Hair Loss from Retin A

I just want to start by saying I am VERY prone to hair loss. From the age of 14 i have suffered from it. My pattern in diffuse thinning and more severe at to the crown, just behind the hair line, especially at the centre. This pattern is very common for women. I have hashimotos disease, and was diagnosed at 23, although by that stage by anti bodies were extremely high, so it is probable that i have had the disease since my teens. I am not on medication, as my thyroid hormone levels are not significantly low (they fluctuate, but are usually only JUST outside the normal range). I am also prone to hormonal imbalance, i usually have bad PMS symptoms.

My hair loss fluctuates, at certain times the hair loss at the front of my scalp is very noticable. Other times my hair is thicker and the crown thinning is not so noticable at all. It depends what hairloss triggers i have going on.

I started retinol as a means to prepare for retin a in feburary this year (5 months ago) I started on retin a 0.025% in may, and have recently moved on to using it every other night, without any skin irritation, dryness or peeling. My skin has improved alot. I am 35 and wanted to use retin a to help with fine lines on my forehead, improve skin tone and texture and prevent future skin aging. so far i have been pretty happy with the results on my skin and have had many compliments, however it is still early days and i have been very excited for further results to develop. i was so excited, that i would frequently read and watch other peoples retin a journeys, just to hear about other peoples experiences and psych myself up. Through doing this i stumbled across people talking about retin a hairloss.

Shortly starting retinol, i have had increased shedding, but i thought it probably had something to do with the iron infusion that i had in march (iron infusion can create a shock response in the body). However my hair shedding just hasnt stopped and really started getting worse when i stepped up from retinol to retin a in may. During the last month i notice my hair is thinner then it has been for a VERY long time. Also the pattern is a bit different to usual. The loss is not just at the crown, it is also all around the hair line (as in, the whole arch) its like my hairline has moved backward, my forehead is larger. This pattern makes me think that it is probable that the hairloss is retin a related, and it is a pattern that i have read other retin a users see also.

I am pretty upset about this. I was so excited by retin a and my skin was doing so well on it. I have followed instruction very carefully, and did alot of research on how to use it in the safest least irritating way. I have always applied a very measured amount, pea sized or less, switched to very gentle cleansers and rich moisturisers. Religious application and frequent reapplications of spf 50 sunscreen through out the day, wearing wide brimmed hats when outdoors... I did every thing right, and my skin thanked me for it. However, my hair did not...

I have stopped retin a and retinol yesterday. I have started serioxyl for hair growth and will be soon be starting overnight castor oil hair masks twice a week. hopefully my hair comes back in quickly!

I will try and introduce retinol again in a few months, and see if my hair can manage it, but sadly, i dont think i will ever be able to use retin a again.... In the meantime i guess i will just go back to using glycolic and lactic acids... their good but no where near as good as retin a... i still have my matrixyl and vitamin c at least...