Help - my hair is falling out!

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rsandlershblin
rsandlershblin Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been dieting and exercising and have lost 6o pounds over the last 6 months (yay!), but the bad news is I have recently noticed a fair amount of hair loss right around my hairline. My hair also feels really dry. Are there some vitamins or suppplements that anyone would recommend? I am female, 46, weigh 135, and I 5 foot 6. I eat around 1,200 calories a day with protein, fruits, & veggies. I cut out sugar, and most bread products. Thanks!

Replies

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Are you deficient in iron or vitamins? Hair loss is often due to some sort of malnutrition. Now that you are within a healthy BMI range I would increase your calories.
  • KristinHR01
    KristinHR01 Posts: 51 Member
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    Make a doctor appt ASAP
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Not eating sufficient calories can result in hair loss. Get checked out and increase your protein.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Are you deficient in iron or vitamins? Hair loss is often due to some sort of malnutrition. Now that you are within a healthy BMI range I would increase your calories.

    This. Along with increasing calories in general, increase your fat intake.

    Many times people cut their fat intake very low during weight loss. This can result in problems such as hair falling out. Fat ensures healthy hormone functioning and is required in order to absorb many needed vitamins.
  • WindSparrow
    WindSparrow Posts: 224 Member
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    Definitely seconding the recommendation to get checked out by a doctor. There are a number of medical conditions that cause hair loss. Malnutrition is one possibility. At your height 1200 calories is really low. It would be tough to get all the nutrients your body needs to function, even if you are eating a very well-balanced diet. It might be wise to ask the doc for a referral to a dietician, to make certain that you are getting optimal nutrition.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    So here's what I have learned on the topic.. It could be from your diet, or it may not be. Weightloss, even well regulated slow steady weightloss can cause hair loss. Too low of a protein intake can but it needs to be pretty low for that to be an issue.
    What isn't talked about is that hair loss in women is very common, especially as we age and get closer to menopause. Women tend to lose hair from the general crown area which is different from how men lose it. Basically, women's hair tends to thin a lot but they rarely go bald.
    I agree with others that it would be a good idea for you to go talk with your doctor, but most likely, they'll just tell you to get rogaine. They do sell women's rogaine with either a 2 or 5% minoxidil concentration and i'll leave the research on which concentration you want up to you. There's also shampoos out there which block/cleanse the scalp of DHT, a major contributing factor to female pattern loss.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    rsandlershblin wrote: »
    I have been dieting and exercising and have lost 6o pounds over the last 6 months (yay!), but the bad news is I have recently noticed a fair amount of hair loss right around my hairline. My hair also feels really dry. Are there some vitamins or suppplements that anyone would recommend? I am female, 46, weigh 135, and I 5 foot 6. I eat around 1,200 calories a day with protein, fruits, & veggies. I cut out sugar, and most bread products. Thanks!

    You've lost more than 2lb per week.. when I lost more than 2lb per week by cutting my calories too low, my hair would fall out, too. I am guessing you've had days with less than 1200 calories? That would definitely do it..

    I am shorter and younger than you and eat more calories to lose. You definitely don't need to lose 2lbs per week now. You are at a healthy weight and shouldn't be aiming to lose so aggressively. Your body is crying out to let you know that you need to slow down. Perhaps it is time to up your calories to maintenance or 100 below and start a progressive lifting program such as stronglifts 5x5?

    How low is your fat intake?
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,231 Member
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    Go to the doctor.

    It could be from rapid weight loss. It could be a symptom of a sluggish thyroid. It could be a lot of things.

    Go.To.The.Doctor.
  • nimh2
    nimh2 Posts: 3 Member
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    My hair was falling out last spring. I freaked! Turned out I was low on iron. Took a few weeks (once I was on supplements) to stop. Definitely see your doc to get your levels tested. Good luck!
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
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    When you go to the doc request blood work to check your vitamin D levels. A deficiency can cause hair loss.
  • rsandlershblin
    rsandlershblin Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks everyone for such good advice. I think I will make that appointment first thing Monday, and in the meantime I will start a multi-vitamin and increase my calories.
  • crystalmorrison378
    crystalmorrison378 Posts: 180 Member
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    rsandlershblin wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for such good advice. I think I will make that appointment first thing Monday, and in the meantime I will start a multi-vitamin and increase my calories.

    I have been going thru the same thing! Saw my doc and all blood work came back ok. I started a multivitamin and using shampoo with tea tree oil to help stimulate my scalp and I can tell it's helping :) it still falls out ( mostly in the shower) but since I stared the multivitamin and tea tree oil it's getting a lot better..
  • fattothinmum
    fattothinmum Posts: 218 Member
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    Doc. First and foremost, although my first effort sent me packing and telling me it was alopecia. I only noticed it on my legs. Two years later, thyroid boosted with thyroxine as sluggish, added calcium and vitamins and the hair grew back on my head too. I have so much if the stuff, I hadn't realised it had thinned. Damn it. Came in white....... tufts of white I now have to dye.

    Ask the doc.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,412 MFP Moderator
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    Low calories and low amounts of dietary protein/fat can definitely contribute to hair loss and skin issues. You are active and in a good weight position, so I would increase calories too and more specifically, fats & proteins.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,011 Member
    edited October 2016
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    rsandlershblin wrote: »
    I have been dieting and exercising and have lost 6o pounds over the last 6 months (yay!), but the bad news is I have recently noticed a fair amount of hair loss right around my hairline. My hair also feels really dry. Are there some vitamins or suppplements that anyone would recommend? I am female, 46, weigh 135, and I 5 foot 6. I eat around 1,200 calories a day with protein, fruits, & veggies. I cut out sugar, and most bread products. Thanks!

    What's your goal weight? I am 5'6" as well and imagine that at 135 pounds you must be very close to goal, if not there already. MFP calculates that to maintain your current weight if you are sedentary you need 1,590 calories per day before exercise.

    I lose a lot of hair when I don't get enough iron or iodine, but as others have said, not enough calories, protein, or fat could be the culprits as well.
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
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    When this happened to me, I started adding more healthy fats to my diet. And taking biotin or even prenatals helped.

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