Experiencing Severe Stress Due to Hair Loss Despite Using Regaine'

Paige

Question: Regaine initially helped stop my shedding, and it decreased, which was a great feeling! But now after 6 months on Regaine, my shedding has returned with a vengeance, and is now back to the awful pre regaine shedding with hundreds of hairs falling everyday. This is now causing severe stress, and I don’t know where to turn. My GP hasn’t been remotely helpful, and hasn’t even offered advice. This is so traumatic for a woman, and it seems it’s even harder to treat? My hair was thick and healthy until menopause started. All the hair vitamins and herbal remedies have cost a fortune, but done nothing at all to help. Too many scams and too little help

Answer: Hi, Paige. We frequently hear that people feel let down by their GPs when it comes to hair loss but in many cases their hands are tied. It is a common issue and one that can generally be helped by clinically-proven treatments. However, hair loss treatment is not currently available on the NHS.

Firstly - and I know this is hard - do try not to worry so much about your shedding as stress can make the hair loss worse.

Secondly, the likely cause of this new hair fall depends on whether or not you have been using the Regaine continuously. If you have taken a break or not been as diligent with your treatment as necessary, stopping and starting again can cause a period of increased shedding.

If you have been applying the product as per the instructions, even during this period of intense hair fall, it could simply be due to periodic hair thinning as the hair growth cycle enters its shedding phase. Some people may experience significant hair loss despite using solutions such as Regaine.

In each of these instances the thinning you are currently enduring should last no more than three months. After that the hair loss should stabilise. This can occur due to the minoxidil initially extending the life cycle of your hair temporarily but once it reaches the end of its’ prolonged lifespan, it sheds. This is common within the first year of starting treatment.

As you mention you are experiencing a significant amount of hair fall we recommend you have a consultation just in case there are other factors at play. These could include an underlying illness, stress-related shedding or temporary shedding caused by the menopause.

It may also be the case that you are not using the optimum treatment for your situation - often courses are tweaked as they go along in order to always ensure the best chances of regrowth. At Belgravia we offer a number of formulations of high strength minoxidil as well as additional, drug-free hair growth boosters. This approach has produced, and continues to result in many Success Stories for our clients.

Having a professional assessment will provide you with a diagnosis of your precise hair loss condition - or conditions as there could be more than one present simultaneously which may account for the extra bout of shedding. A dedicated hair loss specialist can also talk you through what's happening and your options for treating it. We often hear from women who find even just taking that first step gives them a lot of comfort and helps them to feel less alone.