Patchy hair loss: Has anyone dealt with this?

Hey there,
I’m dealing with something that has me pretty rattled. About a week ago, I noticed these circular bald patches popping up in three different spots on my head. They aren't small, either. If I try to run my fingers around the edges, hair just comes away in my hand. 🙄 In one spot, it looks like there might be some regrowth starting, but it’s moving so incredibly slow that I can't even tell if it's actually happening or if it's just an illusion. 😢
I'm honestly a bit freaked out. I have no idea what kind of referral I should ask my primary care doctor for, or even what this could possibly be. I'm still quite young, so this whole thing feels completely out of left field.
Has anyone here gone through something similar or dealt with this before?
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I’d highly recommend making an appointment with a dermatologist just to be safe. It sounds like it might be some kind of skin condition, but honestly, there is really no need to stress out about it too much!
Once they get a chance to take a look and figure out exactly what’s going on, they will likely just prescribe some specialized creams or lotions, and everything should clear right up.

Grace Anderson14 said:Hi there,
I'm dealing with something that has me seriously spiraling. About a few days ago, I noticed these circular bald patches in three different spots on my head. They aren't small, either—if I pull at the hair around them, it just comes right out in my hands. 🙄 One spot looks like it might be starting to grow back, but it’s moving so slowly I can't even tell if it's progress or just an illusion. 😢
I'm honestly terrified. I have no idea what kind of referral to ask my primary care doctor for or even what this could be... I'm pretty young, so this is incredibly jarring.
Has anyone else dealt with something similar?
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

I'm currently navigating this exact issue with my daughter. You need to see a dermatologist immediately for a full workup. It sounds like alopecia (localized hair loss), but the cause depends on whether it's strictly on the scalp or if you're dealing with some form of dermatitis involving itching or extreme dryness. We were prescribed specific creams, lotions, shampoos, and even specialty baths... it was expensive as hell. It all comes down to whether it's an allergy or just your body reacting to something internal, which is why the testing is necessary. Just get to a dermatologist and you'll figure it out.

Daniel Doyle96 said:I’m actually dealing with this exact same thing with my daughter right now. You definitely need to see a dermatologist for a full workup. It could be alopecia—that localized hair loss—but it really depends on whether it's just the scalp or if you're dealing with some kind of dermatitis. If your skin is itchy in certain spots or feels incredibly dry, that changes things. We ended up getting prescribed specific creams, lotions, shampoos, maybe even specialized bath products... and let me tell you, those prescriptions aren't cheap. It all comes down to whether it's an allergy or just your body reacting to something internal. You need the testing to know for sure. Just get to a dermatologist and you'll figure it out.

Thanks so much! Yeah, my skin is pretty itchy, especially on my chest area. That's where I get those little red bumps, but usually only when it gets sweltering out or if I've been out in the sun too long. It might be dermatitis. I'm actually heading to my primary care doctor today to get a referral for a specialist. Man, I really hope my daughter's hair grows back as fast as mine did. 👍

This actually happened to me back when I was around 20 years old, studying out in Chicago—it was such a whirlwind time! My hair just... fell out, leaving this little patch shaped like a $0.67 (seriously, a perfect circle) right on the top of my head. It was so startling! Eventually, it did grow back, though it felt like it took forever—super slow progress there. Thankfully, it hasn't happened again since then. I’d definitely suggest checking in with Dr. Smith just to be safe, but honestly, I don't think you need to panic too much about it.

Michelle Ortiz said:This happened to me back when I was around 20, during my college years. I ended up with a bald patch—literally a circle $0.67—right on the top of my head. It eventually grew back, though it took its sweet time. It hasn’t happened again since. You should probably check in with a specialist just to be safe, but honestly, I don't think you need to panic.

My patches are actually larger than a $1.75 quarter 🙄
Thanks. Heh, I can see some regrowth already, but it's exactly like you said... moving at a snail's pace.

So, I just got back from the doctor. Diagnosis came back as alopecia areata. Now they've got me running in circles—sent me to my dentist, a dermatologist, and ordered a full battery of thyroid tests...

Grace Anderson14 said:So I just left the doctor, and the diagnosis is alopecia areata. Now they’ve got me running around seeing a dentist, a dermatologist, and getting bloodwork done for my thyroid...

Look, there's already a massive thread on this forum specifically about alopecia, so if you haven't scrolled through it yet, I'd highly suggest you do...
As a dentist, my advice is to get a full digital panoramic X-ray done. Find a local practitioner who actually has the time and patience to sit down with you properly, so at least you can rule out dental issues as a potential cause once and for all.

Edward Sanchez72 said:There’s already a massive thread on this forum dedicated to alopecia, so if you haven't combed through it yet, I'd suggest you start there...
As a dentist, my advice is to get a full digital panoramic X-ray done with a practitioner who actually has the time and patience to look at the details. At least that way, you can rule out dental issues as a potential trigger and cross them off the list.

Found the thread, thanks a million... My teeth are perfect—never had a single cavity in my life—but I'll still get checked out just to be safe, since I know how much this matters. Thanks. 🙂

After endless testing—bloodwork, hormone panels, allergy tests, everything under the sun—they finally flagged a strep strain we’ve never even dealt with before. It wasn't even causing her any symptoms, but the doctor insisted it was the smoking gun. So, now we're stuck on antibiotics and strictly using A-Derma products just to be safe. To try and jumpstart her hair regrowth, they handed us some Minoxidil scalp solution to massage in.

Please, do yourself a favor and stay far away from anything containing aspartame. In my opinion, it’s nothing short of toxic—I've seen how much damage it can do, even causing hair loss in patches for some Americans because they're consuming so many diet sodas, like six or seven cans of Diet Coke in a single day. Just stay clear of anything labeled "diet" or containing aspartame if you want to be safe! 😉

steelharbor26 said:Stay far away from anything containing aspartame. It's pure poison. I've seen how it affects Americans—people are losing hair in patches because they’re knocking back six or seven cans of Diet Coke a day. Seriously, if it's labeled "diet" or has aspartame in it, just forget about it entirely!!! 😉

Where on earth are people getting these wild theories? 🤦

Alopecia areata can be triggered by all sorts of things, like different bacteria, autoimmune disorders, or even catching something from a stray cat... it isn't caused by some stupid aspartame...

Aspartame is actually in Orbit gum too... I decided to start a new thread because someone told me heavy metal poisoning is a thing, and apparently, hair loss is one of the symptoms. :S
Regarding those stray cats people talk about, I haven't really been in contact with them... The only thing I did was pull a kitten out of the road a few days ago, but my hair has been thinning for three weeks already.