Malnutrition & Hair loss

mschybell
mschybell Posts: 33 Member
edited February 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 20 year old female who is underweight. I didn't suffer from an eating disorder, however, for about a year I suffered from severe stomach problems that made it nearly impossible for me to eat, sleep, etc. I went from 96lbs (barely a healthy bmi) to 78lbs. I went days w/o sleeping and barely eating. In July/August after numerous doctor visits and tests, we finally figured out it was from extreme stress. After making some life changes to reduce it, I was then able to start eating again but not nearly enough (money, my stomach was VERY sensitive at first). In October my hair started falling out and it's been falling out ever since. It basically started falling out a month or so after I started trying to recover. I've had to slowly work my way up to be able to eat 2000+ cal and have been tracking my recovery since this point, for about 3 weeks. Is this normal? I've lost over half of it. Is my hair loss from the weight loss and malnutrition? Will it grow back? How long after eating healthy should I see an improvement? I'm currently intaking at least 2500 cal a day& making sure I hit both protein/iron goals. I'm also taking biotin,fish oil,& iron & vit D supplements. I've gained 7lbs so far! Sorry if I rambled too much. Just really looking for some advice.

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    It will take a few months for your body to realize that you aren't going to die and return to taking care of non-vital functions. Your hair will grow back. Keep working on taking care of yourself and hopefully your doctor keeps up with you through the process.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I lost a lot of hair from undetectable iron levels and now it is growing back thicker than before
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    edited February 2016
    Welcome to MFP! :smiley:

    If your hair loss is from malnourishment, it should grow back. People who have weight loss surgery often suffer form hair loss because of the drastic reduction in calories and nutrients. If your body is lacking in protein and iron, your hair will suffer for it. Same thing with people with eating disorders. Once the nutritional deficit is fixed for a long enough period of time, the hair typically starts growing back.

    Can you go back to the doc for a blood panel to make sure you're not anemic? Iron is important to hair. Too much can be dangerous, so it's a good idea to not supplement on your own. And try as hard as you can to get enough protein. My favorite treat is Quest salted caramel protein powder. YUM! Make it with a little soy milk and ice and it's like a super-tasty milkshake! :blush:

    If it doesn't start growing back in within a few months, you could also ask for a referral to a dermatologist to rule out alopecia. When someone has alopecia, their hair usually falls out in round patches. It's thought to be an autoimmune disease. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Alopecia_Areata/
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    Oh goodness thank you guys so much for your quick replies. I was not expecting that to be honest.

    @Psychgrrl Well to be completely honest my doctor hasn't been much help at all. Everything I've figured out or done has mostly come from my own effort & research. I brought my hair loss up to her at the end of Oct. (it started in the beginning) and despite knowing I was underweight and about my previous stomach problems ignored my concerns, insisted I was overreacting & told me it was normal. I then had to come back in the end of December with bags of my hair to get taken remotely seriously. Bloodwork got done twice and they told me both times it was 'normal' but I got a copy a second time & found out my levels were way off as far as Hgb, Hct, Rdw, etc goes so it , my ferritin was at 30 so that all points to anemia & I had a vit d deficiency but apparently they didn't think any of that was relevant or severe enough. I don't think they are taking into account how tiny I am or how malnourished I was/am. I went to a derm who ruled out genetic hair loss, etc, and my hair loss is diffuse and all over, not in patches or anything; he said it was t.e & temporary but as to why he shrugged his shoulders and said it was from stress and to try rogaine, so doctors haven't been much help unfortunately!
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @usmcmp Thank you so much for your reply. Hearing it will grow back is comforting. Trust me I'm busting my butt trying to get better. I'm trying to eat all the right foods: salmon, nuts, oats, chicken, greek yogurt, spinach, etc so hopefully in a few months my hard work will start to pay off!
  • Coley88
    Coley88 Posts: 114 Member
    mschybell wrote: »
    Oh goodness thank you guys so much for your quick replies. I was not expecting that to be honest.

    @Psychgrrl Well to be completely honest my doctor hasn't been much help at all. Everything I've figured out or done has mostly come from my own effort & research. I brought my hair loss up to her at the end of Oct. (it started in the beginning) and despite knowing I was underweight and about my previous stomach problems ignored my concerns, insisted I was overreacting & told me it was normal. I then had to come back in the end of December with bags of my hair to get taken remotely seriously. Bloodwork got done twice and they told me both times it was 'normal' but I got a copy a second time & found out my levels were way off as far as Hgb, Hct, Rdw, etc goes so it , my ferritin was at 30 so that all points to anemia & I had a vit d deficiency but apparently they didn't think any of that was relevant or severe enough. I don't think they are taking into account how tiny I am or how malnourished I was/am. I went to a derm who ruled out genetic hair loss, etc, and my hair loss is diffuse and all over, not in patches or anything; he said it was t.e & temporary but as to why he shrugged his shoulders and said it was from stress and to try rogaine, so doctors haven't been much help unfortunately!

    Are you able to see a different doctor?
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @singingflutelady Did you find out what your ferritin level was? Mine was a 30 when I got it checked at the begging of January but I suspect it was lower before then. The other things they check to see if its anemia(rbc,rdw,hgb,mch, etc). Also were off but they just ignored that altogether and have basically told me nothing more than to wait it out but I think iron is part of the issue too, especially based off of what I've read.
  • insearchofcheese
    insearchofcheese Posts: 45 Member
    I lost a ton of hair due to cutting my calories too low early on in my weight loss journey. I rectified that by not only being more reasonable with my calorie deficit but also choosing nutrient dense foods, including iron-rich foods. (I was anemic as well). In the last 3 months I have a ton of new hair growth. It's annoying because I have all of these sprouting hairs sticking up from my scalp, but I'm happy to know that it's coming back. I was worried.
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @insearchofcheese Aww I'm so happy to hear that your hair is beginning to grow back. I do notice little tiny hairs sticking up along where my part is but didn't know if it was regrowth or not! My doctor doesn't take my anemia seriously but I also have the other symptoms too(pale skin, brittle fingernails, out of breath easy,etc.) and I think that's playing a role in my hair loss as well.
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @Coley88 Well I'm seeing a different derm. at the beginning of March & have an appt to see a hematologist on Wednesday. I'd definitely like to switch doctors. I'm going to see if I can get into my boyfriend's doctor. Its just hard because of insurance to find one and get in soon!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    mschybell wrote: »
    @singingflutelady Did you find out what your ferritin level was? Mine was a 30 when I got it checked at the begging of January but I suspect it was lower before then. The other things they check to see if its anemia(rbc,rdw,hgb,mch, etc). Also were off but they just ignored that altogether and have basically told me nothing more than to wait it out but I think iron is part of the issue too, especially based off of what I've read.

    My ferritin was generally ok but it was my serum iron that tanked. I was undetectable (meaning below 0.9) for at least 6 months but it is always a little low. My hemoglobin was 6.3 during that time too. I have Crohn's disease so my malnutrition was more of a malabsorption, restricting trigger foods, everything passing right through me and chronic GI bleeding issue. I had iron infusions and blood transfusions but they didn't help much and it just dropped back down to undetectable after a week. Iron pills did absolutely nothing as they went right through me. Luckily since my meds finally started working and I am absorbing more and not bleeding my serum iron and hemoglobin are near normal again.

  • Sandytoes71
    Sandytoes71 Posts: 463 Member
    mschybell wrote: »
    I'm a 20 year old female who is underweight. I didn't suffer from an eating disorder, however, for about a year I suffered from severe stomach problems that made it nearly impossible for me to eat, sleep, etc. I went from 96lbs (barely a healthy bmi) to 78lbs. I went days w/o sleeping and barely eating. In July/August after numerous doctor visits and tests, we finally figured out it was from extreme stress. After making some life changes to reduce it, I was then able to start eating again but not nearly enough (money, my stomach was VERY sensitive at first). In October my hair started falling out and it's been falling out ever since. It basically started falling out a month or so after I started trying to recover. I've had to slowly work my way up to be able to eat 2000+ cal and have been tracking my recovery since this point, for about 3 weeks. Is this normal? I've lost over half of it. Is my hair loss from the weight loss and malnutrition? Will it grow back? How long after eating healthy should I see an improvement? I'm currently intaking at least 2500 cal a day& making sure I hit both protein/iron goals. I'm also taking biotin,fish oil,& iron & vit D supplements. I've gained 7lbs so far! Sorry if I rambled too much. Just really looking for some advice.

    OP, i'm sorry I don't have any experience in this, but I just have to tell you that even tho I don't know you, I'm proud of you. I can tell you are a fighter and I will keep you in my prayers.
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @Sandytoes71 No, no its okay! Trust me, your kind words mean & do just as much. I don't have much of a support system so any encouragement or compassion means the world to me. Thank you so very much.
  • Coley88
    Coley88 Posts: 114 Member
    mschybell wrote: »
    @Coley88 Well I'm seeing a different derm. at the beginning of March & have an appt to see a hematologist on Wednesday. I'd definitely like to switch doctors. I'm going to see if I can get into my boyfriend's doctor. Its just hard because of insurance to find one and get in soon!

    Insurance is such a pain. I really hope you are able to get in with a different doctor who will realize how serious this actually is and help you as much as possible. It saddens me that your current doctor was seemingly rather dismissive.
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    It definitely is! But thank you, I hope so to. It's very frustrating because it makes it ten times harder to get myself better and become healthy without the help of a good doctor. I've done so much research and for the most part have been doing this all on my own and its very scary! When I went to see her at my lowest (78) she said, and I'm kid you not, 'Well, you aren't losing weight anymore and you're maintaining now so I'm happy with that'. As if me being severely underweight was fine as long as I was no longer losing.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    OP, it sounds like you're taking all the right steps! Good for you in finding other medical professionals! I'm sorry your old doc wasn't listening. Sometimes, I think people forget why they became doctors. :grimace:

    The stubble seems like regrowth--hang in there and do what you can to get adequate nutrition. Be patient--I know it's hard when it's your hair, but once your body is where it should be for nutrients, your hair will follow suit. :heart:
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @singingflutelady Aww I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that! I can definitely relate. I got sick every time I would try to eat but then also would get sick because I was barely eating. Stomach problems are awful. I'm glad to hear something finally started working for you though. Its a hard journey but I'm glad that in the end you were able to have some positive outcomes!
  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
    mschybell wrote: »
    @insearchofcheese Aww I'm so happy to hear that your hair is beginning to grow back. I do notice little tiny hairs sticking up along where my part is but didn't know if it was regrowth or not! My doctor doesn't take my anemia seriously but I also have the other symptoms too(pale skin, brittle fingernails, out of breath easy,etc.) and I think that's playing a role in my hair loss as well.

    I also experienced brittle nails/hair loss after around a month of very lacking nutrition and high stress. It was weird because I didn't start losing hair until a month later. Likewise, I didn't see much improvement until after a solid month of eating nutrient-dense foods. I hope you start seeing the same improvement soon, since you said you've been at it for 3 weeks. It's too bad you're not finding good medical help, but I think you're doing the right thing taking as much of your health into your own hands as you're able. I did the same when it seemed like my docs wouldn't acknowledge anything they couldn't medicate. Hope you're experience turns out better than mine, and good for you for empowering yourself!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    mschybell wrote: »
    @singingflutelady Aww I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that! I can definitely relate. I got sick every time I would try to eat but then also would get sick because I was barely eating. Stomach problems are awful. I'm glad to hear something finally started working for you though. Its a hard journey but I'm glad that in the end you were able to have some positive outcomes!

    Thanks. Mine are more, um, intestinal issues ;) I was underweight for a long time too (lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks) but once I started absorbing boom gained quickly back to bmi 20.5
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @lemmie177 You guys are really so sweet. This is the most support I've had in a long time. & Same here! I didn't notice any hair loss or problems with my nails until I started eating again. Thank you so much for the encouragement. I'm sorry to hear you had an unpleasant experience with your doctors as well! Its nice having people to relate to though & knowing you aren't alone or the only one who's gone through this sort of thing. I hope things continue to improve for you <3
  • pootle1972
    pootle1972 Posts: 579 Member
    Can you drink build up or some other very high calorie fortified drinks?
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @pootle1972 I drink an ensure plus every day & I have a carnation instant breakfast with my oatmeal every morning!
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    mschybell sounds like you are on the right track to get your health (and your hair) back. Don't worry about it too much...pretty sure it will grow right back in.

    Yes, you can lose hair from nutrition issues. You can also just lose hair from stress on the body. I've had hair loss from extreme life stress (certain other have had worse, but co-workers were comparing me to Job from the Old Testament) and also from surgery (had about a half dozen)...I think my body doesn't like the anesthesia.
  • mschybell
    mschybell Posts: 33 Member
    @ilex70 I definitely have been under a lot of stress, a lot of mine came from work too! Doctors said thats what set off my stomach problem to begin with. I didn't even know it was possible to be so stressed you become physically ill. Two of my coworkers made it their job to make my life hell. Constantly criticizing me, yelling at me when I hadnt done anything wrong, getting me into trouble yet letting other coworkers do what they want, yelling at me in front of customers, leaving nasty voicemails, one of them even gouged out my eyes on a picture of mine that was up at the front end of the store). But I'm so sorry you had to get mistreated like that! It's not right and no one should have to go through that. & Eek! You poor thing. I hope you are done with the surgeries now at least and are finally able to rest & recover! <3

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