How to know if fungus is causing your hair loss?

Hey guys i have pityriasis versicolor it pretty much a fungal infection on the skin that causes patches of lighter skin on parts of my body. From reading it is caused by yeasts called Malssezia which can grow on the scalp, face chest without a rash. I do not have scales or anything its more just patches of skin lighter than others. In relation to my case i have it on my chest and and back and recently had the jock itch. But what my concern is that i may have it on my scalp, My vertex is pretty thin in comparison to other areas of my scalp, though brushing & diet has been improving it. I wonder whether it a fungal infection that may have caused this.

Reasons is that though there are members of my family that are bald, all have never been bald before 40, eg: my father still has a head of hair at 58 his dad still had black hair at 70-80 years old. On my mothers side her dad started going bald around the 40-50 age. So without considering diet into play something seems odd to me that at 21 i am my hair in the vertex regions has thinned.

-My guess is to get a lab test?
-Get a dermatologist to investigate my scalp?

Talk to your physician if you all of a sudden notice hair loss. physician usually takes a hair sample for screening if a fungal infection is thought, or order blood tests if sickness or a nutritional insufficiency may be at the main of your issue.

I will give you an A for effort though. This is one of the more outgoing efforts to spam I've ever seen.
It'll get old quick though. Every tried finding a hobby?

[Should remember not to jump on a spammer because I'll look like an idiot when their comment is taken down and I'm addressing nothing...]

Hey ocelot, an easy way to get an idea of whether fungus plays a role in your hairloss is to try topical anti fungals, if you get releif, you're on the money. Nizoral is a cheap, easily accesssable option.

I'm just scared of trying the nizoral shampoo, since i stopped using SLS shampoos for a long time now. I suppose it wouldn't do much harm ey?


Dan

Suppose you could try keto cream instead of niz. If you live in UK, the brand is called Daktarin Gold, can get it at any pharmacy.

i dont really think the SLS shampoos are the end of the world. research hasnt given a conclusive answer as to how dangerous they actually are. people use them their entire lives with no apparent issues. revita has keto in it and i think they kept the SLS out of their formulations, tho I don't know what level of Keto it actually has. you could use it a few times a week and go organic the rest of the week.

if a dermatologist sees vertex thinning they are simply going to conclude its androgen mediated hair loss. you might independently get skin test for fungus, but mainstream medicine doesnt attribute much causal role to fungus and balding.

search the earthclinic website. there is a guy there named ted who posts a lot of information on dealing with fungal problems which he thinks play a big role in balding. one of his suggestions is washing the hair with borax iirc.

Revita is 1% keto just like the over the counter Niz and does not have SLS. They do recommend using it everyday but you can alternate different shampoos if you'd like.

LawOfThelma,
What is borax iirc?

iirc = internet shorthand for if i recall correctly

borax is a salt which has numerous uses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax

I just read Ted's post. I guess doing a heavy metal detox and increasing iodine wouldn't hurt? I know that CS has a guide on his health website so i might look into that when exams are finished. In the meantime I suppose i could experiment with Nizoral shampoo the only reason i suspect I might have an issue if with fungus is that the skin condition i have apparently if you have it on your chest and back it most likely is on the scalp as well.

Dermatology studies have proven a link between Malassezia yeast and the histopathology of MPB. There's an immune response to the yeast cells which contributes to the chronic inflammation of the hair follicles. Also look into propionibacterium.

Yeast overgrowth probably means you have problems with your gut. Dysbiosis in the gut can cause bacterial imbalances on the skin as well. i have the same problem. Stress/diet --> digestive problems --> all other problems follow. Recently I've been eating some raw ginger everyday to improve the overall state of my gut, and I find that it helps. Laying off starches helps also.

How's your digestion?

Which studies? The one I saw they have shown is that amount shed is correlated positively with Malassezia, suggesting that it's activity or presence can increase shedding which is not the same as a connection between pathology of MPB. Ie: they don't show that Malassezia is involved in the miniaturization of the hair.