STS shocked the hair off my head! Telogen Effluvium anyone?

[LaughingWater]

Okay, I'm kidding about STS obviously. I thought that was funny though, as I was reading about Telogen Effluvium, and it said this condition is often precipitated by a shock to the system.

On a slightly more serious note (mostly because if I don't chuckle about this, I'll burst into tears), I am losing my hair at a rapid rate. Not in patches, like a friend of mine who had localized alopecia and required shots in her scalp (yikes!), but a dramatic increase in shedding. As in, I lose a LOT of hair when I brush, I leave a trail of hair wherever I go, and washing it is becoming a slightly traumatic experience. Think of running your hands through your hair as you are rinsing and coming away with 20 or so strands of hair in your hands...multiple times.

Wait, it gets better. Same thing when you comb it out.

This has been going on for over a month now. Had I saved all the hair I've been losing, I could probably build a small dog.

It looks thinner to me, but I've always had thick hair, so I'm the only one who notices. I can tell when I pull it back in a pony tail too ~ not as much to grab these days.

The explanation of Telogen Effluvium fits me pretty well. So does just getting old. But I'm only 39, so I've decided that TE is the preferred diagnosis, with psychological stress as the trigger.

Anyone else deal with this? I've already prepared myself by listing all the positives of being bald, like no bad hair days, zero time spent on fixing hair, playing with different wigs, making myself hats, etc. Until then, or until my hair starts to magically grow again, I think I'm going to cut it. At least then I won't have so much to clean up.

 

[andtckrtoo]

Have you been to the doctor? Every thing I have read points to sudden hairloss being a medical condition and is often reversable. Worth it to check it out.

 

[wutherhi]

Anyone else deal with this? I've already prepared myself by listing all the positives of being bald, like no bad hair days, zero time spent on fixing hair, playing with different wigs, making myself hats, etc. Until then, or until my hair starts to magically grow again, I think I'm going to cut it. At least then I won't have so much to clean up.[/quote]

I have periodic hair loss problems, depending on how well my thyroid is under control. I have to have my meds readjusted quite frequently for some reason, and if it's off just a little bit, I'm talking a few tenths of a point either direction, I get massive hair loss. My ponytail was down to the diameter of a pencil at one time. It's about double that now, but still quite thin.

I've had good luck with a salon shampoo called Chi. It's pretty expensive, but it's the best I've tried so far for making the hair look thicker. It's supposed to actually help regrow hair, but I'm just coming back from a hairloss period, so I would be growing new hair anyway and can't say whether that claim (rumor?) is true or not. Any volumizer shampoo will help, though. Just be sure you change up once a month or so for at least a week. That will keep your hair from getting weighed down. (My hair is not only thin but baby fine. You may not have this problem.)

Good luck. Hope something I've mentioned is useful in your case. I know how disheartening it can be to lose your hair.

Shari

 

[syzygy314]

I've been going through the same thing. Mine has been occurring for almost 2 years now with some relief in between bouts of serious shedding. I've talked to my primary care doctor, my gyn, and my dermatologist. My dermatologist is the one finally doing something about it. We're trying a treatment right now to see if that helps. If not, then he'll do blood work to see if I'm not absorbing appropriate amounts of certain vitamins and take a biopsy. I'm hoping this treatment helps!

I, too, had very thick hair, so no one else really noticed, but me. To date, I have lost about 2/3 of the thickness of my hair. It's visibly thin around the part from the front to the crown.

See you doctor and INSIST on some tests! That's the only way to be sure of what's going on and getting proper treatment.

 

[Ly10up]

This happened to me when I lost 50 pounds. Hair in my hands, in the shower, in the brush...and what was left looked dry and pathetic. My ponytail was itsy compared to where it had been. Scared the crap outta me. Doc said it was the shock my body had gone through. I lost the weight safely and over the course of 9 months, but it ran my system amok after being so unhealthy for a very long time. It all came back when my body normed out and realized that the clean eating thing and exercise was a way of life. But it took a good 6-7 months.

Good luck to you. I also encourage you to press your doc for tests, or to review your history to find some resolution.

 

[Kimenem]

This makes me not want to lose the 50 pounds I need to lose. I've had 2 periods of hair shedding. The first was stress induced and I'm still not sure about the second. It all came back after the first but only some came back after the second so I can't afford to go through another shed. You'd think if you lose weight slowly and in a healthy way, that wouldn't happen.

 

[meowracer]

Lori - totally funky you wrote about this today! My hair has been falling out for a few months now and today, I just had enough and spent a while researching it all, and TE fits perfectly. I bought some shampoo and conditioner today and also realized that it started very soon after starting a BC pill that is high in androgenic properties (LoEstrin 24). I am going to my doctor for some guidance! It is a scary thing, and kudos to you for putting a funny spin on it! I told DH I had to stop looking it up, did STS legs and felt like a different person Nice attitude change!

 

[LaughingWater]

Naturally, I haven't been to the doctor and don't want to go. I'm terrible that way. I'd rather spend hours looking stuff up on the net, freak out, and then self-treat.

Since February, we've had a cancer diagnosis and major lawsuit drama within our little family. I thought I was sailing through all that, but I suppose my hair follicles may feel differently. I guess I should cut my body some slack. I'm doing really well otherwise.

I'll keep an eye on things and see if I improve within the next couple of months. If not, I'll give in and see my doc.

Thanks for the comments! Here's hoping we all figure this out, one way or another.

 

[Vee]

I am 42. I have been losing hair by what seems like fistfulls for the past few years. Cant remember exactly when it started. Especially after I shower. I thought it was a natural part of aging or attributed it to hair dye. I color hair to cover gray. So I stopped coloring for a while and I think it helped somewhat although I was still losing more than "normal". I color agin now and my-oh-my am I shedding!

I vaguely wish it would stop - but not enough to summon up the energy for doc visits. I have so much less now and I never had thick hair to begin with. I have a gut feeling it will be really difficult to diagnose and treatment will feel like a wild goose chase until/if by luck the right treatment is stumbled upon. If I knew of a doc who would either diagnose accurately or give up in one consultation, I would go visit her/him in a trice. I dont want a long chase to find a treatment that works.