Is it normal to lose a significant amount of hair in a few months?

When I started medical school last august, I had a full head of hair with a very slight thinning at the crown. I started to notice the huge amount of hair that was falling out in the shower around Jan and by March I reached where I am right now. Not only did my crown significantly thin out, but the entire area on top of my head got thinner, at the hairline as well. Is it normal for that much hair to fall out that quickly? The dermatologist didn't ask me how long the process had been going on; she just wrote me a propecia prescription and sent me on my way.

I've been on propecia for about 6-7months and the hair stopped falling out a while ago, but I haven't seen any regrowth. I also use Rogaine foam at night whenever I can, but I usually forget or just don't bother because its messy and it stinks. Will my shiny brown hair ever grow back? I know this is pathetic, but I've lost so much self-confidence and I feel like I'm always angling my head so that people can't see the top of my head :/

Btw I'm 23

yeah mine pretty much with from full to empty in three months. I have no idea how it happened so fast. I cut my hair quite short and it just never grew back.

I think stress might be a factor to; basically just speeds the process up.

Really sucks :(

stress factor will not help however you need to stick with meds and not miss days or mess around with the reg. Stay focused and help maintain your hair by not missing days.

If you are serious about keeping your hair i would recommend you dont forget to apply ;)

6-7 months is still early days -keep on thru till 12+ months daily and try not scrutinise too much - a watched kettle never boils ;-)

I agree with Spex. You must decide whether you want to commit to using Rogaine, because if you're going to use it at all then commit you must. If it does re-grow hair then that hair requires the Rogaine to stay around, and I suspect that irregular application will not be very good for your hair.

It's still possible that you'll see some re-growth in the coming months, but that you appear to have halted the hairloss is a highly positive result in itself.

I have to agree with the other posters.

Stick with your meds and see where you are at the end of a full year.

If the loss is stress related, the hair should come back. Not a lock of course, but the odds are in your favor.

I can also tell you that not everyone balds at a slow steady pace.

I've gone through 3 loss phases so far with VERY long periods of stability (years) without being on meds.

The first happened when I was 21. I lost my teenage hairline and suddenly had a slight receding hairline almost overnight. I remember being freaked out finding hairs on the pillow.

10 years later things were basically the same. Then wham! again almost overnight, a bald spot opened up and I basically lost my front hairline. I went from a Norwood 2 to a 4, borderline 5 in about 3 months.

Then 15 years of stability. The bald spot opened up slightly over the years, but nothing major. I thought I'd lost what I was going to.

Then about 15 months ago I got hit again. Not as bad as last time-- I lost hair at the very top of my head, I was seeing hair on the counter and one time saw a long strand in the shower-- that never happened to me before.

So now things have settled down and I'm a 5A/borderline 6. I'm old enough, bald enough, and financially comfortable enough to finally go ahead with a transplant.

So yeah, you can bald in phases. That's not what the doctors will tell you, but I know its happened to me.

If I were you I'd stay on the meds and give it more time.

All the peter-pan advice in the world won't help with the anxiety-- that's something we all go (went) through and there's no happy pill that will make everything all better.

You have to find a way to live with it.

Concentrate on school and your grades. That's the most important thing.

Hal

Uff da....just when I was starting to accept the fact that perhaps I don't look as bad as I think....my roommate decided to make fun of my balding while he had friends over tonight. I always thought he obviously knew I was balding but was being nice by not saying anything, but he said today that he really noticed my hair while seeing me from afar...and he wanted to draw a pic of me of what I'll look like when I'm 40. I know he didn't mean to hurt me, and I acted like I didn't care, but it really really hurt on the inside. I hate this so much....it was just LAST YEAR when I had a FULL head of hair....now I feel like an invalid :(

I wish it was just a bad dream. I realize there are lot more important things in life, but being good-looking was kinda what I was always able to fall back on. If I did bad on a test, I thought "well, at least I'm good looking". If I lost to someone at a sport, I thought, "well, at least I'm good looking". I know its shallow, but I can't help it. I never acted like I knew I was good looking, I'm a very modest guy...and kept this to myself. But now, I don't even have that :(


Sorry if some of the above makes no sense, I'm a littledrunk and upset

I can understand completely where your coming from. I started balding at 18 and was a damn stud. Now im pretty much bald at 22 hardly any hair and i know im still decent looking but still going from looking like a 9 or 10 dropping to a 6 or 7 sucks ass.

I'm having a "bad hair day", well..more like bad lack of hair day

I keep trying to convince myself that my hair fell out so quickly because I am hyperthyroid...but I know its probably not true. Sure, I sweat a good amount, my heart pounds hard for no reason a few times each day, I hate hot weather, I have poor concentration, I have many loose bowel movements...but its just wishful thinking, right?
There is even a spot on my back where I don't have any "fine touch" sensation and I actually HOPED that I might have a thyroid hormone producing tumor there that is the cause of ALL my problems. What the hell is wrong with me? Its come to this? Hoping for cancer instead of accepting balding?

I found some pics...I'm sorry they are so small. the first one is from the summer of 2009, the second is from Jan/Feb of 2010. How could I have lost SOOOOO much hair so quickly?!!!

I understand completely. It seems like my hair gets really worse monthly. I'm afraid to comb it or anything. I hate taking showers because when its wet you can see how thin it is on top and in front. I have to comb it over the front area to make it have the appearance of a full head of hair. I use a thickening powder that helps in the am.
I really want to ge a ht but i know my expectations are too high and i want to wait to get a megasession when time. Hopefully i can hold off with the help of propecia until I'm 40. But it seems like the shedding will not slow....

Hi,

It indicates that you have been facing difficulties from huge hair falling. Still you neglect, you might loss your complete hair then it leads to bald head sooner. So try take care of precautions.