My Hair Loss Journey....

by Kathy
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Sudden Hair Loss

I am a recently married 32 year old, formerly optimistic and confident, female. I got married last September and recently returned from a 2 week trip to Italy with my husband to meet some of my family and see some awesome sites – good times! I work full time in the financial services sector but not investment banking (I have nothing to do with those toxic mortgage back securities, ABCP or CDO,CDS etc.)

I exercise regularly: I play volleyball twice a week and try to jog ~5km/3 miles 2 to 3 times a week. I eat a relatively healthy diet, little red meat but that has been the case my entire life. I eat fish 2x a week and chicken 4x a week other than that it veggies and cheese, granola bars. I am on the higher end of the “normal range" of my Body Mass Index.

In mid- August 2008 suddenly my hair started falling out in large, frightening, amounts. I had no idea why and did not have enough time to see my family doctor because I was heading to Italy for 2 weeks. While on vacation the hair loss continued in the large amounts. I came back and saw my doctor about 1 month after the large amount shedding began. I had numerous blood tests and everything came back as "normal". I also had an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound. I have a small cyst on my left ovary that my doctor and ultrasound technician advises will dissolve. As a measure of precaution I will have another pelvic ultrasound in 7 weeks. My dermatologist is also testing for lupus but he and my family doctor think that is likely not the case of my hair loss because I don’t have any other symptoms whatsoever.

I think about my hair loss constantly and it has really gotten my down. I try to hide my areas of thinning hair by always wearing my hair up with a clip. I feel almost inferior to other beautiful ladies with luscious hair because I once had that kind of hair….sigh!! The dermatologist I went to see recently said most people wouldn't realize I have hair loss. Makes sense when I wear my up, if it took it down it is very noticeable. I have lost approx 50% of all my hair. It is diffuse thinning but mainly in the back of my head and sides.

I did take birth control pills for 13+ years and stopped taking them right after my wedding, September 2007. Otherwise I am not on any other medication and no other medical conditions that require treatment.

I do take Vitamin D 1000 IU and Bio-Fen capsules.
I am still losing about 200 + hairs when I wash my hair with Nioxin and I lose about 75 - 95 hairs on a non-wash day (I wash my hair every other day).

The dermatologist conducted the hair pull test they all came out from the root with the club like tip and there was about 5-6 hairs with the pull. He prescribed Minoxidil as a treatment.

I am nervous about applying this and doing more damage than good to my remaining hairs and scalp. I am not sure if I even have TE because the dermatologist isn't 100% sure because I've had any real stressor 2-5 months before this copious amount of hair loss. I have a follow-up appointment in early January 2009.
Can I take Provillus and Minoxidil together? Should TE just stop as suddenly as it started? I have done a ton of research on-line and all signs point to TE except for the lack of the "environmental event" that would likely trigger TE. Has this happened to anyone else...? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Editor’s Comments

Dear Kathy, firstly thanks for sharing your hair loss story with us. It’s really an interesting and dramatic story about your condition. Telogen Effluvium is actually a very common condition and can happen to anyone anytime during their lives. Sometimes you might not notice it because the shedding is temporary or the amounts are not substantial.

There are many possible reasons for TE and most require a shock to your system. As you have already visited your doctor and did all the necessary tests then I do think you are pretty safe from any other underlying problems. Further to that, your dermatologist has suggested that your hair loss may not be a cause of an autoimmune disorder like lupus, so your shedding should only be temporary!

A possible factor that I might think is the main cause of your sudden hair loss is you stopping on your contraceptive medications. It might to what people call a ‘reverse effect’ because your body has already adapted to the birth contraceptives for so many years already. When you suddenly stop this medication, there might be a bounce in your body hormones and system trying to adjust itself. This might be a potential cause of a ‘shock’ to your system.

You can try measure the time frame by looking back at when you stopped the medications. If hair loss occurs 3 months after, then you might have found the cause. If that is really the cause, rest assured the condition is only temporary and won’t degenerate too much further. Usually a period of shedding can continue for a few months after the initial sudden hair loss. There isn’t much that you can do about it but some treatments might help.

The new Provillus, currently do not contain the Minoxidil formula, so using both of them together is safe but just make sure you don’t take more than the recommended dosage. As your hair loss is not related to genetics, you can stop using Minoxidil after your hair starts growing again. There is also a product known as Viviscal, which is quite helpful for faster hair growth in women. You might also want to consider that as a supplement to your problems.

In the meanwhile, keep yourself stress free is a must as you have done all the necessary steps like visiting your doctor, blood test and etc. So right now, just monitor the situation and I believe the hair loss will reduce to its normal levels. All the best to you!