oily scalp and hair loss

Dear Dr,

I am a girl, 23 year old and used to have thick hair. about 2 years ago. i noticed my hair is getting thinner and thinner. i went to the dermatology before.. but as i used to have thick hair.. so they couldnt realize i have any problem with my hair. so they didnt really took it as a serious problem. they said it is normal to lose hair.

untill now, it getting worse..my situalation is not extremely bad.. i am loosing number of hair after i ve washed my hair. i wash my hair 3-4X per week. but still my scalp is very oily ( especially the top of my scalp (also the worse place of hair loss, i almost cant cover it anymore) my scalp is oily, sometimes itchy aswell, and also have "scalp pain" some area of the scalp, i also find some white/yellow crust something at the root of my hair frequently ( there are a lot) i cant really see the back side.. but i have also dandruff problem.

I tried to wash my hair everyday, but situation is worse, it became less oily but hair loss problem is the same.
i ve tried many shampoo, anti hair loss, anti oil hair, shampoo with tree oil, aloe till baby shampoo..but none of them worked. i searched a lot on internet and also paid attention about vitamines and foods. but my scalp is still oily and hair loss problem never stopped.

I am really worry about it. as i said before, my situation is not extremely bad, but i do not want to wait till the worse situation before the doctor finally take seriously of my problem..

Please help me! many thanks!!!

[aannie12334]

hmm are you stressed at all? sometimes that can cause a factor in hairloss. i have barbie doll thin hair and its a pain. mine falls out quite a bit also when i wash or brush. i only try to wash my hair every second day. because washing it every day isnt very good for it. how much shampoo do you use?(i know its a silly question but some people just load up on it when they wash. my friend is one of them) when you wash try just a little bigger than the size of toothpaste you would use on a toothbrush. it may not lather up as much but thats fine repeat a second time before using conditioner. using baby shampoo worked great for me. i would suggest going to your dr and demanding them to take it serious tell them that you're tired of an oily scalp and scared that all your hair will be gone. tell them about the dandruff and the soreness and the yellow stuff. drs are dumb sometimes and just dont like to listen to their patience. its hard to find that one good dr. i have been looking for ages myself. best of luck though! :)

[meniere135]

It sounds like your male hormones are too high.  You need to have your total testosterone and your free testosterone checked.  You might be able to get a regular doctor to check these or you might want to go see an endocrinologist (a hormone doctor).  You are too young to be losing hair.  It's definitely worth getting checked out.
They might check other bloodwork too.  Give it a try.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For the hair fall, causes could be due to stress, fungal infections, alopecia aereata, hormonal imbalance (overproduction of dihydrotestosterone and thyroid hormones irregularities),malnutrition, telogen effluvium and sebum plugs on skin.

Telogen effluvium is nonscarring alopecia characterized by diffuse hair shedding, often with an acute onset. There is a chronic form also which persists for a longer duration and starts with insidious onset.

I suggest you to get an evaluation done from a trichologist. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.