u/No-Range8943

Hello, I 22F have been losing my hair since about 2020. Since I was a child, I was always told I had anemia. I didn’t really feel too many symptoms until I became a teenager. I’ve lost about 80% of my hair over 6 years now. I suspect I had low ferritin for 2-3 years before the hair loss even started (10-30 ng/mL). My ferritin was at 23 ng/mL in January 2026, and as of last week it is now 66. I’ve been taking iron supplements consistently since January. My hair shedding has finally reduced significantly since my hair loss started. Since it’s been many many years of low ferritin/anemia, how much of my hair would I be able to recover? I know it can vary person to person. Also, I’m afraid it’s AGA. How do I know the difference between long term ferritin hair loss and AGA?

I’m 22F, and I have been losing my hair since 2020. I’ve been using topical minoxidil for about 9 months now. My progress pictures look nothing like anyone’s I’ve seen on here. I’ve been losing hair this whole time and I have been very consistent with minoxidil. Ive grown a lot of very very short hairs which I think may he a good sign, but it’s only grown what people see at month 2-3. Continued shedding like I have always been from the start and even more on some days. About 2 days ago I suddenly realized there was less hair fall.

I have been anemic since I was a child. I feel like I’ve had anemia my whole life essentially. I didn’t start losing hair until late 2019-20 (before I got COVID-19). Even when I was no longer anemic I still felt symptoms. No doctor told me about the importance of ferritin. My ferritin was in the teens. It has probably been that way for many years and probably lower. I had to figure it out on my own. That was in January of this year. I got bloodwork done last week and my ferritin is now at 66. I’ve been taking iron supplements and other supplements as well. My hair loss has only started shedding less these past few days. I think it’s still a lot but way less than what it used to be.

Could this be the main reason my hair hasn’t really improved since starting minoxidil? Any advice on continuing minoxidil? Something else I should get checked?

My thyroid, DHT, testosterone, and other hormones are fine. I even tested for h pylori and that came back negative. Vitamin D 33.5 but I used to also be vitamin d deficient. Is there an optimal level for this?

Any advice welcomed. Thanks <3