My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Low-carb bootcamp

Hair loss

15 replies

littlebillie · 22/10/2017 10:43

My hair has thinned over the last few months and reading this yesterday in the Times

Hair loss
Hair loss
Hair loss
OP posts:
Report
Tiddlywinks63 · 22/10/2017 10:50

I have to say that my hair does seem to be coming out very noticeably since I started this WOE, despite taking a multiplayer very day. My blood tests are normal (done 3 weeks ago) so I can't think of any other reason why.
However, my IBS has (fingers crossed!) gone, I've lost 19lbs and I feel great!
Just hope my hair starts growing thicker pdq!

Report
Tiddlywinks63 · 22/10/2017 10:51

*multivitamin you stupid iPad autocorrect 😊

Report
littlebillie · 22/10/2017 11:02

My bloods are fine too I had blood tests two weeks ago. However carbs are the fuel?

OP posts:
Report
Tiddlywinks63 · 22/10/2017 11:07

I'm upping the amounts of vegetables I'm eating to see if it makes a difference (whilst still no eating potatoes) and going back to my GP this week. Just running my hands through my hair I have a number of loose hairs 😳☹️

Report
RaininSummer · 22/10/2017 11:07

I have been low carbing since May and can't say I have noticed this. I actually thought my rather sparse eyebrows looked better. Perhaps more protein needs to be eaten. Ask
the posters on the low carb bootcamp thread as they are very knowledgeable and some have been doing it for years.

Report
BIWI · 22/10/2017 12:31

I'll do a bit of research, as this is something others have reported - I think it's usually a temporary thing.

But by the way, if you cut out carbs then that's wrong. Bootcamp is about cutting down on carbs. And your body uses fat for fuel!

Report
BIWI · 22/10/2017 12:32

OK - here's a piece from the Diet Doctor about this - the good news is that it should be temporary:

Can low-carb diets result in hair loss?
October 21 2015 by Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD in Potential LCHF problems
Hair Loss on Low Carb

Is it possible to lose hair when starting a low-carb diet? Yes, and there are many misunderstandings and myths about it.

Here’s what you may need to know.

Temporary hair loss can occur for many different reasons, including any big dietary change. This is especially common when severely restricting calories (e.g. starvation diets, meal replacements) but it can also occasionally happen on low-carb diets.

If so, it usually starts 3-6 months after starting a new diet, at which point you’ll notice an increasing amount of hairs falling out when brushing your hair.

The good news is that even if you should be so unfortunate this is only a temporary phenomenon. And only a percentage of the hair will fall out (the thinning will rarely be very noticeable to others).

After a few months all the hair follicles will start to grow new hair, and when they have regrown your hair will be as thick as before again. Of course, if you have long hair this could take a year or even more.


Background

To understand exactly what is happening it’s necessary to know the basics of how hair grows.

Every single hair on your head usually grows for about 2-3 years at a time. After that it stops growing for up to 3 months. Then a new hair starts growing in the same hair follicle, pushing the old hair out.

Thus you’re losing hairs every day, but as the hairs are unsynchronized it’s not so noticeable. You lose one hair and another starts growing, i.e. you always have about the same number of hairs on your head.

Stress and synchronized hair loss

If your body experiences significant stress more hairs than usual can enter the resting phase at the same time. This can happen for many reasons, like these:

Starvation, including calorie-restricted diets and meal replacements
Diseases
Unusually demanding exercise
Pregnancy
Breast feeding
Nutrient deficiencies
Psychological stress
Any big diet change
Then as the new hairs start growing a few months later all these formerly resting hairs will fall out at almost the same time. This is called “telogen effluvium” in fancy medical terms (read more about it), and it’s relatively common.

What to do

If there was an obvious triggering factor 3-6 months before you noticed the problem – such as giving birth or transitioning to a strict low-carb diet – you don’t really have to do anything. In all likelihood the problem will be temporary.

As long as you eat a varied and nutritious low-carb diet it’s very unlikely that stopping it will speed up the hair regain, it will likely happen as quickly anyway. And unfortunately you can’t stop the hair loss from happening once it’s started, as the resting hairs will fall out no matter what you do.

It’s possible to run blood tests for nutrient deficiencies, but unless you are on a vegetarian or vegan diet (with no supplements of iron, B12) it’s unlikely that they will show anything interesting.

How to minimize the risk of hair loss when starting low carb

First, temporary hair loss is relatively rare after starting a low-carb diet, most people never notice anything like it.

There are no studies on how to minimize this small risk, but it’s likely helpful not to restrict calories, i.e. don’t do a low-carb and low-fat diet (AKA “starvation”). Instead eat as much fat as you need to feel satisfied and not hungry, an LCHF diet.

It may also be helpful to reduce other sources of stress during your first few weeks on low carb. Sleep well, be kind to yourself in general, and preferably don’t start an intense exercise program at the same time.

Here's a link to the site if you want to read more (and it's a really good website, worth having a read generally!)

Report
ilovecherries · 22/10/2017 15:44

I started this woe in May, and have had massive hair loss - my parting is about an inch wide. My bloods are all ok as well. There is as yet no sign of improvement, or even slowing down. I'm pretty upset by it, but I am tolerating it because everything else is improving, and the consensus seems to be that it actually has nothing to do with low carb per se - the culprit is actually weight loss itself (3 stone since May).

Report
littlebillie · 22/10/2017 18:39

Ilovecherries i am the same as you but I’m seeing on too now Shockjust picked up a hair nail supplement to see if I can repair the damage

OP posts:
Report
ilovecherries · 22/10/2017 20:03

I'm taking nourkrin but it's bloody expensive and 6 weeks in not seeing any improvement. I can't use anything with iron in it though so it's the only one I can take.

Report
ShastaBeast · 24/10/2017 18:06

I had this a little while ago, started this diet after Easter so fits with 3-6 months after starting. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it but now realise it’s not happening- my brush was full of hair but I noticed yesterday I hardly had to clear the brush after blow drying. Luckily I have a lot of hair. It would be tough otherwise. I’ve never had it before dieting or pregnancy/post birth. I would’ve been doing BC light at the time and it hasn’t reoccurred during BC proper.

Report
littlebillie · 09/11/2017 03:21

iLovecherries any improvement

OP posts:
Report
ilovecherries · 10/11/2017 07:17

No, not really. Possibly slightly worse, even. :(

Report
littlebillie · 22/11/2017 16:32

I’m the same 😩

OP posts:
Report
ilovecherries · 22/11/2017 18:34

I'm using the 5% minoxidil now. But increasingly I think this is FPB (it's certainly what it looks like) and there won't be significant improvement. Not sure where I inherited it from though as both my parents still have heads of hair in their mid-80s. I suspect it's been happening for a good year and suddenly just reached a tipping point where it's become very noticeable. GP has given me a VAT exemption note in case I decide to look at wigs. My husband has private medical insurance through work so I've also got a dermatology referral - but even privately the person I want to see has a 3-4 month waiting list.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.