I've been under a lot of stress lately.. actually, I've been stressed for the past 2 years or so..and depressed. I was wondering if these two factors play any part in losing hair or if its solely on genetics. I'm asking this because I started losing hair just about 2 years ago as well, I'm 21 now. And also.. I've been on proscar and rogaine continuously.. but it seems to be not as effective as when i started using it, I'm losing my hair now.. could anyone recommend anything else i could add to my routine?

Any help appreciated

Anonymous,

Stress itself can cause hairloss, but the effect is not like male-pattern baldness. In fact, it usually appears patchy and irregular or covers the entire scalp. It is brought on by some catostrophic traumatic event. This is called Telogen Effluvium.

There is no direct link between everyday stress and its' effect on male-pattern baldness. There has, however, been much speculation.

Here are some links to some good information on hair loss and its' causes:

Hair Loss Causes

Psychology of Hair Loss

Hair Loss Myths

Race, Age, and Gender

-Robert

Stress alopecia can at times appear as missing blothches of hair throughout the scalp. It can also appear as alopecia areata.

I have observed several cases where stress literally advanced the progression of MPB as evaluated by the doctor. Usually those individuals who did not suffer from MPB had their hair grow back in "once" the stress levels were brought down into manageable levels. Then in some cases where the patients were diagnosed with MPB "and" had additional or high levels of stress, the hair did not always grow back even when the stress levels were brought down.

Also observed some of those individuals with MPB and high stress levels experience massive shedding.

If stress is getting the best of us which can be easy to do, seeing our PCP for a referral to a specialist may prove very helpful. It can be a tough road to hoe alone. Best wishes.