Is anyone else losing their hair?

I've lost almost 40 lbs. so far since mid-march but have recently noticed that I'm also losing my hair.  Every morning in the shower I end up with a handful of hair after I shampoo.  I'm eating very well - I average about 1650 cal's/day and am usually at a 800 cal deficit on average each day.  I'm at about 50% carbs/25% protein/25% fats.  I get plenty of protein - ~100g per day and I take a multi-vitamin for hair and nails.  I suspect it may be hormonal as the other times I've lost hair have been about 3-4 months after my children were born.  Are there hormonal changes that occur with weight loss?  Someone suggested that I should try to eat more red meat.  Has anyone else had this problem with hair loss?  How long did it last?  Has it improved?  Any additional input would be appreciated.  Thanks very much!

go and see a doctor or a nutritionist cause i think that you have are not getting enough of some vitamins or something

I'd find that hard to believe because I really am eating healthier now than before I started cc and I wasn't losing hair then.  I went to the doctor 2 months ago for my annual physical (before noticing the hair loss) and everything was great.  My bloodwork was fantastic.  Having said that though, I'm sure a nutritionist or a doctor who specializes in weight loss would be able to shed some light on my situation but I was hoping some fellow cc'ers would be able to help me by sharing their experiences.  Anyone else have advice?

 In women, hair loss can be a reaction to stress and change in life.  I experienced it once, when I moved to a new country to live for a few years.  The weather, diet, lifestyle and culture were all alien to me, and I lost what I thought was an alarming amount of hair on my pillow and when washing.  I consulted a medical professional, who told me that this was a common response to significant life events in women.   So if you experienced it with no ill effects when your children were born, you may also be experiencing the same thing now.  The doctor told me that the cause was unknown, but probably hormonal.  I hope that helps.

I did a bit of research on the internet and found this on www.medicinenet.com...

Telogen effluvium

Under normal conditions, scalp hairs live for about three years (the anagen, or growing, phase); they then enter the telogen, or resting, phase. During this three-month period, the hair root shrivels up into a small white "club," then the hair falls out. It is therefore normal to lose about 100 hairs every day, more of them on days when shampooing loosens the hairs that are ready to fall out. The hairs are then replaced by the body. Sometimes people worried about losing their hair start noticing hairs on their pillow or in the sink, not realizing that they've always been there. A close look at these will usually reveal the white "club" at the end, showing that these hairs were already dead. Normally, about 10% of scalp hairs are in the telogen phase. There are several circumstances that produce a "shock to the system" that alters the hair growth rhythm. As a result, as much as 30-40% of the hairs can cycle into telogen. Three months later hairs come out in a massive shedding (effluvium), especially near the front of the scalp.

These include:

childbirth high fever

sudden weight loss (crash dieting)

surgery

None of these has to be life-threatening, nor does hair loss always follow them. (It can happen after one pregnancy but not the next.) But when the hair falls out, it's all over the place--covering the pillow, clogging the drain, and so forth. Paradoxically, the more dramatic the hair loss, the better the prognosis, because when the body gets back into normal rhythm, most if not all of that hair comes back. No special treatment is needed. Normal shampooing can continue, because this only loosens hairs that were going to come out anyway.

I'm thinking I shouldn't worry too much about it.  Hopefully it should stop soon as my body adjusts to the new me.  Thanks for your input.  By the way - Aoifek - love your name - my daughter's name is Aoife, too.

I'd still like to hear if any other cc'ers have experienced this problem, if anyone would like to share their stories.

I'm glad you posted about this--I've been experiencing the same thing!  I'm now moving towards maintenance, but I lost 30 pounds in three months--and now I'm seeing some alarming hair loss.  It doesn't look like I'm balding, but I am pulling out quite a lot of hair just running my hands through it.  It's normally really thick too, and now it's much less thick.  Thanks for the link from medicinenet, puts my mind at ease.  OP, good luck with your hair loss--hopefully it is just your hair recovering from the shock of weight loss and not a sign of anything serious.

This has happened to me under much the same circumstances as you...I went to see and nutritionist and she put me on some pre-natals and asked me to up my calories a bit and the hair loss all but stopped within a couple weeks..

the same exact thing happened to me.  i dropped a significant amount of body fat in a healthy way (clean diet and exercise) and i lost maybe 50% of my hair over 6-8 months.  it was very depressing and i had many blood tests.  for me it was just the shock to my body over a significant loss of a percentage of my body mass.  when my hair was falling out i took vitamins and upped my fat intake but it didnt really help.  it fixed itself on its own. 
i dont want to freak anyone out but it may take a while for it to stop BUT the good thing is, my hair is growing back in (tons of baby hairs).

I lose so much hair, But this could be because I have really long curly hair (In my pictures my hair is straightened but in reality it's extremely gross and curly).  But Everytime when I take a shower there is so much loose hair it really Does clog the sink.

I've been losing my hair for quite some time. I've lost 60 pounds and it hasn't come off fast (8months). I've been noticing that it is growing back and my hair is getting thicker now. I can see the shorter hairs that have grown in. But I still lose tons of hair when I brush it and especially when I wash it in the shower.

I've heard it was from nutrition and hormones. I take a woman's multivitamin and I eat better now than I have ever in my life! So it was alarming to me also. I also drink a slimfast a day for the extra vitamins and minerals it has. I'm hoping it stops soon, it's been going on for what seems like FOREVER!!!

Happened to me too.  3 months after I had a fever of 40C for 3 days, I lost sooo much hair, just before my wedding, thought I would be a bald bride. 

Funny thing, my hair started to thicken up since starting this new diet, had new baby hairs and everything, but this morning, I about 3 times as much hair came away in the shower. 

Good thing is it grows back :)

Thanks rasmom! But prepare your daughter for a lifetime of explaining to people how to pronounce her name when she is anywhere outside of Ireland!!!!!  I live in the UK at the moment, and have lived in and travelled around a few other foreign shores, and constantly see blind fear in people's eyes when they see it written down and they have to pronounce it!!!!  Aoife is also the "evil stepmother" in the old Irish legend "The Children of Lír", who turns her step children into swans for 900 years (way to scare young Irish kids who have all read this story in primary school...).  However I do love my name, and my native language's eccentricity with vowels and I wouldn't change it for anything.  I'm sure your daughter will feel the same xxxx

Original Post by thebledx3:

I lose so much hair, But this could be because I have really long curly hair (In my pictures my hair is straightened but in reality it's extremely gross and curly). But Everytime when I take a shower there is so much loose hair it really Does clog the sink.

My hair is curly, its so curly everyone who doesn't know me asks me if its a perm. Its not as long it use to be,it was really long then I cut it and now its taking forever to grow back. But I know what you mean mine clogs the tub all the time! Doesn't it drive you crazy when people say "you are so lucky you have curly hair" BAH! I hate that! They have no idea what its like to try and take care of crazy curls everyday

My sister says that you may also want to do a cleanse. She says that your body is also getting rid of impurities. The body is purging all bad things and since your hair had been around during the intake of the bad stuff it explains the responses of having thicker, healthier hair coming back in afterwards. You may want to see a homeopathic someone or other too. My sis also says taking a probotic (sp?) should also help too...huh. It has good bacteria for your gut. (I say see someone before doing anything...)

LATER!

Hello,

Hair loss can be a sign of ketosis - a state in which significant, rapid weight loss is occurring.  I don't understand enough about Ketosis but remember hearing it can be dangerous for some so you should still check with your MD.  Hormones are stored in fat so when you lose weight you have overflowing hormonal surges.  This causes hair loss in some -- similar to the hormone surges that cause some expecting mothers to lose their hair.  It will grow back if that's the case.

Best of luck,

Susan

 

Thyroid disorders can also cause hair loss. Are you having other symptoms. Fatigue, weight gain or loss, dry skin, brittle nails, irritability, anxiety, heat and/or cold intolerance? These are all symptoms of a thyroid disorder. Go to the Dr. and ask for a blood test to rule this out. Quickly loosing weight can cause hair loss.

 

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/ a/symptoms.htm

I'm losing a lot of hair too! especially during and after i shower. handfuls, its really scary. I really think its because i lost almost 30 lbs in such a short amount of time. plus an increase from completely no exercise to running miles and miles a day.

They say hair reflects what youve done to your body 3 months ago and i think this is true because i began upping my calories about 3 months ago.

I agree with littleshellys.  I too lost a lot of hair a few years ago.  I was also trying to loose weight.  But there were other symptoms too.  I started having really dry skin.  During the winter I would get so cold, and the only way to get warm was to put my hands and feet in super hot water.  I went to my doctor and had a blood test and found that I was hypothyroid.  It's quite a common disorder, and can be treated with medication. 

If you haven't seen the doc for a while, now would be a good time.

Hi rasmom,

Hair loss happened to me as well about 10 years ago. I was going through a divorce and had lost about 20 pounds. My friend, a hairdresser for many years, said this was a common effect for weight loss and stress. If that's all it is it should clear up soon. Good luck and congrats on the weight loss!

Thanks everyone for all the replies.  I'm still losing hair but trying not to stress too much about.  I think new hair is growing in its place, kind of hard to tell.  I can see the new hair that has grown in since I lost hair after my daughter's birth 1 1/2 years ago.  It's all short and frizzy while the rest of my hair is long and curly.  

I just saw the doctor a couple of months ago and everything was fine.  My bloodwork never looked better.  I don't have any other symptoms that would indicate thyroid problems.  And, honestly, I don't have any stress in my life right now.  Hopefully it all stops soon.

Aoifek- haha - I already know what you mean about the blind fear in people's eyes when they try to pronounce Aoife's name (pronounced "ee-fa" for anyone who's curious).  We almost didn't name her Aoife for that exact reason but we absolutely loved the name and figured people would get over it.

I actually posted this about a year ago:

http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/post/542 72.html

The good news?  It was temporary.  The hair is definitely growing back.  I believe it was the hormonal shifts that happen with weight loss, not nutrition problems, but that was just my situation.  I saw my doctor at the time, and he said it was normal.