Blood tests results after hair thinning

[coffeecake]

Hi I posted a few weeks ago when I noticed that my hair had considerably thinned, I had a lot of blood tests done (thyroid, liver function, hormones, testosterone levels etc....) and they all came back entirely normal.

My youngest is 5 now so it's nothing to do with losing hair after pregnancy, and I am 36 years old so hopefully not pre menopausal yet, so I am wondering why.

It's not falling out in clumps or anything, just a general thinning, especially on top, and also the quality of my hair is awful, thin, lifeless, flat and dry.

I am currently taking supplements for hair, nails and skin (Perfectil) and have done for the past month or so, and I am kind of noticing quite a lot of short hair in the fringe area, and throughout the hair, and I am SOOOOOOOOO hoping that it's growing back.

Anyone else had a similar experience and then their hair grew back to normal?
Please say yes!! sad

[Househunter]

Mine seems to be gradually thinning as I get older but every August/September time I seem to lose a lot more. Then I get that new hair growth you describe. It's a bit rubbish and I don't know what I'll do in a few years as I think it'll be really thin post menopause. Am in mid 30s now so that's a way off but I wonder if I'll end up with a wig or something. . Hopefully yours will be a one off shedding and come back. Have you been stressed at all lately?

Did your blood tests include ferritin? Mine was never tested until I specifically asked for it and it turned out to be low so now I take iron. Don't know if it makes any difference.

[Sheila]

What did your GP say? I have the same problem and am going to see mine tomorrow.

[FoxPass]

I had a post-natal shed and then just general thinning :( blood tests showed no problems although my thyroid was in the high range of normal, this was a year after I had my 2nd DS.

DS2 is now almost 2 and my hair was recovering from the major post-natal shed, then recently all the new hairs that have come in in the last year have fallen out - my hair is at bra strap level and the new growth is only about 3 inches long. Not sure why it's happening.

I have tried Holland & Barret's skin, hair and nails supplement but found it made my hair grow fast but did not reduce shedding. I've done a bit of reading up and am now taking a silica (bamboo) supplement and an iron supplement, and those finally seem to be helping.

It's so annoying, I know :(

[Medal]

Just wanted to say I am experiencing the exact same, a lot of shedding and thinning, much more shedding than normal. I do know for me what the cause is and a dermatologist confirmed it, I did low carb eating for a few months and it basically wrecked my hair . It is called telogen effluvium and was my body's stress response to changing my eating. I have had blood tests and all were normal. I was told my hair should eventually stop shedding and grow back now that I'm eating normally again although it will take a long time.

I know how horrid it feels. Hope it stops for you soon. Just bear in mind if you've been stressed or changed your diet it takes around 3 months for your hair to respond and for the shedding to start.

[colette]

Medal how low carb were you ? I have noticed slightly more hair loss and am low carbing ( but not very low, nowhere near atkins) so am now a bit worried.

coffeecake about 6 years ago my hair had a phase of shedding more- it would always be on a keyboard if I looked down or I would find loads on the pillow. I became obsessed about it and would constantly run my fingers through my hair !However it just seemed to settle down and i had almost forgotten about it until recently . Although this is nowhere near as much as before. So hopefully yours is stress or whatever and will settle of its own accord

[Medal]

colette I was doing the Bootcamp in the Slim, Weightloss club on MN. I was eating vegetables but very little fruit and no sugar/bread/rice/pasta/potato. I don't think everyone has the hair thing but it does seem fairly common with low carb or dieting in general.

[brass]

yes it's your regrowth which means your hormonal blip is settling down. Keep taking your supplements and looking after yourself

[knuckingfackered]

nourkrin supplement, dear but great.
Also the pill has alot to answer

[colette]

thanks Medal - hope it's settled down now for you.

[coffeecake]

Thanks girls, you have really helped!!
I suddenly had a thought as well, back in February, I had the flu and was literally bed ridden, and around about May time I noticed quite a lot of hair shedding on my hairstraighteners mat, a lot more than normal. I didn't think anything of it as my hair didn't look that thin (it's always been annoyingly thick).
I just noticed gradually that my hair had a funny kink in it and looked dryer and thinner but nothing scary.
It's just this summer on holiday that I completely freaked out and realised my hair was so thin!! I showed my husband who thought I was talking rubbish and my sister who seemed to think that I still had loads of hair, but I "knew" IYSWIM. Only you know what your hair is like usually.

I no longer notice loads of hair coming out now, but I read recently that sometimes after the flu or any other traumatic event (like an operation or something) you can shed a lot of hair (usually 3/4 months later) which coincides with when I noticed all the hair on my mat.
If it was the case, would anyone know how long it takes to lose the hair (months? weeks?) after getting the flu and how long it would take to grow back?

Re stress, I have recently moved house in a new area (last June) and I guess it was a bit stressful as prior to that we had to arrange new schools for DCs etc... and I was sad to leave all my friends and neighbours. But at the time I didn't really feel stressed. Just sad to leave.
As a general rule, I am a stress head anyway (excuse the pun) and a worrier.

[Sunnytimescoming]

Coffeecake - I read your previous thread and sympathise.

I decided mine was due to stress from moving house and a lot of ongoing house type problems. (After having tests to rule out health issue) I read it can take a year to stabilise and have just recently started taking the Philip Kingsley hair supplement based on his reputation I thought it would be worth a try anyway.
PK

[coffeecake]

Thanks Sunny, had you tried different supplements before? Had they worked? I am taking something called "Perfectil" and it's just a combination of different vitamins, I started a month ago, I don't know if I should see results yet. What does the PK supplement contain? It doesn't say on the link that you kindly gave me.
I am tempted to buy it but I think I probably would have to stop my existing ones first?

[Sunnytimescoming]

I wouldn't want to put you off the Perfectil - they might be better than the PK ones - it's just all trial and error isnt it! The Philip Kingsley website has this -
'PK4 Hair is a nutritional supplement fortified with amino acids that are essential for healthy hair growth. Amino acids are the building blocks of the protein that hair is made up of, called Kertain. PK4 enhances the production of Keratin.'

I'll let you know if it makes any difference.

[EdMcDunnough]

What are you taking?

Someone on here once said she sorted out some serious hair loss with folic acid.

I've never tried it. But I did seem to have very thin hair after my kids were born - and then that weirdy regrowth thing like another layer underneath.

I cut it short both times, determined not to this time as it looks terrible

[Sunnytimescoming]

I'm trying this one
pills

I tried Hemp? before but it didn't help

[mirry2]

I had the same problem a few years ago plus a slightly itchy scalp. My GP referred me to a dermatologist who did a biopsy of my scalp and found I had a condition called lichen something or other (can't remeber exactly) and put me on a course of pills for nearly a year . I think they were called plaquenil tablets. My hair recovered although still thinner than it was especially on top but rarely sheds now.

[coffeecake]

Same here, my scalp is itchy too, not too bad but slightly like you said mirry. And worse the closer it comes to needing to be washed (is that even english?).
I have been using that Aveda Invicta shampoo actually, and my hair after washing looks so thick!! I think it's just an illusion actually, and just the way it looks rather than the way it really is. I have been using it about 5 times now with the conditioner, and I actually thought that my hair was thickening, but the last time I washed it it looked flat, dull, and thin (it could be to do with the fact that I waited a few minutes before rinsing off the conditioner rather than rinsing it straight away like I usually do, which resulted in the hair being too conditioned and heavy. I don't know anymore!!).
I need to stop thinking about it and staring at women's hair!!!
Actually the more I look at women's hair in the street or whatever, the more I think that it is more of a common problem than we think (is that english?).

[coffeecake]

Sorry I've realised that I have said the word "actually" 4 times in my last post.

[mirry2]

coffee cake, I would ask for a dematology referral then. although the dermatologist was more concerne with the itching than the thinning so i went with that. But she did say that with the condition I had it was important to halt it early as it affected hair growth and killed off the roots (sorry for the unscientific way of describing). If you google thinning hair, alopaecia and and lichen you will understand what I'm talking about

[Urbanvoltaire]

My hair started thinning badly a few years ago. I noticed it when combing it after washing it, it was really shedding :(

I went to the docs who did blood tests and the results showed I was badly anaemic due to heavy periods. I was on iron tablets for a few months & hair loss stopped and started growing back. It's not as full or thick as it was but I feel back to normal in myself now.

Coincidentally the hair loss phase was also 3 months after I'd had swine flu (v high temperature) then pneumonia which knocked my health for at least 6 weeks.

Check out spatone & floradix for an over the counter solution.

Hth

[EdMcDunnough]

Iron and folate are pretty well related I think. It might really be worth tyring something that contains both.

[coffeecake]

Mirry, I can't bring myself to Google it, everytime I Google something I end up with the worst disease possible.
So I think I'll go and see a hair consultant (trichologist) or a dermatologist and see what they say.
What's getting me down a bit is that DH does NOT believe me. Because I used to have such a mop before, every one seems to think that it's in my head (another pun!).
It is not obvious to others yet, so they all think I'm mad, apart from my mum who said "I didn't notice that your hair was thin when I saw you, but I believe you, because only you know what your hair is like normally."
So I felt a bit better knowing that at least someone believes me.

I think my MIL believes me too as it happened to her and she lost a lot of hair when in her 30s and 40s, and she kept feeling a "tingling" in the thinnest area of her scalp which is what I feel too (haven't for the past week though, but it seems to come and go). And I think that's related to hairloss too.
My dad just laughs and says "yeah whatever!". I bet he won't say that when I show him next time I see him (my parents live abroad so I only see them 2/3 times a year).
Now my next job is to try and find a consultant next to wear I live.

[Medal]

Coffeecake, do you have private healthcare at all? I saw an excellent dermatologist for my hair on BUPA. One day I had a very itchy scalp and my hair was literally pinging off (sounds awful!) - think that was the worst day for my hair loss. Now I just get the occasional itch which I think for me is normal. Although not yet noticed an improvement with hair falling but fingers crossed will be soon for all of us.

[coffeecake]

I don't notice much hair falling off that's the thing. Yes I see some hair on my brush after I've combed it but nothing major, no more than before. The only time I noticed more hair everywhere was that time (back in April/May 2012) when I remember thinking "Oh my god that's a lot of hair on my mat! Am I losing my hair? No of course not! That would be the day" (I've always complained about how ridiculously thick my hair was and how abnormally fast it grew.)

[coffeecake]

A few posts ago I mentioned that I used the Aviva Invicta Shampoo, I meant to say Aviva Invati!