Okay, I've been losing abnormal amounts of hair the past couple of months and the problem is i'm only 15. I understand most humans lose hundreds of strands a day and I even thought I was overreacting at first. Now it's becoming way more noticable and evident that this is becoming a problem. I'm not saying I have big bald patches all over my scalp or everyone I come in contact with asks about it, because it's not that obvious . Earlier it really kicked in when my older brother told me he felt sorry for me because I used to have so much thick hair. I don't know how common teenage hair loss is but the reason this is worrying me is because I don't know if this may be a health related problem. Sure, I'm a self-concious teenager, but my health is a bigger issue than my appearance. By the way, I've only dyed my hair once so I don't think I've caused the damage to it.

The reason I made this thread is to see if anyone has any advice or suggestions as to what might be causing this since most websites i've found really didnt have much to say and the fact that there are some very knowledgeable individuals here. Thanks in advance. :)

My aunt started losing her hair. She started to freak out about it. So she went to a doctor. He told her it was stress. He gave her some medication and special shampoo. I would suggest going and seeing a doctor. He can probably give you better advice. :)

At first, I thought the same thing.... Because I am 16 ... and i was like... what the... why am i losing my hair...but I realized that the hair coming out of my head, was just dead strands... that it was normal.

If you have bald patches appearing your safest bet is to go to the doctor. Most likely, you are under a lot of stress.... and stressing over this is going to make it worse. Your best bet is to go to the doctor... they can most likely prescribe you something depending on what they say.

The easiest thing, you are only 15, you will be okay... I promise. So, don't stress out over it. And if you go to the doctor but still have strands coming out.... that is normal. As long as its not bald patches.... I get little clumps of hair all the time. So after you sort this out.... reguar size loss of hair.... is normal.

Christy

I've been wanting to go to the doctor but my mother didnt believe it was that big of a deal for me to go. I just talked to her awhile ago and she said on Monday she'll call the dermatologist to make an appointment. Hmm.. I never knew stress could be a factor so thanks alot for your input. :)

If you are having hair loss, you might want to consider if you've had any other symptoms recently. I know hair loss can be another symptom of thyroid disease (other main symptoms include severe fatigue and weight gain or weight loss). Thyroid disease is in a huge majority of cases is not fatal and can simply be readjusted by perscription medicines. It isn't necessarily thyroid disease though, that was just the first thing that popped to my mind since I have it.

Perhaps keep a journal of any other symptoms or out-of-the-norms that been experiencing since the hair loss started. This will be helpful in diagnosing what is wrong with you.

Either way, you should probably go see a doctor, even if to only soothe your nerves on the subject. It certainly won't hurt and the doctor will almost certainly be able to point you in the right direction of what to do next.

Good luck to you, I hope everything turns out for you! Keep us updated!

I'd say go to a doctor, just in case. Have you started using a different shampoo/other hair products that may be causing it? I *thnk* I read somewhere that there's a shampoo that's well known for casuing hair loss, or damage to hair. Sorry, I can't remember which one it was.

Well for myself, I lost masses amounts of hair.. like 400 strands plus a day.. because of an eating disorder. So if you are either restricting your food intake or purging this could be a reason. I mean I lost like 60% of my hair because of this and it's still not as thick and beautiful as it was before. The plus on this (if this might be your cause) is it will grow back with adequate food intake.

People with thick hair lose alot more hair than people with "average" hair. I have really thick hair and everytime I brush my hair, or even just touch it, hair falls out. It's completely normal so don't fret. The trick is not to play with your hair during the day like constant brushing or tugging at it. Also, use a strengthening shampoo, I find that works.

I am as well.. losing hair.

And, having naturally thin hair, it has become very noticable to me, but that is most likely the result of me being paranoid.

I dye my hair like crazy, i.e- bleaching, stripping, you name it, monthly. But hair dye should not cause hair loss. Hair dye causes breakage of the strand, but should not involve full dtrands falling from the head.

I still havent found the result of my hair loss.
But, here are some suggestions that I found kind of helpful when I was asking around friends and family for help a month or two ago.

Some people suggested malnourishment. So, eat veggies and drink milk. Or, take a suppliment like 'One a Day'.

Tying your hair too tightly in ponytails can pull your hair out and weakening it. Try letting it down for a while I find it hard to NOT tie up my hair in this hot weather (as it reaches down to me bum) , so I wait until it is fully dry (messing with your hair while it is wet is a no no) and then I seperate it, and braid it loosely (!) into pigtail braids at the side of my head. That way, the hair is out of my face, and off the back of my neck which gets really hot when your outside in the summer.

Also, when you put conditioner in, leave it in a little longer.

And, last but not least, brush your hair as little as possible. Brushing hair can be rough on the roots and actually pull out more hair. And if your susceptable to hair loss, it is even easier to pull hair out with a brush.

Hope I helped. If you still need some more help and stuff you can just pm me.

I've got some theories. I know a guy, he's 17, and when I met him -then was 13- he already had strong hair lose. And he is not ill or has no disease. It is genetic, his father had the same problem. So maybe none of your parents developed it, but someone in the past generations did. Also, it could be lack of vitamines, caused normally by stress, too much effort or body change (if you're a teen, then you're going thru loads of changes and your body needs more vitamines than ever). So I'd go to the doctor and have a blood test to know if there's any lack of vitamines. Good luck!

Thanks alot to everyone who has responded. Michelle, thanks for pointing out thyroid disease. I did some research on it and I realized I had alot of the other symptoms associated with it like more frequent periods/irregular flow, headaches (i have one mostly everyday), fatigue, depression, skin problems and irritability. Also, thanks kimboisnumber1 for those tips, all of them were really helpful. :)

The first thing I immediately thought when I saw the subject of your post (before I read it, even) was, this girl has a thyroid problem. But that's because I have one. At any rate, it can't hurt to get tested. It's a really simple blood test.

By the way, symptoms of hypothyroidism can include the following:

Brain symptoms: slowed speech, slowed reflexes, depression (especially if there's not a reason you should be depressed), anxiety, memory problems

Physical problems: hoarseness, increased sensitivity to cold, slow heart rate, sluggishness, dry skin, facial puffiness, hair loss, brittle or non-growing nails, fatigue, exhaustion, constipation, trouble swallowing, shortness of breath, increased need for sleep, muscle and joint pain, decreased sex drive, paleness, high cholesterol

However, hair loss can point to other illnesses, like anemia or alopecia. I doubt your amount of hair loss is normal for someone your age or you would not have noticed it and felt concerned enough to post about it. I'd go see a doctor if I were you. The health of your hair often reflects the general health of your body. Something easily fixable is probably going wrong.

Good luck!

when i turned 18 my hair started to thin. mostly near the temples. My doctor said it was normal, that sometimes hair just changes.

try a thickening shampoo, and adding more protein to your diet.

Also, if you notice other things, like fatigue or something, it could be the symptom of a bigger problem. being 15, your body is changing and hormones can do crazy things. the best thing you can do is see your doctor and express concern. if there is something wrong, which i doubt, then you can get treeatment. If not, you will have peace of mind.

Ive noticed in the last year ive lossed alot of hair. My dads bald and my grandfather on my mothers side is bald so chances are ill go bald to :( . Is it normal for a guy whos 18 to be loosing hair so early. When i look in the mirror i see alot of bald patches and noticed im combing my hair diffrently to cover up some patches. :confused:

I never knew stress could be a factor so thanks alot for your input.

No problem stress could very well be a problem. It messes with your body that you wouldn't believe it could do that.

I also agree with everybody else. It could very well be anything... from stress, to thyroid, etc etc.... The only way to find out is go to the doctor. Let your mom know how important it is to you and how much this is bothering you. Maybe if you let her know how you feel about all of it... then she'll understand a little more as to why you want to go so bad.

I hope this all works out for you. And I hope that maybe it's just stress... and you are okay. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Everybody's Fool,
Christy

I have the same problem with hair loss and i have really enjoyed reading everyones post. It helped me alot I'm not so freaked out now because I am in one of my periods of losing alot of my hair but i have noticed I'm really stressed so its hard to believe that stress does so much to your body.

Ive noticed in the last year ive lossed alot of hair. My dads bald and my grandfather on my mothers side is bald so chances are ill go bald to :( . Is it normal for a guy whos 18 to be loosing hair so early. When i look in the mirror i see alot of bald patches and noticed im combing my hair diffrently to cover up some patches. :confused:
I knew a guy in highschool, I was a senior he was a junior, and he was getting a receeding hairline. So for males, it can happen at any age. Kinda like grey hair.
As far as hair loss in women, i'm not sure about. I know I loose a ton of hair when I brush mine or take a shower. I havn't quite figured that one out yet.

when i was about 17, i started to have the same problem, not as much though, bt it really scared me. I have and had long hair, i had only dyed it once, but i thought it was because my hair weighted a lot (its straight but its soo heavy i dont know why) and i was thinking about cutting it but went to the doctor first. Turns out it wasnt a big deal, since it was mainly when i washed my hair that this happened. He asked me if i was stressed out, and yes i was, so i had to deal with that and i also got this shampoo, you can only get it with a prescription, its called "nizoral", and yore supposed to wash your head with it everyday, and it actually worked;)

I have very long thick hair and lose tons every day. I'm a little worried about it, because alopecia something (an autoimmune disorder) runs in my family, so you could try checking for that. I also have trichotillomania (similar to OCD) and anxiety, both of which cause hair loss. However, so far I don't have any bald patches, so unless you do, don't worry about it. That's really when you need to worry, before then, not really. I agree with the people who say it's stress.

As for me, my hair's still pretty thick, but not as thick as before, so if anyone has any ideas for good shampoos and conditioners, ideas are welcome. I have straight blonde hair about 5 inches past my shoulders that tends to go behind my ears (which is really annoying).

do you have a eating disorder? if you do then thats why its just another side effect...

Well, I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and she said she wouldnt be able to pinpoint exactly what was causing it (which I was expecting) I got a blood test done to check for thyroid problems since she thought that could be the problem too, but it came out good. Thank god. Now I'm taking 3 vitamins a day since my diet may be the main reason because im a terrible eater. The doctor had also suggested Rogaine if it bothered me that much.. but I'm kinda afraid to take it so I'm passing on that for now. Again, thanks to everyone who replied. :)

I'm no doctor, nor an expert on hair, but maybe it's just the heat that's making you lose your hair? I heard that in the heat (particularly in the summer) it makes your hair shed. I think that's the problem with my hair; everytime I brush my hair, I have to pull some out because then it starts to fall all over the place.

But your case sounds way more drastic, so that's probably not it...Good luck!

do you have a eating disorder? if you do then thats why its just another side effect...


That is true-- it could be a factor... but unless they want to tell us, lets stay off that topic. -not being rude- i just know that if some one asked me if I had an eating disorder, i'd be upset. I think anyone would. However, it does play a part in hair loss, if you have one.... but we are giving advice based on the fact that they don't. -like i said, I didn't mean to sound bitchy, i'm just simply replying. so please don't take this the wrong way-

If you are having hair loss, you might want to consider if you've had any other symptoms recently. I know hair loss can be another symptom of thyroid disease (other main symptoms include severe fatigue and weight gain or weight loss). Thyroid disease is in a huge majority of cases is not fatal and can simply be readjusted by perscription medicines. It isn't necessarily thyroid disease though, that was just the first thing that popped to my mind since I have it.

Absolutely, I read this and I'd like to add my two cents to what Michelle said. The same thing happened to me about two years ago (when I was fifteen). I didn't worry about it so much, but it started freaking me out, because when I showered, strands upon strands (more like clumps) would come out of my hair (and they were thick little buggers! It scared the death out of me). When my hair was dry I could just run my fingers through it and large amounts of my hair would just come with my fingers.

My hair is nice and thick, and so I love it dearly... and this really scared me to death. When it became this bad, I had my mom take me to a doctor. (In fact, just recently - around that same time - I had suffered a huge weight loss of around 40 lbs.) Long story short, the doctor immediately had my thryoids checked... and turns out my thyroid levels were extremely low (I forget what the term is... I think it's hyper-something... or hypo-something, lol I don't even know). I was given a prescription and within a month, my thyroid levels were back to normal and my hair stopped coming out.

I'm in agreement with everyone that you should see a doctor, it's the best thing for you, as they know so much more about it than we do. (Stress is another important factor that could be the trigger of it... there might be something in your life that's especially driving you mad, or something new that's making you anxious, etc. And I don't think that dying your hair once would have much to do with it, normally if you have thick hair, that means it isn't that sensitive.) But definitely go to a doctor, it shall be fixed if you do this, I promise! Those docs are smart people, lol.

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