Question I am 45 years old. I have always had a lot (a ton) of hair. Last fall my hair recently started falling out at about 200 hairs per day. I now have a greatly receeded hair line in the front and back. It is extremely thin all over and Ihave bald spots onthe back of my head. Nothing has changed in my diet and I have had many hormone tests done. All came back normal. I did have an extreme allergic reaction to carpet I had installed 3 weeks prior to my hair loss. I had to have the carpet removed after only 6 days. SO the carpet has been gone for 10 months now. I also changed cell phones. I recently learned that the radiation lever that my cell phone (SAR's) is one of the highest on the market. These were the only changed that I made near the time that my hair started to fall out. I have been to several doctors and dermatologists and still no explination or help to stop what is going on. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you
Answer The first thing to do is to have a biopsy of your scalp to determine what type of hair loss your have. You could have female pattern hair loss which is genetic. You could have a telogen effluvium which is nothing more than an increased shedding of your hair. The biopsy will also tell if you have a scaring or non scaring type of hair loss. A scaring type of hair loss can be seen in Lupus and this type of hair loss will never return unless you have hair transplants. Another help is to have blood work to make sure there is no systemic cause of your hair loss ie thyroid disease, too much testosterone, too much DHEAS, etc.
For women, the only medication that has been scientifically tested is Rogaine for Women but some dermatologists suggest using Rogaine for Men because it is stronger.
