Hi everyone, I have been lurking around here for a while and decided its time to post!
I am 23, and found out I have PCOS in March. I am on 1500mg of Metformin a day, 100mg of Spironolact a day, and Yaz.
when I first started going to the doctor, my periods we really messed up, I would go for months without 1, then have 1, then go for another 5 months w/o. I started developing facial hair, which isn't really a problem because I take care of it. When I started going to the doc in March my hair was barely thinned at all, I mean, I could barely even tell it had thinned. Since I have been on my meds, my hair on my head has thinned sooo much! I am scared that I am going to be 23 and bald. It has thinned so much that a close friend of mine asked me about it because she notices. I try to style my hair in a way that you cannot tell, but you still can. I am just scared that in the past few months it has gotten this bad, will I be completely bald in a year?? I have extremely low self esteem as it is, and this is making it 100X worse. I am single, and worry about how I will ever meet someone if I am bald.
Is there anything I can do to help stop the balding? I was told the meds I was on would stop it, but it isnt working, it is making it worse I think.
Also, my hair is blonde, do you think going darked would help make it less noticable, or more noticable??
I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm 24 and I think I've lost at least 1/2 my hair in the last 12 months. It used to be very thick, and now it's really thin. I moved across the country 6 months ago, so I'm fortunate in that my old friends can't see me and my new friends don't notice yet. But, I give it til the end of summer- by then, if it continues to thin, I think it will be really noticeable to the general public.
I'm kind of resigned to losing it, but it took me a long time to get here. I isolated myself for awhile and even developed an eating disorder- I guess as a subconscious attempt to gain control over some aspect of my appearance. And as you may know, eating disorders only make hair loss worse, if anything...so, do anything that you can to keep your self-esteem up while you're dealing with the loss. Treat yourself to nice things, exercise, say positive affirmations, anything. It's so important. I've started wearing cute hats and hair wraps, which I actually really like and I wouldn't have tried them if I wasn't losing my hair. I consider them part of my style now, not just a method of hiding my hair.
As far as the color- I've heard people say that they like going dark because it seems to plump up the roots, and I've heard people say that they like going light because then their hair is closer to the color of their scalps. I can see how both would work! Maybe you could find a stylist who understands hair loss and ask what he or she thinks would be best for your skin tone and pattern of thinning.
Stay on these boards, too- people are great and really supportive. There's also another good board called heralopecia.com. There are great people and loads of good information there, too.
__________________ 26 yrs old
currently taking (as of 9/16/09):
ovablend
adrenal hormone balancer (withania, vitex, licorice)
b-complex
multivitamin
biotin
iron supplement
daily multivitamin
apple cider vinegar
"a table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"- albert einstein
about 3 years ago, I went through a phase where my hair kept falling out. I was obsessed with this guy who did not feel the same way and all stressed out. That and other stresses in my life...my hair just kept falling out for 6 months. Suddenly it started growing back in.
And it is the same since. I make sure to take a multi vitamin but I should start up my flax seed oil. I started doing that at the time and it may have helped.
__________________
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Hi everyone, I have been lurking around here for a while and decided its time to post!
I am 23, and found out I have PCOS in March. I am on 1500mg of Metformin a day, 100mg of Spironolact a day, and Yaz.
when I first started going to the doctor, my periods we really messed up, I would go for months without 1, then have 1, then go for another 5 months w/o. I started developing facial hair, which isn't really a problem because I take care of it. When I started going to the doc in March my hair was barely thinned at all, I mean, I could barely even tell it had thinned. Since I have been on my meds, my hair on my head has thinned sooo much! I am scared that I am going to be 23 and bald. It has thinned so much that a close friend of mine asked me about it because she notices. I try to style my hair in a way that you cannot tell, but you still can. I am just scared that in the past few months it has gotten this bad, will I be completely bald in a year?? I have extremely low self esteem as it is, and this is making it 100X worse. I am single, and worry about how I will ever meet someone if I am bald.
Is there anything I can do to help stop the balding? I was told the meds I was on would stop it, but it isnt working, it is making it worse I think.
Also, my hair is blonde, do you think going darked would help make it less noticable, or more noticable??
thank you so much for you help everyone!
I'd try upping your spiro dose to 200mg. You could also try Rogaine....you never know til you try!
Spiro can initially cause increased shedding...I think it has something to do with the changes in your hormones (kinda freaks the hair out I think). It can be scary (trust me, been there!), but you can't really judge how well a hair loss treatment is working until you've stuck with it for at least a year (preferably two). Remember, hair growth cycles are long, so it takes a long time to grow hair and an even longer time to see any noticeable changes in density.
Also, since you've just started Met, make sure you are taking a super B complex with it. Met affects your body's ability to absorb B vitamins (esp B12) and B vitamin deficiency can cause hair loss.
Also, I would get both your iron and Vitamin D levels checked...a lot of cysters are deficient in these and deficiencies in both can cause hair loss. And with iron, even if you're in the low end of "normal" you're still deficient...anything less than a ferritin level of 40 is considered deficient, yet the normal value ranges start lower than that.
Hair loss can be helped, but it takes time and patience...and dedication to sticking to your hair loss treatment for a long time.
Since it's such a slow, drawn out process, it's hard to see if there are improvements on a day-to-day basis. I would recommend having someone you trust take pictures of your hair from all sides and repeat at 3 month intervals and compare the pictures...the best way to see if your treatments are working is to have visual comparisons over a period of time.
Treatments can and do work--my hair, while still thin--is MUCH better than it was this time last year.
Good luck
I am not sure of my actual iron levels, but I do know that when I go to donate blood, most of the time I am turned away for my iron levels. My mother is Anemic, so I wouldn't doubt that I have low iron levels as well.
So, I am going to call my Endo tomorrow, and ask her to up my dosage of Spiro, and talk to her about a Vitamin B suppliment, and Iron suppliment. Is there anything else I should be asking?
Thank you so much for the help everyone! It is nice to know I am not alone in this process. It is very depressing, but it seems there may be hope!
Also, does anyone have any reccomendations about the super B complex? Is that what it is called? is there a specific brand I should get? Is this something I need to get at a vitamin store?
uakellie, I know exactly how you feel. I am 24 and pratically bald. I wear headbands everyday to cover it up a little but you can still tell. Every time I look in the mirror I cry. My hair loss is so bad like an old man. I also feel the same way about finding a boyfriend. I dont really date anymore and I definately dont go out anymore. I occasionally meet people on the internet but after I meet them for the first time I never hear from them again. I am convinced because they notice the hair loss. I dont think I'll ever find anyone. Why would any man want a bald girl? You just got to hope that you will find a man that's not that shallow. Sorry if I depressed you, just wanted to share my thoughts.
I'm also 23 and have a problem with thinning hair. I recently started taking Metformin and I'm hoping it'll help. I haven't talked to my doctor specifically about hair loss, so I plan to next time I see her.
I've heard that light hair is better for hiding bald spots, since dark hair shows more contrast with the scalp.
uakellie, I know exactly how you feel. I am 24 and pratically bald. I wear headbands everyday to cover it up a little but you can still tell. Every time I look in the mirror I cry. My hair loss is so bad like an old man. I also feel the same way about finding a boyfriend. I dont really date anymore and I definately dont go out anymore. I occasionally meet people on the internet but after I meet them for the first time I never hear from them again. I am convinced because they notice the hair loss. I dont think I'll ever find anyone. Why would any man want a bald girl? You just got to hope that you will find a man that's not that shallow. Sorry if I depressed you, just wanted to share my thoughts.
I think the worst thing about it is the way it causes depression. Why not try a wig for the confidence it can give you, but be perfectly frank about the fact that you wear it? I thought that there would be no boy would ever want a flat-chested girl with moustache growth like a male, but I was (thankfully!) wrong.
I agree with joyblack....a wig might give you some confidence. I also lost half my hair at 22 and I was suicidal. But I've been using the lasercomb for a few years and i think it has helped me.
Hi, I started losing my hair when I was 12-13 and was noticeable at 13-14 (im 22 now). It started with the patch right at the front on top and was very obvious, then the sides went thin and now the all along my centre parting to the back. Sometimes it makes me feel really depressed like someone said, why would any man want a balding woman. Ive been using minoxidil 4% and estradiol every day for around 3-4 years now and it did help a little but not enough, and also ferrous sulphate, l-lysine, vit c, b complex. Since about feb this year I started taking spironolactone, biotin, ferrous gluconate, agnus castus and inositol and aswell the others I was taking, and my hair has all of a sudden growing thicker and filling in some gaps. Its only been 4 months and its great, even my trichologist is surprised. I also using dermatch to fill in the areas not yet convered. Im hoping it will get even thicker in another 4 months. Only thing is I dont know which is helping or if its that theyre all helping together! Im also waiting for the new trial using stem cells to grow hair, my trichologist said that has been very successful so far and will available in around 18 months in the UK, but not sure about US.
__________________ Fran
Age 23
Diagnosed April 04, sypmtoms started age 13/14
Levothyroxine (100mcg)
Aspirin (75mg)
Spironolactone (100mg)
B complex
Vit C (500mg)
L-Lysine (500mg)
Ferrous Gluconate (300mg)
Omega 3 (1000mg)
Multivitamins
Biotin (1000mg)
Agnus Castus (800mg)
Minoxidil 4%
Estradiol
Estramide cream
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Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that propecia worked great on me when I was 27. I went off of it due to some bad advice by a Dr. In addition, you will find that it can reduce body hair if you research on Pubmed.
I ended up buying a wig. No more bad hair days! I was up front with my co-workers and told them that I had a health condition that has caused my hair to be quite thin on top and I was tired of trying to do something to my hair. Once I got over the initial first few days of seeing each employee/friend for the first time, it was fine. I bought my 2nd wig this weekend and wore it to work today, every single person I came across told me how great I looked and how natural the hair looked. So anytime I run across someone that hasn't seen me with my new "do", I'm up front and tell them it's a wig. I don't want people to thing I'm trying to hide something. I only share this information with family and friends and co-workers that already know my situation though, not with strangers off the street. I wish I would have done this years ago - - been doing the Donald Trump Side Sweep for too long and was very self-conscious.
23 and going bald 
