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Do I have androgenic alopecia?
Hi all,
I've been researching very hard for the last two days about my hair loss and I think I have one of : androgenic alopecia, chronic telogen effluvium or diffuse alopecia areata.
i'm 21 yrs old, asian female, and i have mild PCOS.
my hair loss started four years ago when i colored my hair at home with garnier nutrisse hair dye.. i left the dye on for an hour.. my scalp was red but it wasn't burning or painful.. when i washed the dye off my hair fell out in clumps.. i was shedding like crazy for months.
the hair loss has slowed down but even after all these years it still hasn't completely stopped.. i lose 100 hairs a day. i notice my hair texture has changed from medium to fine hair.. most of the hairs that fall out are fine hairs.. i see these really thin, small,light, baby hairs.. (miniaturization or just weak hair? im not sure)
the pattern of hair loss is all over my scalp and not just on top of my head. i definitely notice the thinning and my part is getting wider. i've lost about 20% of my hair.
all my blood tests are normal including thyroid hormones, iron, vitamins, testosterone, free testosterone, DHEAS, DHT, estrogen, LH, FSH, progesterone, prolactin, SHBG, etc..
ive had my testosterone levels measured 4 times over the last 4 years and they always came back normal or borderline low, usually 0.4 - 0.6 (normal 0.5 - 2.5).
my PCOS symptoms are hair loss, mild acne, excess body hair (thighs, arms, stomach, no facial hair). i had the acne and excess hair before my hair loss started.
ive tried anti androgen drugs, spironolactone, and now im on flutamide which is supposed to be the strongest. my acne has totally cleared up and i have almost no body hair but the flutamide hasn't helped with my hair loss at all. its only been 6 months, should i give it more time to work?
Androgenic alopecia:
For: PCOS, excess body hair, miniaturization, noticeable thinning
Against: hair loss over entire scalp, normal hormone levels, not responding to antiandrogen treatment
please comment, i would appreciate it so much, thank you
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