tisdag 19 juni 2007
Scalp advance versus hair
I love my hair. I have been growing it out for just over 3 years now. Starting to grow it out was the first change that I made when I started my transition, and I think I can say with some confidence that it is my most attractive physical feature. This being the case, it is absolutely heart-breaking having handful upon handful coming out in the shower as a result of the (routine) scalp trauma that occurred during my surgery. Had I not been warned about it before, I would be absolutely hysterical and sobbing uncontrollably. As it is, I'm still having trouble holding back tears. I just keep telling myself that this is purely temporary and that most of it won't fall out. I only wish that I actually knew that both of those claims were true.
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*big hug*I feel the same way about my hair. The thought of going bald was what really woke me up and got me to consider transition in the first place. I started letting mine grow at 13, with the excuse that I wanted to be rebel-ish and metal, when really I just wanted pretty hair to play with. :)Also,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telogen_effluviumDon't be scared, it will come back! *hugs more*
*hug* Don't worry, it's just a phase. Just try to not think about it.
*hugs*You have TONS of hair. So proportionally, when you shed in response to trauma, it's going to be more than someone who does not have tons of hair.Also, don't forget, curly hair is fragile. I bet at least some of what you're getting is breakage, not shedding. Your body has been through a lot. It's not going to be very happy for awhile. Please please please try to be gentle with yourself and try not to get too stressed by the natural cycle of recovery.
I can avoid thinking about it for most of the day, but showers are pretty traumatic. :-(
Heh... that was me, of course. ~blush~
I know it looks like I have a lot of hair, but I really don't. The curls make it look all thick and coarse, but it is actually quite thin and fine when you get in close. In fact, I've already been considering using Rogaine to try to thicken up the hair at the crown of my head (which wasn't losing anything prior to surgery, but has always been quite a bit thinner than I would prefer).I know - intellectually - that this is almost certainly just a transient stage and that it will all grow back, and that there are good reasons for it to be happening, but I am soooo emotionally invested in my hair (shallow as that might sound), and it's still challenging to deal with large amounts of it coming out of my head every time I shower. Heck... with just over 3 years invested in it, it's still a painful loss even if I assume that it will all grow back, because I'm going to have to cut my hair way back eventually to get it all in sync again.It is going to be okay, but... it's still really hard to watch. :-(
Yes yes, I knew it was you. :)Found this little tidbit in another article:"Typically, abrupt diffuse hair loss is noticed several weeks to several months after the incident has initiated the biologic program for hair loss."I know it's usually on the order of months that hair begins to fall out, but it has already been a couple weeks, yes? Perhaps the relative proximity of the trauma to your scalp is responsible for the quicker shedding. Maybe all the fiddling they did with your scalp actually helped mechanically dislodge hairs, getting things to this point more quickly. The trauma causes the hair to enter telogen immediately, so it makes sense that they could come out at any point thereafter, especially if they got a little help in the form of manual scalp manipulation.Not that this is much consolation or anything, but I'm pretty confident it's TE you have. There's not really any other explanation for it. And yes, it will suck to cut your hair, but you can look at it as an opportunity to make your hair super crazy healthy. Any damaged hairs you might have had would be trimmed to the healthy part. It's also an opportunity to try on a shortish, dykey hairstyle. Hell... if it makes you feel any better, I'll get one too!Hang in there... *huggle*
I've already been considering using Rogaine to try to thicken up the hair at the crown of my headYou're not taking finasteride or dutasteride, are you? You might consider them in addition to or in place of minoxidil. They work pretty good, especially dutasteride. It's another T-blocker, as you're probably aware, which is nice psychologically (less paranoia about potential regression), and physically (obviously). Most of my hair loss has been at the corners of my forehead, but dutasteride, along with a hormonally-nutritious breakfast, thickened my hair all over. It's actually improved just a bit at the hairline, but it's most noticeable at the crown. Generic dutasteride is available from Inhouse, and it's fairly affordable (versus actual name-brand Avodart, which is ridiculously expensive).
Ok, so I had to take this little quiz...It said I absolutely do not flirt at all. Something about being dead inside and such...;~)
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