Is a drastic change in hair texture a symptom or result of pcos ? I know that hair loss is and a I have a substantial amount of that but in addition, I think I feel like I have even less hair than I do because my hair used to be very thick, full and even "unruly" now what I have is baby fine and super soft (not in a good way more of a flyaway way..lol) so it just shows my scalp even more.. does that make sense? At first I thought it was a result of hair coloring damage but now I am wondering if this is all connected to the pcos?
Sounds like this is what happens with PCOS, not coloring damage.
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
Me too! I hate it! The fly-aways are everywhere! I where my hair curly so it looks frizzy all the time! My hair never used to be like this. It was softer but now it feels too soft and thin and weightless. It even feels a little drier too. I never used to use conditioner (just the spray in weightless detangler/conditioner) and my hair is still dry. I attribute that to the spiro though. Rachel, are you on spiro?
I thought this all might be caused by PCOS too and our out-of-wack hormones.
Man, this sucks.
Has anyone had any results with getting back their hair either from losing weight or medicine?
I wasn't sure by your wording if you meant that yes, it is a symptom of pcos or just that it doesn't sound like "color damage" ? Thanks..
Sharon,
I'm not on spiro or any drugs for pcos right now I am actually awaiting bloodwork results and in the process of being diagnosed.. when you ask about getting your "hair back" do you mean your texture or are you losing hair as well? but yes, my hair is "weightless" that is a perfect way to describe it :-( using gel does help weigh it down a little but you have to be careful not to use it near the roots/ scalp or it will jsut make your loss more noticeable.. this is horrible :-(
I meant that it SOUNDS like what you are describing is due to PCOS, not to color damage. Is you hair thinning in a particular pattern? Any particular part of your head?
Color damage usually results in very dry, coarse hair. Color damage also doesn't result in hair that falls out and never returns. If you color damage your hair, healthy hair will still grow back in.
Gradual thinning with much finer wispier hair, and scalp showing sound more like what's called "androgenetic alopecia" which is thinning from hormonal imbalance. This is the kind of thinning PCOS can cause. It is the female equivalent of male pattern baldness. Usually the hair thins more on the top and front of the head with this. Neither medicine nor products nor weight loss can make this kind of hair loss grow back.
I understand that Rogaine and Spiro can sometimes slow down hairloss if you have androgenetic alopecia. But nothing will reverse it.
That said, there are other things that can cause thinning or loss. Thyroid funtion can affect hair, too.
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
I meant, I don't BELIEVE that you can reverse the hairloss from androgenetic alopecia. That's the conclusion I've come to.
To be fair, there is info out there that suggests you might be able to. Go to this really informative and helpful website......you'll find some suggestions there to try.
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
Thanks for all the information.... my results are still not back but maybe tomm they said... waiting is horrible...
my hair is thinner in the front and top and temple areas..yes..(although it has thinned everywhere..) but the texture is definetly baby fine and "wispy" and just horrible really... my aunt said to me (not in a mean way but trying to help figure out what has "happened" to my hair) said it almost looks like it has been chemically straightened (poorly though) it's super "soft" ..getting dressed in the mirror makes me nauseous lately as do mirrors.
I have acne that I have never had before and every morning when I wake up my face (especially my forehead and nose) is like an oil slick and I used to have dry skin!
I cry almost daily and I don't know if that is from the hormonal inbalance or jsut because I am so upset about all of this...
Also... I wonder if when you go on bcp and/or spiro and you are able to improve (if not correct) your hormone balance if your hair texture might improve? not the existing hair maybe but as new hair grows and the old is cut off, etc.. ?
Ya know, some of the stuff that PCOS puts us through is horrible! The cosmetic effects alone can devastate your life! Bad acne, losing hair, too much hair......sure, they aren't the worst problems in the world to have BUT
They are serious, and they hurt, and they make us feel like crap about ourselves!!! I am totally serious when I say that losing hair is going through a grieving process. You need to allow yourself to have those feelings, and cry all you need about it, as often as you need to.
Then, you have to do the hard work of picking yourself up and finding solutions that work for you, and moving on with your life. There's fun to be had out there, and there's no reason to think that we all don't deserve to have it, no matter what's happening with our hair!
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
Aw, I cried like crazy too! I felt helpless! Everytime I washed my hair I was crying and crying from the hair clumps that fell down the back of my legs into the drain. I was severely depressed. My parents were very afraid for me. I decided I had to do something for my mental health. I was on spiro for a month and didn't notice any hair growth or lessened decrease. So that's when I decided to go back on the pill which did help control the crying fits I had. Plus, it cut my hair loss in half so that made me happier.
I'm still sad at the loss. I still can't look at my hair in the mirror when it's wet. I'm seeing all these hairs popping up all over my head but that's the problem...they're all popping up and flying-away! My frontal hairline loss is not great but I feel like I'm doing something about this loss.
I also believe in God and my faith has really kept me going. I have so many family members and friends praying for me and I can feel those prayers and it's bringing me through this horrible dark valley. I do believe that I have to get my body healthy and I'm getting there slowly. The only success stories I've read about had the person with PCOS changing their eating and exercising habits. That's what I'm really focusing on now.
I would only suggest to you is do something...either get a wig, or take medicine and supplements, or Rogaine...I've been where you are and I needed to do something because I had to find peace.
thank you both for your support and kind words... it means alot...this is so scary as you both know..
Sharon, I am encouraged to hear you say the bcp has cut your loss in half? which pill do you take? do you have any negative effects from it? has it helped with unwanted hair at all? has it helped your skin? (my skin is oily and my pores are large especially my T-zone..) how long were you on it before you noticed any positive effects?
I am still waiting for my bloodwork results :-( the lab said probably not until Friday...
The spiro is what helps with the acne and oiliness of my hair and skin. I used to buy those face blotters in bulk because I would use so many of them to blot the oil off my face! Once I started the spiro, the oil on my face is gone. Within a month of using spiro I noticed the few hairs around my breasts disappear. I used to wax my upper lip hair twice a month (which wasn't that bad to begin with) and now I do it once a month. My sideburns and stomach hair are ten times better!
So I believe the spiro helped with all of the body hair. The BCP really helped decrease the hair falling out probably within a month or two. I'm taking Mircette. You don't want to go on a triphasic bcp (any bcp with the word "tri" in it). Some women don't like Mircette, but I do. It's never caused me any problems.
I also wanted to make sure you know that I'm also taking additional supplements like B-12, folic acid, and flaxseed oil. I began taking iron with Vit-C and L-lysine, and now have just begun taking MSM which I think has made my hair better too.
It's like a guessing game trying to figure out what to take and what will work. You gotta find a right combination. Personally, I don't want to do rogaine. I'd actually prefer to be off all meds and try all natural things but for mental health reasons I need the meds right now. And once you start something make sure you commit to it. All my doctors said that I need to give the medicines at least 6 months. So I took pictures of my scalp and will take them again at the 6 month mark to see how my hair has improved, I hope!
All my life, people told me my hair was my best feature. It used to be thick and naturally curly, and in the era of straight hair, I always hated it.
Then, a few years ago, going off of bcps, I didn't really notice my hair getting thin, but the texture changed. It was just lifeless and lost the curl. I assumed it was the hormonal issues since my doctor once told me her hair texture changed after she had kids. I haven't had kids, but I figured with the hormone problems I was having it was likely.
Last year, I started taking Yasmin, and all the sudden, my natural texture returned. My hair was thicker, had tons of body, and the curl returned.
However, I experienced bad side effects from the Yasmin and had to stop taking it. What did surprise me was how fast my hair started falling out. My family was shocked when I ran my hand in my hair once and I had a handful of hair in my hand. It's harder to style my hair now, because it went straight and limp on me too. I find letting my hair air dry helps in its appearance though.
Thanks for sharing your experience.... I have heard such mixed things about Yasmin basically that it works and can be very helpful but then I have also heard people have died on it! don't know what to think really... have people died on other bcp as well and I just wasn't aware of that or is Yasmin really that much more dangerous?
When you had to stop Yasmin did you try any other brands? are you currently taking any bcp? or was your side effects such that you had to cease them completely?
It's "funny" because I also have (well did!) naturally thick and curly/wavy hair ...the kind of hair that if you don't put any products in it and let it air dry it would look like a huge afro..lol Anyhow over the past year my hair has become weightless, super soft, limp and oily. I assumed it was hormonal but didn't really look into it or worry excessively about it at that time because I still had a good amount... of course when handfuls started coming out is when I got myself to the dr's asap .... I found it hard to get people to take me seriously at first though because when they look at me they think "well yeah maybe it is a little thinner in the front/top but I don't see any actual bald spots and it isn't anything I would notice if she hadn't pointed it out" BUT they didn't know me before and it's hard to get them to "believe" that I know for a fact that I have 1/2 the hair I used to have and I really don't think I should have to wait to lose even more before I try to do something about it...
Also.. I have never mentioned my "unwanted hairs" before to my derm or gyn because A. I didn't realize they could do anything to help me besides electrolosis which I can't afford right now B. out of embarrassment/shame so every single morning before I even go downstairs I pluck/shave those hairs away and then use concealer on any shadows that are left... I must say it isn't "out of control" but I have very light skin and very dark hair so even one is noticeable and I probably have about a dozen or so on my chin area ...a few on the outer upper lip area (near the crease of my mouth) and the sideburn area is more like soft fuzz..that hair seems different ... anyhow, I guess i have always done a really good job at hiding it because my gyn once said to me when discussing pcos symptoms that many women have "unwanted facial hair and you don't have that" lol (I did come clean with him then because I realized that it may be important in my diagnosis...)
Anyhow, I am so glad I found this board... after hearing all of your stories and symptoms, etc.. I am so convinced that I have this syndrome that if my bldwrk comes back normal I don't even think I will believe it. I really am more afraid of my Dr. telling me that I am "fine" becasue I know that I am not and I really believe that the bcp and/or spiro may help me... oh well, one more day of waiting...
Hair texture 
