Thinning hair due to long-term diet and stress - reversible?
- Thread starter Manly5000
- Start date
It's a little disappointing coming onto a forum for SUPPORT of hair loss, and seeing that it's no different than anywhere else, where any possibility of hair loss caused by anything other than genetics is frowned upon vehemently. I understand that the percentages almost always favor Androgenetic Alopecia, but that doesn't mean that someone shouldn't have their situation assessed thoroughly! People shouldn't kid themselves and should understand the probability, but that doesn't mean that they should feel discouraged from having a comprehensive medical evaluation or blood work done.
I'm sorry, but I'm a bit bitter! At 21 years of age, I started thinning out but there was no recession or miniaturization. I continued to thin gradually and the texture of my hair started changing. Even the sides and back of my hair were thinning. I asked around but heard the typical responses - "It's genetic" along with "It's your destiny, you're pre-disposed to it!".
Well, I'm 126 lbs and 6 ft with an overactive metabolism and get fatigued easily, so I thought maybe that was something to look into as a possible underlying cause, but the "It's Genetic" banner was continually waved in my face. Finally, after about 4 years of this, the signs of male pattern baldness were evident (miniaturization, temple recession etc........) in addition to my diffuse thinning, so I think that my iron deficiency triggered androgenetic alopecia because I did nothing about it for YEARS!
Sure, it's partially my fault for not going to the doctor when I should've some 7 years ago, but that's why it's all the more important to offer support for these people to go to the doctor and get evaluated, rather than shooting down all of their hopes in saying "Be prepared for a lifetime of Propecia"
I'm sorry, but I'm a bit bitter! At 21 years of age, I started thinning out but there was no recession or miniaturization. I continued to thin gradually and the texture of my hair started changing. Even the sides and back of my hair were thinning. I asked around but heard the typical responses - "It's genetic" along with "It's your destiny, you're pre-disposed to it!".
Well, I'm 126 lbs and 6 ft with an overactive metabolism and get fatigued easily, so I thought maybe that was something to look into as a possible underlying cause, but the "It's Genetic" banner was continually waved in my face. Finally, after about 4 years of this, the signs of male pattern baldness were evident (miniaturization, temple recession etc........) in addition to my diffuse thinning, so I think that my iron deficiency triggered androgenetic alopecia because I did nothing about it for YEARS!
Sure, it's partially my fault for not going to the doctor when I should've some 7 years ago, but that's why it's all the more important to offer support for these people to go to the doctor and get evaluated, rather than shooting down all of their hopes in saying "Be prepared for a lifetime of Propecia"
s.a.f
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 67
Jeremy K said:
And how many of these young guys have those same hairloss symptoms?
Its funny but back in the early - mid 90's when I started losing it All I got was the opposite response "You should'nt be so stressed ect" That and the "are you getting enough vitamins, Iron ect".
I would have much prefered getting some real info about the situation and maybe if I'd have been able to find about finasteride back then I could have saved myself from going bald.
Like I've said before stress related hairloss is totally different to m.p.b and extremeley rare if any young guys are losing their hair its 99% sure that its just m.p.b.
People always try to blame stuff on diet , lifestyle ect but in the unlikely event of someone having such a poor diet in modern western society there would be a ton of other health issues that would present themselves before hairloss.
The simple fact is that young males live in such fear of going bald that they will try to convince themselves its anything but m.p.b I know this its one of the first stages and I went through it myself, but the best thing to do if you want to give yourself a chance to combat it is to accept the real fact and start taking the best course of treatment available.
hairrific
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 7
Jeremy K said:
My stupid dermatologist assistant/nurse whatever misdiagnosed me and treated me for scalp psoriasis for over a year. That is a year of losing hair for what! Yes I am still pissed. Then I found this forum and got on finasteride, saved my hair.
I don't think anyone will dispute there is missing links to hair loss not understood. Science even says so.
S.A.F hit the nail here on the head already with a accurate statement in a few post back: "receding hairlines/temples and thinning crowns should not kid themselves"
These are typical signals of male pattern baldness to watch out for. If your hair is thinning another way then maybe you don't have male pattern baldness, but with around 50% of the male population experiencing genetic hair loss anything thing else is rare and it is possible one could have one symptom masking male pattern baldness.
Such as maybe low iron triggering early male pattern baldness. So you do treatment for both. I have seen no citation for that however.
Just by coincidence I recently discovered I have very low iron, I don't have my blood test in front of me but if I remember it said around 8, if I remember it should be 80 or higher? Doctor said anemia but I am not tired. I take over 300mg iron RX a day and will retest soon. I am hoping that I might start regrowing back some hair after levels get back to normal but time will tell. Even so, it is still finasteride that has saved my hair.