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  1. #1
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    Default Carpeting the floor with hair

    Hi all,

    I'm a 19yo male. Here is my story:

    I used to have long hair which I wore in a man bun. While having this I noticed some itching and hair shedding but I thought this was a normal thing with long hair. I decided to cut it short in June of 2015. I didn't notice anything peculiar at the time until I saw pictures of myself at an event I attended. It seemed like the entire top of my scalp was thinner that the rest. (This was only visible when the camera was aimed straight at my scalp) At the time I didn't think there was anything wrong, in my mind I thought I lost some hair due to having a tight hairstyle with my hair constantly pulled back in a bun. I also thought it might be due to the stress I've been enduring since February of 2015 and that the hair would fix itself in the summer holiday.

    Summer rolled around and I was still shedding and having a slight itch but I thought nothing of it. It was a very minor annoyance in the summer holiday. Then at some point I went back to university. I'm following a bachelor in computer science and I started a part time job next to it. This was in August. (I was working 60 hours weeks: 25 hours of uni time, approx. 15 hours of homeworks and self study and then 20 hours of work)

    From August to September I had the most stressful period of my life. I had no free time and my life was one long stressful event that consisted of eat, sleep, work, repeat. I was depressed and my life seemed like complete letdown.
    In this period I noticed and insane amount of shedding and itching and I knew something was up. I went to a doctor and told her of my problems. She said I had scalp eczema and seb derm, she prescribed me some ketoconazole shampoo and Locoid Scalp lotion to fight it. After a month of using this I noticed even more shedding but the itching seemed to have decreased dramatically. So I was satisfied and decided to wait for a while and see if the hair loss would stop.

    It didn't, so I went back to a different doctor and she said something similar and prescribed me Locoid scalp lotion, some special shampoo for sensitive skin, some vitamin D shots and other vitamin pills, some pills called Pantovigar which are against diffuse hair loss and finally she told me to eat more meat and get more vitamin B12/B2(don't recall which) this is what I am currently using/doing and again the itching got better but the shedding is still there. I need to be on these pills/shots for another 2 months.

    I want to note that before this doctors appointment I had a blood test and the results came that I had no deficiencies but that both my vitamin D and vitamin B12/B2(can't remember which) were on the verge of being in a deficiency. The doctor prescribed me those vitamins because she said that for a person my size (1,94m / 6ft4) this can be considered a deficiency.

    The shedding seems to follow a strange pattern. In June I saw some thinning on the top of my scalp but since then the shedding seems to have shifted to the rest of my scalp(back and sides) so it seems like the top will never go bald as at this point it stopped shedding. I want to note as well that I have experience no noticeable recession at my hairline or a particular amount of thinning at the crown.

    Lastly do I want to note that my father has experienced something very similar when he was a student, he told me that his hair was falling like leaves in autumn and that it just faded away after a while of taking vitamins.

    Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

    I've considered the following:
    MPB: This is possible, but I don't show any classic signs of it(no receding hairline or thinning crown) + I have eczema and lots of itching + my dad is 55 now and is only now going bald + my maternal granddad started losing in his 30s + my paternal granddad is 86 and still has a nice carpet on his head

    Telogen Effluvium: Can be caused by stress and seems to fit the sudden excessive shedding I experienced. + The pattern of shedding follows some telogen effluvium examples ive seen

    Some vitamin deficiency/stress problem? : Some people believe this is the case but the internet seems to oppose such a cause.

    Seb Derm: I definitely have this but I don't think this is considered a cause of hair loss/thinning

    TLDR:

    • Shedding:
    • First on top of scalp
    • Top of scalp stopped shedding so much
    • Now massive shedding on sides and back
    • Most hairs have the white bulb at the end
    • I have Seb Derm
    • Lots of stress
    • Vitamin Deficiency

    I invite you all to comment below and share your experience if you had/have similar symptoms or if you have some advice for me.

    Thank you and have a nice day.

    PS: I could post pictures but in my mind there is not much that can be added on to my description: thinning all over top of scalp and now excessive shedding on sides and back, top stopped shedding as much.

  2. #2
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    Default

    I'm also wondering whether there is anyone with any experience in hair loss due to stress or nutritional deficiency.

  3. #3
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    Dude, I've been in your shoes, you probably have MPB. That's all there is to it. The sooner you accept it and treat it the sooner you can take steps to prolong the life of your hair and save your youth.

    We've all prayed its telogen effluvium, or an iron problem, or literally anything but the dreaded MPB, but truth is, the sooner you face up to it and treat it the better chance you have of saving it.

    See a doctor, get a professional opinion and rule out the other options you list, but start to prepare for the reality.

  4. #4
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    Default

    Hey Dude,

    Well the thing is that I don't follow the classic receding hairline or thinning crown of MPB. And I've seen 2 doctors who both told me that I don't have MPB. The first said it was just seb derm and it just flared up due to the change in seasons(summer to autumn) and the second one said it has to do with nutrition, general health and stress. So if I had MPB shouldn't that be the first and most obvious thing these doctors conclude?

    Thanks for your response and have a nice day

  5. #5
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lvp View Post
    Hey Dude,

    Well the thing is that I don't follow the classic receding hairline or thinning crown of MPB. And I've seen 2 doctors who both told me that I don't have MPB. The first said it was just seb derm and it just flared up due to the change in seasons(summer to autumn) and the second one said it has to do with nutrition, general health and stress. So if I had MPB shouldn't that be the first and most obvious thing these doctors conclude?

    Thanks for your response and have a nice day
    It doesn't necessarily have to be MPB. Telogen effluvium is common as hell and happens to MOST people at one point or another... the reason why a lot of people DON'T recognize it is because they don't have MPB along with it, so the hair usually grows back, or the thinning is minimal enough not to notice.
    I have had TE three times, diagnosed. I am expecting a third, because I am super sensitive to it and I just tore my achille's tendon and need surgery. I have researched and learned a lot about it. The devastation is compounded when you have MPB, because hairs in the MPB prone regions struggle to grow back, if they do at all.

    - Almost every woman I know that has given birth has had TE about 3-4 months after. (I will explain why this point is important later)

    - TE is in broad definition a quick cycling of a greater percentage of your hair follicles (15-40%) from the anagen (growing phase) into telogen (resting phase)

    - Any physiological trauma significant enough can cause TE ( surgery, severe illness, hormonal imbalance, etc... and YES stress, if severe enough, can cause TE.

    - ONCE the trigger is initiated, the body stops caring about your hair basically. It sends signals to the follicles to transition from the growing (anagen) phase into telogen (resting) phase... THE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS...

    - For the hair to shed (exogen phase) it takes 3-4 MONTHS from the initiation of the trigger. i.e. if you have surgery or severe illness and it triggers TE, expect a more than usual amount of loss 3-4 MONTHS AFTER)

    Sorry to sound like wikipedia here, haha... So here are some important things to note -

    1) forget the ridiculous theories that say you can lose hair IMMEDIATELY when you have an injury or stress. Hair cycles, it takes time (once again 3-4 months) for hair to be shed from an injury

    2) alot of people will lose more hair in the crown and temples during TE and also around the head. IT DOES NOT necassarily mean you have MPB. If you have MPB that hair may not grow back or grow back weaker however.

    3) get to a derm and get a miniaturization study, and if you are really concerned, ask about a scalp biopsy.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by jamesst11 View Post
    It doesn't necessarily have to be MPB. Telogen effluvium is common as hell and happens to MOST people at one point or another... the reason why a lot of people DON'T recognize it is because they don't have MPB along with it, so the hair usually grows back, or the thinning is minimal enough not to notice.
    I have had TE three times, diagnosed. I am expecting a third, because I am super sensitive to it and I just tore my achille's tendon and need surgery. I have researched and learned a lot about it. The devastation is compounded when you have MPB, because hairs in the MPB prone regions struggle to grow back, if they do at all.

    - Almost every woman I know that has given birth has had TE about 3-4 months after. (I will explain why this point is important later)

    - TE is in broad definition a quick cycling of a greater percentage of your hair follicles (15-40%) from the anagen (growing phase) into telogen (resting phase)

    - Any physiological trauma significant enough can cause TE ( surgery, severe illness, hormonal imbalance, etc... and YES stress, if severe enough, can cause TE.

    - ONCE the trigger is initiated, the body stops caring about your hair basically. It sends signals to the follicles to transition from the growing (anagen) phase into telogen (resting) phase... THE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS...

    - For the hair to shed (exogen phase) it takes 3-4 MONTHS from the initiation of the trigger. i.e. if you have surgery or severe illness and it triggers TE, expect a more than usual amount of loss 3-4 MONTHS AFTER)

    Sorry to sound like wikipedia here, haha... So here are some important things to note -

    1) forget the ridiculous theories that say you can lose hair IMMEDIATELY when you have an injury or stress. Hair cycles, it takes time (once again 3-4 months) for hair to be shed from an injury

    2) alot of people will lose more hair in the crown and temples during TE and also around the head. IT DOES NOT necassarily mean you have MPB. If you have MPB that hair may not grow back or grow back weaker however.

    3) get to a derm and get a miniaturization study, and if you are really concerned, ask about a scalp biopsy.
    Yo

    Thanks for the reply dude,

    I appreciate the Wikipedia style answer It seems to make a lot of sense that stress can be a cause of this, especially since my dad has experienced something very similar at the same age as me now. And thanks for the advice I will definitely follow it, a miniaturization test seems the way to go although I've read about people that claim SD clogs their follicles and they get a miniaturization effect while actually it is just because of the seb derm. But that is not the main point.

    So as you have had TE multiple times could you help me out with a few questions?

    1) Can you tell me what the shedding was like? (ie. did it come in waves of sudden shedding, or was it a more constant shed, furthermore was it a lot of hair, or was it just a little bit and you would only notice after a while)

    2) What was the pattern like for you? Does it follow what I described(I initially noticed on top but now it seems to be mostly sides and back, as if the top has "outshed" all its hairs, I've read that you can never go completely bald from TE and maybe that's what I'm experiencing on the top of my scalp now)

    3) Was it mostly hairs with a white bulb or without?

    4) How are you now, after all your TE. Has all your hair come back? Any permanent damage?

    Thanks dude I appreciate your help

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