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View Full Version : 20 with hair loss for several years


anon123123
07-05-2009, 01:25 AM
Hi,

I am 20 years old and started having hair loss around the senior year of highschool. At first I freaked out, but with the reassurance of my mom I pushed it off as abnormal shedding as I reached womanhood. But as I progressed through college my hair has become gradually thinner. And by gradually I mean very slowly. Sometimes I think maybe my hair is the same thickness as last year or even the year before, because every year I fret over my hair but when I check I still feel I can hide it in public. But I have had people, without my solicitation, tell me my hair is thin when looking closely. 2 hair stylists told me that the top of my head is sparce and thin. And this year, for the first time, my boyfriend finally made a comment about my hair (he told me lately he noticed my hair is getting thin). I never told him my worries about it and the latest comment has got me even more stressed. He told me that he loves me and he doesn't care if I go bald. He is very caring and I really appreciate that he approached my situation in that light.

But, personally, I love my hair and the thought of going bald really really makes me sad. I am sure the women here have gone through similar emotional experiences. Also, I am a student with a very tight budget so I don't have a lot of expensive options available. I feel very cornered and depressed.

A little about my family history: My father has male pattern baldness and started balding at a young age (his late 20s). I asked him if any women on his side of the family bald, and he said no. I saw pictures of his side and did not notice any hair loss in the women in his family. My mother has very thick hair, I can say without a doubt that she has thicker hair than me. The men in her family also have very thick hair.

My own physical history: Since senior year I feel that I was under a great deal of stress. Senior year was when I started applying to college and I suffer a great deal from stress from trying to achieve my goals. In college I constantly felt stress to get good grades. My college grades have been a rollercoaster and I still feel stressed about them. I feel that maybe I have the appropriate amount of stress to produce long term gradual hair loss. But I don't have any evidence to back that up medically so I am still unsure about that.

I have not approached the doctor about this but I probably think I should. For me, I have bouts of stress and then sometimes life gets so hectic I just forget about my hair. But during those bouts of stress I frantically look online for products and see if there is a cure. I read about different treatments, but because I am a student and I think academics is important I tend to forget and just go about my daily life without treatments or anything. I am realizing the internet is just a huge mess of lies, scams, and few truths. It's been hard picking out everything. But after much research I found this forum and realize its legit. I am now realizing hair loss is a complex problem and I have no easy solution. So I am wondering if any of you lovely people can head me in the right direction? Your help would be much appreciated. Thank You.

Angela
07-05-2009, 04:18 AM
I'm sorry to hear that your hair loss started so young. I would definitely get to a doctor to see if there are any underlying problems or deficiencies. While stress "can" be a factor, that is usually the last thing I think is causing a woman's hair loss. You could have a shift in your nutrition, your iron could be low, it could be a hormone imbalance...
Doctors definitely don't have all the answers, but at least if you get some blood work done, somethings can be ruled out and you'll at least know to check those things off the list as possible suspects.
Many times the hair loss is unexplained and doesn't seem to have any origin. Your thyroid could be fine, iron levels ok, your hormones look good, and there is nothing auto-immune going on. That is the most dis-heartening of all.
In any event, its always good to look forward while you are waiting on your answers. What will you do if your hair loss gets worse? What action steps will you take? Its important to cover your basis, because it helps to move forward and not be too scared. Hair loss is scary, but when you have a plan in place, it makes it a little more bearable. :>