Good Morning, Ladies...
I haven't posted in a while. I do want to share this "long" story with you though. When I came to these boards, I found so much support and practical advice. I know we all deal with different problems when we have PCOS. Hairloss may not be a problem for some of us. But certainly some of us are going to deal with this awful side effect of the syndrome! So, I hope what I share with you will give some of you some hope and results.
I'm 44. I've always had thin, fine, wavy hair with some wave, so it has body. I've been going grey since I was 22, so I've colored since 28, and I think my hair is about 40% grey now.
In my mid-to late thirties, I and my hairdresser both noticed that I was getting some all over thinning, and poor scalp condition, which we both attributed to stress. And I certainly had a lot at that time. I also knew my Mom's family's hair thinned some with age. And my non-PCOS sister also has very thin, fine, straight hair which was thinning, too.
At the time, I was doing anything particular to treat PCOS, but I had been taking the Pill for at least ten years, and have been more or less on it for the past ten years. And last summer, I was diagnosed with diabetes, so I started on Met, and came here and started learning more about PCOS and all the issues and treatments.
Now, in the past year or so, I've been noticing my hair loss getting worse, particularly in my front hairline, my temples, and on top, right behind my hairline. The sides and back are still healthy, and growing long and pretty. The top and front, in addition to thinning, are almost totally grey anyway, so they have that coarse texture grey hair can get. But since last fall, the rate of loss has really speeded up! I had grown my bangs out two years ago, but today, I couldn't cut any bangs! I just have wisps and inch or so long at the front of my scalp, and you can certainly see plenty of scalp. This had really begun bothering me around Christmas, and I've been getting panicky about it this winter and spring.
I don't know for sure why this is happening. It could be the PCOS, itself, cause I'm sure this is androgenetic alopecia, from my hormonal imbalance. I know there are a lot of reasons for hairthinning and loss, and my pattern is typical of AGA from PCOS. It could maybe be because of diabetes. Mabye Metformin is contributing to the problem, but I'm not going to stop taking it. I have lost 50 pounds (should be more by now), I am exercising, my glucose is normal, and my cycles are now like clockwork. My very light facial hair and excess hair elsewhere has gotten finer and some of it has disappeared. So, I'm not going to stop taking Met to see if my hairloss comes back.
It could be because I've been on and off the Pill, and I've heard that Alesse is one of the most notorious pills in terms of hairloss.
Who knows why this is happening to me, but it is.........and I need to do something about it. I've been reading here the last few months, considering what others have been trying and doing. I though seriously about Rogaine, but never tried it, partly cause I heard about the "dread" shed, and the cost.
But I've had a nagging feeling for a long time now, that there is nothing I can do to reverse my hair loss. Some other forms of hair loss, like TE, have regrowth. But not androgenetic hair loss. I think I am not going to grow my hair back and I think this is only going to get worse. And I can remember a couple of my mother's female relatives I knew long ago, and my memory is of nearly bald ladies!
How is this making me feel? Well, I'm a mature, resilient person with a great sense of humor about myself. I've had lot of ratty things happen in my life, and I've developed great coping skills. My weight has always been an issue. But, it has never made me feel as unattractive, ashamed, and unhealthy as this rapid hairloss! Yes, I know there is no reason to be ashamed, but honestly, this is just so demoralizing!
And when I have problems, I just buckle down and try to solve them. So, around February, I started thinking to myself, I need to learn about wigs. Even though I have a lot of shoulder length hair in the back and sides, the top and front look awful, and sooner of later, a wig is going to be part of my life. And I knew nothing about wigs! And I viewed the whole thought with horror!
I started web research, and found this wig support group at MSN.
http://groups.msn.com/WigSupport/general.msnw
I figured reading the posts there would help me learn about wearing and buying wigs. And yes, I did. First off, the ladies, and the few men there, are as warm, diverse, supportive, humorous, and sharing as the ladies are here at SoulCysters. What a great group!!!! They share ideas and info, they cheerlead each other, and they help each other through bad times. They post pics, etc. It is a wonderful place!
What I learned there, is that a full wig is not the only option!!!!!
Ya know how men have hairpieces? They have them for women too! They are called "toppers" or headpieces, at the Wig Support site. The are hairpieces that only cover the part of your head where you have hairloss. If you have hairloss in front or on top, like I do, they cover that area, and then they blend in with the hair you do have. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, thicknesses, and textures of hair, so you can match your own hair. They clip onto your hair.
Lots of ladies at the Wig Support site use these toppers, and they love them, and look great in them. They are cooler and easier than a full wig. They are very easy care! And for me, they cover up those nasty grey roots!
I was thrilled to learn about these. I read and researched and got some advice about how to buy them, then tried a couple, then this week bought my first.
This is the product I bought.
http://www.lookoflove.com/catalog/hu...atID=8&pid=107
I didn't buy it from that web site, though. I got advice about how to pick it and buy it from Wig Support posts. Sure, it isn't cheap, but neither is Rogaine. And don't most of us need to make an investment in cutting and coloring anyway?
I love it!!!! It is human hair, silky and soft. The color matches my own dyed hair. It clips on easily, it is secure and not going anywhere. I went to a local wig salon and interviewed the stylist, to see if she would work with me. She trimmed and blended it into my own hair style. You can cut and style these and color them, so that they match up perfectly with the hair you do have. So, I have a hair piece that gives me lots of fullness in the front, in the temples, and on top, and it then blends into my own hair at the sides and the back and you can't even tell it is there!
This is wonderful! At first, it was hard to get used to seeing myself with so much hair around my face. I thought it was too much, then I got used to it, and now, when I take it off, I realize how bad and unhealthy my thinning looks. I don't want to take it off! I now have twice as much silky auburn hair. I can wear ponytails, french braids, and barrette my hair up at the sides. I have bangs again, which I love. Plus, since my own front hairline is very very poor now, I need bangs on the hairpiece to hide the edge of it. Some ladies who have loss on the top back of their hair, can wear there's further back, and use their own healthy hairlines. My face is so much prettier in bangs.
Yes, I think I look better and prettier, but I am mostly happy that I look HEALTHIER!!! And I am in the middle of a job search, and this is giving me some confidence.
I am sooooooo happy I found out about this, and took this step. It really took a lot of courage, and this hairloss was breaking my heart. I never wanted a "wig" or a "hairpiece" to be my "success" story. And I realize probably down the road, my hairloss will continue, and someday I will need a full wig. I know at first, I thought, a wig, yuck. But I decided to be brave and try it. And I'm glad I did.
Rogaine and some other treatments and meds will do the trick for some of us and solve the problem. Some ladies choose to accept hair loss, and boldly wear a very short thin cut, over even choose to appear bald. Those are all legitimate choices, and I've seen ladies who are happy with those choices.
I wanted to share mine, because I am reading posts by some of you, and it sounds like this solution might work well for some of you too. I also wanted to promote what a great support resource the Wig Support website has been.
When I get some pics developed, I'll post my before and after pics so you all can see my results.
But for all of you, let's keep those chins up, and keep fighting back against PCOS. Love you all and thanks for the support I've gotten here!
My "success" story--what I'm doing about hairloss 
Kathryn
thanks for info! 
