I don’t think I’ve mentioned it on this blog yet, but one thing that has really been plaguing me in all this healthy eating/losing weight has been… losing hair as well. It may not seem too bad, but I’ve always had lots of hair, plus mine is short, so to me, having less hair feels awful, as well as very easily noticeable, and it’s like I’m half-bald already. Yuck.
I know it cannot be from complete lack of nutrients. How the hell could a person going from a very unhealthy diet of buttered bretzels, pasta and cookies to fruits, vegetables, soy products, lean meats, fish, healthy fats and the likes be deprived of nutrients? And even if I am, it just cannot be worse than before, hence not explaining the hair loss. My nails are normal, not brittle at all, and even growing a little too fast to my liking. I don’t feel exhausted, don’t have dizzy spells, my latest complete blood test, back in the last days of June, was perfectly normal and even excellent, and my doctor ruled out hypothyroidism or anything related, saying that it must be tiredness.
Well, tiredness it must be, alright, because the hair loss started end of April/early may, some times after I had resumed a more healthier eating than my ’school-year diet’, and coincided right with my finals period. All of this was followed by my move, and by something that I hadn’t counted on at first: I’m an early riser, made even earlier by the sun pouring through my window in summer between 5 and 6 am, and since I don’t have shutters where I live now, see, I wake up very early, whether I’ve gone to bed at 10 pm or at 2 am. Surely this didn’t help in catching up on sleep during these past two months.
Nevertheless still worried, I’ve asked about it on 3FC, wondering if others could share their theories or maybe even personal experiences with that. I’m not for Schadenfreude, but hey, when you’re not the only one and you know that others have gone through this and triumphed, it sort of gives you hope, right? It appears that I’m not the only one to suffer from such a problem, although mine can’t be attributed to a lack of good fats (cf.my more than healthy nails!), but more likely to the general stress put on my body by the exams, the diet changes, and an underlying tiredness. At least I can have hopes that things will be normal again in a few months, and that adding a multivitamin to my food and my complement against hair loss will help.
This said, one of the posters in my thread linked me to an interesting article about that very problem, and I’ve found it an enlightening read. Indeed, this happens to more than one person (and hair loss is one of the reasons why going on a very low-fat diet is a bad idea, people: we need the good fats in sufficient quantities!).
Hair loss can be triggered by a variety of factors including pregnancy, stress, surgery and age-related hormonal changes, to name a few. But few people realize that weight loss can also cause hair to shed, likely due to a nutritional deficiency. Although iron deficiency is often associated with diet-related hair loss, a range of nutrient deficiencies can result in thinning hair, dermatologists say. Changes in levels of zinc, magnesium, protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins D, B and A can all trigger episodes of shedding hair. The problem affects both men and women, but women are more likely to notice it and seek treatment, say doctors.
If any of you reading this blog is/has been struggling with that problem, then I hope you too will find the article useful to understand that process a little more.
August 28th, 2007 at 19:20
Wow, I hadn’t heard about this. Hope you get it figured out, because it doesn’t sound like any of that deficiency stuff applies to you. I guess just generally focusing on stress reduction and adequate sleep might be good, but sounds like you’re already trying. Must be frustrating!
(I have a ton of hair, so I lose a lot naturally but still seem to have plenty left. Actually my partner and I are both big-time shedders, so you should see the bathroom floor in the morning, it’s disgusting.) Sorry, that was probably an over-share!
August 28th, 2007 at 21:21
I’ve had hair loss, too, but it predates my diet . . . my doctor ruled out the obvious and sent me to a dermatologist, but I didn’t go. I guess hair loss is one of those mysterious things, sometimes. I’ve always had very thick, curly hair, so no one can tell but me, but STILL. I hope it will grow back thicker.
August 28th, 2007 at 21:43
Aye, it’s frustrating. I don’t have patches of missing hair, but being used to have lots as well, to ME it seems absolutely awful… kind of like the whole world must have its eyes fixed on me all the time, whispering at my hair. I know, it’s silly.
Indeed, it’s one of those mysterious things…