Hair Loss

trkinsley

You probably have telogen effluvium. Things like significant weight loss, surgery, pregnancy, severe life stress, etc etc can cause the hair to get essentially synchronized in the growth cycle and lead to a massive shed rather than the average of 100 per day or less. It generally comes within 3-6 months of the stressor, and resolves on its own within the same period of time Rarely it can become chronic.

Biotin won't hurt, but it's still going to take your hair 3-6 months to recover. Don't worry, it's unlikely that you'd lose enough hair to have visible balding.

Mustangsally1000

I saw this a lot with several friends who had by pass surgery. It's a combination of rapid weight loss and not getting enough protein. At least that is according to their doctors. They really had to work hard to get enough protein in..but with the surgery..they don't always absorb it all.

So..bump up the protein..try to stick to 1 to 2 pound per week.

Just sayin'...it's what I understand from them. :ohwell:

beaversprings

I just took a look at your food diary. You are not eating enough! The same thing happened to me. I didn't think I had to eat back my exercise calories because I was sooooo overweight and I would net between 5-800 calories per day. I put myself into starvation mode. I had to completely stop trying to lose weight for a couple of months to come out of it. Are you also ALWAYS cold? The good news is my hair has started to come back in and I am no longer cold all of the time. You will know you are coming out of starvation mode when you start having the sweats (which lasted for a couple of weeks for me - especially at night). Eat at least your BMR calories net.

delilah47

I went through this in my late 20s. I had no need to diet at that time and regular exercise was something not too many people felt was necessary, so there was no apparent reason for my hair loss. I visited a dermatologist several times, but he was just keeping me coming back for the money. He had me do all sorts of silly stuff like counting the hairs in my brush every day. Yeah, I was losing my hair, duh. He also had me put some very strong chemical preparation (physician's formula) on my scalp every day, but I think that just made it worse. After about 6 months of being his guinea pig, I just accepted the fact that my hair was falling out. Unfortunately, women now get male pattern baldness quite often. Unless you are eating a mal-nourished diet, taking meds that cause hair loss, or you are sick, there's not a lot you can do about it. Most of the hair loss happens within a year or two, then slows down, just like with men. Some go all the way bald and some keep a thin covering. You should probably see a doctor to rule out any latent causes. I still have coverage, but unless my hair is combed just exactly right, you can see my scalp through my hair. I usually wear a cap for everyday and a wig for anything else.

Cappicorn

I am going through the same thing, losing alarming amounts of hair in the shower. I was wondering if it was due to my changes in diet. I've been very anemic during certain times in my life and I've never experienced hair loss, and I don't currently have any of my usual symptoms. Still, sounds like I should look into some vitamins and perhaps up my calories a little.

Thank you for the tips everyone.

Crystal_Pistol

Your hair is HUNGRY! Feed it. It is running away from you trying to find food. Bad diet (SERIOUSLY low calorie intake) eventually means problems. I'm no expert, but I'll bet a couple of burgers would help tons.

healthymission92

I use morrocan oil on mine.
Also eat good fats as they seem to have thickened mine back up (nuts, coconut oil etc)
I also take a multivitamin a day.

mogletdeluxe

Bump. PCOS caused me to lose my hair initially, but now I suspect I'm not eating enough.

beachlover317

Just a thought, you would know if you have stress or not. But consider this. Dieting is a stress to the body. Exercise is a stress to the body. I think you've done the right thing to see you doctor. Following his advice will be critical. Good for you! Now that you've lost a big chuck of weight, you may want to consider eating you exercise calories back. This is the way MFP is set up. Look at your net calories at the end of each day and if you're eating less than 1200, you are putting even more stress on your body. I know where you're coming from. I want to lose all this weight fast. But I'm 54 and I've tried it the fast way for the last 25 years and it works for about 40 - 50 pounds and then stops. This time it's working well. I'm losing about 1.5 pounds a week and eating about 1500 calories a day. I am strength training with a little cardio and my results are slow but noticable. I hope you get this sorted out. You've gotten a lot of advice here. Best of luck and stay strong!! :flowerforyou:

2hobbit1

To be blunt you are NOT EATING ENOUGH!!!!!! You are too calorie restricted to get enough nutrition to maintain you body in a healthy manner and loose weight. Loosing you hair is a warning sign that worse may be coming if you do not increase your calorie and nutrition intake. At your weight you are eating at less than you BMR - that is the number of calories that you body need to hold itself together. You need to be eating more than this number but less than you TDEE -your total daily energy expenditure. Take a look at the thread below - Dan has explained this well and shows you how to figure you daily numbers for you calorie intake. This will factor in your calories deficit for safe weight loss as well as you exercise burn so you get a single daily target.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Supplements and shampoos will not fix the problem that inadequate nutrition has caused. You will see improvement when you correct your calorie and nutrition targets and begin to eat at the safer levels.

beachlover317

To be blunt you are NOT EATING ENOUGH!!!!!! You are too calorie restricted to get enough nutrition to maintain you body in a healthy manner and loose weight. Loosing you hair is a warning sign that worse may be coming if you do not increase your calorie and nutrition intake. At your weight you are eating at less than you BMR - that is the number of calories that you body need to hold itself together. You need to be eating more than this number but less than you TDEE -your total daily energy expenditure. Take a look at the thread below - Dan has explained this well and shows you how to figure you daily numbers for you calorie intake. This will factor in your calories deficit for safe weight loss as well as you exercise burn so you get a single daily target.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Supplements and shampoos will not fix the problem that inadequate nutrition has caused. You will see improvement when you correct your calorie and nutrition targets and begin to eat at the safer levels.

Thanks 2 Hobbit! I meant to add this to my post. This worked REALLY WELL for me and helped me understand how to make sure I was doing right by my body.

CarlaC78

I lost huge amounts of hair about 3 years ago. Its an awful thing for a woman to go through because we all feel our hair makes us attractive lol I lost so much I had to wear a scarf to hide the bald and thinning patches!

My iron levels were too low and added to that I had severe stress from family problems at the time.

All u can do is keep taking the iron tablets and try de stress yourself if nothing else is showing from blood tests etc.

It does grow back thankfully aswell!

I have kept my hair short since it happened but its now strong enough that I am growing it into a short bob

AngelUK1985

I have a problem with my hair too but its because of a hormone imbalance that apparently losing weight might be able to help, have you had your hormone levels checked? just incase its an underlying condition you have as ive only had his problem this year so its not like hi symptom was always there. Also just checked your diary thats a really low calorie intake you'll make yourself ill and losing weight so fast isnt always a good thing its harder to keep off, im really talking from experience here.

Lmezz11

I'm going through the same thing! All these answers have been really helpful!

xxnellie146xx

Thank you everyone for your advice. I have been eating more calories and will continue to increase them. When I first started I was under assumption of less is better and was only eating 600-700 a day and now I am eating double the amount.

I have a problem with my hair too but its because of a hormone imbalance that apparently losing weight might be able to help, have you had your hormone levels checked? just incase its an underlying condition you have as ive only had his problem this year so its not like hi symptom was always there. Also just checked your diary thats a really low calorie intake you'll make yourself ill and losing weight so fast isnt always a good thing its harder to keep off, im really talking from experience here.

I have had my hormones checked and they were okay. They only thing the dr was concerned about was my iron level.

siliisobel

I had the same thing happen to me and it lasted for about a year. It was terrifying and I thought it would never stop but it has thank goodness. I think mine was either caused by stress or recently coming off the contraceptive pill. The contraceptive pill can have a massive effect on hair loss whether you have just started taking it or have just come off it as it changes the hormone balance in your body.

Chances are yours is caused by inadequate nutricion so up your calories and it should sort itself out. It will take a while for your hair to get back to normal (up to 3 months) so dont panic if it doesn't happen straight away.

AlphamaleBAMF

Does anyone have any suggestions or have experienced something similar?

Get your thyroid checked.

foreversunshine1

This happened to me several years ago. It just shed a lot more than normal and was only something I noticed. The dermatologist said that everyone goes through a "shedding cycle" about every 10 years where the hair at the end of it's life cycle. The hair grows back in following the shedding.

He suggested a good multivitamin and a B-100 complex daily to help. It did the trick. Give it a try

svwalter

You are not getting enough protein in your diet. A nutritionist said you need to have enough protein or that would happen. Good luck and God Bless You!!

SaraWo24

Bump! I too am experiencing the same thing and these answers are very helpful. Thank you!