Can Miniaturization of Hair Follicles be reversed?

[little gurl]

Please help.  I am 41 yrs old, african-american and German, and have always had EXTREMELY thick, slightly coarse hair.  I've been using chemical relaxers since i was 15 years of age. I also use Cellopane (very temporary) hair color. I have had a series of hair shedding, beginning in 1988, every few years--after a stressful period.  I have seen the hair expert Vera Price, MD. at UCSF about this problem on three occassion. I saw her last November after 9 years and was sadly disappointed when she said "Stress, unless very severe, does not cause hair loss."  I am virtually positive that my shedding stress related. I'm a psychologist and just finished a year of licensing exams, etc.  Now, I'm in a really stressful job. I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and have taken medication. (I was taking Serzone (antidepressant) but recently stopped because of FDA warnings of Liver complications. I've tried all the other antidepressants, but am too sensitive to tolerate them.) My concern is that in addition to these episodic hair sheddings, the INDIVIDUAL HAIRS, when they regrow,HAVE BECOME MUCH THINNER!  I saw a dermatologist at Kaiser last October and she confirmed that I have "miniaturization of the hair follicles."  CAN THIS MINIATURIZATION PROCESS BE REVERESED? I've been shedding now for the past 6 weeks and am getting very concerned. I know the hairs will grow, but some of them are so thin.  I'm REALLY SCARED.  please help. Would Rogaine help?  I just started using Nioxin, 3 weeks ago.  Please help, my hair is starting to look really weird and it's making me very anxious--which is not helping the problem.  
Sincerely Yours, angela

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Angela:

I would like to give you some hopeful or at least definitive answers, but unfortunately I can't.  As people age, hair thins out to some extent, even in those who have a lot of hair and never go bald.  As for the change in hair diameter you say you see, that is not a typical and expected part of aging, but it doesn't point to a specific condition either.

"Miniaturization" is the term used when people lose their hair and the follicle shrivels up.  As the dermatologist didn't do a biopsy, I'm not sure what the basis of the diagnosis was.

Dr. Price is correct that oridnary stress doesn't cause much if any hair loss, and that which it may cause is reversible.  Since Dr. Price is one of the leading experts on hair disorders, I think the prudent thing is to reconsult her.  She may recommend Rogaine, which helps a bit but takes effort to apply, or else Biotin, a hair vitamin, or perhaps she'll have another suggestion.  She may also recommend that you consider discontinuing hair relaxing, since that can contribute to hair shedding after a number of years.

But you don't need to be so scared, Angela--it certainly doesn't sound as though you are actually doing more than thinning a bit, not going bald, and everyone ends up a bit thinner than when they started, even if they continue to have a "full head of hair" as far as anyone else can tell.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff