“Hated the Experience”

I have hair loss in chunks - over 80% of my hair had fallen out at one point! It's a medical condition called alopecia. I developed it as a secondary condition to a thyroid illness. Some causes are genetics, pregnancy, extreme stress, and as a secondary symptom of a more serious medical condition including certain types of thyroid disease and lou gherig's disease. The very first thing a responsible doctor would do if you are having hair loss is run some bloodwork to test for serious disease. Illness, if the cause, must be treated first to lessen the hair loss and more importantly for you to be healthy! Since having my thyroid condition medically treated and stabilized, my hair loss has improved greatly. Most of my hair grew back. It's a little thinner now than before, but nothing noticeable. I do still have some minor loss in small chunks from time to time. This usually results from extreme stress over several weeks or significant illness, like the time I caught pneumonia. There are proven treatments that help in stimulating regrowth of hair if your condition is alopecia (and not pattern baldness like men suffer but not as common in women). Most of these treatments can be obtained by a medically certified dermatologist. There are in-office scalp injections of corta-steroids that help to stimulate the hair follicles. I had this done for several months the first couple years. They weren't too terrible either. A bit of stinging for a few hours afterwards. I have a terrible phobia of needles and handled this fairly well. Also, there are several prescription topical treatments that help. Or you can use an over the counter minoxidil products that also help with regrowth but they take the longest to work. Once the hair has regrown it should not be falling out again unless you still have an untreated underlying cause. Please go to a reputable doctor for blood tests and diagnosis. Get a second opinion if they are unwilling to test or you are unsatisfied with their diagnosis and treatment suggestions! Good luck and be well.