I am absolutely heartbroken. I used to have such thick, beautiful hair. My whole life I’ve been known for my beautiful hair. People would stop me in the street. I got the most compliments on my hair. But now it’s gone. I’m distraught. 

I started losing my hair in March 2025 after a very stressful year and I stopped my antidepressants in February. Around this time, my skin became very dry, my face became very oily and my hair started falling out rapidly. My hair also became very coarse, whereas it was previously silky soft and smooth. My hair also tangles very easily now. I had some blood tests done in April, May, June, July and August. Everything is normal. In fact, a lot of my bloods are OPTIMAL for hair growth. My ferritin was on the low side and not optimal for hair growth (50), so I started taking iron bisglycinate 40mg over a month ago. 

I had seen multiple dermatologists over the past 6 months but I was just told to stress less and that my hair will grow back soon. Well, my hair didn’t grow back at all and the shedding continued. I suspected AGA right from the start due to the pattern of my hair loss and my family history (my mother and sister both have PCOS and I have PCO and acne). I FINALLY managed to see a consultant dermatologist who diagnosed me with AGA. I already knew deep down but I just needed confirmation. It was like a punch to the gut. I’ve started using topical minoxidil but it is far too early to see any results obviously. I have been told to take Spironolactone but I’m not allowed to start it until I finish treatment with another medication (I have 6-8 months remaining). I decided to start taking 1000mg pumpkin seed oil because it’s a natural DHT blocker, so hopefully that helps somewhat. 

Relevant medical information:
Age: 18
Weight: 43-45kg (it fluctuates around this range, my weight is monitored on a monthly basis) 
Height: 5’2
Acne and polycystic ovaries (diagnosed with ultrasound)
Regular periods (always 6 days long, I get my period every month)
Sister (20 years old) has AGA 
Diet: very clean, anti-inflammatory, high protein, whole foods only, gluten and dairy free, no processed sugar, adequate healthy fats 
Exercise: none at the moment. I stopped exercising due to depression and I’m also embarrassed of going outside because of my hair loss. 
Sleep: 7-9 hours a night 
Vitamin D: good levels (above 70), I take a 1000IU supplement daily 
Vitamin B12: good but on the higher end (890)
Serum iron: 14 
Ferritin: 50
Prolactin, oestradiol: normal 
TSH: 1.35
FSH and LH: in a 1.2 ratio 
Androgen screen and SHBG: actually very good (serum testosterone is stable but SHBG has dropped over the past 6 months and my free androgen index has increased, but still in a good range) 

I’m fairly confident that TE unmasked my AGA because my hair loss was rapid and I’ve lost over 50% density in just 6 months. I lost lots of hair with a white bulb and I also had a positive pull test. The consultant dermatologist observed that I have only one hair in each follicular unit, which is the hallmark sign of miniaturisation and confirms AGA. 

Is there any way that I can recover from this over time? I know that AGA is permanent and progressive- there is no cure, only treatments. But I was wondering if I could build my hair back up to a ‘normal/average’ density again? Obviously it will take years. I’m already looking at wigs but I don’t have enough money right now. 

I feel so hideous. Your teens and early twenties are supposed to be the peak of your attractiveness but I’ve never looked worse in my whole life. I take very good care of my physical appearance but I’m still so ugly. I used to look okay at one point (I felt ugly at the time but I was much prettier than right now that’s for sure). 

How bad is it? I know it looks very bad and I probably have a very aggressive form of AGA, but is there any coming back from this? My bangs have practically disappeared. I used to have very thick, voluminous bangs and now they are pathetically thin. Will my bangs ever come back?

I’m using 5% topical minoxidil. I can’t take Spironolactone right now. I can’t afford to see a private dermatologist. I can’t afford PRP. 

Please help. 



18F diagnosed with AGA- is there any hope for me?