Update (2021): The hair thing again....Harklinikken (long)

Last summer I chimed in on the thread about hair loss, wigs etc., and shared that I'd had terrible bout of hair loss about 9 years ago, at the age of 47. I am on 100% thyroid replacement and as I entered perimenopause everything went haywire, with hair loss as my only significant menopausal symptom. Never had a single hot flash, but would have traded 1000 hot flashes to keep my hair. It was horrible and emotional and, frankly, traumatic. Eventually, after many months of tweaking my meds and supplements and coming to the end of the telogen effluvium shed, my hair filled in, but never back to what it was. I had pretty thick hair to start with so I was ok once it settled, but I have always worried about another such shed, since I would be starting with significantly less hair. I've had recurring nightmares that my hair is falling out, actually.

After my back surgery in late August my hair unfortunately started to shed heavily again. One trigger for hair loss can be general anesthesia, which I had never undergone prior to this surgery. I was a little less frantic than the first time, since there is an explanation, but was still really upset. I was thinning badly at my temples, part and on my crown (the part is visible at crown and for a few inches down the back of my head unless I am careful and style my hair over it).

A close friend told me she'd been on a program that originated in Denmark called Harklinkken. After 4 months she felt it was helping, so I looked into it and decided to start on the program in mid-Oct. It's not terribly difficult, just a nightly application of a serum that is formulated specifically for you and that gets stronger as time goes on. You have to wash daily, which I was not accustomed to. All of the Harklinikken products are natural and fragrance free, and are pretty nice for my hair.

But, after almost 2 months, my hair was still shedding alarmingly. Plus, with the daily washing, a lot was coming out. I can see a fringe of regrowth around my hairline and temples, so that is encouraging, but I was getting so worried about the top and crown and couldn't tell if it was growing everywhere. I started to panic that I was actually making things worse, and was unsure whether to stop or keep going. One particularly blue day I spent hours looking into wigs and toppers, and reading hair loss blogs.

I had a trip to NYC this week. Harklinkken has a clinic there so I decided to go in for an in-person consult, since everything has been Facetime and remote until now. I was so lucky that they had 3 appts open yesterday, and they were with the founder of the company! Good news. He showed me how my hair is coming in all over, and he was very encouraging about my progress. He took a lot of photos and compared them with the original photos and it is evident that there is improvement already. He gives me 100% assurance that I am doing extremely well - better than many - and I should be really happy in several months with the result.

Super impressed with this company. There is no sales pitch, it is actually more clinical. They are kind and understanding. They have been in business for 20 years and are planning a huge expansion in the US. There are conditions they cannot help such as hair loss due to scarring and some genetic conditions, and they will not take on a patient if they don't feel they are a good candidate, which is very ethical. But they have hundreds and hundreds of success cases.

I'm staying the course for now and will start my third month. I have a great stylist who will keep my hair shaped up with regular trims to my short style to maximize fullness. I do get a lot of compliments on my cut all the time, so doubt most people have any idea about my problem. I have also had a lot of conversations with myself about whether getting out of pain was worth losing my hair...it's an unfair choice to have to make, but ultimately the answer has to be yes.. Oh - the founder thinks that my main problem has been continual gradual hair loss since the first shed and not necessarily just from the surgery. Which is actually worse,in a way. The goal is to reverse that.

Has anyone - especially in Europe - tried Harklinikken, or heard of them?

5 years ago

Style Fan

Veteran

I have not heard of this treatment. I have experienced hair loss with stress twice. After my first husband died about 19 years ago I lost some of my hair but it grew back fairly quickly. About 10 months ago I noticed I was losing hair. We had a fairly traumatic experience with our dog that resulted in her being put down to stop the pain. My hair is not as thick as it once was and it doesn't seem to be growing back. Of course, I am 19 years older.
I did some research on ways to encourage growth but Harlinkken is not something that I came across. Your results sound very impressive. I have been taking Biotin (it is helping my nails) and doing some other things. My hair is not thinning out anymore. Maybe I just need to be patient.

rachylou

That’s positive! Keep us posted. My hair has thinned pretty badly since becoming diabetic and forced back on synthroid. I’m trying prenatal vitamins right now. It seems to be growing fast, but not thicker...

Joy

Hair loss during menopause is pretty normal and hormone related. A dear aunt had a problem and said that her hair stylist said that frequent washing is important for new hairs growing in., and also blood flow. She massaged her head well every time she took a shower. I have done this plus minimal hormone replacement with a vaginal pill prescription from my doctor for vaginal driness. It also makes a difference in hair thickness. If I stop the pill, hair falls out.

Laurie

Rachy - I have been on synthroid or levoxyl (and now also am on compounded T3) for over 20 years. My thyroid function was destroyed from radiation related to having hodgkin's lymphoma. Can really mess with our hair.

SF, I take biotin and evening primrose oil specifically because of the first bout of hair loss.

Joy, I did eventually go on HRT and expect I would have a bad situation if I ever discontinue it. Scalp massage is important for blood flow. When you apply the Harklinkken serum you massage it in for 30 seconds for that reason. And, the hairs are going to fall out anyway, whether we wash frequently or not. All my hair comes out after I shower, but then none through the rest of the day. If I hadn't washed my hair, it would just drop, strand by strand, all day.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Laurie, I’m thrilled that this story ended positvely. You’ve been through a lot, and are a TROOPER. Bless your head of hair.

I’ve met you, and you have GORGEOUS thick hair. You always look fabulous, and much love to you. Xo

Thanks, Angie - not there yet,but super hopeful. In fact, it will probably take 7-10 more months to have serious improvement because of how devastating the shed has been and how incredibly slowly hair grows. I am very encouraged by the 1/2-1 inch of overall growth that was demonstrated to me. It has calmed me down considerably. I can be patient now that I know there is progress. Considering stress is one of the biggest triggers for sudden hair loss, being calm is important!

shiny

Yes I have experienced an episode of massive hair loss. This was back in my early 30s. To this day, I'm not really sure why. I just remember how awful it was -- chunks of hair coming out in the shower, and in my hair brush! I stopped brushing and blow drying my hair completely for many months. I'd let it go curly as that seemed to hide how thin it was. It finally stopped shedding and grew back in. There was no rhyme or reason to it.

Glad you found a solution!

texstyle

Be sure to have your ferritin level checked. Very common with thyroid disease and gets worse after surgery if there is any blood loss. Low ferritin can cause hair loss.

texstyle - absolutely, great point. I take iron. 9 years ago my blood work was abysmal. In addition to the thyroid situation (and there is a WIDE range of opinions in the medical profession about optimal levels of thyroid function) ferratin was very low as was D. I just went for blood tests, we'll see if the surgery depleted anything. My surgeon also diagnosed osteopenia as he was drilling in the screws- softening of bones. Thyroid meds can cause bone deterioration, so now it's a balancing act on that front. Being back to weight bearing exercise is also a good help for bone strength.
Our bodies are complicated machines!

Laurie - it is complicated isn't it? I take a high dose iron on/off as I can tolerate it. I'm trying to add Lactoferrin to my supplements as it's supposed to help with iron utilization.

UPDATE:
It has been 11 months since I started using Harklinikken for hair loss and I am so impressed with the results. I just had a cut and color yesterday and my stylist cannot believe the entire undergrowth of hair that's now about 6 inches long. My thyroid doctor was also impressed on my 6 month check up last week, and said she'd passed the information along to another patient. Daily hair loss is a completely normal rate. I haven't talked lately to the friend who recommended this me, to see how she's coming along but I confidently recommend looking into Harklinikken if you have issues with hair thinning/loss, based on my experience.

4 years ago

annagybe

That’s great!
I haven’t heard anything about Harklinkken, but it sounds good

That’s fantastic! Maybe I will look into it. My hair is so thin and fine now...

Gail

Gosh that sounds amazing I'm extremely happy that things are turning around for you .

Inge

Moderator

I'm so happy for you, Laurie!! Brilliant that the treatment is working so well for you (and equally brilliant that it can help many more people out there who are experiencing the same problem).

Thank you for the update, and can I just say that you (and your hair;-) always look amazing!

Victoria

Member

I'm happy for you too, Laurie!! Also curious, since another year has gone by, if you might have another update for us?

3 years ago

Hi Victoria, happy to update. Time really flies! I am still faithfully using my daily Harklinikken treatment, and my hair has done very well. I have not had a single incident of heavy shed/hair loss since I started just over 2 years ago, and my hair is in great shape from their gentle shampoo and conditioner as well. My next step once we're through the pandemic is to get an appointment in person, hopefully with the founder. I need to understand what the long-term plan of action will be.

Interesting personal story from the actress Ricki Lake was recently released: https://www.harklinikken.com/p.....5mPTa-cRl3

When I post my outfit photos, half of the compliments are usually for my hair, if that's an indication of how it's doing! Harklinkken, balanced diet and exercise, good bloodwork indicators for things like my thyroid condition and iron, plus a magical stylist to thank.

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