i am considering going on accutane and have a script for 20 mg. tablets to be taken twice a day. (this might be a dumb question but does that mean its a 40 mg dose?)
anyways, ive been doing a lot of reading on the net lately and the only thing that is putting me off is the relation between accutane and hair loss. some people have gone on it and started losing their hair during the dose and this had continued until after the treatment until bald. while others have lost hair a few years later and gone bald with no hair loss in the family genes.
what do you think? i dont want to risk going bald just to clear up my skin which might clear up in a few years becuase i am only 19.
maybe becuase my dose is low i wont be affected.
please tell me your thoughts
if you prefer your hair over acne at all don't do it. i wish i had done some research on this part of it before i took accutane. i knew of basically all the side effects but this one and makes me regret taking accutane. the psychological stress you go through when you shower and see clumps of hair in your hands is just not worth it, imo.
if you rather clear your skin then have hair, go ahead, but otherwise don't.
i am considering going on accutane and have a script for 20 mg. tablets to be taken twice a day. (this might be a dumb question but does that mean its a 40 mg dose?)
Yes 40 mg per day. There is a whole big thread on this topic but no, Accutane does NOT mean certain hair loss. I took my first course in 1993 and had no problems at all. There are some reports that it may speed up male pattern baldness in men who are genetically programmed for it, but in the vast majority of cases any hair loss/shedding caused by Tane is reversible. And when you think about it even people with cancer who lose their hair to chemo will grow it back. My advice is to take a B-complex (to help with the stress on your system from the Tane, which may be involved in hair loss) and flaxseed oil (keeps your scalp and skin from drying out as much, since a healthy scalp means healthy hair). And as always, talk to your derm with any concerns or questions, don't just go by us.
Rubbish Wendy, people who experience excessive shedding due to tane (either through Chonric TE, Alopecia arearta or other immune responses) often look as if they are suffering from MPB, but in reality they may never of lost any hair, and the simple fact that even if you are a woman and experience this excessive shedding you can look as if you are experiencing MPB.
Chemotherapy hairloss is different, it is anagen effluvium and is much more likely to recover than hairloss due to tane (unless you have plain and simple TE).
It is not as simple as saying it can speed up MPB that you were going to experience anyway, that is total rubbish. Just ask the females who suffer from accutane hairloss....
Rubbish Wendy, people who experience excessive shedding due to tane (either through Chonric TE, Alopecia arearta or other immune responses) often look as if they are suffering from MPB, but in reality they may never of lost any hair, and the simple fact that even if you are a woman and experience this excessive shedding you can look as if you are experiencing MPB.
Chemotherapy hairloss is different, it is anagen effluvium and is much more likely to recover than hairloss due to tane (unless you have plain and simple TE).
It is not as simple as saying it can speed up MPB that you were going to experience anyway, that is total rubbish. Just ask the females who suffer from accutane hairloss....
Questions answered by a doctor in the big hair loss thread-
In general, does Accutane accelerate MPB? Is miniaturization a function of time or of physical cycles?
Yes, Accutane can accelerate MPB by prompting the growth of new, crappier hairs after the old, good ones are shed. MPB is a function of time. One does not progress toward MPB with each new cycle, but generally through one's lifespan. In other words, at a specific age.
My hairs are fine all over my head, not just on my crown. To what extent does Accutane miniaturize hair follicles? What about "hair abnormalities"?
No clear answer. "Hair abnormalities" does not specifically refer to anything.
Explain in general the relationship between Accutane hair loss and MPB.
By shedding anagen hairs originally destined to remain in the head for 2 to 6 years, one begins growing new hair that is affected by MPB. In other words, by shedding hair through telogen effluvium, one's hair jumps forward to a cycle affected by MPB.
How many patients have you seen recover from Accutane hair loss?
All of them. She has had only six patients out of hundreds lose hair.
The point being, it's far from true that EVERYONE who takes it has permanent and irreversible hair loss (as evidenced by the fact that my hair is still on my head).
No one has EVER said that EVERYONE who takes it has permanent and irreverable hairloss. All i am saying is that it is very annoying when people don't experience any hairloss on the drug and then simply put permanent or prolonged hairloss down the the fact that we would of experienced it at some point anyway... That is far from the truth in a number of cases...
I would say the number of people who experience permanent hairloss from tane is under the 1% region...
