# My hair is thinning on top.



## Happilymarried25 (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm 51 and have been in menopause for two years now. I'm over the hot flashes and really have no other symptons. I have always had thick hair but in the last month I have noticed that that my hair has gotten thinner especially my bangs. I'm not on HRP but I'm wondering if I should start and that would help my hair. 

I have also lost 75 pounds this year on a high protein diet. I eat lot of eggs, meat and vegetables but not a lot of fruit because of the sugar. I'm wondering if I should start taking more vitamins like Vitamin A, B-complex, C, E or Biotin which I read helps with hair growth. I have been on this program since Jan so I'm not sure why it would affect my hair now.

I always gone through more stress than usually the last few months with my Mom passing away last month and my husband being laid off and getting a new job 3 hours away. I'm still here with my daughter getting the house ready to sell while she finishes the semester at school. In the meantime he comes back on the weekends. This has been very stressfull for me and I really miss him. This has been going on for 2 months.

I'm also wondering if anyone has tried Rogain for thinning hair? I do have an appointment with my Dr next week to talk to her about this but I was just looking to see if anyone has experienced this.


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## Betrayedone (Jan 1, 2014)

Rogain is only for men and is harmful to women if I understand correctly. Also it is only used for hair loss on the rear crown of the head. There is always Bosley but it's expensive.


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

I've gone through some hair loss recently. Top things that can cause hair loss:

1) Stress
2) Malnutrition (in particular, iron deficiency) 
3) Excessive heat styling or pulling back with a rubber band style attachment

Baby your hair and be gentle with it. No excessive washing or styling - try to only blow dry once a week and no more. Definitely no or minimal flat iron use. If flat-ironing, always use a heat protectant spray. 

Also, take iron supplements if you feel like that could be the culprit. Pre-natal vitamins are also good. 

It will probably take 6 months - 1 year to get back to where it once was. I'm on the same path, hoping for full luscious locks by June.

Edited to add: Hair loss after weight loss is EXTREMELY common. If your nails are in good shape though (not brittle, no discoloration or white spots) then it's likely your hair will grow back as well.


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## Almostrecovered (Jul 14, 2011)

Betrayedone said:


> Rogain is only for men and is harmful to women if I understand correctly. QUOTE]
> 
> 
> Wrong
> ...


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

Almostrecovered said:


> Betrayedone said:
> 
> 
> > Rogain is only for men and is harmful to women if I understand correctly. QUOTE]
> ...


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## soccermom2three (Jan 4, 2013)

Before trying Rogaine, you could try pre-natal vitamins or Biotin supplements. There's a vitamin supplement called Hair Formula 37 that's supposed to help hair grow.


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## GettingIt_2 (Apr 12, 2013)

Happilymarried25 said:


> I'm 51 and have been in menopause for two years now. I'm over the hot flashes and really have no other symptons. I have always had thick hair but in the last month I have noticed that that my hair has gotten thinner especially my bangs. I'm not on HRP but I'm wondering if I should start and that would help my hair.
> 
> I have also lost 75 pounds this year on a high protein diet. I eat lot of eggs, meat and vegetables but not a lot of fruit because of the sugar. I'm wondering if I should start taking more vitamins like Vitamin A, B-complex, C, E or Biotin which I read helps with hair growth. I have been on this program since Jan so I'm not sure why it would affect my hair now.
> 
> ...


There are several possible reasons for your hair loss, and it would be helpful if you could narrow down the cause in order to see if there is any possible treatment. 

Unfortunately, thinning hair is often caused by hormonal shifts around peri menopause and menopause. As your body produces less estrogen, the effects of testosterone in your body (you produce some testosterone, just a lot less than men do) become more pronounced--this can include alopecia androgenetica, also knows as pattern baldness. (It can also include the grown of more hair on your face and body--lovely, right?) I don't know if hormone replacement therapy would help with this or not. 

Stress can also cause telogen effluvium, which occurs when a high number of your of hair follicles go into resting phase at once and shed their hairs. There are other causes of TE--including losing a lot of weight quickly, and changes to your diet. The shedding can take three or four months after an environmental event (stress, weight loss) to really become noticeable. I think it has to do with how long your follicles will retain their hairs after moving into a resting phase. TE is often reversible.

Health issues such as low iron can also be associated with hair loss. 

The best thing to do is to see a doctor for blood work, and also a dermatologist. They can examine the roots of the hair you are shedding to pinpoint the cause, and to give you the best options for re-growing it. 

I have been shedding a lot of hair in the past year or two as well. It seems to come and go in stages and I can tell its not growing back to its old thickness. Luckily, I started with a lot of hair, so it's not really noticeable to anyone but me, but it does get to be worrisome to see it come out by what seems to be the fistful.


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

I had similar problem last year when I lost weight. I went to dermatologist, she recommended lab work (for iron etc) and vitamins. She also said that this happen often and comes and goes, just nobody talks about it when it comes to women. and she was right, few months later the hair loss stopped. 

Nioxin shampoo also helps with falling out hair.


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## Happilymarried25 (Mar 19, 2014)

WandaJ said:


> I had similar problem last year when I lost weight. I went to dermatologist, she recommended lab work (for iron etc) and vitamins. She also said that this happen often and comes and goes, just nobody talks about it when it comes to women. and she was right, few months later the hair loss stopped.
> 
> Nioxin shampoo also helps with falling out hair.


Did he recommended some vitamins to help you?


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## WandaJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Happilymarried25 said:


> Did he recommended some vitamins to help you?


nothing specific, just multi-vitamins for women, complex B. I also added biotin.

she also recommended some kind of cheating powder, that you buy in the color of your hair and put it in your hair to make it look more volumous.


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## Happilymarried25 (Mar 19, 2014)

Thanks for everyones input. I'm going to start taking some vitamins, hopefully this is temporary.


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## Rowan (Apr 3, 2012)

I'm 38 now, and began losing my hair pretty badly a couple years ago. Babying it helped some with preventing breakage, but it was still falling out at the root. My dermatologist recommended Viviscal Professional (silver/white box, not the regular Viviscal in the pink/white box) supplements. I buy mine from Amazon. I have noticed a lot of new growth, but of course I can't really say whether it was the vitamins or just time and lifestyle changes.


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

Try rosemary and cinnamon-based shampoo/conditioners.


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## SurpriseMyself (Nov 14, 2009)

Drink Knox gelatin. You can find packets in the grocery store; it has an orange flavor. It may be high in sugar, though. Shark cartilage also works well. Your hair and nails should grow like crazy!


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## Fozzy (Jul 20, 2013)

My wife had issues with thinning around her bangs a few years back. She started taking prenatal vitamins and it helped it quite a bit.


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## Kaci (Mar 11, 2013)

My hair was thinning on top then and found out I had mildly low thyroid. Doc put me on Synthroid, but it didn't help. Was switched to Amour Thyroid and my hair is full and beautiful. Now, I'm on bio-identical hormones and hair is even better.


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## Miss Taken (Aug 18, 2012)

Back when my hair started coming out in clumps everytime I showered or brushed it, I got my blood checked. It was due to vitamin B deficiency. I was also somewhat low in iron but very low in vitamin B. 

I get monthly vitamin B12 shots now. Hair has stopped falling out. And energy levels are back to normal. I don't take my iron pills as I should...or ever. Just trying to eat better overall but still get the B12 shots because the energy and in turn happiness kick is amazing. Whether the improved mood is a placebo effect or not, it's done wonders for me.


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## Starstarfish (Apr 19, 2012)

I've suffered from thinning hair due to hypothyroidism for years.

While my hair is far from ideal, it's certainly improved. I've probably used every thinning hair shampoo and treatment known to man.

Here's my general advise:

- If you are now in "maintenance" mode, IE - you don't want to lose any more weight, I heartily recommend making an appointment with a nutritionist to make sure you are on point calorie wise. I myself lot a lot of weight the past few years, and I was under eating for a while. It wasn't until I was in maintenance I saw any improvement with my hair. 

- There's a lot of different vitamins to try. Personally, I like Hair Nutrients by Solaray, mostly because it doesn't seem to upset my stomach like some others.

- I heartily recommend getting the Invati kit from Aveda. Won't lie, it's not cheap, but it's the only produce that helped me, and has the added bonus of smelling great (versus a lot of other products.) It's a combo of a shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment. 

My hair looks 90% better using this, honestly.


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## Happilymarried25 (Mar 19, 2014)

Thanks for the input, Yes, I'm going to have blood test done and my levels checked, I might be low in some vitamins, I'm still trying to loose weight but I'm adding more fruits, and yogurt to my diet. I'm on a high protein diet and I don't normally eat dairy products or fruit. There are days when I probably am not eating enough so I am adding more calories to my diet. It's not like I'm starving myself I eat a lot of meats and vegetables that keep me full. It's more important that my hair is healthy than to loose weight quickly.


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