21 and my problems with my hair

[Marcus11]

So I'm 21 and first noticed something was not quite right with my hair just under 2 years ago. Didn't make too much of it until i realised i was actually thinning on the sides of my head with some light patchy baldness. I tried nizoral shampoo for a while then came off it and didnt really pay much attention to my hair again until last March when I noticed my hairloss was even more patchy and was starting to affect my crown.

My family history should point towards good prospects when it comes to hair but I doubt my luck with genepool.

I have since seen a derm who examined me and said that they noticed some inflammation on my scalp and some redness. They took some biopsies of my scalp which told me that I had inflammation around the follicules and that was all. Since then my derm has given me antibiotics and recommended that I temporarily try minox, however upon reading the back of the packet the list of warnings state that you should not use it if you have inflammation or irritations on you scalp. I'm a little confused now as the derms recommendation and the official info on minox seem to contradict and I don't want to make anything worse.

Would appreciate any help and/or thoughts.

[35YrsAfter]

So I'm 21 and first noticed something was not quite right with my hair just under 2 years ago. Didn't make too much of it until i realised i was actually thinning on the sides of my head with some light patchy baldness. I tried nizoral shampoo for a while then came off it and didnt really pay much attention to my hair again until last March when I noticed my hairloss was even more patchy and was starting to affect my crown.

My family history should point towards good prospects when it comes to hair but I doubt my luck with genepool.

I have since seen a derm who examined me and said that they noticed some inflammation on my scalp and some redness. They took some biopsies of my scalp which told me that I had inflammation around the follicules and that was all. Since then my derm has given me antibiotics and recommended that I temporarily try minox, however upon reading the back of the packet the list of warnings state that you should not use it if you have inflammation or irritations on you scalp. I'm a little confused now as the derms recommendation and the official info on minox seem to contradict and I don't want to make anything worse.

Would appreciate any help and/or thoughts.

In the US, hydrocortisone 1% is available without a prescription. I would try that and if it helps a little, find a dermatologist who will write you a prescription for a corticosteroid like hydrocortisone 2.5%, Cordran Sp or triamcinolone acetonide. These three I mentioned will reduce inflammation and have a side effect of "excessive hair growth".

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office - forhair.com - Cole Hair Transplant, 1045 Powers Place, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 - Phone 678-566-1011 - email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[Marcus11]

Hey thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely look into that. I was actually prescribed something similar (by a doctor not a derm) which was supposed to have the excessive growth effect - I believe it was steroidal mometasone furoate (0.1%) but I'll ask about the corticosteroid

Thanks for the help

[35YrsAfter]

Hey thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely look into that. I was actually prescribed something similar (by a doctor not a derm) which was supposed to have the excessive growth effect - I believe it was steroidal mometasone furoate (0.1%) but I'll ask about the corticosteroid

Thanks for the help

Mometasone furoate 0.1% is in the same family (topical steroid). It has a listed side of excessive hair growth.

[Marcus11]

I tried it for quite some time and it didnt seem to make much difference, still worth trying the hydrocortisone in your opinion?

Kind of sucks to have to be going through this at this age especially when you look around at other people your age and see almost immaculate full heads of hair.

[35YrsAfter]

I tried it for quite some time and it didnt seem to make much difference, still worth trying the hydrocortisone in your opinion?

Kind of sucks to have to be going through this at this age especially when you look around at other people your age and see almost immaculate full heads of hair.

I once took ibuprofen, Allegra and glucosamine + chondroitin. It caused my hair to thin all over. Is there any medication/medications you are taking that could be causing this, over the counter meds included? How's your stress level?

Chuck

[Marcus11]

My stress is about average for a 21 year old at college, I tend not to get too stressed out too easily but at first the doctors were telling me my hair loss was stress related as well. The only regular medicine I take is for hayfever allergies usually in the spring-summer time. Other than that, occasional protein shake (did take creatine around 2 years ago but very briefly and then stopped it).

Obviously genetics are not a simple science but looking at both my mothers side and fathers side (brothers +fathers) there is no hair loss at this age, my dad started in his 40's and he definitely had a more stressed lifestyle than mine for many years and on my mothers side both her father and brother had v.mild hairline recession in their 40's.

My doctor actually suggested that it may have been over strenuous exercise that caused my hair loss. Around a year ago I started regularly doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) which was quite strenuous, I shed around 5-6 kilos in a couple of months, but at the same time I was eating more as well. I didn't really understand whether the doctor meant the excessive training or the weight loss contributed to the hair problems but either way they didnt really explain why.

[35YrsAfter]

My stress is about average for a 21 year old at college.

I doubt stress is the issue unless your hair is super sensitive to it.

Obviously genetics are not a simple science but looking at both my mothers side and fathers side (brothers +fathers) there is no hair loss at this age, my dad started in his 40's and he definitely had a more stressed lifestyle than mine for many years and on my mothers side both her father and brother had v.mild hairline recession in their 40's.

That's generally good news. Sometimes MPB can appear from generations back, but you say your thinning is all over, so it's probably related to something else.

My doctor actually suggested that it may have been over strenuous exercise that caused my hair loss. Around a year ago I started regularly doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) which was quite strenuous, I shed around 5-6 kilos in a couple of months, but at the same time I was eating more as well. I didn't really understand whether the doctor meant the excessive training or the weight loss contributed to the hair problems but either way they didnt really explain why.

Certain body building supplements can contribute to some hair loss, but strenuous exercise shouldn't be a problem. I think the improved blood circulation should actually be beneficial to hair growth. Blood thinners can cause hair loss. Gastric bypass aka Bariatric surgery is often accompanied by hair loss.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office - forhair.com - Cole Hair Transplant, 1045 Powers Place, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 - Phone 678-566-1011 - email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[Marcus11]

Thanks so much for the help!

I'm not entirely sure but my derm seems to rule out MPB, saying something along the lines of "there were still active cells around your hair follicules" and hence didnt give me fin. However strange that I was then prescribed minox when it seems to contradict both my biopsy and scalp examination. With inflammation around follicules is using minox likely to aggravate or make the condition worse?

[35YrsAfter]

Thanks so much for the help!

I'm not entirely sure but my derm seems to rule out MPB, saying something along the lines of "there were still active cells around your hair follicules" and hence didnt give me fin. However strange that I was then prescribed minox when it seems to contradict both my biopsy and scalp examination. With inflammation around follicules is using minox likely to aggravate or make the condition worse?

Some people react to the propylene glycol added to certain brands of minoxidil. Nizoral once per week may help a little. I read where you used to use it.

Here is a topical steroid potency ranking chart.

A couple of years ago I got into some poison ivy. As you can see from the chart, hydrocortisone cream is at the bottom of the chart and lowest in potency. It was ineffective in giving any relief. Next up the chart I used Cordran SP (flurandrenolide). It was minimally effective. The poison ivy rash lingered and was later diagnosed as atopic dermatitis or nummular eczema. I settled on a Mid-Strength topical, triamcinolone acetonide. It keeps the dermatitis under control and has a listed side of excessive hair growth.

I recommend you print out this chart. You mentioned being prescribed mometasone furoate. It's high up on the chart. You may want to find a doctor willing to discuss this. Also beware of Clobetasol propionate shampoo/ointment that has a listed side effect of hair loss. make sure whatever you settle on, has a listed side of hair growth as opposed to hair loss. This is pretty much a no-brainer, but believe it or not one young man who posts in this forum got a prescription for seborrheic dermatitis that has a side of hair loss.

IMO, you should take a close look at your diet and consider getting a natural hair supplement like Buried Treasure's "Hair Skin and Nails". Hair loss due to nutritional deficiency is rare, but it can't hurt to cover all bases just in case.

Do you have allergies?

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office - forhair.com - Cole Hair Transplant, 1045 Powers Place, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 - Phone 678-566-1011 - email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[Marcus11]

Thanks for the link to the chart. So would you recommend discussing a class 1 or superpotent steroidal lotion with my doctor? Also should I start minox because I am still unsure, of course it may help but I dont want to make things worse. I used nizoral for a few months and didnt notice any differences either during its use or after i stopped other than the fact that it made my hair super dry.

My doctor also recommended hair supplements and amino acids but I am fairly sceptical of their effectiveness. IMO I have a fairly well balanced diet, but like you say its better to cover all bases. Other than my pollen allergy I am not aware of anything else i may be allergic to.

[35YrsAfter]

Thanks for the link to the chart. So would you recommend discussing a class 1 or superpotent steroidal lotion with my doctor? Also should I start minox because I am still unsure, of course it may help but I dont want to make things worse. I used nizoral for a few months and didnt notice any differences either during its use or after i stopped other than the fact that it made my hair super dry.

My doctor also recommended hair supplements and amino acids but I am fairly sceptical of their effectiveness. IMO I have a fairly well balanced diet, but like you say its better to cover all bases. Other than my pollen allergy I am not aware of anything else i may be allergic to.

It doesn't hurt to try different known effective treatments. As long as you're not allergic to the medication and they don't have and hair loss side effect, you should be good. Not sure if a super potent steroid is the answer. Studies indicate that a moderately potent steroid, triamcinolone acetonide is effective in treating immune related hair loss. I recommend you get a product like Hair Skin and Nails. Don't overdo supplements but it can't hurt to rule out nutritional deficiency (very rarely the cause of hair loss).

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office - forhair.com - Cole Hair Transplant, 1045 Powers Place, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 - Phone 678-566-1011 - email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[Marcus11]

Thanks for the help, I just double checked the anti biotics that I have been given and they do not seem to have a side effect of hair loss either. My hair loss seems to be very periodic, my hair remains fairly constant in terms of density and then all of a sudden I'll have a huge shed after which I have noticeable thinner hair. Gets really demoralising