AIBU to expect hair to grow on my head! PICS

[bloodyhair]

I'm 35 ffs. My hair has been thinning since I was 17 but after 3 kids this is just ridiculous. Just washed my hair and I'm depressed as hell.

I've considered wigs, hair transplant and that weave thing but now I think I'll just go for a full on pixie to tell the fuckers with the thick luscious hair that I give up!

I'm healthy believe it or not. No issues, no medication. I take extra vitamins.

Maybe I'll just shave it off.

[HairyLittlePoet]

Have you thought about seeing a trichologist?

I had a few episodes of severe and rapid hair loss, which in my case turned out to be plummeting oestrogen. Stopped with HRT. Hair has grown back really well. (which is the happy ending I never saw when I was trawling hair loss websites looking for hope)

I no longer get the dramatic hair loss but do occasionally get thinning at the sides (temples and above my ears) that I think are borderline hypothyroid related.

A trichologist can shed some light on the type of hair loss you have and arrange some blood tests for underlying causes.

[TheDuchessOfArbroathsHat]

I feel your pain and I'm older than you but I've always had really thin hair. It's REALLY thin now
I keep thinking I have to do something about it but what?

[KindDogsTail]

Do you eat adequate protein Bloodyhair?

What have you had today for example, if you don't mind me asking?

What Hairy said is interesting.

[ScarletForYa]

Have you had your ferritin checked?

[Equiem89]

scarlet I was going to ask exactly the same thing. My ferritin was low and I lost loads of hair. The normal range starts around 17 but really you need to be at 70

[Sweettuth]

There are so many things that can help with this. From massage therapy to implants. Love and support to you

[bloodyhair]

Breakfast was weetabix and banana. Decaf tea.

Snack Apple

Lunch - chicken salad wrap with mayo followed by a small twix with diluting juice

Dinner was breaded haddock (home made) with cut chips, broccoli.

I had a chocolate digestive with my tea about 9pm

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

OP have you seen an endocrinologist to check thyroid diabetes etc? Also I echo the protein comment. There is a chance you have enough though but for whatever reason you don't absorb it. You could look into non denatured whey protein

[bloodyhair]

Thanks everybody.

I've been to my GP a few months ago who had a look and insisted it wasn't that bad and just try to watch my diet (I think I eat ok and I'm active). I did feel fobbed off at the time but it's so embarrassing i just accepted the GPs opinion.

How do I go about getting an appointment with a trichologist? Through my gp or privately.

[bloodyhair]

Duchess it's such an awful thing to live with. I feel like a fraud complaining about it because I feel so healthy and lots in my life is wonderful.

[Junosmum]

Get your thyroid checked.

[bloodyhair]

I suggested to the GP to get my thyroid checked but she said don't worry it's not that bad (my hair).

I'm just realising that I probably have the worst GP in the world.

[ScarletForYa]

Ditto Equiem89, my ferritin was 18, the GP fobbed me of saying my iron results were fine, but I rang the Secretary back and specifically asked her to read the ferritin out and found out that way.

Get your bloods done OP, and be specific you want to know your iron ferritin levels, as Equiem89 said it has to be at least 70 for growth.

[Equiem89]

Your GP sounds like mine. Was told not to stress about it, as stress would make it fall out keep pushing, ask for blood tests, get the results, look on the Internet and find out what they mean. Arm yourself with as much info as possible.

[bloodyhair]

Hairy your post has excellent advice. Thank you.

[Equiem89]

Mine got down to 3 but hovered in the mid to late teens for at least 8 years. No wonder I felt shit

[ophiotaurus]

Watching with interest as I share your problem op so can empathise.

[bloodyhair]

Last month I went to give blood but my iron levels were borderline so they wouldn't take it.

I was on ferritin when I was pregnant but just continued on multivitamins afterwards when the hospital told me levels were OK after birth.

I'm going to phone docs in the morning to ask for bloods to be done.

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

I suggested to the GP to get my thyroid checked but she said don't worry it's not that bad (my hair).

I'm just realising that I probably have the worst GP in the world.
Yup really crap one! Not common or normal to loose your hair this age especially for a woman, usually they go straight for endocrinologist
Please phone up tomorrow and make appointment and do not accept anything less! They can do a blood test at the surgery and then refer you but in the meantime you can get the test results and will give you an idea

[KindDogsTail]

BloodyHair
Other posters may be right about Ferritin and low oestrogen, but looking at what you ate today if that is representative, you could do with eating more protein and more vegetables I think.

Breakfast was weetabix and banana. Decaf tea.
What about having one of the cereals with nuts and seeds (low sugar, low raisins etc) and an egg? Two eggs and one piece of brown toast? Greek yogurt, fruit and nuts?

Snack Apple
could you have some nuts or nur butter with this?
Cottage cheese on a piece of ryvitta?
Raw vegetables and houmous?
A piece of cold omlette?


Lunch - chicken salad wrap with mayo followed by a small twix with diluting juice
A more chicken than was probably in the wrap, say a small chicken breast and an actual bowl of salad, then some fruit.

Dinner was breaded haddock (home made) with cut chips, broccoli.
Fine

I had a chocolate digestive with my tea about 9pm blush
Have one of the things previously mentioned in the snacks.

Eating this way you may also find you do not want the biscuit as much, but it does not matter of you do.

If you are out at a cafe: plain nuts and some fruit. An egg and spinach salad Salmon salad. Chicken salad.

You can also get organic protein powder (hemp, brown rice, whey) to use as a supplement say with breakfast if you find that helps but as you eat meat that should not be necessary.

Ready prepared Soup can be bumped up by adding half a tin of some sort of pulse such as lentils..

When you look at the food labels you see how much protein their is,
Some things ike spinach and broccoli, brown bread also have it when you might
Try to see of you can eat about 50 - 70 gr per day.

[KindDogsTail]

I have been catching up with the other threads. Yes, absolutely OP have all the tests. Good luck.

[Fruu]

I have PCOS and there is female baldness in my family, and I am in the same situation with my hair thinning. I can see all the way to the back of my scalp through my hairline at the front, it's awful! Is there any hair loss in your family? If so, it could be genetic. My GP tested my thyroid levels but otherwise I haven't been able to get any tests or help out of them as they assume it's related to the PCOS.

The thing I've found hardest to cope with is when hair issues come up in conversation and my friends complain about having to get their hair thinned or their hair being unmanageable because it's too thick, and they honestly seem to think that that's as difficult as going bald. Some people have all the empathy of a rock.

I gave up and shaved my hair off really short. It's actually made me feel happier and more confident because now I don't have much hair because I chopped it off and not because it's happening to me against my will (if that makes sense!). However, I do get random people assuming I'm some kind of thug on occasion and have had more shop assistants be rude to me since, which is rather galling. :/ I've also been called "sir" a few times, and my OH's family think I'm mad because they're rather conservative. I'd say it's worth considering how your family / acquaintances / strangers in your area will react and whether you could cope with that reaction if you're thinking about shaving your hair off. Also whether it would impact on things like work?

I've been experimenting with wigs. Some cheapish ones are not that bad these days - the £20-£40 mark seems to be a bit of a sweet spot between being cheap and having a good appearance, so you don't really need to spend a fortune. :) It's nice being able to change hairstyle and colour to go with different outfits with minimal effort. Don't get too depressed if you can't do anything about the hair thinning - there is a whole world of interesting wigs and hats out there. :) It's not much consolation but it does help a bit!

[bloodyhair]

KindDogstail I am writing a weekly meal plan right now and writing a shopping list. Here's me thinking I do things from scratch, I don't eat crisps and only have a few treats but your posts definitely does kick me up the ass.

Thanks for your time :)

[bloodyhair]

Fruu I am definitely at the stage of shaving it off. I am the only female in my large family to have thin hair :(
My hairdresser is going to freak when I tell her to get it all off but I do feel that it will give me more confidence. I've tried a few short wigs for fun but I'm petite and they seem to drown me.

[ohtheholidays]

You can insist on having your bloods done OP,if your concerned your GP can not refuse!

Like others have said have your thyroid tested and your iron levels as well.Low iron can cause hair loss as well.