25 year old male sudden and constant shedding

by Sam
(New York)

First I will tell the string of events that occurred prior to my hair shedding as it may have some relation to the shed. In May of last year I graduated college and in August moved half way across the country to live with a girlfriend of 2 years. After about 1.5 months the relationship had broken and by October I was moving out, the breakup wasn't smooth given the circumstances. I then had to move everything back half way across country, only to return two weeks later for a major test that I had registered for while out there. I then moved back with my parents while I searched for an apartment\job which I found fairly quickly. I moved into new apt and started new job in mid November, about then all my problems with my hair started. The breakup has had me extremely depressed for about 3 months after but then I started to cope better.

I am not sure what is going on with my hair, this loss came out of completely nowhere and it seems as though it is not slowing down. I first noticed the shedding and a slight recession at my temples in early December. I have seen three different dermatologists about this condition, the first which I saw after about a month and a half of shedding in January said maybe slight MPB or maybe Telogen effluvium either way he recommended Rogaine, I held off on starting the Rogaine because it wasn’t terrible yet and I didn’t want to commit myself to Rogaine.

The second derm I saw which was about 3 and a half months into shed mid March said anytime somebody comes on with my symptoms he tells them it’s a good sign and that it is a temporary thing he said no Propecia or Rogaine just Biotin a supplement which I had been taking for about 3 weeks prior to my visit with him, the third derm I saw 5 months into shed mid April he said he thought the time frame of the shed suggested stress related loss but there was a bit of a pattern of recession at temples and crown so he didn’t think the stress accounted for all of it.

The second derm I saw (Derm 2) I went to see again last week which is now 5 and a half months into shedding, and he basically said the same thing, he looked at my scalp said it looked good and said "I emphatically believe that you are not losing your hair permanently", but I am sceptical. My hair is now extremely thin I can see through to my scalp even when hair is dry under certain light. It is definitely diffuse but most prominent at temples and crown.

I never experienced any extreme sheds like I have read about with clumps of hair, but when it started I started to notice consistently 10-15 hairs on hands when I shower. It seems as though I get at least one hair every time I run my hands through my hair. The level of shedding doesn’t seem to be high given what I have read is normal (50-100) but nonetheless there is no doubt that my hair has dramatically thinned out. The hairs I shed do all have the bulb on end. Also I have noticed an increase in shedding of eyebrows and eyelashes, which Derm 3 said does suggest a form of stress induced hair loss.


I am currently on biotin, saw palmetto, gingko biloba, and just started MSM as well as Rogaine which I have been on for about 3 weeks. My diet is healthy and I get enough protein. I had my thyroid tested it came back fine and had my iron level checked and it was mildly high.

I am really confused by this whole thing my hair was an afterthought 5.5 months ago now it is all I think about all day, I have two older brothers neither of which has any hair loss. My father is balding but he is quite old and didn’t start until his forties, the only grandfather I know had hair into his eighties, so it is difficult for me to pin it on genetics but I have no idea. Right now I see a slight recession of hair mostly at temples my part seems much wider, I can see individual strands of hair at hairline ad along part which I never noticed before, there is some very fine small hairs apparent at hairline but I can only see them if I get very close to mirror. Sorry I don’t have a picture to upload but I would say my loss is around 30-40% range all over head. Any insight into my problem would be appreciated.

Editor’s Comments,
Thanks for your detailed story about your hair condition. I would say you it must be an effort for you to visit 3 derms within such a short time frame but I guess that many people can’t stand to lose their crowning glory especially at a young age!

Hair loss that has not progressed long or serious enough is often hard to diagnosed precisely as it can be a cause of many factors like genetics, stress, hormones and etc. so there are always some possibility that different dermatologists might offer a little differ opinion on your hair condition.

In my opinion, it could be Male Pattern Baldness, but I am not too sure as I cannot see your condition hands on. However, hair loss with a predefined pattern is usually related to genetics and if you notice that the crown and your temple are receding more than the rest of the areas then there is a chance for this condition. Most of the time, the back and sides of your hair are thicker when it comes to MPB.

MPB can occur to anyone at any age and even if your father’s side might not have it, you might inherit it from your mom’s family tree as well. It’s not that easy to determine whether it’s MPB so you should consider reviewing the Norwood Scale, which can help provide you an insight of your hair line. If it’s diffuse thinning instead, then it’s probably another kind of hair loss.