Losing my hair! Am i going bald?

by Khan
(U.K)

Hi firstly I would like to thank you so much for giving us an opportunity to share our hair problems with you and others.

I have been suffering from excessive hair loss for about a year now. I lose so much hair when I stroke and brush my hair. They fall everywhere on my pillow bath sink you name it and my hair has gone so thin especially from the top. I just don’t know what it is. There is no history of balding in my family neither from my mother’s side or my father’s side. I don’t know what it is. Is it TE or MPB because at the moment it just seems like my hair is going through the Norwood scale faster than it should be. I am so upset. I went to a dermatologist and he recommended me with Regain (Rogaine) to use for six months (I have not started it). But I am quite worried about this because I have read so many things on the internet about it.

I want to get advice from you. I am suffering from excessive hair loss would Regain (Rogaine)do the trick would it work and can I use it temporary (6 months) also I read that using Regain (Rogaine) you would notice more hair shedding then normal then it will stop but that is my problem I shed so much hair. If I start then stop using regain (Rogaine) would my excessive hair loss problem start again.

P.S I am a 23 year old male to be honest for a 23 year old I am not hairy at all hardly any facial hair hardly any chest hair and so on. It worries me more because I got such a baby face I don’t want go bald with a non hairy baby face. And also since my hair loss problem my hair gets so greasy and my facial and other hair on my body are starting to grow a lot faster and more hairy than before and I smell of body odour more then I used to lol..

Thank you so much for your time and effort.

Khan

Editor’s Comments,

Dear Khan,

There are a lot of reasons for hair loss and since I am unable to diagnose your condition, I can just offer you some general tips on your condition. You see, Telogen Effluvium usually occurs suddenly with a huge amount of hair loss. That is because when you body goes through a period of stress, it will shock a number of your follicles to fall off after a few months. After the period of stress, the hair loss will usually stop and recover.

However, if you are facing with a continuous amount of stress for a long period of time, like due to work or studies, then prolonged stress can lead to Chronic Telogen Effluvium, where you might observe a progressive hair loss throughout the period. Medications, allergies, change of diet, crash diets, lack of sleep and hormonal changes are all possible reasons for this condition as well. If you notice that the hair loss that you are facing does not follow the pattern like the Norwood Scale, there is a high possibility that you are facing with stress related hair loss, something relatively common in today’s society.

If your hair loss does recedes from the sides or the top and is progressing according to the scale, then the chances of you facing with Male Pattern Baldness is relatively high since it’s pretty obvious that the ‘pattern’ is emerging. Only you and your dermatologist can pinpoint your condition.

As for Minoxidil, it’s suitable for Telogen Effluvium and Male Pattern Baldness as well. I always do encourage all hair loss sufferers to follow their doctor’s recommendations because they know what is good for you and understands your condition better. Minox is one of the 2 only approved medications for treating hair loss and the side effects are very minimal and in most cases, nonexistent in most users. I do recommend you to use it for at least 6 months.

There is no doubt that you should notice additional hair loss with the initial use of this product but that is just because of the contact and friction with the Telogen hairs. These hairs will fall off anyway sooner or later. Some hair loss might be attributed to new hairs that are starting to grow from the hair follicle, pushing the old ones out. This is a good sign signifying that the medication is indeed working.

Besides using medications, do check out my Preventing Hair Loss section too as it offers other supplemental ways to increase your hair growth chances. Have a nice day.