Internet Hair Loss Forums: Great for Support but not Treatment Advice

Losing your hair is never easy. In addition to the obvious physical changes, premature hair loss can cause anxiety and fear about sexual attractiveness, social acceptance, and even mortality. Feelings of isolation and loneliness can make the process even more depressing.

(For a heart-felt article on this topic, read Spencer Kobren's "Depression and Hair Loss: You’re not Alone" on TheBaldTruth.com)

Finding other people with similar stories and sharing your experiences with each other can help with the psychological "trauma" that frequently accompanies hair loss. Internet forums are a great way to connect with people around the world with common interests and can serve as a sort of "virtual support network".

But when it comes to medical treatments for hair regrowth, be cautious about taking advice from other forum members. As you will see below, forums can sometimes contain treatment suggestions that may be ineffective or potentially harmful.

Hair Loss Forums

A recent book on online social support states that “[t]he electronic social network an online support group creates can potentially provide the benefits of social support traditionally conveyed face-to-face without conventional limitations of material resources, proximity, and temporality.”1

Two of the most popular internet forums for hair loss topics are the communities at TheBaldTruth.com and at HairLossTalk.com. These sites have forums areas for both men and women, but another popular site called Her Alopecia is specifically dedicated to women's hair loss discussions.

Internet forums can be great for support during difficult emotional times, but it is important to remember that other forum members may not know much more than you do and are not likely to be reliable sources for medical/scientific information on hair loss and hair regrowth.

Don't Try This at Home! (treatment advice from an internet forum)

We have seen countless posts that either get the science wrong or simply advocate dangerous, painful, and unproven treatments.

For example, one forum thread on Regrowth.com was dedicated to users discussing their attempts at an experimental approach to hair regrowth that they had adapted from early-stage research studies.

This approach involved wounding the scalp with sandpaper, needles, or organic acids and applying chemicals like cayenne pepper (in 90% alcohol) and lithium to the wounded areas in the hope of stimulating new hair growth.

“We're making it up as we go”

A new visitor to the site praised the other posters for having “more knowledge than any of the other forums” and asked for their recommendations on what chemical substances to incorporate in his wounding routine because he didn't “have the education to figure it out on [his] own.”

One of these 'knowledgeable' posters described his wounding regimen as "heavy sanding" and applying glycolic acid to the raw skin, leaving a "red mess of raw flesh" (although he didn't recommend other readers take their "wounding to that level"). In another post he admitted: “We're making it up as we go along armed with both scientific and anecdotal evidence. The quantities I use are measured in the most unscientific way possible as we don't really have any data on quantities.”

Another poster recommended applying cancer drugs to the scalp after wounding, which he suggested the forum members could purchase at a group rate from a cheap Chinese source he had found through an internet trading site. He also offered to "whip up" solutions of experimental drug combinations for the other forum members. Fortunately one poster drew the line at this point: “Personnaly I won't take anti cancer drugs just to regrow hair, it is far too dangerous...”

No proof that it even worked

As the thread developed, several posters asked for pictures of the results that some members claimed to be achieving. Here are some quotes from the discussion:

“anyone taking pictures?”

“Due to just having a cell phone camera, I'm not quite ready to take pictures yet”

“So how about some pics?”

“I don't own a digital camera but should the results (if any) warrant it, I shall obtain one and endeavour to post pics.”

“Looking forward to those pics.”

“For the pictures, I'll take them tomarrow because I have no working batteries”

“be sure to post the promised pics”

“When I'm comfortable taking a picture (when the skin heals better and hair grows out more) I definitely will.”

“I'm dying to see your results pictures. Day 26 and I have minimal growth and nothing cosmetically significant..”

“I've been so swamped with laser helmet requests lately[...] My regrowth seems to mostly be on the left side of my scalp, a few odd sprouts here and there. Perhaps I'll take some pics after my haircut this Saturday, haven't had a good cut in months!”

“I shaved the whole front of my scalp up about 2 inches just above my recession and sanded the entire area, been applying the same formula. So far I don't see a single new hair, this is pretty disappointing.”

In the end, no pictures were ever posted and there was no evidence that the painful and potentially dangerous treatments had any benefit for the self-proclaimed "guinea pigs".

Conclusions

Hair loss forums on the internet can provide a free and immediate social support network that can be helpful for meeting other people who are experiencing similar issues. This support can potentially help with some of the psychological issues that often accompany hair loss, such as anxiety and depression.

These forums also contain discussion threads about members' personal experiences with hair regrowth treatments. While most people mean well when they offer advice on the internet, they may not necessarily be qualified to give a professional opinion.

When it comes to scientific or medical issues, make sure to double check what you read on forums with a reputable source, preferably a physician or an expert in the field.

If you ever want to know more about something you've read online, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to answer your question or help you find an appropriate expert who can.

Thanks for reading this Avacor® Hair Regrowth Blog post and come back soon for more of the latest information on hair loss and hair regrowth!

_________________________

1. Bambina. A. (2007). Online Social Support: The Interplay of Social Networks and Computer-Mediated Communication. Youngstown, NY: Cambria. Link to GoogleBooks