Kippy
03-19-2010, 04:15 AM
Hi,
I started reading these forums as soon as I was diagnosed with androgenic alopecia in September '09. I was too horrified with my hair loss to post anything or even read all the posts on here as there were plenty of negative posts that scared me. However, now that my hair loss situation has been much improved I figured I'd come back and share a success story :)
In July of '09 (I was 18) I started noticing my hair was falling out but didn't think much of it. My doctor said women go through shedding phases. By mid August when my hair was still coming out by the handful, I decided there was no way this was normal. I went to see a dermatologist and she told me to get to an endocrinologist ASAP. I didn't know of any but after looking online, it was clear that Dr. Redmond in NYC was the best choice.
After looking at my blood work Dr. Redmond told me I had androgenic alopecia and possibly PCOS. Either way, he said I needed to go on 200 mg of Spironolactone and Yasmin. I had heard bad things about Spiro's side effects but my hair was at stake so I went for it.
From there I went through the rough patch that I'm sure many of you are familiar with--the break downs, collecting hair, being afraid to tell others, being impatient waiting for the spiro to work, etc.
BUT after about 4 months of this the shedding started to slow down little by little. I'd have good days and bad days but it was an overall improvement. And guess what...just recently I noticed some baby hairs!!! Dr. Redmond had said that the hair loss "could" be permanent or there "could" be regrowth.
So my advice to anyone who is going through this...
See Dr. Redmond. He takes a very aggressive approach. Spiro does come with his side effects so many doctors are hesitant to prescribe a high enough dose or to prescribe it at all. He is very expensive but it is worth it if you think about how much $$ your hair is worth. Also go as early as you can, I think catching it early was really beneficial for me. And finally, follow your regimen and do not miss medication ever. I have not once skipped a dose of my medicines. Dr. Redmond is also very thorough. While I was there he asked about EVERYTHING and I had just recently started having some acid reflux. Now this is unrelated to my hair, but he gave me a prescription for that as well--all in the same visit! He also has me on certain vitamins.
And finally, don't be embarrassed. I was so afraid to tell people in the beginning. As it turned out, the person who was freaked out most was me. Not one person around me judged me by it. As shallow and immature as some of my friends are, they were as supportive as can be with this.
I started reading these forums as soon as I was diagnosed with androgenic alopecia in September '09. I was too horrified with my hair loss to post anything or even read all the posts on here as there were plenty of negative posts that scared me. However, now that my hair loss situation has been much improved I figured I'd come back and share a success story :)
In July of '09 (I was 18) I started noticing my hair was falling out but didn't think much of it. My doctor said women go through shedding phases. By mid August when my hair was still coming out by the handful, I decided there was no way this was normal. I went to see a dermatologist and she told me to get to an endocrinologist ASAP. I didn't know of any but after looking online, it was clear that Dr. Redmond in NYC was the best choice.
After looking at my blood work Dr. Redmond told me I had androgenic alopecia and possibly PCOS. Either way, he said I needed to go on 200 mg of Spironolactone and Yasmin. I had heard bad things about Spiro's side effects but my hair was at stake so I went for it.
From there I went through the rough patch that I'm sure many of you are familiar with--the break downs, collecting hair, being afraid to tell others, being impatient waiting for the spiro to work, etc.
BUT after about 4 months of this the shedding started to slow down little by little. I'd have good days and bad days but it was an overall improvement. And guess what...just recently I noticed some baby hairs!!! Dr. Redmond had said that the hair loss "could" be permanent or there "could" be regrowth.
So my advice to anyone who is going through this...
See Dr. Redmond. He takes a very aggressive approach. Spiro does come with his side effects so many doctors are hesitant to prescribe a high enough dose or to prescribe it at all. He is very expensive but it is worth it if you think about how much $$ your hair is worth. Also go as early as you can, I think catching it early was really beneficial for me. And finally, follow your regimen and do not miss medication ever. I have not once skipped a dose of my medicines. Dr. Redmond is also very thorough. While I was there he asked about EVERYTHING and I had just recently started having some acid reflux. Now this is unrelated to my hair, but he gave me a prescription for that as well--all in the same visit! He also has me on certain vitamins.
And finally, don't be embarrassed. I was so afraid to tell people in the beginning. As it turned out, the person who was freaked out most was me. Not one person around me judged me by it. As shallow and immature as some of my friends are, they were as supportive as can be with this.