talking from what I've briefly read online though, I haven't researched or tried anything like it myself so... yeah, you might want to confirm all that first.

Here's one site I found in a quick search:
http://www.hairlosstalk.com/hair-loss-faq/

[Hank]

That must be Shin on your account, Ruke~

[RKenshin]

That must be Shin on your account, Ruke~

Hank! Hey lol.

And, what? I'm missing something. D:

[payu]

Could just be natural Say goodbye to your long flowing locks buddy

[LittleSlurpee]

A friend of mine had a similar problem due to a hormonal imbalance. He's now completely bald at 24..

Hey, at least there's ladies who really like bald guys. If you find yourself in a position where this problem can't be resolved, I'd suggest just embracing it.

Other than that, I highly suggest that you go see a Doctor about this. They will be the only ones with a definite answer for you, and the sooner you do this the better. It could be a time sensitive matter.

[Crowort]

I was thinking Alopecia Areata since you said it was more of a random bald spot. Like every thread like this get to a doctor only they can diagnose you.

[Scizor]

Any change to your shampoo/conditioner? My brother switched shampoos and started to have really dry/split hair that made it look like he had patches

[Tyr]

Have you tried hitting it with a water bottle

Yes.

You might have iron deficiency.

It didn't show up in my recent blood test iirc, I don't think that's the ticket.

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/hair-loss-faq/

Ty for the link, I missed it.

I highly suggest that you go see a Doctor about this. They will be the only ones with a definite answer for you, and the sooner you do this the better. It could be a time sensitive matter.

I was thinking Alopecia Areata since you said it was more of a random bald spot. Like every thread like this get to a doctor only they can diagnose you.

Yea, my problem is I don't have insurance/low on funds, which is partly the reason for making a thread as opposed to going to a doctor first. But I think this is my only choice.

Any change to your shampoo/conditioner? My brother switched shampoos and started to have really dry/split hair that made it look like he had patches

Don't know, I keep switching every bottle pretty much. But also, I'm beginning to suspect the water I use to shower too.

Thanks for the help/suggestions.

[Irohuro]

You aren't by chance extremely stressed and/or constantly tired at the moment are you? That could be a possibility.

[Tyr]

You aren't by chance extremely stressed and/or constantly tired at the moment are you? That could be a possibility.

Stress -- no. I'm currently working a very lenient job while I wait for schools to get back to me. And tired, that + hairloss is what prompted me to do my most recent blood test because I thought it was a thyroid issue (and to my limited knowledge those are symptoms of a thyroid problem).

Right now that I'm working my own hours, I sleep/wake as I please. That sometimes means though that I sleep at like 4-5am and wake up between 12-3pm. Otherwise, during school, I'm constantly tired regardless of when I sleep/how many hours I get.

So my "constantly tired" is another problem I have, and I don't know how to shake it, save trying hard to make my sleep schedule regular (i.e. 11-6). I feel like, unless I let myself wake up whenever, I always interrupt my deep/rem sleep.

[Tonko]

Secondary syphilis can cause hair loss, as well as a general feeling of tiredness or an ill feeling. Have you had an RPR titer done in your recent blood work?

[Xantavia]

You wearing a hat or anything? I've heard rumors that that can have an effect on hairloss (seems true in my brother's case).

If not, start wearing one to hide your shame.