If my hair loss is down to low ferritin, will an iron infusion definitely help?

[SnBLurker]

Hi,

Have this running in general health, but posting here for traffic. I know it can be "frowned upon" to have a thread running in more than one forum, so forgive me! 😂

Just that really. My ferritin isn't super low - normally hovers in the low 20's, but I can feel very tired and...slow, but my main symptom is hair loss. It's really accelerated recently and my diet and supplements don't seem to be making much difference.

Had a bad experience with heavy marketing spamming at a clinic a few years ago after making ONE enquiry, so was put off, but I'm getting quite desperate now and reconsidering.

Should I just go for it? I'm pretty sure my doctor will tell me I don't need one.

TIA

I had hair loss due to low ferritin. My trichologist told me anything less than 60 is too low. He told me a specific iron tablet to get which really helped :-) unfortunately, I can't remember the name of it now, was some years back - I'd imagine you would need to take something longer term rather than a one off infusion..

Bump 🙂

@Rowen32 I have started taking a heme based iron supplement, perhaps it's that (?) but only for about 3 weeks, so perhaps too early to see results. I would think hair fall reduction would be quite quick though, but understand regrowth could take longer. I'm certainly no expert though.

He told me hair grew in cycles, I can't remember exactly how long, 3 months possibly so hair loss you're seeing now will be due to what was going on 3 months ago so it will take time to see results..

Have you tried taking ferrous fumerate 210g? One tablet 3 times a day.

Getting iron levels up is a process and I'm not sure that a transfusion is the way forward unless your levels are really low

My levels are all ok but my transferrin saturation is only 15% and that's why I'm prescribed the tablets

@Rowen32 Well I did have covid 3 months ago, but this has been going on (in phases) for almost a decade!

@HardRockOwl , yes, I have taken those for 8/9 years now, but not that much. I was told every other day is enough and anything else doesn't usually get absorbed. Plus, more than that wouldn't agree with me. It's a synthetic iron and notoriously difficult to absorb, so I'm hoping that the heme will help.

Hair grows in cycles
Once the follicle dies thats it
If your iron levels or stress (mental / extreme weight loss) trigger this the hair is dead and will shed

Three months before it starts to fall

It grows back but will not be immediate

I had an iron infusion a few years ago after a full blood work showed it was very very low. I have to say for my age I have very nice hair. So anecdotally I’d say yes.

I had an iron infusion on the NHS when my ferritin level was 3. Unfortunately it made absolutely no difference and a few months afterwards I’d still only reached 15. Just something to bear in mind before you spend a lot of money on one privately.

I had a bald spot and after taking folic acid and iron I no longer have it. Took about 6 months. My blood test showed the deficiency. I also changed my hair colour. Black hair was before taking the suppliments

@RudsyFarmer , did you always have good hair though?

@Iheartmysmart sorry to hear that. Have you tried more?

@Askingadviceagain glad you had such success! I have dark brown hair and the contrast of the dark against any hint of scalp is certainly quite harsh. I already have a balayage, so lighter on the ends, but have thought about going lighter all over.

I did always have good hair but it thinned when I lost weight which was around the same time I was found to have low iron. I think my score was under 10. Can’t quite remember. Anyway considering I’m menopausal I get a lot of comments about it. I think getting the infusion must have helped.

No, they won’t let me have another. Apparently a ferritin level of 15 classes as ‘in range’ so I’ve been told by my GP that I’m better now 🤔

Gosh my ferritin level is 4, and my GP hasn’t even put me on iron tablets, just transexamic acid for heavy periods. Should I be pushing for more?

Absolutely you should be pushing if your level is 4. Low iron can impact your health as you age.

@UCUNoMore , I guess if they know your heavy periods are the cause of your low ferritin, then it would make more sense to treat the root cause. However, GPs don't like to prescribe Tranexamic Acid often and is considered a short term solution, so you really should be starting on some kind of iron supplement. Definitely see another GP.

Yes going lighter made it less noticeable for sure. I also was on Tranexamic for heavy 7 days periods every month. I think it was extreme stress that made my hair fall out in addition to the heavy periods. Feel much better now. Ask your gp for blood tests to rule out folic acid deficiency as well as iron.

If you can stomach it try eating liver. And plenty of red meat. I had low iron in pregnancy, the iron tablets didn’t really bring it up. Around 2 weeks before due date I went gung ho on the red meat and managed to bring it up a fair bit in about 2.5 weeks. (I didn’t eat liver when pregnant but do now)
Increasing iron is a long old slog and must be treated like a diet. Very few off days. Consistency is key. Red meat and maybe an iron tablet every other day with a fizzy vit c tablet.
There’s a Facebook group called the iron protocol. They’re a bit evangelical about it all but there’s really good ideas there. About what time to take the tablets/foods to avoid etc.

@Askingadviceagain I'm pretty sure I had every blood test going. Is this a special one you need to request separately? I am definitely a stress head, so I suspect that isn't helping.

@Thecrystalempire I do actually like liver and I did go through a phase where I had a few portions every week, but didn't notice any difference, so it kind of just fizzled out as a habit. I suspect I should have stuck with it for longer though.