Hair Loss? Help!

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    OooohToast wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kiela64 wrote: »
    I lost a lot of hair when I was losing weight also. Turned out I needed an iron supplement even though it was the “low end of normal” my doctor tried it out and it helped a lot. (It has unfortunate gastrointestinal side effects though so definitely talk to your doctor about this!!)

    @kiela64 I have no gastrointestinal side effects with https://smile.amazon.com/Solgar-Gentle-Iron-Vegetable-Capsules/dp/B00013Z0QA/

    (Others - don't just start supplementing with iron without getting blood work done first.)

    This ! I started taking an iron supplement without a test and it made things worse, mainly because I wasnt iron deficient in the first place....

    When I did do blood tests, turns out my D3 levels were completely MIA and I was peri-menopausal *sniffles*.

    I am blaming hormone brain #denial

    P.S Sorting D3 out sorted an awful lot

    I'm 52 and wish menopause would hurry the heck up >.<
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
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    So, I did specifically ask for the iodine bloodwork (came back just fine), but I can't remember if they did iron or not. I'll have to bring up my labs and look. I will be going to my dermatologist next month (I see her on the regular due to an acne issue) and I'm definitely going to bring up all of this with her. I did have a very mild vitamin D deficiency, and I do take a supplement for that.

    Tomorrow is my haircut/color appointment. I'm curious to see what my hairdresser is going to say about my hair. I've been texting her about it. I want to see if she says it's breakage or if it seems to have thinned. She was saying that of course breakage is typically something you are physically doing to your hair yourself - whether that be bleaching (which I've done with the baylayage), heat tools, etc. And that thinning is typically some type of thing going on inside your body. It's just so weird to me if breaking is the issue. I have basically had the same type of stuff (color and styling wise) done to my hair for YEARS and I've never noticed any of these problems until just maybe the past 6-9 months or so.

    Last night in the shower I shed off a ton. I'd not washed my hair for a day or two, hadn't done any sort of heat styling to it whatsoever, and I'd just pinned it up yesterday. When I took it out and showered, it was so disappointing to see all that come off.
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
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    kirdyq wrote: »
    So, I did specifically ask for the iodine bloodwork (came back just fine), but I can't remember if they did iron or not. I'll have to bring up my labs and look. I will be going to my dermatologist next month (I see her on the regular due to an acne issue) and I'm definitely going to bring up all of this with her. I did have a very mild vitamin D deficiency, and I do take a supplement for that.

    Tomorrow is my haircut/color appointment. I'm curious to see what my hairdresser is going to say about my hair. I've been texting her about it. I want to see if she says it's breakage or if it seems to have thinned. She was saying that of course breakage is typically something you are physically doing to your hair yourself - whether that be bleaching (which I've done with the baylayage), heat tools, etc. And that thinning is typically some type of thing going on inside your body. It's just so weird to me if breaking is the issue. I have basically had the same type of stuff (color and styling wise) done to my hair for YEARS and I've never noticed any of these problems until just maybe the past 6-9 months or so.

    Last night in the shower I shed off a ton. I'd not washed my hair for a day or two, hadn't done any sort of heat styling to it whatsoever, and I'd just pinned it up yesterday. When I took it out and showered, it was so disappointing to see all that come off.

    That must have been upsetting - sending you a hug. I will never forget the horror of seeing my scalp shine through my hair for the first time - makes me feel a bit sick even now. Even though I didnt clock the shedding and just the outcome, I can appreciate you are probably feeling the creeping horror.

    With acne going on, I am still thinkimg hormones might be influencing things OP - has this been a thing for you in the past ?
  • NovemberSkye
    NovemberSkye Posts: 26 Member
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    Sorry you're experiencing this. Are you still trying to actively lose weight? 130 at 5'8" is very slim. It might be too low for YOUR body, and you are seeing some of the fallout from that. Otherwise, everyone else has provided solid advice. Keep in mind that even with lots of shedding (my hair was coming out in handfuls after each of my pregnancies), I never went bald despite being convinced I would with the amount that was falling out. It might look like more than it really is. Hope you get some answers from your doc!
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
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    Thanks guys! 130 was my goal weight to hit. If I ever consistently went below 125, I don't think I'd like that. I think I'd probably have way to low of a BMI then. I log my weight every day just to keep track, and I usually bounce around between 126-132. It just varies based off of what I eat. I would say that I eat very healthy, but of course you have those times where you go to a restaurant, or have a birthday party, have drinks with friends, need that chocolate fix...lol! I don't mind a treat once or twice a week. I just try to not make it an everyday thing. 130 was my goal, so I'm just trying to maintain a weight around that now.

    So here is the backstory with the acne, in case you are wondering. That has been something that has went on since 2014, so it's not a new change to my body. I was having horrible, horrible headaches back at that time. I requested an MRI because the doctors kept telling me it was just tension headaches. Well, I had something called cerebral venous thrombosis...there was a blood clot in one of the sinus veins in my head! It was blocked, hence the horrible headaches! I'd been a headache sufferer for many years, but this was something different! Moral of the story is...doctors are not always right. You have to be your own advocate. At the time that I started having the headaches, before I had even requested the MRI, I decided to stop taking my birth control pills, because I'd heard they could cause that issue. Well, after many, many, many blood tests the neurologist said nothing genetic was wrong with me and that the clot was likely caused by the estrogen in the birth control. So now, I am never supposed to take it again. But...it always kept my acne away. After stopping it, I was breaking out like a teenager again. So, that is why I currently see a dermatologist. She has found a couple topical prescriptions that seem to work really well for me.
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
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    OP - you really have been through the wars ! I am impressed at your advocacy skills too. You may find that the changes in hormones support, weight and additional health challenges have had an impact on your hair. As I am peri-menopausal (more fun to come !) so I turned to Rogaine which has worked wonders for me. Perhaps a trip to a trichologist may get you more answers and/or possible solutions regarding your hair?
  • m_uh
    m_uh Posts: 2 Member
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    As others have said, ask your doctor to have your iron levels checked. I am prone to anemia, and have experienced severe hair loss. General nutrient malabsorption could be a cause as well (something I’m in the process of fixing too). It’s very frightening, but luckily our hair is not vital to our survival, but sudden loss of it could be a sign of something larger in the body that is going wrong. I hope you’re able to discuss with your doc and find some answers! ❤️

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