Didnt lose My Hair during My Chemo Treatments but...

[Lisa_85 118]

I am so upset I am about 3 1/2 months out an yesterday my hair started to fall out. I take Biotin 10,000 twice a day. I didn't lose my hair during my chemo treatments but I am going to lose it during weight loss. This sucks!! Has anyone tried the biotin Shampoo and conditioner? I don't even want to blow dry my hair now or straight it due to it may fall out more.

[DaisyAmy 561]

I'm about 4 months out and have noticed it really bad in the last few days. Ugh. I'm sure others have opinions on what helps, but I think it's just a thing we need to go through. Make sure you are getting all your Protein in and pray this phase ends soon!

[kmorri 1,689]

I haven't tried those products but I know this. The hair loss will stop once you'r weight stabilizes......Years ago I was on a Medifast diet for an extended period of time and lost a lot of weight (just didn't stay off)....but I did loose hair but I never had any "real" bald spots it just got really thin and all along it was also growing back....I remember noticing little baby hairs around my hair line and that always made me feel better. But the main thing to remember is it will stop once you stop loosing weight so quickly and based on your ticker you only have 35 pounds to go.

[Lisa_85 118]

I'm about 4 months out and have noticed it really bad in the last few days. Ugh. I'm sure others have opinions on what helps, but I think it's just a thing we need to go through. Make sure you are getting all your Protein in and pray this phase ends soon!

I get in over 80 grams of Protein a day.

[Lisa_85 118]

Will it grow back?

[kmorri 1,689]

@@Lisa_85 yes it grows back.....the only thing that is making your hair fall out is the extensive weight loss. Once your weight is stable it will stop and will grow back.

[theladyslipper 120]

Ugghhhh!!! The hair loss is so irritating! I'm 3 months out, as well, and am totally shedding. I'm taking Biotin, b-complex, sublingual b-12, Vitamin d (I saw a hair restoration guru who said all of which are important to keep at good levels). I'm even taking a random, but delicious supplement called "Sugarbear Hair." Still shedding. I'm thankful that I have thick hair, but it's totally falling out more on the right side than the left! This X-fusion keratin colored hair fibers is the best product I've found--it thickens hair like a dry Shampoo & kinda colors the scalp area so you see no scalp. It has an atomizer or you can just sprinkle it on. It makes a HUGE difference.

My mom is in her early 60's & she got sleeved a year & half ago and she lost 147lbs in the 1st year--she's 5'8 & 127 now, but her hair has gotten much thinner & apparently, it's a little harder to grow back hair after menopause b/c hormones. I got her this hair Fiber stuff & you cannot even tell that her hair is thin anymore. Good Luck everyone!!!!

Edited April 19, 2016 by theladyslipper

[theladyslipper 120]

Here's an article that explains what's happening with our hair!

Harvard Health Publications

Telogen Effluvium

What Is It?

At any given time, about 85% to 90% of the hairs on the average person's head are actively growing (the anagen phase) and the others are resting (the telogen phase). Typically, a hair is in the anagen phase for two to four years, then enters the telogen phase, rests for about two to four months, and then falls out and is replaced by a new, growing hair. The average person naturally loses about 100 hairs a day.

In a person with telogen effluvium, some body change or shock pushes more hairs into the telogen phase. Typically in this condition, about 30% of the hairs stop growing and go into the resting phase before falling out. So if you have telogen effluvium, you may lose an average of 300 hairs a day instead of 100.

Telogen effluvium can be triggered by a number of different events, including:

Surgery

Major physical trauma

Major psychological stress

High fever, severe infection or other illness

Extreme weight loss

Extreme change in diet

Abrupt hormonal changes, including those associated with childbirth and menopause

Iron deficiency

Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism

Some medications

Because hairs that enter the telogen phase rest in place for two to four months before falling out, you may not notice any Hair loss until two to four months after the event that caused the problem. Telogen effluvium rarely lasts longer than six months, although some cases last longer.

Although losing a great number of hairs within a short time can be frightening, the condition is usually temporary. Each hair that is pushed prematurely into the telogen phase is replaced by a new, growing hair, so there is no danger of complete baldness. Because hair on the scalp grows slowly, your hair may feel or look thinner than usual for a time, but fullness will return as the new hairs grow in.

Symptoms

If you have telogen effluvium, you'll notice more hair than usual accumulating on your pillowcase, on the shower or bathroom floor and in your hairbrush. Your scalp hair may feel or look less dense than usual. Often, though, the hair loss is subtle, and other people may not notice anything different about your hair.

Diagnosis

Most cases of telogen effluvium can be diagnosed based on medical history and an examination of the scalp and hair. If the hair loss has been occurring for several months, there may be visible thinning Patches, but often the hair loss is not dramatic enough for a doctor to notice. If you have large bald Patches, you probably don't have telogen effluvium. If the doctor gently tugs on some hairs on your scalp and four or more hairs come out, you probably have telogen effluvium. Also, the hairs will look like hairs in the telogen phase — they will have a white bulb at the end that was in the scalp, and will not have a gel-like covering around that end of the hair.

You may be asked to gather all hairs that fall out of your head over a 24-hour period, and count them to see if the hair loss is truly excessive. Losing fewer than 100 hairs in a day is considered normal. You also may be asked to gather and count lost hairs every one or two weeks to see when the shedding starts to decline.

In some rare cases, if there is reason to doubt the diagnosis, a biopsy of the scalp may be done. In this procedure, a small piece of the scalp that includes several hair follicles is removed and examined under a microscope. Your doctor also may do blood tests to check for conditions such as thyroid abnormalities that may be contributing to hair loss.

Expected Duration

Typically, hair loss begins two to four months after the event that triggered the problem, and lasts approximately six months. New hairs begin growing immediately after the hair falls out, but significant growth may not be noticed for several months.

Prevention

Nothing can be done to prevent most of the types of physical shock that can start telogen effluvium. Some cases may be caused by a poor diet, and these might be prevented by eating a balanced diet that provides enough Protein, Iron and other nutrients.

Treatment

No treatment for active telogen effluvium has been proven effective.

Some causes of the disorder can be corrected. For example, if you have a poor diet, consult a dietitian to help you balance it. If the hair loss began after you started a new medication, talk to your doctor to see if the medication should be discontinued. Many times, however, the cause is a specific event in the past, and you can expect that the hair will grow back. In cases where Hair growth has not returned to a satisfactory level, your doctor may prescribe minoxidil (Rogaine), a lotion applied to the scalp that may stimulate hair growth in some people.

When To Call a Professional

See your doctor if you experience excessive hair loss or obvious thinning patches on your scalp.

Prognosis

The outlook for telogen effluvium is very good. Most cases run their course within six to nine months, and the hair usually grows back. In some cases, the disorder may last longer. In other cases, not all hairs grow back.

External resources

American Academy of Dermatology P.O. Box 4014 Schaumburg, IL 60168-4014 Phone: 847-330-0230 Toll-Free: 1-888-462-3376 Fax: 847-240-1859 http://www.aad.org/

Disclaimer: This content should not be considered complete and should not be used in place of a call or visit to a health professional. Use of this content is subject to specific Terms of Use & Medical Disclaimers.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Don't fret. 3.5 months is exactly when my hair started to fall out. It only lasted about a month and a half, was never enough for anyone else to notice, and started growing back immediately.

[TJBintheOC 104]

I am 10 months out. I got sleeved in June 2015. I am 44 years old. I was 200 and now I'm 130. I starting losing in October, November and December. I lost 50% of my hair. Literally clumps fell out. Because of this site and all of the Hair loss posts, I didn't freak out as much because I knew if I was going to lose hair it would start around the 4th month and last 3 months...which is exactly what happened. I abruptly stopped losing hair after 3 months and now it's all growing back. It's the rapid weight lose and hormones. It's not about getting more Protein or certain shampoos or supplements. If you're going to lose hair, it's going to happen. You'll be so afraid it won't stop and then it just does. I didn't get bald spots, but it got very thin and I lost about 6 inches in length. It does suck, but it was worth the weight lose. Good luck!

Edited April 19, 2016 by TJBintheOC

[Champ715 207]

Exactly what @@theladyslipper said. My surgeon told me that hair loss after surgery is not due to poor diet, lack of nutrition, etc. Surgery (I think the anesthesia specifically) makes the hair go from the growing phase to the resting phase. The hair that is put into resting phase on the day of surgery then falls out around 3 months after surgery. It will eventually go back to growing phase but there's just nothing you can do about it in the meantime. No amount of Biotin or Protein will STOP the hair falling out. It will stop on it's own once your body has time to get back to normal. The Biotin and Protein will help with new growth however.

[fancystephanie 25]

My hair started falling out about 3.5 months in. I cut it in a pixie and bought three different wigs. The wigs itched for about a week, but now I'm really loving wearing them!