I used Tretinoin gel and started losing hair
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free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:09 am

I think I am in deep retinoid trouble.

On the 4th of July I started using a 0.025 % generic brand Tretinoin gel (vitamin A, retinoic acid), purchased from alldaychemist.com. Two months later, the problems started. My hair changed texture from shiny and healthy to dry and coarse, and it started shedding. The same thing happened to body hair and eyebrows. I could see my eyebrows curling/twisting before they fell off, up to 6-8 hairs from each eyebrow every day.

I have been scrutinizing my diet, routines etc and cannot find any other reason for the hairloss than the Tretinoin gel. I eat a healthy diet, have been taking the same supplements for a long time without problems, don't take any medication, hormone pills etc.

There is certainly some strong evidence pointing to the Tretinoin gel as the culprit for my hairloss.

I did some research on the Internett and found that a common cause of hairloss, is Telogen Effluvium (TE), i.e. the name of temporary hair loss due to shedding of resting or telogen hair after some "shock" to the system. The hairs simply start to shed too early in the growth cycle and are characterized by club-shaped roots. I can identify those club-shaped roots on the hairs I have been losing.

It's also supposed to be about two months after the "shock" that the new hairs coming up through the scalp push out the dead hairs, and increased hair fall is noticed. My hairloss started in the beginning of September, exactly two months after I started using Tretinoin gel.

Three weeks ago I stopped using the Tretinoin gel. The texture of my hair is better, but I still experience shedding. I don't have bold patches on my scalp, but my eyebrows are considerably reduced. I know that I need to be patient because it may take a few months to fully recover from TE, according to the information I found.

I searched high and low on the Internet and found some individuals that had experienced hairloss from Retin-A and other retinoid creams. I also remember a woman told on this forum that she was losing hair due to the use of Differin.

Still, I find this very strange. Hairloss is a well-known side effect from oral retinoids (Accutane) and high doses of vitamin A through diet supplements, but I think it's a medical mystery that a cream containing vitamin A should cause hairloss. The concentration of vitamin A in the cream is low, and there are supposedly small amounts of the vitamin entering the blood stream. Therefore, I don't think that an overdose of vitamin A can be the reason for the hairloss. The only hypothesis I have come up with, is that a few individuals experience an oversensitivity to topical retinoids that results in hairloss.

Hopefully, someone can shed some light on this retinoid-mystery. I am very sad that I cannot longer use the best anti-aging product available. I feel like a drug addict who has become allergic to heroine. Crying or Very sad

Source of information about Telogen Effluvium:
http://dermnetnz.org/hair-nails-sweat/telogen-effluvium.html

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:49 am

Hi Septembergirl!
I`m realy sorry to hear about your bad experience with tretinoin Sad

I have in fact also experienced sudden hairloss before, a couple of times after vacations, I was really distressed then and as I can see from the article you provided this was due to excessive sun exposure at the sea-side.
This was really self-corrective, my hair grew back, however it took a couple of months Sad

Please be patient - you will get your hair back! anyway I can imagine your stress and disappointment Sad

as for vit.A for your skin - I would suggest you to try Avene products after recovery. I`m alternating Diacneal and Eluage now (however will not buy Diacneal again due to glycolic acid) and am very happy with them. Eluage contains 0.5% retinaldehyde + hyaluronic acid, and this combo gave my skin such a plumpness and elasticity - just great!
yes, it might take longer to see results than with tretinoin, but with a treatment being much milder the chances of having a bad reaction are lower Rolling Eyes

I wish you good luck and very quick recovery to your hair and hope to hear from happy you very soon!

Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:55 am

Thyroid and high level of testosterone can cause cause a hair loss. I am losing my hair too and looking for a natural approach to solve the problem (in my case it's probably hormones). I was looking to buy retin-a, but now I am not sure if I should do it. I am taking MSM and Vit.C, someone suggested Biotene and I am going to look into it.

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:08 am

Hi September Girl, I'm sorry to hear about your experience.

Telogen Effluvium can happen after a bout of acute illness also. In the case of Retinoids, it might be more of an ongoing reaction to the Retinoid which can only be alleviated by stopping it.

I too had hair loss while using Tretinion - however I can't attribute it solely to that, there could have been many other causes. At the moment I am not using Tretinoin, and am generally more balanced/healthy, and my hair is thicker.

MSM really helps to thicken up hair. Also avoiding sulfates in shampoo might help you get through this phase without shedding too much.

Is your hair loss all over, or more at the top? Mine was more at the top, which can be associated with testosterone imbalance, however there can be other causes too. I'm not sure of the mechanism of how Retin A could cause hair loss, hopefully someone else might be able to fill us in!

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:26 am

mila100 wrote:

Thyroid and high level of testosterone can cause cause a hair loss. I am losing my hair too and looking for a natural approach to solve the problem (in my case it's probably hormones). I was looking to buy retin-a, but now I am not sure if I should do it. I am taking MSM and Vit.C, someone suggested Biotene and I am going to look into it.

This is a good article about possible causes and natural remedies for female hair loss.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02032/healhty-hair-and-skin.html

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:48 am

Septembergirl,

I'm sorry to hear that. Especially since you're always recommending retinoids as proven anti agers, it's awful that you're the one that can't benefit from them.

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:53 pm

SeptemberGirl,

I am very prone to hair loss and have dealt with it since 1996...stress is the culprit in my case. I don't blame you one bit for stopping the tretinoin, but I would also suggest that you have your thyroid and hormone levels tested just to be sure.

I listed some of the primary causes and some treatments (like emu oil!) in the thread below that may help speed up your regrowth.

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=29005

Hang in there, and please keep us posted on how your hair is doing.

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 2:53 pm

Thank you very much for your replies, ladies.

Aiva - thank you for the kind words. I hope that I can be using weaker vitamin A products with retinaldehyde or retinol in the future. I won't try it until the hair and eyebrow hairs (hopefully) have grown back.

Chickenlittle - my hair loss is all over the scalp. It's not extreme so that other people react, but too much is falling off every day. I am most concerned about my eyebrows, though, because I lose some hairs every day and it's much more visible than hair loss from the scalp.

Nimue - I agree, life is not fair.

bethany - I don't have any other symptoms that could indicate thyroid problems... I will keep you posted on my hair's progress!

Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:47 pm

checkwww.greenbush.net - they have herbal liquids for healthy hair. I am going to give it a try.

free skin care · Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:35 pm

Not fair at all. Thinking about your situation, the analogy to me would be if I developed an allergy to honey, or worse yet, zinc oxide. I shudder just thinking about it.

free skin care · Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:58 am

How unfortunate for you! If you are sensitive to Retin A, you might want to be extra-cautious with OTC retinoids. I really like the Avene ones myself, but I would start with Ystheal or Eluage, since they are half the strength of Diacneal.

Good luck, and know that your hair will recover soon. When I lost mine, including most of the brows, I was surprised how fast it came back once the chemo was out of my system.

free skin care · Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:44 am

mila100 - I take quite a few diet supplements already. I believe that the only thing that will stop this kind of hair loss, is eliminating the culprit. Hope the herbs work for you, though.

Nimue - without honey, life would not be the same for you and Winnie the Pooh.

flitcraft - if Tretinoin gel can cause hair loss, I am also afraid that hair loss can be a potential side effect from using an OTC retinol product... but of course it's weaker.

free skin care · Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:00 am

Oh nooooooooo!!!!! Shock

I have been using tretinoin for four years now, starting from 0,01% to 0,04% now, and it has done more for my skin then anything else!! I was convinced that I would never stop using it!! Surprised

But I also have major hair problems for the last three years Crying or Very sad

On the top side of my head my hair won't grow, I have tried everything: MSM, scalp massage, expensive hairdressers and shampoo, vitamins, a healthy diet......
Nothing helps Crying or Very sad

Now you're telling me I have to quit tretinoin?? Crying or Very sad

So it is a choice between beautiful skin and beautiful hair...... Sad

Maybe I could stop with tretinoin and see what happens to my skin......maybe I can find another product that also works.......

Well, thanks anyway Septembergirl, provided you're right (and I am afraid you are Sad

), at least I have a choice.......

free skin care · Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:05 pm

Jouke, thank you for posting. If you choose to stop using Retin-A, please report back on how your hair is doing. It's now 3.5 weeks since I stopped using Tretinoin gel, and I can definitely see some improvement, i.e. less shedding and some regrowth of eyebrow hairs. I read that it may take 4 - 14 weeks (or even longer) from the culprit of TE (hair loss) is eliminated till hair stops shedding and starts growing back.

free skin care · Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:55 am

Septembergirl have you thought of trying Skinactives brow/lash serum to help speed things along?

I swear by it. My brows were too thin from years of overplucking and this has thickened them up so they look much more natural. My eyelashes are longer too. They also have the same product for the hair on your head.

Good luck with it all - can only imagine how upsetting it would be too lose hair like that.

free skin care · Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:29 am

Thank you for your suggestion, carolb69. I am currently using castor oil on my eye brows, but will look into the product from Skinactives.

free skin care · Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:49 am

Its worth a try and its cheap:) Under $10 for the brow/lash serum!

free skin care · Thu Oct 16, 2008 1:32 pm

Septembergirl, I love castor oil, but I don't think that it actually makes hair grow. I'm sure it helps with conditioning, but I don't think it does anything to make hair grow thicker and faster. Although, maybe by conditioning it the castor oil makes the hair appear to be thicker and perhaps less likely to fall out, so maybe there's something to it. I use castor oil around my eyes primarily for the "dandruff" at the base of my eyelashes and dryness.

Septembergirl wrote:

Thank you for your suggestion, carolb69. I am currently using castor oil on my eye brows, but will look into the product from Skinactives.

free skin care · Sat Oct 18, 2008 5:39 am

I found one study on PubMed suggesting that retinoids (derivatives of vitamin A) may cause hair loss.

Apparently, hair loss caused by the use of retinoids is not due to an overdose of vitamin A in the blood stream, but another mechanism involving "upregulation of TGF-beta2 in the DP", whatever that means...

I was happy to find a study pointing out a mechanism that might explain the hair loss I am experiencing. I still believe it's a rare side-effect from topical retinoids. However, people who are experiencing diffuse hair loss while they are on retinoids, should consider if this medication could be the culprit.

As long as hair loss is acknowledged as a potential side effect from oral retinoids like the acne medication Accutane, it's not unlikely that topical application of retinoid creams may cause the same side effect, in my opinion.

Quote:

Diffuse hair loss ranks among the most frequent and psychologically most distressing adverse effects of systemic therapy with retinoids, which severly limits their therapeutic use even when clinically desired. Since the underlying mechanisms of retinoid-induced hair loss are as yet unknown, we have investigated the influence of the prototypic retinoid, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA, tretinoin) on the growth of human scalp hair follicles (HF) in culture.

...

This study is the first to provide direct evidence that ATRA can indeed induce a catagen-like stage in human HF and suggests that this occurs , at least in part, via upregulation of TGF-beta2 in the DP. Therefore, topical TGF-beta2/TGFbeta receptor II antagonists deserve to be explored for the prevention and management of retinoid-induced hair loss.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15955085?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

free skin care · Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:43 am

Hi Septembergirl,

I'm very confused about all this. Tretinoin has the side effect of just improving hair grow when used topically. And I know it does, because I have seen my facial hair growing the last few years Sad

. But I solved that by shaving it every three days, and now I have a real baby skin.
But I never used it on my scalp Confused

.

There's a whole story of my use of tretinoin:
Four years ago I have had a terrible allergy round my mouth, it looked like I had a clowns mouth. I suffered from this for eight years!!! I thought it was something I ate and tried every diet. After years I found out that it got worse when I ate food with lactic acids, fruit acids (apples, pears, grapefruit...). I skipped this from my diet and the problem was almost over.
But then it started again: after some time I found out what caused it: a new hair gel from the brand "Fructis", with fruit acids in it!!!! It probably went through my scalp into my blood and caused the problems round my mouth again. So I bought another hair gel. Okay again, no more problems.
Weeks later...problem started again. Once again I found out the reason: I had been using a lactic acid cream from my derm on pigment spots on my arms!
Some months later: problems again. And what has happened? Two months before I had started with tretinoin 0,01% from my derm against breakouts. I was very sad that I couldn't use the tretinoin anymore, because I also had found out that it helped with anti-aging.

All this problems seemed to be history when I started taking very good food supplements (vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants....) and to my surprise (I started using them for reasons of health) after half a year acids didn't bother me anymore. I started searching and reading on the internet what could be the reason, and found out that lack of vitamins and minerals could cause a dis-balance in your body what makes you sensitive for allergies.
So from that moment I knew what has happened in my body!!
And happily I was able to use tretinoin again as well, what really was a blessing for my skin for it really has improved a lot Smile

The last few years, taking my vitamins every day I have had no more problems.......at least, that was what I thought: probably still the tretinoin did something in my body very very bad!!! Not on my skin, but with my hair this time. I never would have thought about it, but after reading your post I immediately decided to skip my tretinoin, my aspirin mask, my Apple Cider Toner, my AHA's.......

My hair is in a lousy condition, and I tried everything, but the thought that it might improve now that I skipped all the acids excites me!!!!!

I don't really suffer hair loss, it's just that the live cycle of my hair is so short that it doesn't grow, especially on the crowns, longer than about five centimetres. And it seems to get worse everyday. I have no idea what else it can be, I'm not thát old (44), baldness is not in my family and for the rest I am in a perfect health.
Well, I have decided to stop tretinoin for about a year, I should have seen some changes by then. If not, it's probably not the tretinoin. I know I'll have to be patient. If I see improvements in the situation of my hair, I'll let you know.

free skin care · Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:33 am

Hello, Jouke.

Yes, Tretinoin used in combination with topical Minoxidil, is a well-known treatment to combat baldness.

Nevertheless, according to several testimonials from people on other forums, my own experience and the study provided in my previous post, I am almost certain that it can also cause hair loss.

I guess this paradox can be compared to the effects of painkillers like Aspirin and paracetamol. Although they are supposed to treat headaches, they are also shown to cause headaches in some cases.

Here is a link to a discussion on the hair forum keratin.net where several people told that they have experienced hair loss from the use of Differin (synthetic retinoid analogue).

http://www.keratin.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6175

It's now been four weeks since I stopped using Tretinoin gel. My eyebrows have almost stopped shedding, and I can see some new growth. The shedding from my scalp is reduced, but it will obviously take some time for new hair to grow. Luckily, my hair quality is much better already.

Good luck to you, Jouke. I look forward to hearing how your hair is doing in a few weeks or months.

Smile

free skin care · Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:45 am

Thanks for this Keratin-link Septembergirl.
So we're not the only ones...... Sad

Like people on this forum I also suffer from thin and not growing hair around my face.

Something I have not mentioned yet: half a year ago I went to a hair dresser who is specialised in hair problems. He said to me my problems where a matter of acidification of my body, and I had to adjust my diet. No more sugar, meat, dairy, salt, alcohol, coffee....... Shock

Or at least as little as possible, and more fruit and vegetables. That should make your body more alkaline and improve hair growth again.
Now I'm already quite a healthy eater, but it could undoubtedly a lot better.

However until now I have not seen much change, but I thought I should give it at least a year.
But now I think the hair dresser might be right....but maybe it's not the food that does the acidification, but the tretinoin! Shock

So I hope things will improve after quitting tretinoin. Although I have read on the Keratin-forum that for some the hair never gets back as thick as it used to be Crying or Very sad

Great to hear that your hair growth has improved Septembergirl, but for me.......I have been using tretinoin for FOUR years!! That's quite a long time....... Crying or Very sad

free skin care · Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:22 am

I'm sorry you're experiencing hairloss problems Septembergirl, I can sympathise!

Have you counted how many hairs you're losing after washing your hair? I'm now losing on average about 50-60 which my derm tells me isn't seen as being a medical problem until it's greater than 100 a day Shock

but to me it seems like a lot! That's 60 less hairs I have after washing my hair than I used to lose! It's an infuriating problem, particularly as I got it down to just 5 hairs in the spring. I think that you're really going to have to analyse what's you're eating, the supplements you're taking and what might have changed to cause the hair loss.

Like other posters have said, do get your thyroid and hormones tested. As well as your IRON levels!! Iron is a major culprit in hair shedding. Do you eat red meat? I remember that you said that you were taking Dr Brandt's green tea supplement, me too, I've just started taking it. I would recommend keeping this supplement well away from iron rich meals. Just as it's ill advised to drink tea with meals because the tannin in it depletes the iron of the meal,one can only imagine what 15cups of green tea supplement might do to eat up all the ferritin in a meal! I don't think that green tea is as high in tannin as black tea with milk but at such a high level it might be enough to cause iron depletion. Most menstruating women need to keep an eye on their iron levels. Do you feel alright in yourself or a bit run down? If you're lacking in energy, it might point to slight anaemia which causes hair shedding and general lethargy.

As for the retin-a, I also apply retin-a and other retinoid products to my face and neck too but I haven't done retin-a for about 6 months to see if I can thicken up my skin a little. I haven't personally seen any improvement in hair loss over that time I'm afraid although my facial skin does seem a bit thicker over the orbital bone area. Are you taking oral vitamin A supplements?

free skin care · Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:27 am

Thank you for posting, Camelia. Smile

I have been scrutinizing my diet, diet supplements etc and could only find healthy ingredients and no overdose of vitamin A. Also, I have not noticed any changes in my skin, energy levels or other signs of illness or thyreoid problems.

During the worst period I lost up to eight hairs from each eyebrow. That's a lot! The texture of my hairs and eyebrows changed from shiny and smooth to coarse and lifeless. I just knew that I was exposed to something that my hair follicles did not tolerate at all.

The only change in my routine prior to the hair loss, was the introduction of Tretinoin gel.

I really wish that the Tretinoin gel was not the culprit because I would love to use it for anti-aging benefits. Unfortunately, I am almost 100 % sure now. Since I stopped using Tretinoin gel four weeks ago, the shedding is significantly reduced, the hair quality is much better and eyebrow hairs are slowly growing back.

Since you have been off Retin-A for half a year, tretinoin is perhaps not the reason for your hairloss. But who knows? Some people posting on the hair forum that I provided a link to, told that it had taken many months or even years before the hair growth was back to normal.

Wishing your hair a speedy recovery.

Smile

free skin care · Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:02 am

That is a lot of hairs to lose from each eyebrow. Were you combing them through and that amount just all came out all at once? And you weren't using any kind of Revitalash or Jan Marini at the time?

I'm perfectly open to the fact that it could well be the tretinoin gel. It does worry me though. I mean, what is the right length of time to stop using any type of retinoid before trying for a baby for example? Considering that retinoids have been shown to cause birth defects particularly in the first trimester. Do the medical profession even know? Given that the intensity of it's effects seem to differ from person to person?

I think that my hair shedding might be connected to lack of vitamin D.

http://ezinearticles.com/?D---The-Essential-Hair-Loss-Vitamin&id=846523

Whilst I was taking vitamin D3, my hair shedding almost stopped completely! But it gave me terrible digestive problems. I take cod liver oil but my intake of it has to be limited as I don't want to overdose on vitamin A!

Scientific research seems to indicate that vitamin D2 (vegan source) is not very well absorbed by humans at all so that just leaves...garlic and crucifix..sunlight! I'm even considering buying a sunlamp and exposing my back to it for a few minutes every day.

Best of luck with the regrowth, at least you've determined the cause before it got any worse and alerted others on this board to some of the drawbacks of tretinoin.

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