I'm experiencing hair loss. I've always had thick hair until over the summer when I got a bad haircut. What could be the cause?

Question

I am experiecning hair loss. I have always had really thick hair until over the summer I got a really bad haircut. I started taking biotin and it had very high dosages in it. I stopped taking it in September and I was wondering if it is still in my system and causing this. I have never experienced any problems until I started taking it. Another reason I still think it is in my system because u heard biotin causes acne break outs, which has occurre for me recently.

Jeff Rapaport, MD · Answer

Most likely it's not the haircut but timing that is causing you to hypothesize.Rapid hair loss needs to be evaluated by a dermatologist. The biotin may actually cause more problems if you are consuming mo're than 10mgs per day.Blood work, a good history,exam and possible biopsy would be helpful.Thank you

Jacquelline Leva, DO · Answer

Hi Thank you for your question. I don't think a bad hair cut caused your hair loss unless there were fungi on the comb they were using it went to your scalp and caused patchy hair loss from a complicated fungal scalp infection. Certainly too much Biotin can give issues such as acne breakouts, interference of certain cardiac markers and thyroid markers but it does not really cause thinning of your scalp. I would receive a thorough evaluation from an hair loss expert, do blood work and maybe biopsy of your scalp and I would love to see pictures and more clinical history to provide the best treatment.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

Bad haircuts, as you stated, don't usually cause any hair loss. Hair fibers are not living (they are just strands of keratin) - so cutting away hair has not impact on the hair growth machinery which is deep under the scalp. Bad haircuts don't cause hair loss. Does high biotin intake cause hair loss? The answer really depends on how high the intake was. Biotin is a highly water soluble vitamin. Usually excessive amounts are simply excreted from the body. However, extremely high levels could potentially cause problems. In order to determine the cause of your hair loss, you really should see a physician who specializes in hair loss. There are dozens and dozens of causes of hair loss.  For many of them, you can only determine the cause by performing an up close examination of the scalp and obtaining a very detailed account of the patient's medical history. Blood work and a biopsy is sometimes needed, but this is usually not necesaary.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Hair loss in young men is usually (99%) genetic balding so you are best seeing a doctor who can build a Master Plan for the short and long term in managing your hair loss

I'm experiencing hair loss. I've always had thick hair until over the summer when I got a bad haircut. What could be the cause?

Answers (4)

Answer: Hair loss

Answer: Hair loss

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Everything you need to know about Hair Loss Treatment

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I'm experiencing hair loss. I've always had thick hair until over the summer when I got a bad haircut. What could be the cause?

Answers (4)

Answer: Hair loss

Answer: Hair loss

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Hair Loss Treatment

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.