It's Become All-Consuming

by Clarise
(USA)

So, this is completely out of character for me; to actually post on one of these sites. I've done a ton of reading, but have been passive when it comes to the sharing, but I feel like I need to now. I started really noticing a sudden onset of hair loss back in June 2008 (I think).

I graduated from college in May 2008, had just moved into a new apartment with two friends. Really, it was them commenting on how much hair was on the bathroom floor and in the shower that tuned me into it. Over the course of the summer, June 2008-mid October 2008 I would pull out handfuls of hair while showering. Then, even more would be found in the towel after drying and an even larger clump in my hairbrush. I had seen this kind of hair loss once before, during my second year of college. The duration was much shorter and I attributed it to the extreme mental stress that I was under due to school.

Personally, I'm not sure that the stress was enough to cause the hair loss but I wasn't 'sick' in the true sense of the word nor suffered any other emotional trauma such as losing family. What I was severely stressed due to school work. That hair loss cleared up over time and I never paid it any mind until this summer. Again, there is nothing physically wrong with me. I had a full blood test done and all my levels were normal except for a positive Ebstein-Barr virus (which makes sense because I had mono my senior year of high school).

My General Practitioner, family, and friends are attributing it to stress again and I'd have to say that this past year was leaps and bounds more stressful than sophomore year from September 2007, on. Now that I think about it, there was some sudden hair loss after December 2007 when a particularly bad event happened, but again, it calmed down. I have found that people only really become proactive when they start to see noticeable changes. My scalp has definitely thinned diffusely, and my dermatologist has confirmed this. The part is wider and I can definitely see my scalp towards the front of my head. At a cursory glance, most people don't notice, but if they looked for a bit longer, they'd see it.

I haven't noticed any short regrowth yet. What I'm truly afraid of is not seeing any and for this to be some form of Female Pattern Hair Loss. My dad has one of the thickest heads of hair I have seen but my mother does not. She did when she was growing up but starting losing her hair in her 30s after severe physical trauma due to herniated disks in her neck and subsequent medication. Her hair never returned and that is my fear today. Even if it was TE, I'm scared that it has unlocked Female Pattern Baldness. I told my dermatologist about my mother's hair loss but she seems to think it is stress. She also said I could use Rogaine to stimulate the hair to come back faster. I'm not sure that I believe her diagnosis. I guess after all that rambling, my one real question is how long after an event like this should I expect to see short hairs growing in? Also, are there any forms of Female Pattern Baldness that can result in such sudden, diffuse thinning?

Sorry! I realized I didn't give my age or gender. 21 year old female. Also, I'd like to add that when my dermatologist ran her hands through my hair she said she didn't see too much hair coming out. I have done this though with different results and I feel like brushing my hair before the appointment could have contributed to her diagnosis. In any case, I think I should have a scalp biopsy done.

Editor Comments

Dear Clarise,

Thanks for sharing your problem with us. I guess the best way to handle your hair loss condition is to open up and share about it. It helps to loosen up and it’s really a good way to reduce some stress.

About your condition, it’s actually pretty general and I can’t specifically diagnose your condition for you. It really seems to me that you are facing with stress related hair loss since you mentioned about your previous bouts with sudden hair loss. I think this time it’s not any different compared to the last but you might have not recovered from the previous shedding. A few sudden shedding sessions might add up leading to a more diffused looking hair.

Your hair takes at least 6 months – 1 year before you can see any visible growth. That is because a single hair will grow approximately half an inch a month. Therefore if you have shoulder length hair, and you lost it due to TE, it might take around 1 year plus to grow back to its full length.

You should trust your dermatologists because she is the expert. As there are no underlying conditions, (EBV is very common and is not a significant factor for hair loss) then I can assume that your condition is indeed stress related. Sometimes work and school related stress can really be overwhelming to some people. As a matter of fact, a lot of students face stress related hair loss.

There are actually a lot of things you can do. First, take a break, relax and chill out. I don’t think you are facing with FPB since your hormones are normal. Just adjust to a more healthy diet, get some supplements to help boosts your hair’s quality. You might also want to try Rogaine 2% for Women or Viviscal to improve your hair growth rate. Don’t expect to see immediate results though because it will take some time for your hair to recover. In the meanwhile, you can try a shorter hairstyle to mask the hair loss. Give it some time and I believe you can get your hair back a few months down the line after you have managed your stress.