Question:
Has anyone had hairloss prior to surgery due to obesity?
I have been losing hair like crazy this past year, it just keeps getting worse. None of the doctors I have seen can figure out whats wrong. I have had thighroid tests- all normal. They have tested my hormones and my tastostarone (sp?) is slightly elevated but that's it. I am at my highest weight, I have been losing lots of hair on my head and growing facial hair and more hair on my legs. My PCP thinks maybe it's just because Im overweight so if I lose alot of weight my hair will grow back. I am worried that is not the problem and that it will never grow back. I just turned 24- I am not ready for this. Any info or responce would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! — kristikat82 (posted on July 12, 2006)
July 12, 2006
i really dont know , but suggest you look under hair loss on the internet .
Find out if anyone else in your family had this condition . It could be
inherited . They have all different reasons on the internet . I would check
it out for sure .I don't think its being overweight .
It could also be hormones . Drs don't always know . sometimes you just have
to keep researching till you think you have the answer or finally finds a
dr who really knows due to an experience with a pt the dr has had before
.Sorry i could not help more . good luck .Debbie
— losingit
July 12, 2006
I can think of only 2 reasons for this: extreme anxiety and polycystic
ovary syndrome. You said in your profile how scared you are of all your
doc appts, and preparing for surgery can be a daunting task. Especially a
surgery that changes your life forever! Extreme stress can wreak havoc on
your system. I have PCOS - one of the symptons is the growth of facial
hair. However, I have never heard of anyone losing hair head with PCOS.
But this could also explain the elevated levels of hormons and
testosterone. I don't think it's the weight. Like the other poster said,
study up on those 2 on the internet. PCOS can be diagnosed by your gyno.
An endocryonologist can help you with it. It isn't the end of the world -
tons here have it. If it's anxiety, maybe some counseling would help
alleviate your fears. And........maybe I could be wrong on both counts!
=o) lol. I hope you can find out what's wrong. Good luck to you!
— platypus
July 12, 2006
Have you been tested for diabetes? My aunt lost a lot of her hair when she
was diagnosed with diabetes. Don't want to scare you, but just something to
look into.
— Vanessa C.
July 12, 2006
I have read that being very overweight can cause excess hair growth in
women. I did read an explanation, but I do not remeber it. Something to
do with estrogen.
— Novashannon
July 12, 2006
PCOS:( Kinda the being oif diabetes, sort of according to my wifes doc.
Causes all sorts of hormonal problems mood swings etc.
— bob-haller
July 13, 2006
I started losing my hair about 2 yrs ago. I thought it was because of
extreme stress of life changes and situations. When I was in dr office
preop, I had several tell me that being overweight and/or being diagnosed
with diabetes makes you lose your hair,(not all of it, but a lot). They
said after their surgery their hair came back in. (after a few months). I
still have some hair, but am waiting for it to grow back in. No new hair.I
should know in 4-6 mos if it will come back in like it was. My thyroid was
tested also and at first they said it was ok, then decided it was a little
low, so I'm on med for it. But I am much older than you.
— geneswife
July 13, 2006
Hi Christinia,
I too have PCOS since I was 14 now I'm 42.
Throu my teenage years I had lost alot of hair and still loosing hair, had
menses early,hormone problem etc. There are alot of side effects in having
PCOS. I haven't had menses now since 5 years ago and at times only spot.
Everytime I brush my hair I get globs of hair coming out and also in just
washing my hair. I haven't had the surgery yet but am suppose to have it on
07/20 but now Im getting over pnemonia so not sure about surgery date. I
would check with an endocrine specialist. Some OBY GYN's will send you to
the specialist and some wont. Let me know what happens with you
— Kathleen Robinson
July 14, 2006
PCOS and hirsutism seem to ring a bell in my head as going together...also
the high testosterone would make sense. Maybe you could do a websearch of
these conditions and see if they make sense to you. Regards~
— Statuesque
July 18, 2006
Christina, I am a nurse and have had problems with facial hair and thinning
hair on top of my head for a long time preop. I saw a endocrinologist and
had blood work which showed I had adrenal hyperplasia. It is not a bad
diagnosis, but it causes excess testosterone which causes thinning hair and
more facial hair. (P.S. Bald men have higher levels of testosterone than
men with hair.) The treatment for this was to take Aldactone which is
usually used for blood pressure reduction, but an endocrinologist knows
Aldactone will decrease the testosterone levels. My advice is to see an
endocrinologist to rule out the above. Margie
— muffin56
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