MY LAST POST

Good day folks.

I'm happy to let everyone know that I was able to stop my shedding, and did so instantly (within a day.)

I had been shedding since about 3 months after taking Accutane for 20 months straight, and my hair loss had gotten pretty bad. I shed 300+ hairs a day, rubbing my hands through my hair about mid afternoon I could get about 200+ hairs to fall out in one shot. The shedding and thinning nearly drove me mad, but I remained positive.

I do not know if what worked for me will work for you, but I can tell you everything I tried (Minoxidil, Biotin, Vitamins, No Vitamins, Diet, Colon Cleanse, Topical Steroids, Grape seed extract, Emu Oil, standing on my head, you name it) had no effect.

I had an itchy scalp and scalp redness and irritation, I chalked it up to being Alopecia Areata, an immune disorder, however now I'm certain that was not it.

Hormones play a critical role in hair growth, development and hair consistency. In my case my hormones were imbalanced. I began HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) 3 weeks ago, and in my first day my hair went from shedding 200-300 hairs a day to maybe 30, and now 3 weeks later I lose about 10 in the shower and maybe a few more during the day.

I cannot even begin to speculate how or why Accutane caused my hair loss and caused me to have a hormone imbalance, but the spike of hormones in my body (testosterone) at the beginning of HRT caused the hair to immediately stop shedding.

I will continue with HRT for the next 3 or 4 months and will see if the hair loss stays away for good after I go off. Hopefully I do not have to continue with the therapy indefinitely.

At any rate, with the shedding stopped, and my hair growing back, I suspect within about a year or 2 I will be back to having normal hair density.

It's been a journey, a rather lousy one, but I'm happy to say that this will be my last post.

I recommend that everyone go get the following hormone levels checked:

- Estrogen

- Testosterone

- Thyroid Hormones (thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3))

- Thyroid related hormones (TRH and TSH)

I wish everyone the best of luck, and if you would like more details, feel free to PM me.

Best Regards,

Matt

MY LAST POST

 

Good day folks.

 

I'm happy to let everyone know that I was able to stop my shedding, and did so instantly (within a day.)

 

I had been shedding since about 3 months after taking Accutane for 20 months straight, and my hair loss had gotten pretty bad. I shed 300+ hairs a day, rubbing my hands through my hair about mid afternoon I could get about 200+ hairs to fall out in one shot. The shedding and thinning nearly drove me mad, but I remained positive.

 

I do not know if what worked for me will work for you, but I can tell you everything I tried (Minoxidil, Biotin, Vitamins, No Vitamins, Diet, Colon Cleanse, Topical Steroids, Grape seed extract, Emu Oil, standing on my head, you name it) had no effect.

 

I had an itchy scalp and scalp redness and irritation, I chalked it up to being Alopecia Areata, an immune disorder, however now I'm certain that was not it.

 

Hormones play a critical role in hair growth, development and hair consistency. In my case my hormones were imbalanced. I began HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) 3 weeks ago, and in my first day my hair went from shedding 200-300 hairs a day to maybe 30, and now 3 weeks later I lose about 10 in the shower and maybe a few more during the day.

 

I cannot even begin to speculate how or why Accutane caused my hair loss and caused me to have a hormone imbalance, but the spike of hormones in my body (testosterone) at the beginning of HRT caused the hair to immediately stop shedding.

 

I will continue with HRT for the next 3 or 4 months and will see if the hair loss stays away for good after I go off. Hopefully I do not have to continue with the therapy indefinitely.

 

At any rate, with the shedding stopped, and my hair growing back, I suspect within about a year or 2 I will be back to having normal hair density.

 

It's been a journey, a rather lousy one, but I'm happy to say that this will be my last post.

 

I recommend that everyone go get the following hormone levels checked:

 

- Estrogen

- Testosterone

- Thyroid Hormones (thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3))

- Thyroid related hormones (TRH and TSH)

 

I wish everyone the best of luck, and if you would like more details, feel free to PM me.

 

Best Regards,

 

Matt

congratulations, matt!!! that is absolutely awesome news!!!! good luck the rest of the way. im on month 10 right now of shedding, just trying to stay positive haha

Great news for you man. I hope this isn't really your last post, because you have always been able to give great insight and share your experiences. It would be a shame if you stopped sharing more about your recent success.

Anyway, I'm interested in what exactly you're taking for HRT and how you went about getting it? Is it easy? Needs to be prescribed by a doctor?

I wish you continued luck. Interested in possibly checking my levels and giving this a try just because. I feel like this could cause acne again though, no? Couldn't the hormones possibly trigger some breakouts? That would be the only thing holding me back from trying is the possibility of causing more acne again.

Thanks for sharing, good luck and congrats!

MY LAST POSTI began HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) 3 weeks ago, and in my first day my hair went from shedding 200-300 hairs a day to maybe 30, and now 3 weeks later I lose about 10 in the shower and maybe a few more during the day. Best Regards, Matt

Wait a minute you didn't tell us which HRT you were taking. Don't leave us hanging. What were your blood tests? What was off? How old are you? Thanks.

Took accutane for 2 weeks at 40mg and 5 weeks at 20 mg... Im a 22yr old male.

Noticed hair loss within first few days, as hair was coming off on my hair gel. 5 months after stopping accutane my hair is still dry, my scalp tingles and itches lots. does anyone else have these symtoms??? and if so any idea what it is causing the itch??? if this can be cured possibly the loss can also???

also what do your lost hairs look like??? mine are normal thickness and usually have a 1mm clump of white stuff that crumbles off on the end.

ive been off accutane for 5 months and still the loss/symptoms continue. however the ithcy scalp has only been for the past 2 months or so. scalp is slowly becoming visible. losing hair all over head, small patches, and receding. no family history of hair loss.

Easily one of the worst things ive ever had to deal with in my life. it shatters confidence as you see your self image change over such a short time. not wanting to see old friends as your scared they may notice your thin hair. im sure you all feel the same. angry with yourself for putting this into your system, and wanting to turn back time pre drug. Its ironic because im sure people are more confident with a spotty face than a balding head!!??

It also annoys me that the doctors who prescribe this stuff dont warn you of hair loss. If i had to choose spots or going bald, i know which one i would choose and both regard vanity so docs should tell you this.

Its a shame people dont post more possitive threads regarding the loss. i guess people who have recovered dont bother to write their stories. and im sure that plenty of people do recover.

From the research i have done its probably 12 months before the majority of people see recovery. as TE can last 6 months, and the hair follicle may lay dormant for 3 months, then hair grows at 1-2cm a month so will take a while to become thick and visible.

i have read threads from as far back as 2004, i would love to know what these guys experienced but the trail only seems to last a few months.

At the end of the day accutane is a drug. the body will get back to normal in as soon as is possible. as the drug cannot change the DNA.

i will keep you all informed over the coming months of my story, either possitive or negative.

Possitives so far:

+ my skin has pretty much returned to its pre accutane state, with greasiness recently.

+ hair does get greasy after a day or two. indicating sebum is being produced again.

+ possible possitive... noticing more white bulbs on my head that dont have hair attached. this could be a new hair pushing the dead cells out of the follicle... thoughts please??

+ eyebrows still grow as i pluck my monobrow. nails still grow. indicating keratin is being produced.

Wishing you fellow sufferers the best.

Isn't HRT used when you're trying to have a sex change? I've never ever heard of a dermatologist suggesting doing hormone therapy to correct hair loss.

MY LAST POST

 

Good day folks.

 

I'm happy to let everyone know that I was able to stop my shedding, and did so instantly (within a day.)

 

I had been shedding since about 3 months after taking Accutane for 20 months straight, and my hair loss had gotten pretty bad. I shed 300+ hairs a day, rubbing my hands through my hair about mid afternoon I could get about 200+ hairs to fall out in one shot. The shedding and thinning nearly drove me mad, but I remained positive.

 

I do not know if what worked for me will work for you, but I can tell you everything I tried (Minoxidil, Biotin, Vitamins, No Vitamins, Diet, Colon Cleanse, Topical Steroids, Grape seed extract, Emu Oil, standing on my head, you name it) had no effect.

 

I had an itchy scalp and scalp redness and irritation, I chalked it up to being Alopecia Areata, an immune disorder, however now I'm certain that was not it.

 

Hormones play a critical role in hair growth, development and hair consistency. In my case my hormones were imbalanced. I began HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) 3 weeks ago, and in my first day my hair went from shedding 200-300 hairs a day to maybe 30, and now 3 weeks later I lose about 10 in the shower and maybe a few more during the day.

 

I cannot even begin to speculate how or why Accutane caused my hair loss and caused me to have a hormone imbalance, but the spike of hormones in my body (testosterone) at the beginning of HRT caused the hair to immediately stop shedding.

 

I will continue with HRT for the next 3 or 4 months and will see if the hair loss stays away for good after I go off. Hopefully I do not have to continue with the therapy indefinitely.

 

At any rate, with the shedding stopped, and my hair growing back, I suspect within about a year or 2 I will be back to having normal hair density.

 

It's been a journey, a rather lousy one, but I'm happy to say that this will be my last post.

 

I recommend that everyone go get the following hormone levels checked:

 

- Estrogen

- Testosterone

- Thyroid Hormones (thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3))

- Thyroid related hormones (TRH and TSH)

 

I wish everyone the best of luck, and if you would like more details, feel free to PM me.

 

Best Regards,

 

Matt

Great to hear this Matt! do let us know what hormones your on and what deficiencies you had. Btw hormone imbalance, especially thyroid very commonly causing alopecia areata. When my AA gets bad even the steroids don't help. So it doesn't for a second mean you didn't have diffuse AA.

Hormones in general have a massive impact on the immune system, so again it doesn't for a second mean it isn't AA.

I hope the hairloss stays gone when you come off the hormones!

I have a question, can an itchy scalp be an indicator of hair loss? I know I'm paranoid but I can't just chalk it up to an itchy scalp.

 

After I wash my hair the itch persists and returns the following morning. It doesn't hurt or cause any swelling, it's just rather annoying.

 

At times I feel like I have a couple of pimples on my scalp, what can I do about this? Is it foreshadowing new hair loss?

 

 

I was having the same problem a few days ago "itchy pimples" I think it was the steroid solution I was applying at night. Ive stopped using it for few days and I'm not itchy anymore and pimples are going away BUT... there's always something new, NOW I have some pain/soreness at the very top of my head. Tender when I touch. This fucking SUCKS!

 

I'm stilling shedding maybe little less, Im probably down to about 100 hairs a day when I wash it and 65 on all other days. Im getting use to the shedding, I'm growing hair just nowhere near enough! But this scalp discomfort is a problem gives me a headache

 

SClippers : I have the same questions. I dont really understand "scalp inflammation/itching and hair loss" Is your scalp flakey? Do you feel that heat sensation when you touch your scalp?

 

I now go sun bathing and itch and my scalp in general feels amazing. My hair too... I can finally look in the mirror without feeling emo. This happens every once in a while, I look fine and then my hair changes.

Could it be the sun sparking hair growth? This is very confusing and weird.

I'm on my tenth month of my second accutane cycle and I notice my hair thinning a very small amount. Should I be worried?

DANDRUFF!!!! This is insane. What do I do for this???? I have never in my life had dandruff and this pretty bad. I washed my hair last night and woke up this morning with chunks of white flakes in my hair.

My hair loss continues. It's only been a little over a month now I fell off the wagon with the steroid solution, after those itchy pimples, I have been hesitant to start using it again but I will.

I have read in studies that diffuse alopecia areata progresses into alopecia totalis much of the time. If this is true, and it is true that many of us have diffuse alopecia areata, I wonder if that means we are destined to lose all the hair on our head. If the problem is persistent for a lifetime, what would stop it from causing us to lose all the hair on our heads if it truly is diffuse. Accutane wasn't introduced until the late 80's so many of the oldest people who took it are only in their 40's now. It would be interesting to know what kind of hair would remain on someones head who has been afflicted with diffuse aa from accutane after say 50 years? Is there anyone with an opinion on whether this inevitably will become alopecia totalis?

well its official, taking accutane for 9 days RUINED my life. got my scalp biopsy results back today.....MPB. i dont really understand how though. maybe TE induced MPB as i have been shedding nonstop since last november. this is so freaking depressing, 22 years old!!!! guess ill fill my propecia prescription tomorrow...

is there any margin for error in these scalp biopsies? my scalp has never been inflamed or anything and my hairloss is from all over my head, not just the hairline and crown

DANDRUFF!!!! This is insane. What do I do for this???? I have never in my life had dandruff and this pretty bad. I washed my hair last night and woke up this morning with chunks of white flakes in my hair.

 

My hair loss continues. It's only been a little over a month now I fell off the wagon with the steroid solution, after those itchy pimples, I have been hesitant to start using it again but I will.

sounds like sebhoric dermatitus, i lost a shit load of hair because of it. yo should get your scalp examined with a dermatologist asap,, even try get free consultation..

most likely you will get some special shampoo ie nizoral and an accompanying topical like salicylic acid.

it works and is working for me, i thought for years acne medication poisoned me but it wasn't.

look into it as seb derm can cause perm damage if left too long as the hair comes out by the roots, you lose when brush , wash , style etc till you get the gunk of your scalp. apple cider vinegar is also cheap and helpful to control it. good luck i may be wrong but just telling what happened to me.

well its official, taking accutane for 9 days RUINED my life. got my scalp biopsy results back today.....MPB. i dont really understand how though. maybe TE induced MPB as i have been shedding nonstop since last november. this is so freaking depressing, 22 years old!!!! guess ill fill my propecia prescription tomorrow...

 

is there any margin for error in these scalp biopsies? my scalp has never been inflamed or anything and my hairloss is from all over my head, not just the hairline and crown

I'm 22 also, and i got diagnosed with mpb after my scalp biopsy about a year ago, then later saw another derm who said my hair loss wasn't from mpb alone.

I think I'd rather just go bald than take propecia, but if you do keep us informed.

well its official, taking accutane for 9 days RUINED my life. got my scalp biopsy results back today.....MPB. i dont really understand how though. maybe TE induced MPB as i have been shedding nonstop since last november. this is so freaking depressing, 22 years old!!!! guess ill fill my propecia prescription tomorrow...

 

is there any margin for error in these scalp biopsies? my scalp has never been inflamed or anything and my hairloss is from all over my head, not just the hairline and crown

I'm 22 also, and i got diagnosed with mpb after my scalp biopsy about a year ago, then later saw another derm who said my hair loss wasn't from mpb alone.

 

I think I'd rather just go bald than take propecia, but if you do keep us informed.

 

has your hairloss subsided or are you still shedding?

well its official, taking accutane for 9 days RUINED my life. got my scalp biopsy results back today.....MPB. i dont really understand how though. maybe TE induced MPB as i have been shedding nonstop since last november. this is so freaking depressing, 22 years old!!!! guess ill fill my propecia prescription tomorrow...

 

is there any margin for error in these scalp biopsies? my scalp has never been inflamed or anything and my hairloss is from all over my head, not just the hairline and crown

I'm 22 also, and i got diagnosed with mpb after my scalp biopsy about a year ago, then later saw another derm who said my hair loss wasn't from mpb alone.

 

I think I'd rather just go bald than take propecia, but if you do keep us informed.

 

 

has your hairloss subsided or are you still shedding?

 

still shedding, it's less than it used to be, but that's prob because i don't have as much hair to lose.

Try not to stress too much ay, I thought I was going to go bald within 6 weeks when I started shedding around 2 and a half year ago, but I still have a decent amount of hair.

Anyway, back on to this hormone replacement therapy electroshock is getting done... anyone spoken to him about this?

i really hope lamarr comes back and sees my recent posts, he seems to have great insight

I wouldn't take propecia or I would tread very careful. I posted a link in this thread as mod there who reached out to us for help and posted info on here. right now your dealing w/ hairloss only you don't want end up with other problems.

On a side note Texasboy did you get labs done?

I wouldn't take propecia or I would tread very careful. I posted a link in this thread as mod there who reached out to us for help and posted info on here. right now your dealing w/ hairloss only you don't want end up with other problems.

 

On a side note Texasboy did you get labs done?

yeah everything came out normal that is why i got a scalp biopsy done which came back as androgenetic alopecia. im wondering if there is some error to that reading as i am still shedding hair ALL OVER and not just on the hairline, front, and crown. Also, I thought that MPB was more slow on the onset. I am experiencing rapid shedding to this day

yeah everything came out normal that is why i got a scalp biopsy done which came back as androgenetic alopecia. im wondering if there is some error to that reading as i am still shedding hair ALL OVER and not just on the hairline, front, and crown. Also, I thought that MPB was more slow on the onset. I am experiencing rapid shedding to this day

If you ever decide to take Propecia, make sure you also ask your doctor for an aromatase inhibitor (like anastrozole/arimidex, letrozole). Propecia is a 5-AR t. ii inhibitor which will route a portion of your serum testosterone to the aromatase enzyme pathway to yield more estrogen, which may cause gynecomastia (male breast formation), belly fat, and decreased libido, among others.

There is one other compound that looks promising called Equol which actually binds to DHT instead of inhibiting the 5-AR enzyme which was briefly discussed on hairsite.com.

Good luck and best of health.

Hi everyone. I'm an 18 year old female who took accutane for 7 months, 40 mg for the first 5 mos and 80 mg for the last 2 mos. My roots were extremely dry during accutane. I could get away with washing my once-greasy hair once every two weeks. I feel like it took all of the sebum out of my hair, but I wasn't losing hair while on Accutane.

This medication cleared up my skin dramatically, but I am having pretty severe hair loss now that I am 3 months post treatment.

Just running my hands through my hair pulls out about 5-6 strands and I lose about 200-300 everytime I take a shower.

All of the strands come out from the root, but the root is no longer long and flexible like it would have been pre-tane... instead its a very small white bulb that is all dry. It is definitely in the "telogen" phase from what I can tell. However, sometimes when the hairs come out, the root is only missing in some parts... it looks almost like a chunk of the root was cut out of the middle but the rest of the normal pre-tane root is still there. Has any one else experienced this?

Also, is there any chance of getting my pre-accutane roots back? Maybe once all of the Accutane is out of my system they will grow back?

I have really thick hair so although I've been losing a lot of hair consistently for 2 months you can't tell as of yet. I am putting coconut oil on my scalp everytime I wash my hair, but I'm wondering if there's something else that I should be doing to grow the strong roots back before the hair has fallen out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have a question, can an itchy scalp be an indicator of hair loss? I know I'm paranoid but I can't just chalk it up to an itchy scalp.

 

After I wash my hair the itch persists and returns the following morning. It doesn't hurt or cause any swelling, it's just rather annoying.

 

At times I feel like I have a couple of pimples on my scalp, what can I do about this? Is it foreshadowing new hair loss?

 

 

I was having the same problem a few days ago "itchy pimples" I think it was the steroid solution I was applying at night. Ive stopped using it for few days and I'm not itchy anymore and pimples are going away BUT... there's always something new, NOW I have some pain/soreness at the very top of my head. Tender when I touch. This fucking SUCKS!

 

I'm stilling shedding maybe little less, Im probably down to about 100 hairs a day when I wash it and 65 on all other days. Im getting use to the shedding, I'm growing hair just nowhere near enough! But this scalp discomfort is a problem gives me a headache

 

SClippers : I have the same questions. I dont really understand "scalp inflammation/itching and hair loss" Is your scalp flakey? Do you feel that heat sensation when you touch your scalp?

 

 

I now go sun bathing and itch and my scalp in general feels amazing. My hair too... I can finally look in the mirror without feeling emo. This happens every once in a while, I look fine and then my hair changes.

 

Could it be the sun sparking hair growth? This is very confusing and weird.

 

Very common in alopecia areata. Many people regrow their hair when they spend a long time out in the sun. It works systemically, so has an effect on your immune system. It doesn't even need to shine on your scalp to have an effect.

This is why i use sunbeds....They aren't as bad as people make out (so long as you don't go red).

well its official, taking accutane for 9 days RUINED my life. got my scalp biopsy results back today.....MPB. i dont really understand how though. maybe TE induced MPB as i have been shedding nonstop since last november. this is so freaking depressing, 22 years old!!!! guess ill fill my propecia prescription tomorrow...

 

is there any margin for error in these scalp biopsies? my scalp has never been inflamed or anything and my hairloss is from all over my head, not just the hairline and crown

This is why Prof Chu doesn't use biopsys, they aren't reliable in our form of hairloss. When your hair is shedding like mad, if your a male ofcourse the MPB are more likely to deteriorate, even if you DON'T have MPB.

I have read in studies that diffuse alopecia areata progresses into alopecia totalis much of the time. If this is true, and it is true that many of us have diffuse alopecia areata, I wonder if that means we are destined to lose all the hair on our head. If the problem is persistent for a lifetime, what would stop it from causing us to lose all the hair on our heads if it truly is diffuse. Accutane wasn't introduced until the late 80's so many of the oldest people who took it are only in their 40's now. It would be interesting to know what kind of hair would remain on someones head who has been afflicted with diffuse aa from accutane after say 50 years? Is there anyone with an opinion on whether this inevitably will become alopecia totalis?

Well the sides of my head (bits above my ears) is getting very bad these days, i have small bad patches directly above my ears....i need to extend my lasers to cover this area....I will make a full scalp one soon (when funds permit).

I know people who have had this for ten years + they aren't bald but say the hair is very thin all over. I.e. sun can shine right through.

In general it would appear they develope a mature hairline (which is part of the natural aging process) and lose about 60-70% of their density after this period. These are people who do not use any treatments though....

People shouldn't get hung up on this shit though, decent treatments will be out soon....Don't take anything internally for this shit. Propecia isn't likely to help and can cause some terrible sides in accutane patients. DO NOT TOUCH IT.

well its official, taking accutane for 9 days RUINED my life. got my scalp biopsy results back today.....MPB. i dont really understand how though. maybe TE induced MPB as i have been shedding nonstop since last november. this is so freaking depressing, 22 years old!!!! guess ill fill my propecia prescription tomorrow...

 

is there any margin for error in these scalp biopsies? my scalp has never been inflamed or anything and my hairloss is from all over my head, not just the hairline and crown

 

 

This is why Prof Chu doesn't use biopsys, they aren't reliable in our form of hairloss. When your hair is shedding like mad, if your a male ofcourse the MPB are more likely to deteriorate, even if you DON'T have MPB.

 

If a biopsy can test for certain things that are present with alopecia areata, then how is it not helpful in diagnosing our hairloss, if thats what we have?