Hey everyone!
So here's my fun story. I had long, curly, beautiful hair until I went off the Pill a year and a half ago. I stopped taking them because I was having cronic migraines and my Doctor figured they were hormone related. 3 months later my hair started falling out in handfuls and lost most of it's curl and fullness. I went crying to my derm who told me it was Telogen Effluvium and that it would grow back soon. 6 months later it was worse so I went to a derm at the university hospital. He did a scalp biopsy and basically said 'too bad for you, you have Androgenetic Alopecia, use rogaine.' I cried for 2 hours (this was on top of 6 months worth of crying in the shower EVERY morning while washing my hair and again while trying to do something with it before school).
I sought yet another opinion from a well respected hair specialist derm who gave me the same Androgenetic Alopecia diagnosis and prescribed rogaine. After researching the product I became absolutely terrified of losing what little hair I had left so I gave it up after a couple of days (it also made my scalp burn terribly). 4 months ago she prescribed spironolactone of 100 mg/day. I hate the side effects (dizzy, lethargic) and have not seen any improvement. Now she wants to put me on Propecia and I'm scared. She has done some leading research in female hair loss and definitely knows her stuff. She told me it might help, and that the reason it is not marketed to women is because of birth defects, not because it is ineffective. So I don't know what to do.
A couple of questions:
Has anyone had any success w/ going back ON the Pill and regrowing hair?
Has anyone been on Propecia/finasteride? With what results?
I am 23 years old and completely and utterly miserable about all of this. I have lost 65% of my hair in 1 year. My whole life my hair was my crowning glory and even if I felt fat, ugly, had a zit or whatever, it always made me feel good about myself. I guess I never realized how much of my identity was wrapped up in my hair, as stupid as that sounds. My self esteem is completely shot. I am a high school teacher, so wearing a hairpiece is, I feel, out of the question...kids are brutal and would be bound to notice somehow. I can't wear my hair down anymore, or even in pigtail buns...it's a tiny ponytail every day. But it's thining everywhere, so who knows how much longer the ponytail will even be around. I have 'scalp streaks' along the sides of my head and a huge, glaring, ugly part. Sorry to rant, but I am NOT dealing with this well at all. Please let me know if any of you have had any success w/ BCP's or Propecia and regrowth.
Thanks so much.
--Sessa
So here's my fun story. I had long, curly, beautiful hair until I went off the Pill a year and a half ago. I stopped taking them because I was having cronic migraines and my Doctor figured they were hormone related. 3 months later my hair started falling out in handfuls and lost most of it's curl and fullness. I went crying to my derm who told me it was Telogen Effluvium and that it would grow back soon. 6 months later it was worse so I went to a derm at the university hospital. He did a scalp biopsy and basically said 'too bad for you, you have Androgenetic Alopecia, use rogaine.' I cried for 2 hours (this was on top of 6 months worth of crying in the shower EVERY morning while washing my hair and again while trying to do something with it before school).
I sought yet another opinion from a well respected hair specialist derm who gave me the same Androgenetic Alopecia diagnosis and prescribed rogaine. After researching the product I became absolutely terrified of losing what little hair I had left so I gave it up after a couple of days (it also made my scalp burn terribly). 4 months ago she prescribed spironolactone of 100 mg/day. I hate the side effects (dizzy, lethargic) and have not seen any improvement. Now she wants to put me on Propecia and I'm scared. She has done some leading research in female hair loss and definitely knows her stuff. She told me it might help, and that the reason it is not marketed to women is because of birth defects, not because it is ineffective. So I don't know what to do.
A couple of questions:
Has anyone had any success w/ going back ON the Pill and regrowing hair?
Has anyone been on Propecia/finasteride? With what results?
I am 23 years old and completely and utterly miserable about all of this. I have lost 65% of my hair in 1 year. My whole life my hair was my crowning glory and even if I felt fat, ugly, had a zit or whatever, it always made me feel good about myself. I guess I never realized how much of my identity was wrapped up in my hair, as stupid as that sounds. My self esteem is completely shot. I am a high school teacher, so wearing a hairpiece is, I feel, out of the question...kids are brutal and would be bound to notice somehow. I can't wear my hair down anymore, or even in pigtail buns...it's a tiny ponytail every day. But it's thining everywhere, so who knows how much longer the ponytail will even be around. I have 'scalp streaks' along the sides of my head and a huge, glaring, ugly part. Sorry to rant, but I am NOT dealing with this well at all. Please let me know if any of you have had any success w/ BCP's or Propecia and regrowth.
Thanks so much.
--Sessa
yours,