Female hair loss.

trouble is, if your hair loss is stress related and lose the stress when you retire or whatever, you then have the stress of the hair loss which I'm afraid you can't help - if that makes sense.

Tegan, I totally sympathise as you have expressed my feelings exactly . I have hereditary hair loss and the only advice I got from my doctor was to wear a hat! I never feel happy with my appearance whatever I am wearing because of my thin hair and have thought of a wig but am nervous about wearing one. I tell myself that I am healthy and should be grateful for that and I am, as I know that people have far worse to contend with than thin hair, but it doesn't help much. I have had blood tests but no problem with thyroid either and it seems there is no miracle cure. Hate going to the hairdressers and seeing others with luscious locks as I feel so self conscious, just wish there was more research into hereditary hair loss as it causes distress to many women although sometimes I feel I am the only woman to suffer!!

Something I did think about today when I was sweeping up leaves in the garden and that is that I make a point of looking at other womens hair. There's a lady in a shop I go in that has hair identical to mine [we're probably of a similar age as well] and I sort of monitor her situation [ie how much wider her parting has got since the last time I saw her]. But then I thought that other people don't do that so probably don't notice. Men don't notice things anyway much. Younger men just look on me as old anyway so the only people that do notice are other women. And. therein lies the dilemma, because women are more likely to notice that I've got on; a topper or a full wig etc. And I can just joke about it. What Katy said about the lady on the bus is a worry because that is a nightmare scenario and if that happened to me I'd probably become a recluse. I've just remembered when I had a job as a dinner lady and one of the girls called me over and said 'Miss, how do you get your hair to be so thin?' And this was over 20 years ago [she was actually being spiteful and I knew it]. And when I went to the hairdressers to have my hair done when I got married and they said there wasn't actually much they could do with it 'cause it was so thin. But when I look at photos from back then it looked really nice, so I wish I hadn't spent so many years worrying about it when it was ok [ish]. I also realised recently that I have got some lovely clothes but I'd stopped wearing them, partly because I was working long hours and was too tired to bother but also because I just wanted to disappear into the background. Like you say, it's such an unimportant thing in the grand scheme of things so we then feel guilty and rather self centered. But it's such a female thing, judging and being judged by our appearance isn't it? Another plan is to start wearing a brighter lipstick, because that would give a focal point that would draw attention away from my head. I always thought getting older lookswise was a challenge [ie not to look like the proverbial mutton dressed up as lamb] so this is just another challenge. At least it's good to know we're not on our own, isn't it.

Will have to try the lipstick trick!!

I have recently started wearing red lipstick to counteract that fading look.
Dyeing eyebrows if you have them as well. Go tegan get yourself a nice makeup makeover and wear some of the clothes you like.

Tegan - the lady on the bus found her own solution and is much better now. Sorry if that upset you or made you feel worried about your own. I was just trying to put across how difficult this is. My hair loss was much more severe than the bus lady's. It hasn't grown back and never thought I would find a solution but I did. I too wish I hadn't spent so many years worrying about it being thin when actually it was OK compared to what it is now and when I look back on old photos I think what on earth were you worrying about. And also things have moved on from 'toppers' now. There are what we call hair systems which are fabulous, real hair and no one would know it wasn't your own. They mix it in with your own hair and you can wash, curl, colour etc just as you would your own hair.
There is no help from the medical profession, but there is help to be found out there.

My hair ok till I had to take 3 courses of Steroids due to severe drug side-effects. I was waking with clumps of hair in my mouth and when combing,
I didn't dare brush.
It's taken 3 years for my hair to be reasonable, so lots of patience needed. Some excellent advice on thread, thank you.

tegan if you are going to that place in Newcastle when you are up here and want some company let me know and I will come with you.

I used to have my hair tied up and it looked lovely, but I only started doing that in my forties [perhaps it wasn't fashionable when I was younger]. The trouble is that I never looked right as a child, or a teenager or even in my twenties. I came into my own as I got older and the people I was envious of when I was younger started to pile on the pounds and suddenly didn't look good for their age. I had a husband that put me down and we were really broke. Then my marriage ended, my self confidence grew and I found myself being able to buy nice clothes. Then wham bam the hair starts to look awful! What happens with these hair systems when your own hair is very weak and falling out, though? Doesn't the 'new' hair fall out with it?

Do you know where it is, glass? I could use my bus pass to get to Newcastle [I think; I've yet to use it!]

Tegan - Your story is just like mine. Everything going well, then the hair falls out. No the new hair doesn't fall out with these systems. If you have a minute sometime, google Lucinda Ellery. She lost her hair when young and set up a company helping other women. Somewhere on youtube there is a video of how they do it. It looks scary but it really isn't, although it isn't cheap. Also helped a lady on 10 Years Younger programme, you can get this on youtube also.

I can't begin to imagine how much it must cost, but it's having it checked every couple of months that sound expensive. I'd better start doing the lottery! It looks amazing though.

Metro centre I think tegan

I have found this one
www.hothair.co.uk/Retail-Outlets-Location-Map.html

Or this one in Newcastle City Centre
www.hothair.co.uk/Retail-Outlets-Location-Map.html

I would like this one just to wear round the house, not to go out in.

KatyK Lucinda Ellery is the ex wife of the Mark of Mark Glenn I spoke about earlier. They devised the system together. When I was googling solutions I found that Mark Glenn's charges were lower. Never been to Lucinda Ellery but I can thoroughly recommend Mark. As I said though, it's travelling down for the regular maintenance that eventually did for me - if I lived in London I'd be going there still.

I've just had a look at Lucinda Ellery's website. I was interested at first to see that she has a base in Manchester, but to be honest I'd be happy to have hair like any of the "before" pictures! Mark's "befores" look a lot more challenging. There's a lot of good advice on his website too.

Hmm, and now I've had another look at Lucinda Ellery's, I must have been looking at the wrong area of the website. There are amazing transformations on there too. And they're in Manchester, which is a lot easier to get to for me. I'd better start saving up.....

Maggie I've never heard of Mark Glenn. All in all, I believe these Lucinda type solutions cost you about £150 per month including the bi-monthly maintenance visits etc, which is what I pay for what I found to help me.

Having met you, Tegan, I have to say that your hair didn't stand out as being fine or thin but I realise that it's about how one sees oneself.

I have a patch of very thin hair which disappears if I keep my highlights topped up. I am very self conscious about it. My mother, and hers, have/had very fine hair. DH's family have wonderful heads of wavy, thick hair which, luckily, all of our children, except DS1 have inherited.

It's easy for me to say this, Tegan, but try to embrace your inner beauty. If you go around with the face and garb of a bag lady,attention will be drawn ot the more unusual aspects of your appearance, eg your hair loss. Try to carry a happy, confident countenance. If you don't already, learn how to make the most of makeup, especially around your eyes which reflect your feelings. If it's making you really dpressed, see your doctor re counselling with a hair loss specialist. You should also be entitled to two free (or at least to a big discount) wigs on the NHS and, as I've already mentioned, there are some very natural-looking wigs around.

Well said, granniefae. Like you, it's easy for me to say at the moment, but I do think that's the way to go.

I just want to say that having treatment for an underactive thyroid isn't necessarily the answer. I've been taking levothyroxine for about 10 years now, and it hasn't made the slightest difference to my hair loss. Admittedly mine isn't too bad, and mostly in places where it doesn't show (I only have to do my underarms about twice a year) but it was the reason why I went to the doctors in the first place. My mother and 2 of my 3 sisters have much more severe loss than me on their heads (I don't know about other places) so I suppose it's hereditary, and I just have to live with it.

Like Kitty I have also had the pleasure of meeting you Tegan and was surprised, following this thread, to see how concerned you are about hair loss. I can't say that I noticed thinning hair or even what you were wearing (slim & stylish I think). The impression I took away was of a very articulate and interesting person, who could talk the hind leg off a donkey .