Hair thinning/patchy hair loss?

One day, my sister woke up to find an entire patch of hair had just fallen out from her scalp😕. She went to see her primary care doctor, who basically brushed it off as just being stressed🤷 and handed her some topical cream. He didn't even suggest any blood work or a referral to a specialist. Now she’s absolutely terrified that this is going to spread. It’s especially scary because she usually has incredibly thick, naturally curly hair that she barely touches with chemicals—aside from getting highlights done at the salon every few months.

I’d really appreciate it if anyone could share their experiences or insights. Are there other potential culprits for hair falling out in patches besides stress? Could it be a hormonal imbalance, a lingering virus, or something else entirely?

Take a moment to actually look at everything you’ve been exposed to lately—everything from the junk in your food to the chemicals, heavy metals, and radiation in the environment..

I remember reading this detective novel once where the whole mystery hinged on phosphorus poisoning. 🤷

Another thing that comes to mind when thinking about potential causes are autoimmune disorders or even feline-borne illnesses.

Maybe her sister is just looking for a referral to a dermatologist, so she's running some searches. It could be anything, really—hormonal issues, a fungal infection, or maybe even heavy metal poisoning.

melloworca6 said:It’s possible she’s just looking for a dermatologist referral so they can run some tests. It could be anything—hormonal shifts, a fungal thing, maybe even heavy metal exposure.

Oh my goodness, 😕she's heading to the doctor first thing Monday morning, no matter where she can get an appointment. Our cats are practically climbing her head because of it... She hasn't been near any radiation, and while poisoning seems unlikely, you never know. Stress and hormones are definitely on the table.
Maybe there's some kind of internal inflammation somewhere, too. 🤷

Thanks so much to everyone for the advice!

So, there are a few different things that could be causing hair to fall out in patches—it’s often linked to some kind of inflammation on the scalp, but honestly, it could even be tied to dental issues, like an infection at a tooth root or some trouble with wisdom teeth. If this were just straight-up stress, I’d assume she'd be losing hair all over the place rather than just in one specific spot. She should probably go see a dentist and maybe do a little digging on some forums specifically about alopecia areata. Fingers crossed everything turns out okay!

rustypanther39 said:Oh my God😕... she’s heading out first thing Monday morning to see whoever can help her. Honestly, our cats are absolutely losing their minds right now—they're practically climbing all over her head. She hasn't been exposed to any radiation, and while I don't think it's poisoning, who truly knows? It could easily be the stress levels or some kind of hormonal imbalance.
There might even be some sort of localized inflammation somewhere.🤷

Thank you all so much for the advice!

Well, my first thought has to be the cats. Alopecia areata—those circular bald patches—is often caused by them, especially if they've been hanging around outdoor strays or dumpster divers. 🤷
A doctor will be able to tell for sure.

silverpuma542 said:Well, my first suspicion would be the cat. You see, alopecia areata—that patchy hair loss in circular patterns—is pretty common with them, especially if they’ve been living outdoors or scavenging around dumpsters. 🤷
Your doctor will be the one to give you the final word on that.

I'll make sure to tell her to definitely steer his attention toward the cats!👍.

She’s constantly in contact with her, to the point where they even sleep in the same bed! Look, she isn't some rough-around-the-edges street kid; she’s still just a little thing, practically raised on a bottle. She was found abandoned, and honestly, who knows what kind of germs or illnesses she might have brought home with her?😕🤷I know this isn't really the right thread for this—it’s probably better suited for the pet lovers group—but if anyone happens to know, what exactly could a cat pass on to us? Is we talking a virus, a bacteria, or something else entirely? I’m just speculating here, but I’m honestly a little worried about the rest of the family. It might be a smart move to take her to the vet for a preventative checkup just to be safe.🤷

Hannah Cooper69 said:The causes for patchy hair loss, like alopecia areata, can vary quite a bit. It could be triggered by different inflammatory processes on the scalp, or even something related to dental issues—like an infected root or wisdom tooth problems. If it were just pure stress, I’d imagine she would be seeing thinning all over her head rather than just specific spots. She should definitely check in with a dentist and maybe browse some US forums dedicated to circular hair loss. Sending good vibes, hope everything turns out okay!

Thanks so much for the advice.👍

It looks like she's going to have her hands full🙂... we're all pretty worried about her. Honestly, I think she's already scoured every corner of the internet looking for answers, and she's only just 😕 now. Instead of heading to the beach for vacation, she'll be bouncing from specialist to specialist. Once we finally pin down the cause, I'll post an update here. Hopefully, knowing the answer will help someone else facing the same thing eventually.

Some guy in my class had one of those. And yeah, it was from a cat.😲
Ugh, honestly, I still get the chills just thinking about it.😢

Grace Chase97 said:Some guy in my class actually had one. It was made from a cat.😲
Man, just thinking about that gives me the chills even now.😢

How wild😲. Do you happen to know what they did with the cat after that? I'm wondering if there was any risk of infection or if it could be contagious?🤷 😕

rustypanther39 said:I’ll be sure to tell her she should definitely try to distract him by focusing on the cats instead.👍.

She’s constantly around one of them—they even sleep together sometimes. It's not like some stray from the streets; she’s just a little sweetheart, practically hand-raised on a bottle since she was found abandoned. Who knows if she brought any underlying health issues along with her?😕🤷 I realize this might be drifting away from the main topic and belongs more in a pets discussion, but if anyone happens to know, what kind of things could a cat actually pass on? We're talking viruses, bacteria, anything? This is all just speculation on my part, but I'm honestly a bit worried about the rest of us living in the house... Maybe we should take her to the vet just to be safe and get a clean bill of health.🤷

I believe the condition is called microsporum, which is a contagious fungal skin infection.

She seriously needs to get her thyroid levels checked

I deal with thyroid issues myself, and my hair used to fall out like crazy because of it. But it wasn't happening in patches or circles. I mean, hormones can definitely cause thinning, though I guess that’s less common.

She absolutely needs to see a dermatologist. They’re the experts; they'll figure out what's going on and send her for the right tests.

If she caught whatever the cat has, then that little furball is going to need a trip to the vet too.

So, my sister finally finished her round of doctor visits. Turns out, it’s not microsporosis—though she’d honestly prefer if it were, just so there was a clear answer for why her hair is thinning. There’s no inflammation, her swabs came back clean, her thyroid is perfectly fine, her dentist gave her the all-clear, and her bloodwork looks normal too. It’s all still a massive mystery, which brings us right back to our original hunch: intense stress is likely the culprit.🤷

Look, when you actually step up and take care of cats—treating them like actual members of the household, getting them to the vet for their shots, keeping up with the deworming, giving them a good scrub, and using those spot-on treatments for fleas and ticks—that’s just the baseline. That's the standard. Only once you've checked all those boxes is it okay to let them run wild around the house.

Is there any chance she was exposed to heavy metals? It seems unlikely, but if you've already run a bunch of tests and they all came back negative, then yeah, it makes sense to start looking deeper and trying different diagnostic angles. Are there any other symptoms popping up? How do her teeth look? Any discoloration near the gumline? And are her nails looking normal?

placidjackal36 said:Look, once you take over the care of a cat and start treating them like a true member of the family—getting them to the vet for their shots, giving them parasite prevention, and keeping them clean and protected from pests—that’s just the baseline. It's standard procedure. Only then is it really okay for them to be running wild around the house.

Is there any chance she was exposed to heavy metals? It seems unlikely, but if she’s already been through a battery of tests that came back clear, it might be worth digging deeper with some more specialized screenings. Are there any other symptoms popping up? How do her teeth look? Any discoloration near the gum line? And how are her nails looking?

Everything with her seems perfectly normal🤷. She even went to the dentist for some X-rays, and everything checked out fine. There’s zero chance of heavy metal or radiation exposure. I do know she’s dealing with a lot of stress, though; she spends hours every single day commuting to and from work. What other tests would you recommend we run?

If we’re talking about hair loss, you’d probably need to be hit with a massive dose of ionizing radiation to see that kind of effect, which isn't really happening here. But exposure to heavy metals? That’s a whole different story. Don't just brush that possibility aside.
I've been sitting here chewing on this, and I can't think of anything else that hasn't already been brought up.

placidjackal36 said:To actually lose hair like that, you’d practically need to be hit with a massive dose of ionizing radiation, which just isn't happening here. However, heavy metal exposure? That’s a whole different story. Definitely don't rule that out.
I’ve been turning this over in my mind, and honestly, I can't think of anything else that hasn't already been brought up.

We have already combed through every single possibility under the sun🤷. There isn't even a single patch of hair the size of a quarter$1.75 to speak of; it's just bare skin. Luckily, otherwise, they have hair like a movie star🙄