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I'm going to ask my hairdresser about this but one thing I want to point out: A lot of guys in this thread talk about losing tons of hair during showers or all the time.
But if you style your hair with wax or gel, when hairs fall out throughout the day, they stay in your hair, because they are less free to move or fall out.
I use hair wax and it seems to me that when I take a shower, all the hair that would have fallen out overnight or throughout the prior day falls out, which makes it look like I'm suddenly losing a lot of hair.
I say this because I have naturally thick hair that also grows very densely, and I'm not noticing any hair loss, nor is my hairdresser, yet in the shower I notice tons of hair coming out.
I'm going to ask my hairdresser about this but one thing I want to point out: A lot of guys in this thread talk about losing tons of hair during showers or all the time.
But if you style your hair with wax or gel, when hairs fall out throughout the day, they stay in your hair, because they are less free to move or fall out.
I use hair wax and it seems to me that when I take a shower, all the hair that would have fallen out overnight or throughout the prior day falls out, which makes it look like I'm suddenly losing a lot of hair.
I say this because I have naturally thick hair that also grows very densely, and I'm not noticing any hair loss, nor is my hairdresser, yet in the shower I notice tons of hair coming out.
Anyone that is losing their hair from Accutane notices it, not just the hair falling out over the course of the day but that overall their hair has become thinner and continues to do so.
I'm not sure what you are stating here, but if your hair is overall becoming thinner then you have the type of Accutane induced-hair loss that many are suffering from.
I have no good news on my end, I continue to shed regrown hair.
I did the colon cleanse and it seemed to help a little, I am going to try another one and a liver cleanse and see what happens.
I am also doing topical immunotherapy with a topical steroid (Betamethasone). I apply it twice a day and it should help to reduce the hair loss and encourage new hair growth. I've only been taking it for about a month, so I will know in perhaps 2 months if it is effective or not. It does make the scalp a little more sensitive (mildly painful). It does nothing to reduce the redness though.
I've gotten rid of all my scalp itch and pain, through the use of the steroid and the antihistamine that I'm taking.
I continue to shampoo with Polytar and Nizoral.
I do have regrowth, and I have noticed that less and less regrown hairs have fallen out lately, where they were falling out all the time before.
I would advise anyone against using Minoxidil, I'm convinced it makes things worse rather than better. You shed more initially and once you go off of it, you will shed some more.
Anyways, good luck to everyone and hang in there.
Matt
My scalp is itchy as well. Now I'm starting to notice a patch right in front of my hairline in the center that seems to be wider and looks like a big crack where you can see my scalp. Why is it just randomly being lost right in my widows peak and center of my hairline?
My right corner looks like complete crap now as well. Hair keeps falling, no signs of any new regrowth, and it's almost been 6 months since I stopped Accutane.
I'm going to ask my hairdresser about this but one thing I want to point out: A lot of guys in this thread talk about losing tons of hair during showers or all the time.
But if you style your hair with wax or gel, when hairs fall out throughout the day, they stay in your hair, because they are less free to move or fall out.
I use hair wax and it seems to me that when I take a shower, all the hair that would have fallen out overnight or throughout the prior day falls out, which makes it look like I'm suddenly losing a lot of hair.
I say this because I have naturally thick hair that also grows very densely, and I'm not noticing any hair loss, nor is my hairdresser, yet in the shower I notice tons of hair coming out.
Anyone that is losing their hair from Accutane notices it, not just the hair falling out over the course of the day but that overall their hair has become thinner and continues to do so.
I'm not sure what you are stating here, but if your hair is overall becoming thinner then you have the type of Accutane induced-hair loss that many are suffering from.
I have no good news on my end, I continue to shed regrown hair.
I did the colon cleanse and it seemed to help a little, I am going to try another one and a liver cleanse and see what happens.
I am also doing topical immunotherapy with a topical steroid (Betamethasone). I apply it twice a day and it should help to reduce the hair loss and encourage new hair growth. I've only been taking it for about a month, so I will know in perhaps 2 months if it is effective or not. It does make the scalp a little more sensitive (mildly painful). It does nothing to reduce the redness though.
I've gotten rid of all my scalp itch and pain, through the use of the steroid and the antihistamine that I'm taking.
I continue to shampoo with Polytar and Nizoral.
I do have regrowth, and I have noticed that less and less regrown hairs have fallen out lately, where they were falling out all the time before.
I would advise anyone against using Minoxidil, I'm convinced it makes things worse rather than better. You shed more initially and once you go off of it, you will shed some more.
Anyways, good luck to everyone and hang in there.
Matt
Do you have Psoriasis? I don't think Betamethasone will regrow any hair unless you have an autoimmune disease.
My scalp is itchy as well. Now I'm starting to notice a patch right in front of my hairline in the center that seems to be wider and looks like a big crack where you can see my scalp. Why is it just randomly being lost right in my widows peak and center of my hairline?
My right corner looks like complete crap now as well. Hair keeps falling, no signs of any new regrowth, and it's almost been 6 months since I stopped Accutane.
Your hair will continue to get worse and thinner all around before slowing down considerably and that's when your genes come into play if you're predisposed to MPB.
I don't know what's with the diffuse hair loss, my left side of the head is much thinner than my right side. I'm also losing sideburn hair sideburn hair... also my left corner is fucking shit. I can't even cover it with hair anymore lol.
This drug ruined my life and already fragile self esteem. I'd rather die with acne than be bald.
I'm going to ask my hairdresser about this but one thing I want to point out: A lot of guys in this thread talk about losing tons of hair during showers or all the time.
But if you style your hair with wax or gel, when hairs fall out throughout the day, they stay in your hair, because they are less free to move or fall out.
I use hair wax and it seems to me that when I take a shower, all the hair that would have fallen out overnight or throughout the prior day falls out, which makes it look like I'm suddenly losing a lot of hair.
I say this because I have naturally thick hair that also grows very densely, and I'm not noticing any hair loss, nor is my hairdresser, yet in the shower I notice tons of hair coming out.
Anyone that is losing their hair from Accutane notices it, not just the hair falling out over the course of the day but that overall their hair has become thinner and continues to do so.
I'm not sure what you are stating here, but if your hair is overall becoming thinner then you have the type of Accutane induced-hair loss that many are suffering from.
I have no good news on my end, I continue to shed regrown hair.
I did the colon cleanse and it seemed to help a little, I am going to try another one and a liver cleanse and see what happens.
I am also doing topical immunotherapy with a topical steroid (Betamethasone). I apply it twice a day and it should help to reduce the hair loss and encourage new hair growth. I've only been taking it for about a month, so I will know in perhaps 2 months if it is effective or not. It does make the scalp a little more sensitive (mildly painful). It does nothing to reduce the redness though.
I've gotten rid of all my scalp itch and pain, through the use of the steroid and the antihistamine that I'm taking.
I continue to shampoo with Polytar and Nizoral.
I do have regrowth, and I have noticed that less and less regrown hairs have fallen out lately, where they were falling out all the time before.
I would advise anyone against using Minoxidil, I'm convinced it makes things worse rather than better. You shed more initially and once you go off of it, you will shed some more.
Anyways, good luck to everyone and hang in there.
Matt
Do you have Psoriasis? I don't think Betamethasone will regrow any hair unless you have an autoimmune disease.
My scalp is itchy as well. Now I'm starting to notice a patch right in front of my hairline in the center that seems to be wider and looks like a big crack where you can see my scalp. Why is it just randomly being lost right in my widows peak and center of my hairline?
My right corner looks like complete crap now as well. Hair keeps falling, no signs of any new regrowth, and it's almost been 6 months since I stopped Accutane.
Your hair will continue to get worse and thinner all around before slowing down considerably and that's when your genes come into play if you're predisposed to MPB.
I don't know what's with the diffuse hair loss, my left side of the head is much thinner than my right side. I'm also losing sideburn hair sideburn hair... also my left corner is fucking shit. I can't even cover it with hair anymore lol.
This drug ruined my life and already fragile self esteem. I'd rather die with acne than be bald.
I mean it must be alopecia because people with MPD aren't going to get a random patch of hair loss in the center of their hairline right away. I'm holding out that maybe sometime in the future it will improve some.
It sucks, sometimes I wish I had never done Accutane, but I know I can still be happy and life is far too short to be all bent out of shape about this forever. At least I don't have cancer related hair loss.
When did most of you experience hair thinning?
Will you "know" when your hair is thinning?
Pretty much noticed one month in slight shedding that progressed. You will know that you're shedding when you actually see that you're losing hair. i.e. more random hairs falling, hair on your pillow, hair coming off in the shower, etc.
But once you actually start noticing a change in your hair appearance is when you get more nervous and realize it. For months I knew I was shedding but my hair looked okay. Now, I am noticing some patchiness, overall thinning, etc.
When did most of you experience hair thinning?
Will you "know" when your hair is thinning?
Oh, you will know like the others have said, just if it starts to thin or shed I would quit, many have been told by thier derms that it will grow back once thier course is over which is not true in Most if not All cases.
Some have even started loosing hair AFTER thier course is ended say like 2-4 months..
SCClippers- You have to remember kinda like Lamarr and I Accutane induces Autoimmune like disorders, so many have symptoms of Autoimmune problems, but labs come back fine. Though Roche does say that it can cause Alopeica which is autoimmiune.
Volcano- Even though I am a girl, my shedding has somewhat stopped after 2 yrs. I had temporary all over body Alopecia and then Chronic TE. I still do go in cycles and not all my hair is back to normal state still thin, but more then what I had.
And did you try and email Lamarr????
Hope all is well w/ everyone
GPs and derms are all useless! i dont know why they all seem to play dumb and treat us like idiots when it come to roaccutane and hair loss! To everybody out there who is suffering from long term hair loss i sincerly hope you guys are feeling better and your hair is improving. if its not then i hope your attitude towards your hair is improving and you feel better.
could someone out there please shed some light on my situation. i was on roaccutane for 24 days at 40mg a day. i stopped when i noticed my hair thinning and my scalp was being seen through my hair. its been 5 weeks now and my hair doesnt seem to look any better. i shaved it all off 3 weeks ago in the hope that it may improve the appearance. all side effects of roaccutane has gone(dry lips, dry skin,) except my back pain which is much much better but still not completely gone. my body is back to normal but my hair isnt.
i dont shed hair ( i never did wile on accutane) but the hair on the top of my hair is overall a lot thinner than it was pre roaccutane. in sunlight it looks terrible. can anybody who has some knowledge on this topic please tell me if they think my hair will regrow and the time frame i should expect to see an improvement.
also where is lamarr1986 gone?! i emailed
him a few days ago but no response :S
Hey everyone. I am one of the original posters on this thread. I got off accutane over 3 yrs ago. I started shedding a lot of hair on the last month of my 6 month course. The has continued for over 3 years, although maybe not as much as it was originally. The strange thing about it is my hair is still very thick. Whenever I go to get my hair cut I am always told how thick it is, and how I will never have to worry about going bald. It is hard to remember exactly what my hair was like 3 years ago, but it is not noticeably thinner now. I am curious how this is possible with how much I have shed over the past 3 years. I even shed quite a few very weak looking thin hairs, which makes me think that my hair is getting thinner, but overall it is still very thick and dense. I also shed a lot of really curly hairs (similar texture to pubic hair). The only way I can reason that my hair doesn't look thinner is because possibly hairs are falling out, and thinner ones are growing in, and they are falling out, and the new ones that keep growing in are thicker. Like some of the hair follicles are recovering from the alopecia areata, while others are still being affected by it. Maybe a lot of follicles are affected by AA, while others are recovering and growing thicker, and that's why I still have a really thick head of hair. I am not sure at all what is going on but I am just crossing my fingers that my hair stays thick. It has held up well for over three years now after all. Please let me know if anyone else has had a similar experience as me.
For Lamarr and anybody else knowledgeable willing to help,
I too suffer post accutane side effects. It really blows, but I've been reading through a lot of your posts and you seem to have it figured out pretty well. Probably the most upsetting side effect I suffer is diffuse hairloss, which I've determined to be diffuse alopecia areata after reading through your posts. I also turn red and sweat ungodly amounts when in clubs or doing anything active. Another really bad side I picked up is that I heal very slowly, for instance, small scrapes can take a couple of weeks to heal.
I'm writing you in hopes that you can assist me in figuring out what exactly I need to get. From you previous posts I've gathered that I should get some topical steroids(but which ones? and do they require a script?) Also I saw milk thistle, red wine extract, and essential oils. A lot of this info I picked up from your posts was over a year old. Are you still using all of these or have you found more effective things? Any info you will give me would be greatly appreciated! I was on 80mg a day for 6 months and finished up January 2007. The hairloss showed up summer 2007 and has been a huge stress in my life ever since.
Please help me. You have no idea how much I would appreciate it! Hope to hear back from you soon.
I took accutane for 9 whole days back in November 2009 to clear up my skin because I'm an aspiring actor. The telogen effluvlium has completely ruined my hair and my self esteem and confidence. I have lost a good percentage of my hair, which used to be thick and curly. Now it is lifeless and thin and continues to shed at a very high rate. My hairline has also gone to shit also. Accutane not only ruined my hair, but also my life in a lot of ways. 9 days I will regret for the rest of my life
SClippers: If you have hair loss that is progressive and cyclical (hair grows, falls out prematurely and shedding) and the hair loss persists (more than 6 to 9 months) and/or you have tingling and itchy sensations in the affected area and/or redness, and is in a diffused format, this is alopecia areata and is in fact an auto immune disorder.
Locally suppressing the immune system slows down the shedding and the topical steroid itself also induces hair growth.
I've completed the first month of this steroid, I won't have definitive results to provide until about 3 to 4 months when I should start to see the results.
My shedding has slowed down recently but there are days when it sheds more than others. The amount of hairs I lose is still considerably higher than pre-accutane, before taking accutane I never noticed a hair falling from my head, now I probably lose about 200-300 hairs a day, which has made me progressively more thin.
I have continually regrowth and shedding, so there is hope for recovery.
From discussions with many others that experience this depressing side-effect, most recover about 2 to 3 years post-accutane.
Itchiness
I have mentioned this before, but reposting again. If you experience the itchiness associated with the diffused alopecia areata induced by Accutane, try a good antihistamine pill. I take Aerius which is desloratadine. It is non-drowsy and lasts 24 hours, I take one in the morning every day and no longer experience the itchiness associated with diffuse AA.
Additionally the shampoo, Polytar, although it smells funky, it helps reduce some of the irritation on the scalp. I use it twice a week.
Also, keep your hands out of your hair and off your scalp. I touch my hair a lot, just to see if I'm still shedding, it will only make you depressed and cause more irritation on the scalp.
Matt
SClippers: If you have hair loss that is progressive and cyclical (hair grows, falls out prematurely and shedding) and the hair loss persists (more than 6 to 9 months) and/or you have tingling and itchy sensations in the affected area and/or redness, and is in a diffused format, this is alopecia areata and is in fact an auto immune disorder.
Locally suppressing the immune system slows down the shedding and the topical steroid itself also induces hair growth.
I've completed the first month of this steroid, I won't have definitive results to provide until about 3 to 4 months when I should start to see the results.
My shedding has slowed down recently but there are days when it sheds more than others. The amount of hairs I lose is still considerably higher than pre-accutane, before taking accutane I never noticed a hair falling from my head, now I probably lose about 200-300 hairs a day, which has made me progressively more thin.
I have continually regrowth and shedding, so there is hope for recovery.
From discussions with many others that experience this depressing side-effect, most recover about 2 to 3 years post-accutane.
I'm no longer shedding, it's just that my temples continue to get thinner and thinner without me even noticing. My whole scalp for that matter. I want this to stop, I would be MORE than happy if I could have the hair on my head for 10-15 years, losing my hair would be by far the biggest strike to my already fragile self esteem.
I'm afraid I'll be an ugly old man who dies alone. I only took Accutane for three weeks, I imagine I would be bald had I not stopped 
Hair is the bane of my existence and personality apparently, it's been close to 4 years since I've got off that drug
SClippers: If you have hair loss that is progressive and cyclical (hair grows, falls out prematurely and shedding) and the hair loss persists (more than 6 to 9 months) and/or you have tingling and itchy sensations in the affected area and/or redness, and is in a diffused format, this is alopecia areata and is in fact an auto immune disorder.
Locally suppressing the immune system slows down the shedding and the topical steroid itself also induces hair growth.
I've completed the first month of this steroid, I won't have definitive results to provide until about 3 to 4 months when I should start to see the results.
My shedding has slowed down recently but there are days when it sheds more than others. The amount of hairs I lose is still considerably higher than pre-accutane, before taking accutane I never noticed a hair falling from my head, now I probably lose about 200-300 hairs a day, which has made me progressively more thin.
I have continually regrowth and shedding, so there is hope for recovery.
From discussions with many others that experience this depressing side-effect, most recover about 2 to 3 years post-accutane.
I'm no longer shedding, it's just that my temples continue to get thinner and thinner without me even noticing. My whole scalp for that matter. I want this to stop, I would be MORE than happy if I could have the hair on my head for 10-15 years, losing my hair would be by far the biggest strike to my already fragile self esteem.
I'm afraid I'll be an ugly old man who dies alone. I only took Accutane for three weeks, I imagine I would be bald had I not stopped
Hair is the bane of my existence and personality apparently, it's been close to 4 years since I've got off that drug
SClippers- Is your hair drastically thinner than when you first got off the drug? What percentage of hair would you say you lost?
SClippers: If you have hair loss that is progressive and cyclical (hair grows, falls out prematurely and shedding) and the hair loss persists (more than 6 to 9 months) and/or you have tingling and itchy sensations in the affected area and/or redness, and is in a diffused format, this is alopecia areata and is in fact an auto immune disorder.
Locally suppressing the immune system slows down the shedding and the topical steroid itself also induces hair growth.
I've completed the first month of this steroid, I won't have definitive results to provide until about 3 to 4 months when I should start to see the results.
My shedding has slowed down recently but there are days when it sheds more than others. The amount of hairs I lose is still considerably higher than pre-accutane, before taking accutane I never noticed a hair falling from my head, now I probably lose about 200-300 hairs a day, which has made me progressively more thin.
I have continually regrowth and shedding, so there is hope for recovery.
From discussions with many others that experience this depressing side-effect, most recover about 2 to 3 years post-accutane.
I'm no longer shedding, it's just that my temples continue to get thinner and thinner without me even noticing. My whole scalp for that matter. I want this to stop, I would be MORE than happy if I could have the hair on my head for 10-15 years, losing my hair would be by far the biggest strike to my already fragile self esteem.
I'm afraid I'll be an ugly old man who dies alone. I only took Accutane for three weeks, I imagine I would be bald had I not stopped
Hair is the bane of my existence and personality apparently, it's been close to 4 years since I've got off that drug
SClippers- Is your hair drastically thinner than when you first got off the drug? What percentage of hair would you say you lost?
20% would be a realistic figure. If it would stop I could go on living life, every day I look in the mirror and I feel it's getting worse and it sickens me.
SClippers, i know exactly how you feel when you say you look in the mirror and feel sick.
could someone please help to clairfy for me....
1)i am NOT shedding (never did)
2)i have NO receding hairline
3)my hair is just overall thinner on top and looks thinner in certain areas/patches( about 25% less thick now overall)
4)my scalp does NOT itch or hurt
Do i have diffuse AA or a case of minor TE? Can shedding from TE occur for a couple days then stop? Since im not shedding i assume its not TE but then most ppl say that their scalp itches from diffuse AA and mine doesnt. All side effects have gone(except hair obv), its been 6 weeks post tane. any info from any1 would be appreciated.
Thanks
SClippers, i know exactly how you feel when you say you look in the mirror and feel sick.could someone please help to clairfy for me....
1)i am NOT shedding (never did)
2)i have NO receding hairline
3)my hair is just overall thinner on top and looks thinner in certain areas/patches( about 25% less thick now overall)
4)my scalp does NOT itch or hurt
Do i have diffuse AA or a case of minor TE? Can shedding from TE occur for a couple days then stop? Since im not shedding i assume its not TE but then most ppl say that their scalp itches from diffuse AA and mine doesnt. All side effects have gone(except hair obv), its been 6 weeks post tane. any info from any1 would be appreciated.
Thanks
You will have to wait my friend. Many people have minor shedding during their course of Accutane. If you are not shedding and don't have other symptoms I would just wait and let any affected hair grow back.
20% would be a realistic figure. If it would stop I could go on living life, every day I look in the mirror and I feel it's getting worse and it sickens me.
Trust me, the hair loss is a bigger deal to you than it is to anyone else.
Most people could care less, have a look around, most men are thinning or bald... its unfortunately a fact of life.
For folks like us that had no hair loss initially to suddenly lose a large percentage of hair, its pretty depressing.
My hair is totally messed, my shedding is excessive and I've lost more than 60% of the hair on the top of my head. I shed upwards of 200 hairs a day, and see hairs falling out all over my desk at work, on my pillow, and all over my clothes.
Its a horrible experience for those who are concerned about their appearance.
However I am convinced that with time it does resolve, many people I have spoken to have seen most if not all their how grow back. Even I have seen my hair get denser on the sides of my head.
There is always hair regrowth if you are shedding, you may just not notice it. If you continued to shed and didn't regrow the hair, then you would go bald. There are just some areas that hairs seem to be more heavily affected (namely your temples or one side of your head more than the other.)
I think the best thing is not to think about it, if you can avoid mirrors, and perhaps wear a hat to make it less of an issue, then all the better. You just need to wait it out.
I also wanted to mention that I did the colon cleanse as was recommended by a poster, but it had no affect.
Best Regards,
Matt