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Hair loss taking over my life ...my story

Posted , 4 users are following.

lauren59792
lauren59792

Hi all new to this but wanted to share my ongoing experience ....I went through a stressful time early June just gone I'm a worrier with known obsessive natures !! Anyway I noticed my hair beginning to fall out more in the bath when I run my fingers through it and when I brushed , I have fine hair but lots of it and I have never noticed this before nor had an obsession with my hair which was in a healthy state ! Obviously my stress heightend which lead to me not eating or sleeping well and crying daily . I went to my GP who would not refer me to a derm as he said it was " telogen efflium " and it will pass  , he was not willing to rinse my bank account when I suggested id pay private nor was he feeding my obsession as I was not going bald !! The shedding has continued and lead me to see a trichologist who is lovely , she also confirmed it is TE although said I didn't need treatment as it wast so bad ....are they blind ?? The obsession has taken over my life and ruining some relationships ....recent follow up I was told it is lessening and within the normal range however I apparently will notice more as I'm "obsessed " hard not to be eh !! This has been 3 - 4 months now and wonder if it will ever stop , the stress is much much less and I'm back to my usual self eating and sleeping etc ....I was also shown a lot of regrowth by the trichologist and my hairstylist ....I wish I could feel positive about this but just long for my old hair back thickness wise ....any success stories here ?? Id be grateful  : ) 

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

  • dambudzo
    dambudzo lauren59792

    Posted

    hi Lauren

    it is good news that your are less stressed than before. 

    it might take a few weeks or even months before you notice yourself that your hair has regrown, as the hairs have to appear and get longer. it is perfectly natural to lose some hairs. i find i lose more in summer than in winter.

    meanwhile continue getting plenty of sleep, use gentle shampoos, don't wash your hair too often, get exercise and make sure that you have a good diet. all of these should help.

    have you tried any relaxation techniques to help you to overcome the obsessing?

    best wishes

    • lauren59792
      lauren59792 dambudzo

      Posted

      Hi thank you for the reply : ) ...my loss at present is around 6 - 10 morning brush , a couple when I restyle throughout the day that I notice and around 10 evening brush before bed , when I wash and blowdry once a week it is a lot more !! However the trichologist states that my hair loss is in the normal range now ....any ideas as to how long before my hair "feels" back to normal ? Even though I'm driving my mother and partner mad with me as no one can see any difference in my hair atall expect me , I suppose it's good that all the new regrowth has been identified however I'm still shedding so is that normal ??? Still sometimes see my self bald although GP hairdresser and trichologist have all said I am not and it was a "slight" case of TE !! To me this seems so bad though , I have medium / long hair and keep thinking it's gonna go shorter but has taken me years to grow so I don't fancy a big chop : ) thanks agin for the response I would appriciate your feedback , Lauren x
    • lauren59792
      lauren59792

      Posted

      Also I know the hairloss doesn't seem much at present , however this is one of the better weeks in terms of hair fall numbers 
    • dambudzo
      dambudzo lauren59792

      Posted

      i think that the longer the hair is the more likely it is that it will fall out, simply becasue it has reached the end of its natural life.

      yes, daily shedding is perfectly normal and the quanitities that you describe are minimal. As you say, this is a better week. But that is probably a sign that things are indeed better.

      And the GP, the hairdresser and the trichologist are all experts in their various fields. So if they all agree with each other that there is no problem, please try to have confidence in them! 

    • lauren59792
      lauren59792 dambudzo

      Posted

      Hope so ...just hope that this eventually ends and I'll have my "normal " hair back although I wouldn't even know what normal shedding is now as I never used to count hairs before now ....I have come across so self absorbed to many people but I can't help to have freAked out with this ....I thought TE only lasted a few months and can only hope this is the tail end of it 
    • lauren59792
      lauren59792

      Posted

      Also sorry for being a pest do you think this shedding is normal or still have TE hair loss ...I do the pull test on small sections and still lose about 1 - 3 
    • dambudzo
      dambudzo lauren59792

      Posted

      to be honest if that is all that you are losing then you are extremely lucky.

      it is perfectly normal to shed some hairs on a daily basis.

      it might also help you if you could find some other type of activity to help you to relax and to take your mind off your hair so that you are able to get back to focussing on other things.

      best wishes

  • aparna1911
    aparna1911 lauren59792

    Posted

    Hi 

    when u are stressed the hair growth stops. The older hair falls off and the new hair grows out to replace it. This is the fine hair you see. Eventually all hair grows back. If you are under ongoing stress this is going to mean hair growth remains slow.

    • lauren59792
      lauren59792 aparna1911

      Posted

      Hello thanks for the response , I am no longer stressed ! Well back into my work routine , eAting and usual sleeping pattern ...as I have said I have a lot of new growth but still shedding but not as much as I was . had another good hair wash last night that's 2 this week with a loss of about 20 in the bath tub then the same when dry and straightening , I have been told my hair won't get any thinner however I can't help but be in disbelief that although that is greT news how can that be if I'm still shedding surely it will get thinner as I lose hair daily 
    • dambudzo
      dambudzo lauren59792

      Posted

      don't forget that you are losing hair daily but also more is growing daily.

      so it all balances out.

       

  • Mechie
    Mechie lauren59792

    Posted

    Hi Lauren,

    I have read all of your posts about your hair loss problems and have to say that I have recently been going through the same problem. I am glad to read that you seem to be getting better. Yay!! razz  I just wanted to say that a good way to hide the fact that you have some hair loss is to have some layers put in your next hair cut. I have been losing so much hair that I have been worried that "everyone" would notice! So, the last time that I went to my hair stylist I asked her what we could do. She suggested layering my hair, so I told her to go for it. My hair was down to my waist, so I had her cut 7 inches off then lightly layer my hair so that it would look thicker until my new growth filled in. It looks and feels great. I am still losing hair, but it's not as noticable. I thought that I would share this info with you so that maybe you would like the advice that she gave me. Best of luck to you my friend!!

    • lauren59792
      lauren59792 Mechie

      Posted

      Hi mechie , thanks for the response : ) that's a good idea and something I will consider ?? Do you know what triggered your loss and how long has it been going on for you If you don't mind me asking ?? I was considering extensions for the time being but everyone says I'm silly and it will damage my healthy hair !! No one else seems to notice how much it has thinned out apart from me 
    • Mechie
      Mechie lauren59792

      Posted

      Hey Lauren, 

      Nice to hear from you! smile  My hair has been falling out for about 4 months now. I hate to say that I will not even brush my hair in the house anymore, especially after I shower! I sit outside with my pup and spray my extra conditioner (per my hairdresser) all over my hair and then with my wide tooth comb gently comb from the bottom up. You would never believe how much hair comes out! I have taken pictures and shown them to my doctor because I just knew that he wouldn't believe how much I would tell him. I am now taking vitamins & waiting for this to pass. My doctor has taken blood work and says that he doesn't know why it's happening so....I am blaming stress. I do take medication, so it may be related to them. Who knows?! I am just trying to fix it. Since layering my hair it looks thicker and fuller. It's just below my shoulders and the shortest I've ever had. I am actually thinking about going shorter next time!! It's a nice change and it looks "so" healthy. 

      Who knows Lauren, maybe there's something in the water?!!! LOL Where do you live? We could cut it all off and start a trend!! cheesygrin

    • lauren59792
      lauren59792 Mechie

      Posted

      Hey again , I'm at around the 4 month mark also araghhhhh! Again like you the doctor has assured me time and time again I will NOT go bald !!!! And my trichologist who sees a great improvement , do you worry about going bald as you seem very calm about it haha ! Just hoping it will eventually stop , I do see it's a but less in terms of the amount of shedding though either that or I've got used to it , I also get regular cuts and my hair is in good condition . I now wash my hair and blowdry it then comb I find it better than pulling it all out when wet in heaps ....I keep being told it will pass but I can't believe that yet ....but that's me all over haha ! I'm from the bury area , I now take 2x biotin 2 sea kelp and iron x
  • Kazing
    Kazing lauren59792

    Posted

    Hi Lauren I been reading your posts...I started losing my hair last year due to medication the doc said it was Alopecia..but I was told that it wasn't and it was because of the tabs I was on...I stopped them after along time of stress and counting all my hair that was falling out..a yr on I feel better i think my hair is coming bac slowly especially under my fringe..my doc sent me to a dermatology in the end he said its what we go through as we get older showed me pictures online..I have recently noticed my hair shredding again but trying not to worry this time..I'm taking extra iron and some tabs from a health shop not sure if they work...try not to worry I do know what your going through...
    • lauren59792
      lauren59792 Kazing

      Posted

      Thanks for your response ; ) I am on sertraline due to the previous stress when it was very intense time ,however the hair loss started before the medication and I haven't noticed an incrwSe since starting . Tbh I feel bad as other peoples seem worse but i don't know if I'm " normal shedding " or still the stages of stress related telogen effuvilum . Today for instance so far I'd say about 6 this morning on my brush , when I have re done my platt at work about 2 each time which seems minute . When I straighten there is a significant amount more and same with washing. I forget what is actually normal shedding , I'm hoping it eventually ends but don't know if I'll ever know what is normal as it's gone on for a few months now .
    • lauren59792
      lauren59792

      Posted

      Do you know if I can attach pictures to this ?
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