A lot of my hair fell out 2.5 years ago because of a medicine. Is it possible that it's still growing back?
I took a medicine in the spring of 2011 that is known for making people's hair fall out, and (surprise, surprise) it made about one-third of my hair fall out. I stopped taking the medicine because it wasn't helping, and my hair started growing back once the medicine was out of my system. After a year and a half or so, it started to look more normal. I used to have really thick hair, so I still had a lot of hair left, even though I'd lost a third of it. But I put my hair up in a ponytail the other day and realized I have two lengths of wispy bits: really short fuzzy ones and then ones about an inch long, just like I did when I noticed it starting to re-grow. Is it possible that it's still re-growing?
What's the cycle for new hair growth? It seems like my head sprouts new hairs at regular intervals, because--like I said--the new hairs are usually two different specific lengths, instead of lots of different lengths. Is there any way to guess how long it will be before my hair has completely grown back?
I'm sorry if this is a really basic question, but it's quite hard to google, because I just keep getting links to magical hair-loss cures. And all of the information about hair-loss due to medication talks about when hair re-growth starts, but not how long it can last.
Edit: I have rheumatoid arthritis, and the drug was Methotrexate, which is also commonly used for chemotherapy.
Posted Dec 5, 2014, 11:10 AM UTC · edited
Kind of hard to say without knowing the medicine or the medical reason for the meds. It's quite possible that the medical condition is contributing to the loss as well as the medication. Based on what I see on the web it can take up to a year for everything to come back. http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/hair_skin_nails/regrowth. But you're past that now so maybe you want to ask your doctor what's up.
Hair grows about half an inch a month, give or take. Not all your follicles are in the same place in the growth cycle, so that's why you have different lengths. Some might be in a resting phase and haven't started putting out new hair yet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_growth
I have super fine thinning hair thanks to genetics and a medical condition and a medication I have to take. I have found that using a detangler to cut down on breakage helps a lot. Right now I use Organix argan oil for coarse hair as a post shower detangler. I have also used Johnson and Johnson's No More Tangles conditioner (in a tube) to detangle wet or dry hair. Both of these give my hair a little more body as well. In general a leave in conditioner seems to work better on breakage than a conditioner you rinse out.
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Thanks for the information!