About how long should I wait?

[Phoenix]

I’ve been on hormones since early/mid-Summer. I don’t have a ton of bald up top, but there’s definitely been some thinning. I surmise it’s mostly stress-related, though. The men on my mother’s side of family all had full heads of hair all their lives.

 

How long should I wait before I start considering hair replacement options like Bosely or whatever?

[KathyLauren]

HRT typically does not do a lot for hair on the head.  It might slow the rate of loss, but it won't usually regrow lost hair.

 

I am pretty thin on top.  It has been four years for me, and I have had no re-growth at all.  I am dependent on wigs.

[KathyLauren]

By the way, welcome.  I just noticed that you are new here.

 

Regards,

Kathy

[Susan R]

Hello @Phoenix, Welcome to our forum. I’m not an expert in hair loss or when would be the best time to start other methods of hair loss recovery. I just want to wish you the best experience possible here and thank you for reaching out.

I am sure there are a few woman here that can help you with your specific question. I have not seen any hair loss while on HRT but my hairline had not receded at all prior to starting. I am 58 years old so I would’ve expected some hair loss by now if I wasn’t on a HRT regimen. I’m sure you’ll see some regrowth but when that happens will have to be answered by someone in the know.

 

Again, I’m glad you’ve joined us here.

 

Susan R?

[VickySGV]

Hair grows in several stages.  I will use thefour stage model, Follicle dormancy, where a hair has finished growing, dies and falls out and the pore in your head goes to sleep.  The next stage is new growth when a hair follicle is just fine fuzz just poking out of you scalp, maturing growth when it gets long and stays healthy, Terminal stage where it no longer grows out, and then the follicle goes to sleep and the hair falls out or is brushed out.  With Male pattern baldness, some of the follicles do die off, but can be revived by your new hormone in a short time window.  Revived follicles and "waking up" follicles will start growing hair of the texture your genetics are set up for.  Your other hair will continue its cycles as male hair which in my case was a thicker hair shaft after my puberty (my texture had changed back then too.).  There is less die off of the follicles after you start on E, so you probably even in this short a period are growing some E hair.  It takes 3 to 4 or more years for the full cycle to complete itself and you will see results, but it will take time.  My hair stylist keeps track on that for me, and some thin spots she had seen several years ago have come back to life and are just fine even at my age.  Your hair stylist can help you through this  and you Endocrinologist and maybe a Dermatologist can also assess it for you. I have not had a reason for hair restoral but I do like wearing wigs for fun too.

[Phoenix]

16 hours ago, KathyLauren said:

HRT typically does not do a lot for hair on the head.  It might slow the rate of loss, but it won't usually regrow lost hair.

 

I am pretty thin on top.  It has been four years for me, and I have had no re-growth at all.  I am dependent on wigs.

 

Sorry to hear that. I’m still somewhat hopeful. Mine isn’t terrible (it looks worse after a shower). If I wanted to do the punk look and rock a fauxhawk or a (well I don’t know what the style is called where one side is shaved and the other kept really long), the loss areas would be totally invisible. 
 

16 hours ago, KathyLauren said:

By the way, welcome.  I just noticed that you are new here.

 

Regards,

Kathy

 

Thank you.
 

16 hours ago, Susan R said:

Hello @Phoenix, Welcome to our forum. I’m not an expert in hair loss or when would be the best time to start other methods of hair loss recovery. I just want to wish you the best experience possible here and thank you for reaching out.

I am sure there are a few woman here that can help you with your specific question. I have not seen any hair loss while on HRT but my hairline had not receded at all prior to starting. I am 58 years old so I would’ve expected some hair loss by now if I wasn’t on a HRT regimen. I’m sure you’ll see some regrowth but when that happens will have to be answered by someone in the know.

 

Again, I’m glad you’ve joined us here.

 

Susan R?

Thank you.

 

15 hours ago, VickySGV said:

Hair grows in several stages.  I will use thefour stage model, Follicle dormancy, where a hair has finished growing, dies and falls out and the pore in your head goes to sleep.  The next stage is new growth when a hair follicle is just fine fuzz just poking out of you scalp, maturing growth when it gets long and stays healthy, Terminal stage where it no longer grows out, and then the follicle goes to sleep and the hair falls out or is brushed out.  With Male pattern baldness, some of the follicles do die off, but can be revived by your new hormone in a short time window.  Revived follicles and "waking up" follicles will start growing hair of the texture your genetics are set up for.  Your other hair will continue its cycles as male hair which in my case was a thicker hair shaft after my puberty (my texture had changed back then too.).  There is less die off of the follicles after you start on E, so you probably even in this short a period are growing some E hair.  It takes 3 to 4 or more years for the full cycle to complete itself and you will see results, but it will take time.  My hair stylist keeps track on that for me, and some thin spots she had seen several years ago have come back to life and are just fine even at my age.  Your hair stylist can help you through this  and you Endocrinologist and maybe a Dermatologist can also assess it for you. I have not had a reason for hair restoral but I do like wearing wigs for fun too.

Yikes. Good thing the military taught me to “hurry up and wait.”

 

They did not succeed, however, in teaching me patience.