I despise the Dermatologist.

[Renaeee23]

Hi, my name is Renae and I am 21 years old. In the fall, I officially transferred from a community college to a University and was a bit stressed out about tuition, books, the whole change, etc. I was also extremely stressed over the California Education budget cuts (I work in a school). So the stress of possibly losing my job and the move from a CC to a University plus my class load (Statistics, Biology, Logic, Oh my!) and the pressure to get at least B's to be officially accepted into my major was hectic to say the least. That's when I started to notice the hair loss. It seemed to turn from bad to worse in November of last year when diffused clumps would fall out whenever I combed, washed, or styled my hair. I finally saw my doctor in early December and he performed all kinds of blood work on me.

When the results came back, everything was normal except I had high testosterone levels and low iron levels (but they were still in the normal range), so the doctor referred me to a Dermatologist.

The soonest appt they had available was 2 months later which seems like eternity when your hair is falling out.

Anyway, I finally saw the Dermatologist in February of this year. Let me just start off by saying that she never did a scalp test/biopsy on my hair. She basically prescribed me everything under the sun for acne (which I took as an insult because I had fairly normal facial skin and was not there for acne to begin with) and prescribed to me drops for me scalp: Fluocinolone Acetonide (which I googled and didn't find any link between this topical solution and hair regrowth). And she also told me to eat more meat, to come back once a month for a B12 shot and to stop stressing. This upset me beyond what I could take. I remember stepping out of that office feeling like "wow, maybe there's nothing anyone can do for me." I became depressed which added to the stress which caused more hair to fall out (at least that's what I thought was the cause) and my life became a big jumble.

Despite consulting my Dermatologist or my Doctor, I started to use Rogaine. It has helped a bit with the sheddine on top but now the shedding on the back and sides is still progressing. It's so frustrating to say the least.

I went back in March for my B12 shot and that lady prescribed MORE acne medicine for me. I had to ASK HER about more possible treatments for my hair and told her I wasn't there for ACNE. I'm perfectly fine with having a pimple here and there! I've seen worse! I was so frustrated again and all she could do is say that the drops are supposed to stimulate hair growth and that she just wants to treat everything in the mean time to rule out all possibilities. That seemed like a fairly odd response to me but I just pushed aside my frustration, sucked it up, and walked out.

My hair is still shedding at 21 years of age and I'm just trying not to get fully depressed. Somedays I cry on my boyfriend's shoulder and somedays I'm fine. Somedays I can get my hair to look just right and somedays my scalp shows more than I'd like it to. I just continue to use Rogaine and hope for the best; I really hope for something good to happen soon.

Thank you for your time.

[VictoriaG]

Hi Renae,

I'm sorry for all you've been going through! So many things, all at once.

So...the dermatologist. Many of us have found that the dermatologists aren't too helpful. They really don't seem to know much about women's hair loss. I had gone to a supposed hair loss specialist, and I was not impressed. I felt like a number. I was also given a B-12 shot, told to eat more meat for iron...and to stop stressing. Sure, OK, no problem! I was also told to try Rogaine. It's not easy to find a good doctor, unfortnately.

My internest suggested I take spiro (aldactone is the generic name), a blood pressure med that helps some women with hair loss where high testosterone is a factor (you can find a lot more info about it here and on the network). Another benefit is clearer skin, which I just find to be an added bonus.

As to whether stress can cause/increase hair loss, there are advocates for both sides of this question. I am a high-stress person, so I like to think it is a factor in my shedding. I need something to blame. I was told I have Androgenic Alopecia, but I think that's what doctor's say when they don't really know the cause. Other than my hair (and stress) I'm healthy.

Good luck to you :)

[finaleofseem]

Renaee23 -- the derm didn't seem to care about your higher testosterone? WIth that and the fact that you're still getting the occasional pimple, I would have thought someone would have checked you for PCOS. It's a syndrome in women that can cause an increase in male hormones. Hair loss is one of the symptoms. I don't know if you have this or not, and I'm not a doctor, but you may want to ask next time you go in.

Needless to say, I'm very sorry that you have to deal with this. I'm also on Rogaine in my early 20s, and it's hard. I have good and bad days, just like you. :(

[Renaeee23]

Thank you Victoria,

This whole process has just been so frustrating for me and I'm so glad to have found a place to relieve some of that frustration.

:)

[TEforMe?]

I'm sorry! I know it really stinks when you feel like your problem isn't being addressed. When I saw the derm he spent 5 minutes with me. Did a pull test and said I had TE. I've been to the internist twice and the derm once and no one has checked my testosterone levels. I sometimes feel that I need to be completely bald before someone actually believes that my hair is falling out!

I don't have any great advice. I just want you to know you are not alone.

[divinem]

{{{hugs}}} I hate my derm, too.