im a 15 year old girl and one day at school I noticed an abnormal amount of hair strands on my lap! Obviously i freacked out a bit and tried subtly removing them before anyone noticed. Then if I take some hair and run my hand down it hair come out!! Sam am I ill? Do I have a disease? Or am I always gonna get it now cos it's in my gens?! Or am I just not normal?! I'm scared Sam, and it's embarrassing to get up with 5 long hair strands on my clothes or skirt, I wondered if I'm allergic to anything, but can't think what!! I'm to embarrassed to tell my mum, dad siblings!! Sam, what if there's something wrong with my scalp like a cancer or something else that I'll have to get treatment for? I'm really really distressed and traumatised and fostrated about this. Please, please, please reply Sam it would mean a great deal to me as I've not even spoken to my mum about it...I really need advise to be honest if u don't reply I don't really know where that leaves me, with no one who cares I guess.
thankyou for taking the time to read, and I really hope u can take the time to reply!
Sam
Hi there,
Losing hair happens to lots of people for a number of reasons and it can make us feel embarrassed or self-conscious. I don’t know how much hair you are losing, but it seems it's enough to make you feel concerned. You don't have to go through this alone - there are ways you can get support.
How we look can affect how we feel. And if we're not feeling happy or confident about our appearance it can make us feel unhappy. It can be easy to worry about what's wrong so it's best to speak to a professional.
It's natural to feel worried, and you could visit a doctor to get some advice. They can help rule out some of your fears about the causes. And if there's a specific cause they can get you medical help and support with treatment options. You can take the NHS quiz to learn more about what does and doesn’t cause loss of hair.
It might also be worth having a look at the NHS website which explains some of the reasons hair loss can take place. Please bear in mind that only a doctor can say for sure and offer reliable treatment and support.
Stress can be one reason for losing hair, so if anything else is causing you stress you can always talk to a Childline counsellor about anything that's on your mind. They could also help you think about how to talk to other people, such as a family member or someone like a school nurse. Talking to other young people on the Health and Wellbeing message board might help you to find other young people who have had similar experiences and learn about they got help and coped with what was happening to them.
Take care,
Sam
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