Concerned About My 14-Year-old Daughter's Hairloss

I don't want to alarm you but my sister-in-law (32 years old) was just diagnosed with alopecia (no clue how to spell that!). She lost all of her hair, including eyebrows and bodily hair. They are putting her on steroids next week to help the hair grow back.

Again I hope that doesn't scare you but her symptoms sound the same as Katrina's.

L.

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If the hair loss wasn't mentioned to the doctor, (s)he probably wouldn't do the thyroid tests T3, T4, TSH. I am not a doctor, but it sounds like a potential sluggish thyroid issue. Does your daughter also feel cold when others don't? Does she have dry skin? Flaking nails? Trouble with weight? These are some other characteristics of a thyroid condition. It's easily treated with synthroid, or its equivalent. There are natural remedies, too, something with iodine, I think...but personally, I wouldn't mess around with something that could potentially be very serious.

I would give her Silica gel (comes in a bottle in a blue box with a crystal on it) from the health food store. Take it for several months at a minimum before giving up on it. It also strengthens nails.

I'd also use Hylands BioXII tissue salts internally on a daily basis and Barleans Lemon Zest fish oil. Most people are short on essential fatty acids. This one doesn't taste like fish even a little bit.

There's a pretty expensive shampoo that works well for hair growth. Thymuskin I think. If not message me and I'll search for the name. Several people I know have used this successfully.

Just so you know, its normal to lose about 100 hairs/day, so that could be wear the hair is coming from... Especially if its thick and lovely as you mentioned. I have really curly hair, and if I only wash every other day, HANDFULS come out! If you don't see bald spots, I wouldn't be terribly concerned...

Have you had her thyroid checked out? Hairloss can be a symptom of thyroid problems. If it is in clumps then it could be alopecia areata which is usually circular bald spots. I would go to an endocrinologist and have some more extensive blood work done. I have very thin hair and it got worse after I had my kids. In my case it is hereditary my mom also has thin hair.

Hi C.,

I shop from a company called Melaleuca and they have haircare products without harsh chemicals in them. Our products have tea-tree oil which is an excellent medicinal natural alternative to shampoos on the market that have formaldehyde in them. When you shop there, you have to be referred by someone so if you're interested send me an email and I'll give you the information about it.

I know it has helped a teen that my friend knows with hairloss (alopecia), it's worth a shot!

K.

At first when I read your post I thought vitamins, she must be deficient in something, then I googled it. I found it could have something to do with her thyroid, it could be a fungus, it could be stress.. There are a few things, I would take her back to either her Dr. or a dermatologist to get some answers. While it may not be bothering her (or she isn't letting you know it really is), kids might be noticing and before she knows it they might be picking on her, and more importantly if something is wrong medically you need to find out now.
Good luck.

What about checking her thyroid. Hair loss is a very big sign. If everything is coming back normal, and thank God for that, why not have that checked. It wouldn't hurt. Good luck.

I would google what can cause hair loss. I'm pretty sure lack of certain vitamins can cause it. Also if she is really skinny, I have heard that can cause hair loss. too. Did anyone mention being underweight at her last checkup? You might want to call and talk to the doctor yourself.

Hi C.,
I would advise you to contact your daughter's doctor, who will probably send you to a dermatologist and/or an endocrinologist, who can do testing to find out what the source of the hair thinning may be. Good luck!

I agree w/ Lynsey..your daughter may have alopecia. I would take her to the doctor first and then maybe a hair loss specialist, or even a dermatologist. It could be a number of things, but alopecia does exactly as what you described. Best Wishes.

Hi C.-
Usually stress and diet leads to hair loss. You should speak to her Dr. about it.
Hope this helps
K.

Hi Crisitina,
I would take her to an endocrinologist right away. She may have a thyroid issue or even PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome). Have you noticed any issues with her periods? Does she have acne? They will have her get blood work done and test for these. Good luck. I hope it is an easy solution for you!
~ C.

check to make sure that her adrenals are good (through a saliva test taken 4 times in one day because the blood test is only taken in the morning, so you don't get a full days worth of info.) also have her hormome levels checked as well as her thyroid. all of these things alone or in some combo can cause hair loss.

i would take her to an endcronologist. i myself have a thryoid problem and the symtoms are hair loss, put her hands out to see if they are a little shaky. she may need to be on synthroid. i am. her thryoid levels seem a little off.

Dear C.,
You have a right to be concerned. Your daughter is hitting puberty, if not there already. Puberty begins robbing women of calcium (meaning they need more calcium). Calcium is the basis for hair, nail, and bone growth. So, when hair shows up on the brush, or nails are breaking or brittle, we women have a problem. Does your daughter drink milk, eat yogurt, eat cheese, to get her source of calcium? Sorry, ice cream does not count.
Look to nutrition, it always helps.
W.

Has her diet changed recently? My cousin is a vegetarian and has a lot of food allergies, plus she's got her random dislikes to top it off. Her hair is very thin, like a baby's, and won't grow much past her shoulders. Maybe your daughter is suddenly missing some important vitamins or minerals. I don't have any medical info to back that up, just personal observations.

It could be aloepcha my husband has that and he lost all of his hair frist at the age of 2 then again at the age of 17. He hasn't had any hair since. There are many different forms of it. His mother has the form where it's very thin. I hope that helps

Could be a thyroid problem, which isn't a standard test to give a 14 year old. Call her doctor, and explain your concerns!

I don't have any cures or suggestions for this but I am wondering why you haven't talk about this problem with her doctor??

Too much oil in the scalp can cause hair loss as well as vitamin deficencies. Make sure she uses a shampoo for oil hair. Talk her into getting her hair layered, so there isn't so much pulling on it. Check out a nutritionist. She may be laking vitamin E and might have to eat more red meats.

Please make sure she doesnt has a eating disorder, because they do cause hair loss and this is often the age they start. Girls can be really secretive.
take care
E.

Many other people have mentioned the thyroid problem. I just wanted to add to that a heads up to keep track of her periods. A common combination of symptoms, all related to hormone regulation, is infrequent but heavy periods with severe cramping, hair loss, and weight gain. I had a horrible time with it in high school and college. It was rediculously easy to treat just by going on the pill...once I told the doctor all of my symptoms and he realized what the problem was. (It is all related to the thyroid, but my tests always came back borderline o.k., so nothing was ever done about that.)

Hope that was helpful.

get het thyroid checked. thinning hair was one of my main symptoms. you may want to consider a weave if it is bothering her.