NEVER crash diet...

I’m a 19 year old male and have been losing hair for nearly 2 to 3 months. This past summer in May I began a crash diet, losing nearly 50 pounds in 2 months. I’d say in October a friend pointed out that my hair was looking really thin on top. I began noticing it to and it began really bother me. No 19 year old wants to go bald, trust me.

It is now December and I still have hair loss, losing a good bit in the shower and throughout the day. My hair loss is really noticeable on the top of my head, but I can pull hair out of the sides and back of my head as well. I began eating properly in October after the weight loss, and began taking a multi-vitamin, hair, skin and nail vitamin, and fish oil as well.

Just recently I visited the dermatologist and she diagnosed me with Telogen effluvium. She prescribed me to a Ketoconazole 2% shampoo. This whole time I thought I was going bald. This was a great relief. Baldness runs on my dad’s side of the family, but he is the only bald child. He began losing his hair in his 40's so that helped the dermatologist rule it out. You can still pull 3 or 4 hairs out at a time and I'm just wondering when is this going to end?

I wouldn't say I'm stressed about it, because I had accepted the fact I was going bald already. I would just like to know when I should notice a stop in hair loss and when it will regrow. And will the medicine I was prescribed help? I've also seen a Dr. to check my thyroid and had a bunch of tests ran, but am still waiting for the results.

Editor’s Comments

Hello there,

Crash diets are indeed a very sure way to steam up Telogen Effluvium or sudden hair loss. Abrupt hair loss is very common when you overstrain your body and depriving it of essential minerals and nutrients. In your case, your TE can be directly related to Crash Diets.

However, at the age of 19, Male Pattern Baldness might also starts to trickle in. Most cases of MPB can occur by the age of 17 and upwards depending on your genetic influence. It doesn’t mean that if your dad has Male Pattern Baldness by the age of 40 that you will only start to face the same plight around that age.

What you can do is to check whether your hair loss follows a thinning pattern. You can check it via the Norwood Scale to see whether your hair line is receding according. If yes, you might not be only having problem with crashing your diet but also a possibility of early signs of Male Pattern Baldness. If that is your case, consider revising your treatment plan and focus on preventing it before it gets worse.

In the meantime, continue with the supplements that you are taking and you observe your current hair loss condition. If you are still losing more than 100 hairs a day, then give it another month before considering some serious treatments. You might also want to have a look at my Preventing Hair Loss section for some tips on reducing hair loss. Have a nice day!