Question I have been experiencing hair loss around the temples. I usually (almost always) wear my hair in a ponytail and I have been doing this for over 10 yrs. (my dermatologist said wearing my hair back, as long as it is not tight, has nothing to do with my hair loss). All of a sudden aroung December of this year my hair begin thinning in that area and now I am completely bald on the temples of my head. I visited the dermatologist and she recommended biotin pills and minoxodil, I have been using them as prescribed, however the medication seems to not be effective, as a matter of fact seems I am still losing hair (I've been using the medication for about three months). I contacted the dermatologist and she stated that there is no stronger medication to use for hair loss than what she prescribed, is that true? What should I do?
Answer When you use rogaine use Rogaine for Men as it is stronger than Rogaine for Women. There is a condition called traction alopecia that occurs in women that wear a pony tail. There are other labs that should be tested to make sure there is no systemic cause of your hair loss: thyroid, cbc + diff, Comp metabolic panel, total testosterone, DHEAS, Ferritin, ana and rpr. Causes of hair loss include: Medications, thyroid disease, abnormal hormones, going on or off of birth control pills, polycystic ovarian disease, stress, crash diets, pregnancy, systemic diseases, fever, traction alopecia.
Your doctor can do a biopsy of the area of hair loss to determine if the hair will grow back. If there is scaring the hair will not return no matter what you do except for hair transplants.
