painful hair follicle and loss of hair.

[Ifancyanewname]

Hi all, hoping you can help me, I had my dd 7 months ago and have been losing hair since about 4 and a half months. Today however I have noticed my hair at the root is really painful. I'm not going to end up bald am I? What can I do?!

Hi there! I'm a trichologist, and please be assured that around 50% of women suffer from hair loss after having a baby. This can start straight after the baby is born, or after stopping/reducing breastfeeding, and lasts for an average of 12 weeks. Basically we lose fewer hairs than usual during pregnancy, so the 'extra' hairs are then shed after the baby is born. It will usually self correct, but if it continues, it's worth seeing your GP to get your iron stores (ferritin) level checked, as having a low level (even within normal range) is a very common cause of hair loss. The level should be at least 80ug/L for optimum hair growth, and this can be very easily attained with supplements. Eating a good balanced diet, with a good intake of protein, will also benefit your hair.

With regard to the pain you describe, some people experience tension in the arrector pili muscles, which are the tiny muscles next to every hair follicle, responsible for giving us goosebumps, when stressed. There is little you can do about this, except make sure you wash your hair in nice warm water (which most people do anyway). It will often spontaneously disappear.

Please try not to worry, it sounds like what you're experiencing is very normal.

thank you so much for your detailed response, you have really put my mind at rest. I had visions of developing bald patches!

I also had this scalp pain and it was totally stress related. Great reply TPM, it took me ages and several trips to the dermatologist, to find out what it was.

I had some shoulder massages to get rid of the tension in my shoulders and some accupuncture and it went away.

You're welcome Newname! Glad you got it sorted out PlasticFlamingo.