Hair Loss...

I am a 44 year old female and only once before have experienced T.E. - 3 years ago I had surgery and 2 months after the surgery my hair was shedding terribly - it lasted a couple of months and subsided and most of the hair came back. NOW, it's happening again - for the past 4 months I have been experiencing rapid hair loss - 150-200 hairs a day. I realized it started when I was taking a birth control pill - Apri - I started taking it 2-1/2 months ago.  When I heard hair loss is a side effect of certain BCP's, I stopped taking it immediately (which was mid-month) - during that time my hair was also sooooooo dry - I could blow dry my hair in 2 minutes which used to take 15 minutes. Anyway, it's been one month since I stopped taking the BCP and my hair is STILL falling out! I heard if their is any BCP still left in my system it would be insignificant. My hair does feel better - softer and not so dry BUT it's still coming out - 100-150 hairs per day or more. Am I now experiencing TE again? Would that happen so soon? (one month) My head also itches like crazy and when I scratch more hair comes out. HELP!!

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

For the uninitiated, TE stands for telogen effluvium, the shedding of resting hairs 3 months or so after a "shock" to the system.  Such shocks include: childbirth, fever, surgery, or hormone changes (like starting or stopping the birth control pill.)  This situation results in losing many more than the narmal average of 100 hairs/day.  The condition is temporary, as ht ebody's rhythm reasserts itself.

The change in hormone status is what seems to be at issue in your case, not the pill itself.  As such, it doesn't matter that the pill is "out of the system."  Your body will adjust, just as it most likely would have had you stayed on the pill.

Your scalp is itching becuase you're afraid you're going bald, which you almost surely are not.

Have a skin doctor check you out, for proper diagnosis and peace of mind.  Treat your hair gently but normally.  Consider going back on the oill if you need or want to.  And relax

Best.

Dr. Rockoff