It’s not that we’ve got too many male hormones in our body – although they can be there for other reasons – it’s that our follicles are overly sensitive to normal levels of male hormones. I’m now taking iron supplements (Ferrograd C) and will get tested again in six months.īut, as I hoped I made clear, iron deficiency can cause shedding and poor hair growth but topping up on iron won’t resolve the hereditary condition, which is linked to male hormones. So that’s a simple solution to some of my worries right there – for the last 5 years my ferritin levels have been on the floor. The GP said that was normal but trichologists say our iron levels need to be 80 to 100 to support good hair growth. I’m at 25 and was the same in 2007 the last time I had it tested. The range is massive, it goes from something like 20 to 150. And if they tell you you’re in the ‘normal range’, ask for the exact measure. So here’s a few more tips, with the disclaimer that I’m not a doctor or a trichologist – I’m just someone who’s quite persistent in her pursuit of information!įor example – in case there are any women who are still looking for answers – if you’re getting your iron levels checked out at the GP, you need to test your iron stores, called ferritin, and not just the iron in the blood. I’m chuckling now.įemale hair loss, however, is an incredibly complex subject and I couldn’t cover it all in 800 words in that Guardian piece. But on days when I was managing to take myself less seriously, I found it quite amusing.
With that prospect in mind, sometimes I cringed when my dear friends called me ‘Baldy’ (from my surname Baldwin) – I was convinced, sooner or later, I’d live up to my nickname. No doubt everyone and everything helped me along a little – I’m a great believer in holistic medicine – but noone or nothing managed to rid me of the sense that, one day, I might end up having to sport a comb over. I also saw homeopaths, naturopaths, kiniesiologists, dermatologists and endocrinologists and read everything I could find about natural supplements for women and hair. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve sat in tears in a doctor’s surgery trying to convince a GP that it wasn’t all in my head. I was convinced my hair was thinning and went everywhere and read everything to try and find the answer. While The Guardian didn’t go for my ‘losing my hair or losing my mind’ title, I think the point comes across.
It’s yet another piece of confessional journalism but again I hope it serves a purpose, beyond drawing everyone’s inquiring gaze to my hair line whenever I meet them, that is. Today’s blog post comes to you courtesy of The Guardian – Female hair loss: Causes and Treatment.