Can AGA cause excessive shedding?

Question

26 yr old F. Shed 200 hairs per day from March to July. Lost 60% of hair. Scalp was itchy with flakes. Started Fin 2.5mg, Spiro 100mg, and Biotin 5mg in June. Loss stopped but no regrowth seen. Have AGA both sides of family. Had 8 month shed at age 17 as well. Can AGA cause shedding, and can there be any regrowth without minoxidil?

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

AGA can certainly cause shedding but what you describe is more shedding than what is typically seen in AGA. In other words, if you do have AGA, it's likely there is something else going on as well. AGA is generally a slow process with shedding only slightly increased. AGA does not regrow on it's own (spontaneously).

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Your biggest enemy is the progressive thinning leading to a balding pattern that is not evident at this point in time. The degree of thinning that you are experiencing would suggest that you should see a doctor who most likely will get Bulk Measurements of your hair to determine the degree of the thinning that you are presently having. If the diagnosis is early genetic hair loss (the most common cause of hair loss in young men), then the best treatment would be the drug finasteride which is highly effective in men of your age and may not only stop the hair loss but possibly reverse it. If you are developing a more advanced balding pattern the HAIRCHECK test will determine the Bulk Measurements of your hair and put a number on that hair loss (a metric) and this will show, over a one-year time frame, how effective the treatment will be. Once you know this information, then you and your doctor need to develop a MASTER PLAN which will define what you need to do over the years to come.

Can AGA cause excessive shedding?

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Can AGA cause excessive shedding?

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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.