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Re: Any help appreciated..pcos and hairloss..Thanks!!From: tera (anonymous@obgyn.net)Sat, 15 Jun 2002 20:24:56 -0500 (CDT)
Hi! You are right in that hair loss is a pretty common occurance in women with PCOS. I have had symptoms of PCOS for about ten years but the hair loss thing I have only had for a few months - since October 2001. I have been taking Glucophage, Spironolactone and saw palmetto since December and my hair loss dropped off for a while but it has started up again. First, I'd ask your doctor about doing something for insulin. Get tested to see if you're insulin resistant. Insulin resistance is thought to be a main factor in women with PCOS. How do we know this? Because many (if not most) women with PCOS run the gammet from either being VERY slightly IR to having full blown type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that even women with PCOS who don't "test" IR can benefit from a medication like Glucophage or Metformin and/or a low carb diet and exercise so obviously, insulin plays a huge part in PCOS. Many women with PCOS have had marvelous results with simply doing something for insulin. Hair loss is a symptom of excess androgens like I said and it can also be a problem for people with insulin problems (like most if not all women with PCOS) like diabetics. You see many people with type 2 diabetes and thinning hair. You could also ask your doctor about taking Spironolactone. It is a prescription that has many uses and is often prescribed to women with thinning hair. It helps lower androgen levels thus (hopefully) helping with hair loss and the development of additional unwanted facial and body hair. An herbal supplement called saw palmetto (get the kind with the fatty acids and the sterols) MAY also help with hair loss. There is also Rogaine for women. Rogaine is for androgenic alopecia which is the type of alopecia (hair loss) that women with PCOS have. It is supposed to work for balding in the crown area. There are also many shampoos and serums, etc. that are supposed to help with thinning. Be cautious of these. Most are very expensive and many of these are simply topical and do not penetrate or do anything really and they should be avoided. I'm a cosmo and I suggest using a good shampoo. Most shampoos that you buy at let's say Target have LOTS of wax and wax build-up can weigh your hair down in the long run making it flat instead of giving it volume (ask your cosmo to do a "wax scrape test" the next time you see him/her to see how much build-up you already have). Use a good, gentle volumizing shampoo from the salon and use a gentle clarifying shampoo also from a salon every other week or so to remove any wax build up. Be gentle with your hair. If it's really snarly after you wash it don't rip through it but use lots of good, leave in conditioner and use your fingers to work out the knots. Don't pull your hair back severely because this can aggravate alopecia. Pull your hair back loosely with a clip or put up a loose pony tail. Sorry so long but I know how bad it can be. God bless, Tera
At Sat, 15 Jun 2002, Kim wrote:
>
-- Tera
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