Thinning of the hair

If you think your hair is thinning, although you do not have any real baldness, it is important to check that this is actually the case. Try the tug test, and remember that it is normal to lose 50–100 hairs a day. Sometimes, thinning of the hair can be entirely in the mind, as a symptom of depression.

Thinning of hair all over the scalp (rather than patchy baldness) can be due to various causes. In the case of mental or physical stress, it often occurs 2–3 months after the event. This is because at the time of the stress many follicles enter telogen (the resting phase) prematurely, and are then shed together at the end of telogen a few months later. In this situation, the hair loss usually recovers completely.

If you believe your hair is thinning, do not assume it is due to stress. See your family doctor, who will be able to rule out the common causes (such as thyroid deficiency and iron deficiency). Many drugs – not just those listed below – can cause hair loss, and the doctor will be able to check if this is a possibility. There may be several months? delay between starting the medication and the hair loss being noticeable.

Some skin disorders, such as eczema or psoriasis of the scalp, can cause thinning of the hair. Usually the hair grows again once the skin problem is treated.

Often no cause can be found. In some of these cases the hair will recover in time, but in others it remains thin.

It is important to keep thinning hair as healthy as possible (see looking after your hair for general recommendations). If there is no curable cause and the thinning is distressing, it may be worth trying Regaine. Bear in mind that Regaine will take several months to show any effect, and works in only a proportion of cases.

Some drugs that may cause hair thinning

Lipid-lowering drugs (statins, clofibrate, bezafibrate)
Anticancer drugs
ACE inhibitors for blood pressure or heart failure (ramipril, captopril, enalapril, lisinopril)
Calcium antagonists for blood pressure (amlodipine)
Blood-thinning drugs (warfarin)
Drugs for gout (allopurinol)
Antimalarials (chloroquine)
Drugs for epilepsy (valproate sodium, vigabatrin)
Drugs for Parkinson’s disease (for example, pramipexole, bromocriptine)
Anti-thyroid drugs (carbimazole, propylthiouracil)
Anti-acne drugs (isotretinoin)
Mood-stabilizing drugs (lithium, valproic acid)

Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated: Friday, February 26th 2010

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Comments on this article

Posted by Optional on 21/12/2011 at 12:51

i had a very bad stressful shock when i was 39 and since i have anxiety and feeling down and noticed my hair getting thinner. i also notice grey hair alot appearing and this is also making me feel like old. will my hair grow back in my 40s?

Posted by Optional on 19/11/2011 at 01:41

i am 16 and nd several months ago i had bleached black out of my hair :( FOUR times in 3 days then about 6 different dye jobs in a period of 3 months between beccause the color was ORANGE finally i said screw this im oging to go back to brown well now 7 months later my hair is uneven choppy and THIN will it grow back ? i dont know why its still falling out i have been taking care of it basically no heat or dye i also have been very depressed i do not leave my house AT ALL because of it , and also other reason its not damaged forever is it ??? :(

Posted by Optional on 09/10/2011 at 04:30

I have been losing hair since I was in my early 40's. My hair now is very thin, white and I take Warfarin for artierial fibulation. The dose is 5mg per day over a six year period. My pro-time (blood test) comes in at a normal 2.4 to 2.8 each month I'm checked. However, I continue to loose hair. Will anything else help to stop the loss? I'm 78, my Dad had thin hair on top of head, like me, but he died at the age of 65, so that issue is not available. Thanks

Posted by Kerry on 21/04/2011 at 10:18

I'm so concerned and very worried about my white, caucasian daughter. Her hair started to thin 12 years ago when her son was born and got worse, 1 year later when her daughter was born. I know her hormone levels were affected as she breast-fed them both for several months. It's remarkably thin on the top of her head and so very scarce that she's dying her normally brown straight hair a lighter colour to make the balding hair less noticeable. I don't think colouring the hair or using chemicals is helping. She had taken the contraceptive pill prior to her children being conceived. She had an IUD coil (with hormones) after her daughter was born 11 years and now has an hormonml implant as contraception. She has always been a restless sleeper and has never slept for a full night. She recently lost her father in Jan 2011 and her hair is falling out even more. There seems to be no regrowth. 12 years is too long for this to have gone on & she won't see her doctor! I hope you can help to restore her hair naturally as it was so beautiful & thick & glossy & healthy when she was little and up until she had her 1st child 12 years ago. My late mother lost all her hair due to throid problems and radium treatment many years ago but my daughter's hair is far worse. I fear she will go completely bald later in life as she has may years left before she becomes menopausal and would face hair thinning as part of the ageing process. She is robust, healthy and eats a well-balanced diett.Thank you.

Posted by Jo on 11/03/2011 at 04:00

Im shedding 30 hairs in the shower, and a few more brushing, Its not coming out in clumps, but its more then usual. My hair looks so thin,its driving me mad... I have been to the doctors, and had blood tests, which showed my Ferritin to be low... Is this whats causing my hair to look and feel thin? When will i see an improvement? Im taking 2 x 200mg Ferrus sulphate (last few week) and seen no improvement

Posted by kunal on 07/12/2010 at 12:02

well i donno what happened to my hair they were so much a month ago now they are scanty no bald spot but scanty i was dieting for about 5months what can be the reason of my thinning of my hair

Posted by Optional on 30/11/2010 at 08:06

could someone suggest me,im 22 my hair is thinning on front part..

Posted by Fabiola on 26/10/2010 at 04:17

What would you sya if i tell you that i really would rather to take a dose of Generic Viagra before loosing my beloved hair

Posted by Optional on 09/08/2010 at 04:33

my hair is fallig out alot and has gone thin,i am scared i will losse i all,help !!

Posted by Optional on 23/03/2010 at 03:23

I am very surprised that the Dr. listed ace inhibitors and calcium channel blockers as reasons for hair loss. If anything the beta blockers are the most common cause for hair loss, such as Atenolol, etc.

Posted by Lisa on 12/01/2010 at 12:46

Hi my name is lisa, i am 14 and i am asian. I got my hair straighten perm and i had huge hair loss and dryness. I wonder if my hairloss would grow back and if the perm would go away..help!

Posted by chanade on 07/01/2010 at 10:16

PLEASE HELP ME my hair is thinning at the back of my hair there is also a bold patch at the back of my hair its fulling out in strands and im soo scard im going to end up with no hair it seems to be getting warse i been to my gp who did a thyroid test and it was ok !!!!!! what can i do

Posted by khan on 11/10/2009 at 12:23

i am loosing hair

Posted by Anonymous on 02/10/2009 at 03:07

I am going through my change since the age of 21. Premature ovarien failure . I have been taking Lival HRT and i have notice hair loss at the front of my hair and on the crown. What can i do to cure this?

Posted by sally on 09/09/2009 at 09:19

i am 41 and started getting grey hair from the ageof 17 i have had to dye my hair for over 10 years now. recently i have noticed a sudden thinness in my hair where my scalp is very visible this is causing me to be very distressed. Not surwhy this has come about or what to do