Dear All,

Thank you for all your replies. I spoke with 2 separate trichologists and did blood tests with my GP. Blood tests all normal and trichologists agree that this is caused by COVID and is alopecia areata, I have now been prescribed Steroid lotion for the area. Blood tests are all normal so nothing underlying I suppose. I really appreciate all your replies, thank you so much.

There’s an article in today’s Telegraph about this re Covid. Answer seems to be vitamin supplements and steroid cream for patches of hair loss.

sent you a PM

Thank you all. I have always had thinning hair so have always been on Philip Kingsley hair drops. But I was in hospital for a few days with Covid early Jan so not sure if you are right about Covid after effects. I am going for a blood test tomorrow to check if there’s something underlying that’s causing it.

Have you had Covid recently? If so hair loss is an after affect. The hair loss is worse than you would get with pregnancy or stress.

Sorry to hear of this stressful situation.
As a couple of others have said, it's a really good idea to get checked out (blood tests etc.) first to check for any underlying issues such as a hypothyroid condition. As an example, I've been recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis & one of the signs is accelerated hair loss - so if your condition is caused by something underlying, it's best to treat the cause if possible, not just the symptoms.
Good luck x

Just a thought - have you has COVID in the last few months?
I had a similar situation last year, where my hair was coming out by the handful every time I brushed or got out of the shower leaving the floor covered each day.
I was terrified it was something much worse, so I went to the doctors and had all my thyroid levels checked - all came back normal.
My husband then saw something online that this was one of the after-effects of COVID.
I believe I had COVID in early March and it wasn't until late June/early July (4mths after) that my hair started to fall out - similar to losing your hair after pregnancy/shock of an illness/stress.
It eventually stopped and I was just lucky that I have a lot of hair as I would have been left with very little. 
Fingers crossed this will be short-lived for you and I would definitely look at getting your hormones/thyroid checked as the first port of call.
Good luck
 

Hi
The doctor we saw was John Ferguson. He works in several places including London Bridge and The Cadogan Clinic, he may also work at others.
He also works at Guys in the dermatology clinic there so you may be able to get a referral to him via your GP. Not sure how long the wait would be especially at the moment.

I also forgot to mention that there are trials for a new drug, areata if your case is extreme. You may be able to be referred to that trial but I'm not sure how these things happen. Possibly via the hospital? Not sure if GP's refer to trials.

Really hoping that the above can be of some use to you. It must be horribly stressful.

Good luck

I feel for you. I don't think anything topical will cure it, consider looking within your body.
As mentioned above, I recommend you check your thyroid and adrenal gland. 
I am sure this can be reversed!

Sending much positivity your way.

Sorry to hear about your hair. It must be really distressing for you.

The Philip Kingsley drops work best in conjunction with the tablets usually in case you’ve not tried then. You can also get your blood analysed to see if you have a deficiency which might be causing it and then bespoke drops from their clinic & hair care regime. The tablets alone prevented me from getting post partum hair loss with my first baby.

I don’t know about hair transplants but have read about successful procedures in this area.

Do hope you find something that works for you. Good luck. X

I can imagine how you are feeling...

Check your thyroid and other hormone levels..
Should you be on HRT or a different HRT? (Sorry not sure of your age?)
You could look at Scalp Micro-pigmentation - many of these procedures have come on a long way..The practitioner can paint dark fine hairs onto your scalp which will lesson the look of the thinning...You can also buy the powder or spray for your scalp - used properly it can be quite effective..
A really good hair piece or wig can really make a big difference - use a professional hairdresser to blend it in for you..Hairdressers don't just handle women/men with hair, they also work with wigs and pieces, and they can transform a hair piece!
A lovely hat in these times will also help your confidence.. 

Good luck x

 

So sorry to hear you’re going through this Bar1981. It’s terribly upsetting and I have also been though the same over the years. But I’d be very wary with Hair Helps advice above. No appointment should cost ‘a few hundred pounds’. There are so many places that take advantage of peoples stress and vulnerability around this. I spent and lost a lot of money over the years with various failed treatments. You should not have to spend a fortune on any consultations. Ricky Lake recently opened up about her hair loss journey, if you google it she says what she tried along the way. Topical treatments didn’t work for me, it’s often a case of looking at what might be missing in your diet and trying supplements. I saw someone called Dr Hugh Rushton years ago who was really good. The first thing you need to do is get blood tests done as that can show up a deficiency in Ferretin which is what caused mine. Hope this helps and good luck

Would you mind telling me the name of the doc you saw?

So sorry to hear you are having these issues.

As I am sure you know there are a number of reasons that could be causing this.

My family has experience of this and this is what has worked:

1) there are a number of over the counter foams for women. They really do work but do take a while. This I think tends to work more for general thinning but this isn't what affected us. Regaine for women is the one we've used for other reasons.

2) we had experience of patches of hair falling out. These were cured by a prescription of a steroid cream on the patches once a day and the foam mentioned in (1) also every day. These have been reoccurring on an annual basis (but in different places) and so far all patches have been filled in over a three/four months treatment. For this we had to see a doctor and we were recommended someone to see privately. The appointment was a few hundred pounds and the treatment about 100 pounds too and once we knew how to treat them we simply got repeat prescriptions from our own doctor. I reckon we've had 10 patches over a three year period and all have been filled.

3) because (2) is caused by auto-immune we then tried different diets. My OH was against this as he felt it was a bit alternative but this seems to have (touch wood) minimised this years patches.

Again I'm so sorry you're going through this but please do know it can be cured.

Good luck

Hi, there’s a great charity called Hair Reborn. They deal with cancer hair loss & hair care. They may be able to give you some advice or point you in the right direction.
https://www.facebook.com/hairreborncharity/
Hope this helps xx