Hair falling out - badly

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24

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  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    I was having significant hair loss and it was my thyroid. I'm hypo, and was already on meds but needed an adjustment. Get some blood work done.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Eat at maintenance and see if that makes a difference. It could be stress because of your mum.
    I was just thinking this. *hugs* My hair was falling out due to stress after I lost mum 4 months ago. It's slowing down now.

    I see that your protein has been really low, too. What about fats?
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    Don't try to guess why your hair is falling out. See your doctor, who will find out what is going on, or at least rule out any conditions that you need to worry about.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    cerise_noir wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Eat at maintenance and see if that makes a difference. It could be stress because of your mum.
    I was just thinking this. *hugs* My hair was falling out due to stress after I lost mum 4 months ago. It's slowing down now.

    I see that your protein has been really low, too. What about fats?

    Just wanted to say I'm so sorry about your mum. My mum is my best friend and i would be totally and utterly destroyed if she died. Hugs to you and @girl_inflames :heart:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Long term low calorie diet (even worse if you are exercisingexercising) low protein would give youa good opportunity to be deficient in one or more nutrients.
  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 375 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    How tall are you?

    I'm 5 ft 6

  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 375 Member
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    desidelay wrote: »
    I had the same problem and then I started taking a hair supplement with biotin. My hair loss decreased significantly, I noticed my lost hair came back in (fast), and my hair was shinier than before. I love it!

    I'm actually using a hair and nails vitamin. My nails are growing fast and they're very strong which is great...but my hair is thinning out drastically. I would expect if it were a deficiency that my nails would be weak too. But they're not....it's so confusing :confused:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
    edited August 2016
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    Have you made any adjustments in caloric intake to see if an increase would help?
  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 375 Member
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    SoDamnHungry wrote: »
    For what it's worth, I don't think 40 grams of protein is low enough to be the lone cause for someone's hair to start falling out. I average around that (sometimes more, sometimes less) and my hair is very thick. Definitely go to the doctor.

    If it IS diet related, it's possible you're netting too low. Do you net 1200, or do you eat 1200 and exercise on top of that?
    I try to net 1200. Most days I'm around 1200...I usually try to get a little under for human error sake
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    Go see a doctor.. Trust the guy with no hair on this one.
  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 375 Member
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    SCoil123 wrote: »
    Please see a doctor. There are many reasons this could be happening and only a physical exam with labs with determine which it is.

    I have hashimoto and lose hair when my hormones are off (I have a permanent bd patch in one eyebrow) but when I went through counseling for an eating disorder every woman there had experienced hair loss from a combination of nutritional deficiencies, stress, and hormonal imbalances. One symptom and many different causes.

    This is very informative, thank you for sharing!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Can you open your diary so we can take a look? Also, eating 1200 calories and exercise, is not 1200 net.. it's 1200 gross.
  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 375 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Can you open your diary so we can take a look? Also, eating 1200 calories and exercise, is not 1200 net.. it's 1200 gross.

    Oops, that's what I meant, gross. :smile: I haven't been tracking things as much lately, I'm trying to eat a little more and I've been getting a little obsessive with what I eat so I'm hoping not tracking as stringently for a bit calms me down. Generally I try to eat a protein shake in the morning - a low calorie lunch (usually a salad with fruit), two snacks and then a dinner with protein and veggies. This is almost every day unless I deviate by going out to lunch or dinner.
  • CaliforniaAJ
    CaliforniaAJ Posts: 196 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Google 'telogen effluvium'. :-)

    A telogen effluvium is when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state. Telogen effluvium can be acute or chronic. If there is some "shock to the system", as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are then shed in large numbers about 2 months after the "shock".

    So sorry for the loss of your Mother. I know how it affected my when I lost my Dad, so don't be surprised to find it has affected you in all sorts of ways you hadn't considered. Hang in there. ❤️❤️❤️
  • 44to44
    44to44 Posts: 896 Member
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    I will echo some others and say see a doctor for full bloodwork. I was losing a lot of hair when I went hypothyroid, which coincidentally, was also right after I lost my mother (sorry for your loss, btw) -I'm convinced the stress really set it off, although it runs in my family. But you're eating very little and exercising on top of that, so could totally be diet related. We all mean well here, but we're not doctors, so you should see one. Good luck.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    girl_inflames wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    Can you open your diary so we can take a look? Also, eating 1200 calories and exercise, is not 1200 net.. it's 1200 gross.

    Oops, that's what I meant, gross. :smile: I haven't been tracking things as much lately, I'm trying to eat a little more and I've been getting a little obsessive with what I eat so I'm hoping not tracking as stringently for a bit calms me down. Generally I try to eat a protein shake in the morning - a low calorie lunch (usually a salad with fruit), two snacks and then a dinner with protein and veggies. This is almost every day unless I deviate by going out to lunch or dinner.

    So it's quite possible you are under 1200 calories. You really should temporarily track and increase calories by another 300-400. As you get leaner, your need more, especially if you want to prevent muscle loss and deficiencies which is probably want is occurring. With only a protein shake and dinner, protein is probably really low unless your snacks are really high in protein. And since a protein deficiency would cause hair loss, it might be a good place to start.
  • DataSeven
    DataSeven Posts: 245 Member
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    My dermatologist prescribed me rogaine for women for my thinning hair. I also have problems with low iron which may be causing the hair loss, along with the weight loss over the past couple of years. My GP has also prescribed an iron supplement. I've been using for only a month or so, so it's not really long enough to see significant difference, but I'm hopeful.

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