Hair regrowth

[Stupida]

Has anyone lost hair (diffuse thinning) due to stress from herpes? Is your hair growing back? How long did it take for you to get your hair back? 

Any information you can provide would be great. I heard a lot of people losing hair from antivirals, but they never respond if there hair grew back.

[Ubikwity]

I've heard of people losing hair from stress but not from antivirals.   Have you tried topical Rogaine, or taking Biotin supplements?  Also, I've heard that topical Melatonin (yes the supplement that makes you sleep) can help A LOT with hair re-growth.  It's made in a cream or lotion form and placed on the scalp at night.  HTH.

[Stupida]

Hello @Ubikwity

thank you for your response! 

No, I want to avoid Rogaine as it would be a lifetime treatment, but I have taken biotin with no luck. Haven’t heard of topical melatonin for hair loss - that’s a new one! Dermatologists don’t mention that either.

Wish someone going through this can answer my question as i am not on antivirals but I have burning and tingling scalp with diffuse hair loss. Nothing is working!

 

[Ohhey143]

Have you tried tgel or a steroid shampoo?

[Stupida]

@Ohhey143 yes I tried it all. The steroids made me lose more hair. 

Believe me I have been so persistent. I went to 5 different dermatologists to see if they were on the same page, etc. which they were. They all said I have seborrheic dermatitis and that it doesn’t cause hair loss. They said I have an underlining issue that is causing TE Alopecia.

[Ohhey143]

I have the same thing the ketoconazole 2% shampoo and extra stench tgel by neutrogena are the only two things that have given me any relief. I still loose hair but not as much as if I were to not use it.

[Stupida]

@Ohhey143 How much hair did you lose? Do you think it is growing back? Do you think herpes caused your seborrheic dermatitis? Before all this, I never had any hair issues. Sunshine bothers my head now as well. I blame it all on HSV.

 

[Ohhey143]

My scalp gets super red/itchy and peels in patches. So embarrassing... I did have it before but it got way worse after the hsv2.. I would suggest cutting your hair if it’s super long weighing it down, make sure you wash your hair after sweating (keep the scalp clean and dry), and avoid hair sprays/products that cake onto the scalp.....

I use a conditioner to detangle my hair first and then use the medicated shampoo.

 

[Stupida]

@Ohhey143 Thank you for the suggestions. I do all of the above.

How much hair do you think you have lost? I lost about 50% of thickness. Have you seen hair regrowth between treatment? Are you using rogaine? Are you taking supplements like Nutrafol?

 

 

[LotusBud]

Idk if this applies @Stupida but thought I'd share. If I drink coffee daily, my scalp and face in the T-zone start to itch. My skin changes in the area and I start losing hair...noticeably. Took me a while to figure out the connection. When I stop coffee my hair grows back. No connection to my HSV2 since this started before. 

Might give some consideration to food sensitivity. The only real way to find out is to eliminate suspect foods for a while then try them again later. Even tests for food allergies aren't reliable as I was told by my doctor.

Good luck!

[Stupida]

@LotusBud that is very interesting, thank you. I guess I should eliminate everything and start from scratch? How did you figure it out it was coffee? Was there a process/Plan you followed?

[LotusBud]

Hi @Stupida,

Oh geez, that's a tough one. For various reasons at different times, I've worked at giving up coffee/caffeine. Coffee, in particular, is my "gateway drug" to bad eating habits.

It was pretty much an accident figuring it out. I thought I was losing my hair because I'd hit menopause. I quit coffee at that time because it was immediately evident that I would get a hot flash after drinking a cup. After a while, I noticed my hair wasn't falling out as much and there was new growth. I also noticed the skin on my face and scalp wasn't itchy anymore. I didn't make the connection though, until I had fallen off and gotten back on the coffee wagon a few times. It's difficult when the symptoms don't show up for days after eating something. 

If you want to go down the rabbit hole, I've found the AutoImmune Protocol (AIP) helpful. I've been able to figure out a number of other sensitivities that I have, like to dairy and nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) Here's a link for a succinct explanation. The protocol is not for wusses o,O

I posted with links earlier and i guess the moderator needs to approve that. In any case, you can search it on your own. I find the blogger Phoenix Helix gives the most succinct explanations. She also has success stories including a woman dealing with psoriasis. (Those were the links I'd posted)

Also, it occurred to me that maybe H is not the direct cause of so many ailments cropping up for people after they get it. The body may be too busy dealing with H, that other things it was handling get dropped. 

Hope this helps. Good luck!!!

[Stupida]

Omg @LotusBud you’re my new BFF! I so appreciate all the feedback. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you? I’m 42, and not experiencing premenopause.

 

 

[LotusBud]

Lol @Stupida. I'm 55.

My perimenopause was pretty mild starting when I was about 48. I never paid any attention to stuff about menopause so I didn't even really recognize perimenopause, except the doc kept saying the average age for menopause is 50. I didn't educate myself about it at all. For perimenopause, the thing I remember most was being more emotional, like crying for no reason, or when out in nature, feeling the environment more intensely, if that makes sense. My periods started getting lighter and skipping months until when I was 50 they had stopped altogether (menopause is official when you haven't had your period for a whole year.) At about 50 was when I had hot flashes, but mainly if I had too much sugar and coffee. I've learned that estrogen protects women from quite a few things like skin and joint issues. Sure enough, when estrogen decreased with menopause, I started have having challenges with my joints and skin. Skin gets thinner especially in the genital area. This may have been one reason I caught H from my partner a year later, after being with him for 13 years. (He'd had it for 30-40 years.) I had more skin damage from friction/abrasion during sex. 

Well, that was a lot. Hope it's useful 😊

[mstanya1234]

How long have you had it @LotusBud stress made my hair fall out extremely bad I did Cut it! I’m currently taking vitamins for hair skin and nails! I also use biotin shampoo and conditioner! It’s getting thick again but not sure how long it will take to go back. Are you on anti virals if so which one 

[Stupida]

@mstanya1234 can you share your hair shampoo and conditioner? Also, what kind of vitamins? I’m currently taking nutrafol.

how long have you noticed from hair fall to growth?

 

[Stupida]

@LotusBud great information! When stopping coffee/caffeine how long did it take for you to notice regrowth?  

[LotusBud]

@mstanya1234 I was diagnosed with hsv2 late summer 2014. Antivirals did not work for me so haven't taken them since that first outbreak. 

@Stupida After quitting coffee/caffeine, I notice that less hair is falling out in about 2-3 weeks. Not sure about regrowth. They say average growth is half an inch per month. At that rate, it would take a few months to notice an overall difference in feel. I have one spot near my cowlick  (where it's naturally thinner) that I'll notice small hairs growning back in 1-2 months. 

[Stupida]

I’m just responding to hear any new stories that people would like to write on hair loss and HSV2 connection.