Hair Loss for almost one year

by Thomas
(Peru)

Hi All,

I am Thomas, 26 years old and I want to share my story about hair loss with you because I feel very confused.

(I think)It all started January 2010. I had a severe case of food poisoning (reheated some fish) and I spent one night in the hospital. When I got home my body was exhausted and I was very thin (I lost more than a couple of pounds); I couldn't do anything but sleep for recovery for 2 days.

In April 2010 I started medication Cypralex for treatment of a depression (2010 was not my best year ;-) and it was only 4 or 5 days (!) later that I started to notice hair on the floor. This was really weird to me because until that moment I never saw hair of mine (except the usual hair here and there) on the floor or anywhere.

I did not give it much attention further. Also later in April I started working as a waiter. It was during this period I noticed I had a constant itch on my head, saw more hairs everywhere and although I considered stilling having a lot of hair, it also seemed that it was thinner than before. The itching however was extremely uncomfortable, and my hair felt greasy in a way I was not used to.

In August 2010 I (with the advice of my doctor) stopped with the medication. Hair loss had become more severe, and since some weeks I started noticing it when I showered (which was new to me).

In September 2010 I started my first "real job" (waitering was student work). My hair kept on reducing and it felt that the structure of my hair was different then before: it was not smooth, but very dry (after washing) and very greasy (one day later) and in some way "inflated", very fragile and breakable. I also still had the horrible itching and often I seemed to have a white greasy stuff on my scalp. Horrible, I even never experienced dandruff before that.

I did re-uptake the medication for a month in November 2010, but decided to completely stop with it due to hair loss. (I thought it would be the cause, since hair loss was going so extremely fast).

I also went to several doctors, which gave all different advice. Most say that the food poisoning could be a cause, but that has happened 10 months ago so that is too long ago to still be a cause. They also say that the anti-depressant could be a cause (this is the moment I started to notice hair loss; coincidentally start of anti-depressant is just three months after the food poisoning), but it is unlikely.

Since three weeks I am using Minoxidil 2%, which instantly got rid of the white grease and makes my hair again a little more smooth and natural feeling. I know this sounds impossible because it would need certainly 2 to 3 months to start working, but it really feels that way; the itching is also way better. On the other hand: hair loss has not stopped at all. Could it maybe that I have some kind of fungus or infection that causes the hair loss, but which some ingredient of the minoxidil "attacks" or neutralizes?


2010 was a year of very high stress levels (food poisoning, love, parents, work, financial...); so this too could be a cause; but too be honest in the past I also have had a lot of stress, and I did not have hair loss at all.

I don't want to go bald, but I do want to face reality.

What I don't understand is that in less then 9 months I have lost more than 50% of my hair. (I really consider this percentage to be true, and I would even take a higher percentage). I thought when you go naturally bold it would be gradual, over the years, not in less than one year! Also the hairs that fall off seem to have a white bulb on them. One doctor told me those are telogen hairs. I know these are hairs that have naturally stopped their growing and are replaced by others.

Can anybody conclude something out of all this?

Thank you for reading my story,

(apologies for my bad English; I am not a native English speaker)

Thomas

Editor’s Comments,

Dear Thomas,

Your English is fine and understandable. Don’t worry. Hmmm…there can either be 2 possible reasons for your hair loss, which is the standard genetically related Male Pattern Baldness, or it could be an allergic reaction caused by certain medications that you are taking.

While MPB is often gradual, most people won’t notice it until they have lost 50% of their hair and yes, by that time the ball is rolling downhill as a much greater speed.

When you have lost 50% percent of your hair, you will notice much more bald areas of your scalp and further hair loss will further reveal more contrasts. So if your hair loss has being gradual, you will likely to notice it only after you have already lost 50% of your hair!

The second reason could likely be Anagen Effluvium, a condition where your hair loss is caused by the medications reaction towards your body. Many things can happen like hormonal swings, excessive oil production, dizziness, dryness and etc. This reaction can also shut down your hair follicles causing them to fall off all of a sudden or gradually over the period of months.

Try to evaluate these two scenarios and maybe you will fit into one of them. If you think that you fit what we describe, then just follow the standard advices in our pages and hopefully you can contain your hair loss.