Julie asks…What can be done to reverse hair loss?
The Right Brain says:
There are only two approved treatments for hair loss that you can count on as of right now: Minoxidil and Propecia. (And even these don’t work well for everyone.) So don’t fall for all those other products out there that promise to work by removing DHT and so forth. Read what the FDA and FTC have to say about hair loss scams.
Still, we can keep hoping that some miracle cure will actually pan out. Here are a few potential hair loss treatments that we’ve read about recently.
Have you dealt with hair loss? What treatments did you turn to? What did your dermatologist recommend?
I had two cycles of alopecia areata in 2008. I was relaxed and was shopping for a new stylist at the time because my old stylist was overprocessing my hair.
The stress of going to new salon a friend recommended, and the cost for their relaxer services, school, home, marriage and work all came to a head (on the back and side of my head).
I developed a two inch circle on the back of my head and another on the left temple! The hair fell out with the slightest tug, and the circle widened rapidly! I was freaking out!
I could hide the spots with my chin length cut, but you could see the scalp if my hair didn't lie right. I bought a root-touch-up-crayon and colored-in-my-naked-scalp! I later switched to a mascara type touch-up-wand because it didn't yank as much hair out as the waxy crayon.
I went to my physician and he ordered lab tests and X-rays to rule out sarcoidosis or any other autoimmune disorder (I was also experiencing joint pain and fatigue). He referred me to a dermatologist who administered a cycle of triamcinolone acetonide injections into my scalp. The injections felt like tiny pin-pricks. He offered to mix the triam injection with lidocaine, but that didn't relieve the pain until later, and the lidocaine gave me a THUNDEROUS headache. He said there was a great likelihood that the alopecia would return, but my prognosis was promising since the spots had stopped getting bigger, and that I had started treatment so soon after it happened.
The dermatologist also suggested I stop relaxing my hair.
My hair filled in after a short while, but it fell out again within a year IN THE VERY SAME SPOTS! I stopped relaxing in 2009. That was it for me.
I didn't return to the dermatologist, but I addressed my stress and diet. I took a store brand multivitamin and an MSM tablet. My hair grew in again, and to date (2009 – 2012) it has not fallen out again.
I still have thin temples from the relaxer damage, and it looks like male pattern baldness. I henna/indigo my hair and after a few weeks I notice grey hairs growing on my thin temples. Note that I said gray hairs, not gray roots. The hairs grow and shortly fall out.
I don't know what to do about that, but it is what it is.
This worries me. I've started to notice thinning at the crown and back (nape area). This has happened before and it did grow back eventually but I think it was due to stress. I was relaxed then and I think that had something to do with it too. I have seen a dermatologist in the past but for skin issues not for hair. I'm kind of embarrassed because this is the second time that it's happened and I've always dreamed of having long flowing hair but I keep having these roadblocks. I'm afraid that if i do see a dermatologist and they diagnose a form of alopecia I will be so devastated. Currently, I'm taking country life hair vitamins and incorporating oils, rinses, and ayurveda therapies/treatments in my regimen but I haven't tried any medical treatments yet.
I have scarring alopecia and I have had no success. I have tried minoxodil, propecia, biotin, nizoral and a host of other medications from predisone to ketoconazole. The scalp injections were the most helpful. It didn't regrow my hair but it did make the rest of my hair grow to its longest. Bottom line for me, I am losing hair at an alarming rate and nothing has worked for me.
I have male pattern hair thinning because of PCOS. I'm not sure what would help, but the things that I'm taking to help with the PCOS has not been having any effects on my hair at all, neither negative nor positive.
If anyone has had any success, please share. I'd love to research on it.
I have androgentic alopecia. My dermatologist recommended a 2% Minoxidil solution, which I've been on for about 2 years now. I haven't experienced much regrowth. I've recently started using less minoxidil and more shea butter which seems to be working better for me for some reason. I'm considering taking a saw palmetto supplement. I've heard good things about it.