Well first of all, I'd like to reassure you that while it's noticeable that you had more hair in high school, you still look beautiful in your second picture.

I never had any hair loss until I got off the birth control pill last june, and then it all just started falling out! I always had thin hair, too, so it only took a month or two before it was brutally obvious that I was literally balding! It was so hard on me.

I couldn't get doctors to care anything about my hair loss (yet). They called it 'just a vanity issue' :explode: But I did a lot of reading about it and just started trying things. I found a few things that have been like a miracle for me, and my hair is WAY better now, and getting better all the time.

I detailed what exactly I'm doing on another thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/843680-hair-loss?page=1#posts-12811157

Of course, we are all different, and what works for one woman might not work for another, but it's worth a try, especially considering I'm not on any prescription medication. I wish you the very best :flowerforyou:

I've been having issues with hair loss for the last three months or so.

My doctor has said there is nothing they can do as all my blood tests etc. are normal. They will believe that it will take time to grow back (around 4 months). They suggested that I wash my hair as little as possible, wear it down and try not to style it. They also said I should eat more red meats.

I've been taking a skin, hair and nail vitamin once a day too for the last month which contains Biotin.

Hope this helps.

Recently I went to see an herbal pharmacist. I thought it was hokey at first, but this guy really knew his stuff. He explained that some people can have hair loss even in the absence of any abnormalities in the blood, because your skin has it's own metabolism and hormones, in addition to those for the rest of your body. Sometimes the skin literally has trouble transporting the nutrients that you are feeding your body to the ends of the capillaries in your skin. One way to tell if this could be a contributor to your problem is if your lips are blue-ish. He gave me a tea to make twice a day which is supposed to support skin functioning. I do that in addition to my hair, skin, and nail vitamins. My hair has come a long way.

I didn't really address the problem scientifically and try one thing at a time, so I can't isolate which thing helped the most....but if your vitamins aren't helping, perhaps look around for a tea or vitamin which is specifically intended to promote skin FUNCTIONING or METABOLISM. However, one month is not a long time for vitamins...they may still work well for you!

Is your scalp oily, or do you have dandruff? If so, I personally disagree with the advice not to wash your hair...too much oil on your scalp can literally choke hair follicles, which results in hair falling out. I've seen this recommended to teenagers a lot when they have oily hair, but just like acne, the things that helped teenagers with these issues don't necessarily work for us, because they stem from different things. I started using clinical strength head & shoulders, which is indicated for seborrheic dandruff, which results from hormonal imbalance. I do agree with not using a lot of heat styling or products in your hair and not dying it until you start to see progress. Then again, I'm not a doctor. But what I did worked for me, so I hope it helps someone else, too. Good luck!

I have this too. Mostly in my bangs, but some through the top of my head. My doctor put me on low-androgen birth control pills (Miracette) and high dose (150mg) spironolactone to help fight the androgenic alopecia (AGA, the male patterned hair loss women with PCOS can get). I don't know if it will reverse it, but it should slow it down. The problem is excess testosterone, so the birth control ups your estrogen (hair on your scalp likes estrogen, it's why pregnant women get such great hair) and the spironolactone is an anti-androgen that drops your testosterone. It helps with facial hair and acne too.

I would also suggest you look for a shampoo that removes DHT from your scalp. Dihydrotestosterone is what is on your scalp that is interrupting your hair growth. Nizoral is one brand, Joico makes a system called Clinicure that does this that smells much better than the Nizoral.

I also take a ton of Biotin. 7500mg a day. My hair also was falling out from the weight loss - double whammy! After several months of Biotin and upping my calories, it's coming back like crazy. I also take saw palmetto and drink spearmint tea, which are both purported to help.

Here are two sites that greatly helped me:

http://hcp.obgyn.net/infertility/content/article/1760982/1968476 (this one you have to register to read, but it's free. It's a guide for PCOS hair loss that is easy to understand and worth sharing with your doctor. It's written by doctors. My doctor really appreciated it and followed the recommendations in it)

http://www.drnandunne.com/?p=1053 (this lists both natural and medical treatments and worth reading)

I'm so sorry you're going through this. It's so disheartening, I know.

I would also suggest you look for a shampoo that removes DHT from your scalp. Dihydrotestosterone is what is on your scalp that is interrupting your hair growth. Nizoral is one brand, Joico makes a system called Clinicure that does this that smells much better than the Nizoral.

A few months ago (I think it was last October), I went from pharmacy to pharmacy while I was back in the states looking for Nizoral shampoo. Couldn't find it anywhere! I tried Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and at least 1 or 2 more. The pharmacists told me it was on indefinite back order because they had stopped making it, or switched manufacturers, or something. I've also looked here in Germany, but so far haven't spotted any.

Have you bought it recently? I'd still like to try it at some point, but haven't had any luck finding it. In the mean time, I've been happy with clinical strength Head & Shoulders.

i do not have pictures of my hair, but I have gone through the same thing. I have a couple of natural remedies that has worked for me that you may want to try. I take Saw Palmetto pills twice a day, these are vitamins that you can get from walmart for about $8.00 that is a natural diuretic. It helps with acne and thinning hair some women have reported fuller breast as well. It is usually prescribed for men w/prostate problems but it works for PCOS as well. Second, you can make your own shampoo and conditioner. Most OTC products have harsh chemicals. I use liquid castille soap. you can get this from whole foods or a local organic store. and chemicals to treat my condition. Google herbs to see what would work best for you. Herbs that stimulate hair growth are Horsetail, Burdock Root, Rosemary and Sage. But there are countless others. All you would need to do is boil the herbs like you would a bag of tea, let it steep for 45-60min and use a fine strainer to remove the herbs. Add the juice to about 2-4oz of soap and store it in a glass container in your fridge for about 2weeks. For conditioning good old fashioned mayonaise, egg and apple cider vinegar and distilled water does the trick...gives hair protein and organic apple cider vinegar strengthens and offers shine. Hope this gives you enough base information to get you started.

I think your hair (and you) still look great! I would not look at you and say "She is losing hair" if I just saw you on the street.
That said, hair loss is a symptom that I have dealt with as well. It is very scary - mostly because you don't know when it's going to stop and how little hair you'll have by then!
I never had this problem when I was on birth control or the first time I went off (to conceive my daughter). This second time I went off - holy crap! The thing that has worked for me has been Metformin. It did take a few months (this is normal because the life cycle of hair is two to three months) but now I only lose a normal amount.