Worried about thinning hair.

[NotInPortland]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum but have been reading here as an unregistered member for a while picking up haircare tips and admiring some gorgeous heads of hair :) I've always loved long hair and had hip length hair when I was younger but got it cut a few years ago, and now I am wanting to grow it as long as possible again! I've only just really started to pay more attention to my hair and how I look after it which is how I stumbled into this forum! I'm not sure how long my hair is exactly but it's currently a bit past BSL with no real effort put into it, just letting it grow between cuts which are usually spaced fairly far apart. I got a bit of a fright yesterday when I was messing with my hair so I just wanted to post this here in the hope that someone can give me some advice :) So onto my worry...

I was looking at some different bun styles in the forum the other day and was messing around trying some new styles. I decided to take pictures of the back of my head to see how they were turning out, and to my horror when I was looking at the first picture I took I noticed that I could see my scalp through my hair in parts of the crown of my head. My hair has always been fairly thin and fine and I've never really paid too much attention to what my hair looked like from the back but it's really worrying me now that my hair is thinning and that this isn't normal for me. I've attached a picture that I took last night with my hair down, it's not the best and my hair is messy but you get the general idea. Also just to add I'm 20 years old (21 next month). Does anyone have any idea of what I could do, am I right in thinking it's looking unnaturally thin? I'm a bit worried :o

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/NotInPortland/hair.png

[Pandora.]

I'd suggest taking biotin pills or castor oil. They tend to make hair grow back thicker.

[Honestwitness]

I know what you mean about not noticing things about your hair until you take pictures of it. Once I joined LHC, I started photographing my hair like a fiend. As a result, I discovered my hair has a thin area at the nape. For all I know, it could have been there since my 20s. Because it's pretty much hidden under my canopy, most people would never notice it, thank goodness. If you want to get a really good look at it, you can go to my "Hair Weaknesses" album. (You'll have to wait until after your 25th post, though.)

Anyway, l do think your hair looks a bit too thin for a 21-year-old.

I was told by my allergy doctor that a thinner area on the scalp might mean a thyroid condition. He said he doesn't treat hair problems, but that I should go to my primary care physician about it, which I haven't done yet. Because I'm 61, I think it might just be an aging thing for me.

I have read lots of advice here at LHC about increasing hair growth. In order to do it right, I figure I will have to be scientific about it and write down everything I do. So far, I'm feeling too lazy to do that. So I just continue to live with it and hope no one notices.

[Tutti_Frutti]

Are you already taking a multivitamin supplement? If you don't maybe you could start using it along with the biotin pills. I also recommend visiting a doctor. Good luck!

[NotInPortland]

Thanks for the replies :) I'm not currently taking any sort of supplements apart from a vit. C supplement that I take in the colder months to boost my immune system. I will look into taking biotin and maybe a multivitamin supplement and hopefully that may help!

Honestwitness-yes that's it exactly, because I've never paid too much attention to the hair on the back of my head up until now I'm wondering if my hair has been like this for a while or if it's something more recent which makes it harder to try and see if there is something that may have triggered a thinning in my hair. It definitely seems thin to me as well, but I asked my mother to take a look at it because I'm at home over the next few days and she doesn't seem to understand why I'm worried about it and says it's probably just because my hair is so fine but I'm not convinced!

[cataphract]

I also recommend seeing a doctor, especially since you're concerned about it. As previously mentioned, thyroid conditions can cause hair loss. PCOS can also cause hair loss. Both issues are better taken care of as soon as possible.

[NotInPortland]

I also recommend seeing a doctor, especially since you're concerned about it. As previously mentioned, thyroid conditions can cause hair loss. PCOS can also cause hair loss. Both issues are better taken care of as soon as possible.

Thanks for the advice, maybe I should have it checked out just to be sure and to see if there is an underlying problem. From my picture above would you say I'm definitely right in thinking it looks very thin?

[cataphract]

Personally, I would say it looks pretty thin. Seeing the doctor could help you suss out whether it's supposed to be thin (genetics) or if it's being caused by something that you might want to treat, though.

[NotInPortland]

Personally, I would say it looks pretty thin. Seeing the doctor could help you suss out whether it's supposed to be thin (genetics) or if it's being caused by something that you might want to treat, though.

Yes going to the doctor would probably be my best move, the only thing is it's expensive to see a doctor here (55 euro for a quick visit!) and me being a poor student and all, but I suppose my health is most important so I'll try to book an appointment soon! Thanks again for your input I appreciate it, it's nice to talk to people with an interest in hair, none of my friends or family seem to understand any of my hair concerns :p :)