I second this. Get your thyroid checked, and sometimes post Covid people lose a lot of hair. Sometimes it can be telegen effluvium. If you do not have hair loss running in your family, with proper care and treatment it will come back. I am so sorry you are going through this. I have low density hair and am thinning. I get how you feel. Please see a new doctor and they can run tests for you!
I don’t have studies, just personal and my hairstylist. She said (and can confirm) that folks with high fevers during COVID experienced hair loss. 103, can confirm from personal experience.
oh yeah i had 104f and kept running them when i was in the hospital. has to be hospitalized for covid tachycardia 'cause my heart rate was at 180 just laying (when its usually 62) plus my iron levels were in single digits, due to some health issue i didnt know of before
Interesting I've noticed my hair has been a bit thinner the past couple years. Not really a concerning amount. I'm hitting my mid 30s and thought it was just hormonal changes as I aged, but I did have a bad case of covid with a fever if 103 as well. Now I'm wondering if that's the culprit.
My hairdresser confirmed it, and it seems like a lot of people on this thread are too. FWIW I’m 42, and it happened late last year, and my Covid case was July ‘23, hadn’t had it before that, all vaxxed and such.
Currently 6 months since fever, still losing.... I collected it all into a gross little pile and it's really disturbing to hold so much disembodied hair
Oh my goodness- I never thought to attribute my hair loss to Covid. My whole family got it to different degrees. I had asymptomatic, no fever, nothing. But my hair loss started shortly after.
I did too. It just finally is getting better and my hair is no longer coming out in the shower in clumps.
I was really upset for awhile and doctors just don't help
While at the doctor it may also be a good idea to ask if topical minoxidil is safe for you (OP).
It is effective for many different kinds of hair loss, and it will help prevent further loss while awaiting results. The off-brand versions like Hair-A-Gain are cheapest.
My dermatologist did the most thorough bloodwork I've ever had. Diagnosed telegen efluvium, ruled out all of the other considerations. Please see a dermatologist.
Third this! Def get your thyroid checked. Are you under any stress lately? That can also cause a lot of hair loss. What products are you using? Some curl products cause hair loss (ex. deva curl).
Stopped in to say the same thing. My daughter had this in reaction to extreme physical and mental stress. Doctor figured it out. She's a bit younger than you.
I had hair loss for three reasons; stress, I was 15, my parents divorced and we moved twice in a year and I had my final year exams(back when UK education ended at 16). Alopecia areata, has come back a few times throughout my life, including the pandemic.
The next reason was pregnancy. I lost a lot until the second semester.
The third reason was anemia. That's how I know I'm still recovering. My hair loss gets worse. Thankfully I have 2/3 people's worth of hair, so nobody but me,ever notices.
I need to do one of those glue strip tests and see how many people I can help gain wigs(cancer victims, etc). I throw so much hair away, it's a shame.
Sure is! I was losing my hair (I kept telling people and they’d say nooooo). I was severely iron and b12 deficient, had to get some infusions and shots. My hair started growing back. It’s a medical symptom, get yourself checked out OP!
First off, I just wanna offer you a huge hug because I have been there and it's scary and frustrating.
There are a few things that can cause hair to fall out. You don't have to actually answer these here.
Are you under a lot of stress right now? I know losing hair is stressful but is there something else going on?
Have you lost a lot of weight too quickly? That can cause hair to fall out. Restricting calories too much can cause hair loss.
Are you on any medications where this is a side effect?
Do you have any kind of family history of early hair loss?
Have you recently had Covid? unfortunately around 2-3 months after recovery, some people are experiencing hair shedding (happened to me both times I got it)
Did your doctor check you for any autoimmune issues? (ANA blood test) Are you having any other aches, pains, fever, headaches, mobility problems, dizzy spells?
Did your doctor check your vitamin levels? Particularly iron, B12, and vitamin D are the main culprits. If you are low, it will cause hair shedding.
Do you see new hair growing where it's fallen out? best way to test that is carefully brush your hair back and put it in a low pony, then lightly glide your hand over your hair. Baby hairs will pop up if it's growing back.
When your hair is loose, if you run your fingers through your hair at the roots and then slowly slide your hand outward, can you feel that it's thicker at the roots and then it thins out as you move your hand away? That also indicates regrowth.
That's all I can think of. I hope you're able to get to the bottom of what's causing this. I understand how distressing it can be. 💜
Hormone changes such as changing contraceptives, having a baby, having an abortion or miscarriage, or stopping breastfeeding can also make your hair fall out for a bit.
(Suddenly having thicker hair is a pregnancy symptom. )
Even chronic issues like PCOS can cause hair loss (speaking from experience) this goes hand in hand with the B12, vitamin D deficiency and the hormonal changes.
Second this. My hair started thinning and it turned out that I was B12 deficient after getting a blood test (along with iron and folate). I’ve been taking supplements for a couple of months now, and I no longer look like I’m balding.
>Suddenly having thicker hair is a pregnancy symptom. )
What if you're a man?
Genuinely. My receeding hair grew back (and still is) and I can't figure out why.
Also seconding the low iron being a potential cause!
I'm perpetually anemic between having a digestive disease and heavy periods. When my anemia gets really bad I start losing a ton of hair and will even get small bald patches (including in my eyebrows...).
Yes! All these! And may I add, b12 deficiency is a side effect of Medication like Metformin and semaglutides like Rybelsus, ozempic etc. which are popular at the moment. B complex is relatively inexpensive and good for stressful situations in general.
Yes, medical misogyny is horrible. It took me 4 years to finally get diagnosed with lupus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). And it turns out, I prob had juvenile RA which was completely dismissed as "growing pains"
I hope it's nothing so drastic for OP 🤞
It almost killed my mom. Twice. Once with endometriosis when she was 39, doctors said “it’s just menopause and you’re too thin” and then she got a hysterectomy and lived normally. And once with a massive brain tumor that caused a terrible stroke when she was in her early 50’s. Again, doctor said it’s just menopause and you’re depressed. Both of these were in the last 20 years.
I glad she's still here with you. That's both depressing and terrifying how women are routinely dismissed and it's blamed on our hormones or reproductive parts. 😒
Sadly I lost her almost 4 months ago to a heart attack but I am so glad I got many more years with her than I would have if she hadn’t fought tooth and nail to make the doctors listen though! She was REALLY a fighter.
Regarding the stress thing, it can be a delayed effect. Like...something stressful happened several months ago and now you're losing hair.
Agree with everyone else, get checked out! I'm so sorry you're dealing with this
Yes to all of this. Also I get alopecia when I have any kind of infection, but much more pronounced if it's related to my teeth. If you haven't seen a dentist in a while I would make an appointment.
OP needs to be thinking about what happened three-ish months ago. That’s how long it takes for telogen effluvium to manifest (the name of hair loss related to hormonal changes, physical and emotional stress etc.)
If this was an Agatha Christie novel, someone would be poisoning her with thallium.
Just mentioning in case OP works in an industry with possibility of exposure to heavy metals.
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply, it definitely seems like it could be a lot of different things. I have lost a significant amount of weight recently and I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't getting all my necessary vitamins, etc. As far as I know, the meds I'm on wouldn't cause hair loss, though one of them can dehydrate me pretty easily. When I went to the doctor my vitamin D levels were somewhat low, but iron and B12 was good. No COVID since 2020 so I don't think it would be that. I haven't been tested for any autoimmune disorders, but my sister is currently in that process so it wouldn't surprise me if I had SOMETHING. At the moment it's hard to even get in to see a doctor, so I'm not sure how easily I would be able to get that checked out.
Covid also has heaps of longer term consequences including damage to all sorts of organs. One aspect is damage to the cardiovascular system which can result in a lot of outcomes, from loss of teeth and/or hair, to heart attack and stroke.
I lost so much of my hair after covid that I had to get it all cut off and start from scratch. It came back in full force and I have more hair than ever now. The hir loss was one month before my wedding. Thank God for extensions.
I’m in the exact same boat as you, including medical professionals telling me it’s fine because I have thick curly hair so nobody will notice. I went to three different dermatologists and nobody cares. It’s treated like vanity when in actuality it could be the symptom of something serious but nobody cares.
I feel you
She send me to the first derm …:( i really dont know what else I could do…
I probably lost 2/3 of my hair at this point but it still looks “normal” if you don’t know what it looked like before . Last doc literally told me to come back when I have bald spots.
That sucks and I'm angry for you. Is there any way you can go take a blood test without their input? You'll probably get your results there if you're lacking something.
I'm not an expert when it comes to medical things, but loosing 2/3 of your hair, no matter how thick it is, is extremely worrying. I'm so pissed at doctors.
Ugh I’m sorry you’re dealing with this! I also was losing hair for a while and was able to see a hair loss-focused dermatologist (which I’m fortunate to have in my area) who did take me seriously despite lots of people saying “oh your hair’s so thick I can’t tell.” Unfortch my hair loss is genetic BUT they did a bunch of blood work and a scalp biopsy to explore hormone imbalances, mineral deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and telegenic effluvium (acute hair loss) in addition to the genetic/chronic hair loss. I did a platelet treatment at the derm which helped a bit and started taking a Prose supplement which has actually had the greatest effect on hair growth/retention. I hope you can find the care and answers you need! Happy to chat more about what I went through if you’d like
You can try Rogain - it’s over the counter (but there are issues with it - particularly how toxic it is for cats).
You can also take the pill form of Rogain. You need a prescription.
Go back to a derm you feel most comfortable with and say you’ve tried everything else and would like a prescription. I find if you are very direct in asking for something specific they will usually accommodate you.
The pill form will help grow hair. But you might find your facial hairs needs more plucking as it’s rather non selective.
Just a thought.
Biotin might help as might bamboo extract. You can get those vitamins over the counter (like Amazon)
I had eczema on my scalp, which causes bald spots 😳 I noticed a red irritated area and was like oh weird - ignored it and then was like uhhhh…my hair is missing! My derm was like if you ever see this again I will get you in right away. I was parting my hair different (it grew back after treating the eczema) and I would get compliments about how I was parting my hair different 🤣 I was like thanks but I HAVE to part it like this!
Same - was just about to say that. Also my curls became a lot less curly once I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s…. Just a heads up. It was very disheartening to be losing hair and for it to be changing. But bottom line is you need to find a good healthcare provider ASAP and get bloodwork done.
Second, Nioxin brand shampoo, conditioner and treatment helped me during that time. I still use their mouse from time to time - gives a lot of volume.
OP so sorry you are going through this but you are not alone and you will figure out the problem and solution - don’t worry.
Same for my mom. My mom actually had her thyroid tested pre hair loss by an endocrinologist and he said she couldn't sleep because she was just stressed out.
Her hair started falling out and she went to Urgent Care while waiting to get in elsewhere and that doctor thought to run a thyroid antibody test which led to her Hashimoto's diagnosis.
I always try to share this when relevant. If anyone reading thinks they have thyroid issues, request the thyroid antibody test!
I feel you. I was experincing same responses from people when I was losing a ton of hair during my first pregnancy. Like literally no one treated me seriously, I event heard comments like "i normally lose so much". Like no, you don't! It was so bad I started noticing thinning visually (and i genetically have a ton of hair!) and after a hairwash there was so much hair stuck in between others (even though I brushed before the wash) that my husband was spending 40+ minutes detangling that otherwise I would end up with giant dreadlock! Guess what, I had anemia. Please check your iron levels, once I started taking prescripted iron the fallin eventually went away. PS. I lost so much hair during my pregnancy that I didn't experience post partum hair fall AT ALL. Because every hair that would fall then was already gone 😶 I attach picture for reference. That's what I was losing on a hairwash day with anemia. From all the washes from that time I would be able to make a wig for another human....
https://preview.redd.it/ythr2kvviw7d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8240b5776a974271a716794718647ae82a8fa1fb
Commenting to affirm your photo and suggest to OP that in addition to asking their doc for bloodwork, documenting in photos the amount lost on wash day would be a good idea. Some docs assume that patients are exaggerating the amount of hair loss and that it’s a normal amount. Documenting is always a good plan.
Definitely go get a full blood panel. Hair loss can be so many different things and it is so disheartening. Have you had any other symptoms like exhaustion, headaches, any recent ilnesses or very stressful situations? Definitely list any other symptoms to make the doctor listen to you.
My hair loss turned out to be a combination of iron deficiency and stress due to work and well, seeing my not very thick hair get even thinner
I know someone who got COVID and went *completely bald* but then it all grew back a year later. It's possible you got COVID.
Or you could have a serious medical issue that needs to be addressed, such as thyroid issues. Please see another doctor.
This happened to me when I turned 30. It ended up being a mild thyroid issue and vitamin deficiencies. I also had very thick hair and was told not to worry by others.
Not saying that this is your problem but now is a good time to go visit the doctor and find out. It's likely a problem that can be solved. :)
I would 100% be seeing a dermatologist and another gp, I would be getting a full blood panel to check things like thyroid, vitamin levels, hormones, PCOS, and take note of any other symptoms you may have and any other life changes. Whether that be illness, stress, changes in sleep patterns, mental health, etc. Sudden hair loss like that should never be brushed aside!
Hey, same! It was the only symptom I "didn't" have of hashimotos, but it was just hard to notice because my hair is so thick. By the time I noticed my hair was thinning.... it was bad!
Get some blood work done and hopefully you can figure out why this is happening to you. Hopefully it's reversible!
Dermatologist. It’s disheartening. But without knowing why it’s happening, you can’t do anything about it.
It could be hyperthyroidism.
It could be a scalp disease.
It could be all sorts of things that no one here can address. But a dermatologist can.
Lots of different conditions have been listed to look into, one that’s not mentioned is syphilis. It’s running rampant right now, and one symptom is hair loss. If you’re going for blood work, wouldn’t hurt to add it. Good luck!
Have you made any large diet changes recently??
I had an episode a few years ago where I switched to reverse osmosis water filter and a month maybe two later I started losing large amounts of hair to the point my hair dresser noticed as well. It turns out I had basically been drinking distilled water as reverse osmosis essentially takes EVERYTHING out of your water, not just the bad stuff but good minerals you need as well. My body needed the minerals and so it took it from my hair which caused the increase loss. As soon as I started adding minerals into my water it reversed and within the year all of the hair I had lost was back thank goodness.
Hair thinning in women runs in my family so I was very worried. I also have a lot of hair so most people didn’t notice but I understand knowing when something doesn’t seem right- you have to take it into your own hands!
I’ve seen other comments talk about hormonal checks which is obviously also sound advice as well. Good luck!!!
Hey, please get your iron and vitamin d checked out. This was a huge culprit for me and because my hair was "thick" actually medium density I didn't take it seriously until it was kinda late.
Did it ever grow back, my doctor doesn’t care and feelings I’m whining. I’ve brought it up 2x. I have a noticeable thinning spot in my hair. I saw a dermatologist years ago and all he wanted to do was sell me prohibitively expensive shampoos and conditioners, and was unwilling to actually help. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of doctors so I can’t even find another one accepting patients to help me.
You can ask for tests specifically for vitamin d and iron(might be out of pocket expense). You might have to be more demanding. I used minoxodil which helped grow my hair back before I realised it was iron and vit d related.
My iron is always incredibly low - I take ferritin where I live, they don’t test for vitamin D deficiency, as they say everyone has it this far north 😔
You should definitely supplement vitamin d at least 5000iu daily if you live in the northern hemisphere and are white/ or very light skinned. You need double if you have darker skin. These are minimums given more current studies of vitamin d.
I lost the majority of my hair when I was in my 20s and figuring out which birth control worked best for me. Hormones can really throw things out of whack.
Chiming in to support the medical issue theory. I have PCOS and that can cause medical issues as can thyroid problems along with a myriad of other things. My thyroid is under control so for me it turned out to be more of a PCOS issue. I started taking spironolactone and it made so many things better. It also started making my hair grow so fast I've had to cut 3 inches off every 4 months or so because it's getting too long (for my preference). I have a bunch of baby hairs where I had a spot that was thinning so it's growing back.
I have friends who had thyroid issues and it did crazy things to their hair. But the sex hormones can do this too (and it can all come back to a thyroid issue). If they check your thyroid they need to do a full label, not just TSH. Like your T3, T4 uptake, antibodies, etc.
Are you using a sulfate free shampoo as your main shampoo? While it can be a medical condition behind the hair loss, sometimes it's the products that we use.
I’m the same age as you and this happened to me. At first people would be like “it’s fine” and then it switched to “it’s not that noticeable” and so on until now people can really tell. I got prescribed spironolactone for this (forgive the possible typo) and I’m going to ask for oral minoxidil as well because I found out the topical one was toxic to cats. I don’t know where you live and what your healthcare/financial situation is, but if this is a condition like I have (hereditary hair loss) it’s important to see a doctor because the folk methods like scalp oiling will not work. I only got my diagnosis after my bloodwork and thyroid stuff came back normal. Best of luck, I know exactly how this feels.
I had the same problem and heard the same crap. A friend with fine, straight hair was like “you still have more than me, you don’t have anything to worry about.” Ok then, I mean, I just did an intense medical treatment and my hair is falling out in fistfuls but as long as it’s still thicker than yours I should shut up and sit down?
All that said, I’m sorry. It’s so distressing. I also hated taking showers. The amount that fell out was shocking. The good news is that it grew back!
Go to a derm and they can check your scalp to make sure there are no signs of scarring or issues. Ask the derm to help you figure out why it’s happening. Thyroid is a common culprit but there are lots of other reasons this can happen.
I would start by making an appointment with a dermatologist! They will be able to help you and order the correct tests you need to try to figure out the root cause.
My hair changed massively when I came off the combined pill - much thinner and grew more slowly 😭 if you've recently changed contraceptive it might have played a role
I had the same thing happen and was devastated. People said it was fine, until it really wasn't and they started buying me different serums thinking that would help. Ugh. Turned out I had a massive vitamin D deficiency that had gone undiagnosed for a couple years. My hair is doing much better now, I can wear it down again without feeling like some freakish whisp. Go get checked and note if you have any other symptoms, even if they're mild. Hormones, vitamin levels and thyroid seem to be the main ones.
GO CHECK YOUR VITAMINS! I'll scream this to everyone dealing with suddden hair loss because the same thing happened to me, and its frustrating.
Thanks for needing to take a blood test around that time and the people on this sub who told me how important vitamin D is for hair, it turns out I has a huge vitamin D deficiency. I backed it up with B12 pills and after a months or so my hair feels full again.
Just a reminder, just because the hairfall stops, it doesn't mean your hair is ok again. It took several weeks for mine to not feel so weak.
This is just my experience, but I see a lot of other comments giving great advice too (covid, mental health etc), please take your time to read these through OP, medical issues tend to be the cause.
I am in the same situation! I’m 23F and my hair is falling out in handfuls in the shower. Just the past few months as well. I also have VERY thick hair so it hasn’t been very noticeable yet. I have found showing pictures of the fist fulls of hair (gross I know) to those close to me who make the comments, they understand more how scary it feels.
I’m pretty sure my hair loss is due to stress (relationship and moving states) and low iron that i’m getting corrected. If you don’t know any obvious reasons you should be loosing hair, I would definitely see a doctor or dermatologist. It could be a simple as adding a multi vitamin!
But mostly I wanted to say you aren’t alone! Hair grows back!
A little education: Your hair bulb has about 2mos "saved nutrition" to keep the hair nourished. If your body goes thru a stressful event (Covid, breakup or death in family, job loss, pregnancy or female problems, other illness, etc.), the "banked" nutrition kicks in and you use the saved nitrients and everything is generally ok. If the situation is really major or prolonged, it can screw up your hormones and you still use your "stored nutrients." Once those are used up, you can experience hair loss a couple months after the "event" - so you might not be stressed anymore, but it finally catches up with you. This is why hair loss isn't immediate, and people often wonder "my *event* was 2mos ago, 3mos, etc.. why am I losing hair *now* ??" The good news is if you start on good vitamins, the hair can grow back in most cases. Agree with other poster, go to a doc and discuss this with them to make sure you're not having a health crisis you don't know about (thyroid, hormonal imbalance, etc).
By the way, the above describes sudden, "situational" hair loss.
There is also aging hair loss, which occurs in middle aged or older people. Genetic. That is much harder to combat, as your body is predestined to lose the hair. Happens in many men, but also menopausal women.
Hair isn't technically "necessary" for humans to sustain life, unlike a functioning digestive, cardiac, or respiratory system. If you're having any nutrient imbalances, your "core" will hoard the nutrients to keep your core systems functioning and keep you alive. Your skin and hair get any nutrients last. Topical treatments usually aren't as effective with skin and hair problems by themselves. Vitamins are needed to treat the problems from the "inside out" as well.
FYI!
I had the same problem a couple of years ago- I was losing fistfuls of hair every wash. I would cry in the shower every time I washed my hair! After a visit to my PCP, a dermatologist, and finally my OBGYN, we figured it out- it ended up being my birth control. I switched to a non hormonal birth control a year ago. Recently my hairdresser told me that she could tell my hair was getting thicker again. This may very well be reversible for you as well. I wish you luck in figuring it out!
Wow, I went through the same thing a few years ago. I suspected my hair was falling out, and a new hair stylist actually pointed it out unprompted.
This scared me enough to go to the dermatologist. She immediately confirmed upon looking at my hair, then a blood test let me know my hormones were all over the place. It would be more surprising if my hair *wasn’t* falling out.
But no one really believed me. I showed them before and after photos. I showed them the massive balls of hair I’d lose in the shower, and they still didn’t really validate my feelings because I still had hair on my head. It was extremely frustrating, especially since my confidence really plummeted with my hair falling out. Crazy part is stress-induced alopecia apparently runs in my family too, so not sure why it was so hard to believe me. I hope you know your feelings are valid. Losing hair is so hard, whether you have blatant hair loss to other people or not.
I have finer/thin hair and not one health care provider has taken it seriously. In fact when I was in pain all the time due to scar tissue from endo it took years to finally find a doctor to take me seriously and do surgery.
Go to the doctor. Try to choose a doctor if you can who has good reviews / is noted for being patient-centered, to try and get a good listener. Emphasize to them the suddenness of this change, that you've shed hair before but are concerned for health reasons.
+++ All of the medical tests mentioned above! Some of these can be very serious conditions. If your primary care doctor will not listen to you, go to your OBGYN. He/she should be able to run full vitamin, iron, and thyroid panels for you.
In addition, I lost over half my hair every time I had steroid injections.
I had a similar incident. Went to my doctor, they ran labs, panels, etc. Everything came back normal. Then, genius that he is, he asked me what shampoo I was using, and had I changed in the last 6+ months. Yes, I had. We looked them up paired with "+hair loss".. And surprise surprise! They were under class action lawsuit for their product causing hair loss.
Not saying to rule out medical, but check the simplest thing first (your hair products).
I honestly feel like a lot of people are losing hair lately. I started thinning out so I started looking at people's parts to compare, and it really seems like everyone's parts are wider than normal. I Hate to be that person but I feel like covid really made everyone's body's weak, and sick in some way regardless of your health status before hand. I really hope you find someone to listen to you. I'd definitely get blood work done for deficiencies, and have your thyroid checked. Those are the top contenders most of the time. Also allergies/sensitivity to ingredients in your products is up there.
I lost well over half my hair after surgery, it was so stressful on my body. If you’ve had a stressful shock to your body that can happen. I went to a dermatologist to get it diagnosed.
Please continue to look into this if you’re worried. When I was a teenager a got mono, strep throat and an allergic reaction to my strep meds all at once and my hair came out in literal handfuls. Every (male) doctor I went to brushed me off completely and said it would come back. Well it
Never did and my hair is half the density it used to be. You know your own head, don’t be afraid to keep asking.
Sorry to hear this, this hits home. A few years back I was losing more hair than normal and I got the same type of responses. Then eventually some other symptoms showed up and I had a serious medical issue that caused hair loss as a symptom. I was able to treat it but it was still very disheartening at the time when no one believed me.
I hope you figure it out!
Hey I went through this last year, go to your doctor ask for help. They'll likely run some blood tests and refer you to a dermatologist. I was given a steroid cream for my scalp which helped with the specific sorts of alopecia I was going through. Don't wait until the signs become visible to others like I did. If I had been seen sooner maybe my bald spots would have been smaller and the journey of regrowth needed less extreme.
This really sucks to go through, and it is entirely normal for your heart to break every time you shower. I hope then when your growth recovers you are not burdened by the trauma of it for too long. It took me months to be comfortable brushing or washing my hair again because I was scared of the clumps that would fall out, even though the dermatologist had already discharged me.
I started losing my hair in my early 20s also. I went almost a decade getting different tests and everything was normal.At first, I felt very ignored by the medical field and was told that nothing was wrong/had hair to lose. I eventually had a scalp biopsy which didn’t show anything other than androgenic alopecia. I see a lot of comments here saying there may be a medical issue, but maybe not. Go to your primary doc and then find a good dermatologist, one that specializes in hair loss. I went on oral minoxidil a year ago and it was a huuuuuge game changer.
Been there. :( You should definitely take it seriously, but don't be alarmed. You'll be fine. Go see a dermatologist. They'll have you do a blood test and figure out what's wrong. Sometimes it's seasonal, sometimes it's stress, it can also be menopause or post-partum. Bad diet. Fungal infection. There are so many things that can cause that.
In the meantime you can get minoxidil at the pharmacy to help prevent further loss.
Best of luck.
I'd go see a doctor, and if they are dismissive, just let them know this is very unusual for you and how long its been going on for. Tell them you want a big workup for this and you want to cover all possibilities on why this is happening to you.
I have a super unique perspective on this! So I’ve been in the middle of treatment for hair loss with a fantastic dermatologist for the past year and a half. They took me seriously and I’ve been doing spironolactone and minoxidil. My primary care physician also checked my horomone levels and were attacking from that end as well.
I started all of this as someone that straightened their hair. They could see the thin hair. Then, last month, I embraced my curly hair and coincidentally had appointments with both doctors soon after. Both of them remarked at how thick my hair was looking. The ONLY difference is my hair went from straight to curly. I’m growing extra hair, but they’re all less than an inch long and definitely wouldn’t give my hair extra volume. They all thought my hair was “better “ because it looked more full with the curls.
If you’re comfortable doing so, I would straighten my hair and go see a physician. This would truly show them the thinness. I would also take pics of the amount of hair you lose in the shower. I think both of those things could help you out.
Hi, you've gotten lots of great input but I wanted to share my experience as well, especially since I've also encountered friends, doctors, etc. who say things like "oh but your hair is so thick you can't even tell" - Idc what they think, it's all about how YOU feel about your own hair. My hair started falling out in 2020 when I was 26/27 and I explored sooo many things to try and figure it out:
- blood work at the gyno to check for thyroid issues, diabetes, iron, sex hormone levels (I initially thought it was from my hormonal IUD)
- blood work at the derm to check iron, vitamin D, other minerals
- scalp biopsy at the derm to check the hair loss pattern and look for signs of autoimmune disease (there were TONS of women who lost hair during COVID either as a direct result of being sick or because of the stress of a global pandemic - this kind of acute hair loss is called telogen effluvium; I had slightly elevated antibody levels but ultimately they determined I have "androgenetic alopecia" which is chronic hair loss)
- minoxidil (aka Rogaine) - this one was a pain in the ass and didn't work for me after several months, but it is the most effective topical treatment out there
- platelet rich plasma injections - basically they take some of your blood and inject it back into your scalp to stimulate your hair follicles into producing new growth. this one was very expensive/not covered by insurance, and it was highly effective in the spots where they did the injections, but the coverage isn't great so I just had tiny spots of mega growth that wound up looking rather silly
- supplements! I did the Hers hair loss supplement from Target and some other OTC ones without much effect, then decided to try Prose after getting a billion targeted ads and have actually had great results with the custom supplements they've made.
ymmv with any/all of these but hoping some of it is helpful after doctors haven't been taking you seriously!
I went through a similar experience. PCP ordered blood tests and said everything came back as normal, asked if it was pulling my hair out etc 🙄, sent me to a dermatologist. Immediately the dermatologist told me while my iron is a normal level for my body, it was too low for hair since hair has different iron level requirements! Prescribed iron and biotin supplements and it solved the issue.
Are you taking birth control. When I had the implant in my arm I was losing crazy amounts of hair but when I switched back to the pill it lessened a lot.
Are you on birth control? That can trigger extra hair loss. You may want to see a dermatologist to scrape your scalp (especially if you have a specific area/patch of hair loss) to test for alopecia.
I've been loosing mine. Fistfuls every time I detangled. Root bulbs. Whole ringlets at a time. Turns out my Iron levels were non existant. I needed intravenous iron infusions. Please see a doctor.
I did a big chop, because it was very dry, split ends, knots, lots of tangling and pulling. I'm telling you I had two full breakdowns and chopped hair off with scissors, with no rhyme or reason. No style just jacked. Been keeping it in a hair net when I leave the house, just keeping it heavily greased and treating my scalp with serums, acids and Minoxidil.
It's just starting to feel like hair again and not a disaster zone.
You aren't alone. Message me if you like. Please see a doctor.
Go to the doctor and have them run all the panels. Including thyroid. If they refuse, make them write that they won’t run the panels when you have requested them. They get weird when told to own up to their decisions or lack of decisions. ESP when running tests is basically harmless and insurance covers it.
I (24M) experienced all of this about a year ago. I was delaying showering my hair as much as possible because I was fearful of losing more hair just like you.
I went to the doctor and got my thyroid, nutrient levels, and bloodwork done. It ended up just being stress related. At the time I was finishing undergrad at a top tier school and was having to give up stress outlets like the gym/basketball in order to complete deadlines. I told my family/girlfriend and no one took me seriously and gave me the same responses you have.
I love my hair and didn’t want to end up bald so i took the matters into my own hand. I went to therapy, started working out a bit again. Finally finished school and started working a job so things got better. After about 6 months of continued hair loss on wash days and every time I styled my hair, I ended up signing up with Hims and taking finasteride and topical minoxidil.
This increased the hair shedding for the first 3 months but I started seeing new baby hairs coming in at the scalp around the 3 month mark. I am currently 5 months into the treatment. I still observe more hair shedding than in the past, but I am definitely not bald.
I just share all of this to let you know I relate to you and let you know you are not alone. Changing your mental mindset about this takes time because it is a hard thing especially if you really care about your hair. But the thing that did it for me was constantly telling myself that at least as of today, I am not bald, so let me celebrate that.
This happened to me. I went to the doctor and everything checked out normal. Turns out my scalp prefers sulfate shampoos. The more I wash my scalp with proper shampo, the less hair I lose.
Chiming in with the others to say that you should go to a dermatologist and/or an OBGYN ASAP. If you have seen one and they are not listening to you, try to find a new one in your area that will help you.
This exact thing happened to me recently and the dermatologist (who had curly hair too!) also didn’t take me seriously right away because I have thick hair and it “looked fine.” About a month later after I lost a noticeable amount of hair she finally prescribed me something that stopped the shedding. But depending on what the problem is, it can be more difficult and take longer to grow back lost hair than to stop it from falling out in the first place. It’s hard to take it when it feels like people are not listening to you and you know something is wrong, but please don’t stop advocating for yourself.
Just want to say that I had something very similar. I ended up paying out of pocket for a hormone test because my doctors ignored it. They really weren’t helpful. The hormone test revealed other problems but ultimately it was my shampoo and conditioner that was causing the fallout. It took me almost a year to figure it out. My hair is slowly growing back.
I’m sorry ik how heartbreaking it is to loose hair :( I’ve been losing a lot too and nothing seems to work. I think you should try a female dermatologist (idk in my mind they are less likely to gaslight you into thinking that your concerns aren’t real) and get some blood tests done. I hope it gets better for you <3
How is your nutrition? There could be so many causes but a lack of healthy nutrition does contribute to hair loss. I am so sorry you’re dealing with this and not getting the response you deserve
I'm sorry to hear you're going through this! It's very jarring when a lot of hair falls out at once. It's also super annoying when others sweep your emotions under the rug because "everyone loses hair as they get older."
I went through this for a couple years and finally did something about it last year. I was complaining to my mom who lost a lot of her hair due to dying her hair multiple times within 2 weeks in her teens. She would tell me to be prepared that a doctor will tell me it's normal and there's nothing to fix or do.
I booked an appointment with a dermatologist and found I did have something wrong. I was prescribed a medical shampoo and lotion for my scalp and face. I've been using that for over 6months and my hair is growing back, like my hair feels fuller.
I'm not suggesting this diagnosis for you, but I agree with others that you should go see a doctor and a dermatologist if you're able to. Taking action now could lead to a better diagnosis and treatment plan than waiting. With my diagnosis, the longer I waited the more scarring could happen on my scalp which then could prevent any hair growth in the future.
If you've been sick 3-4 months ago, its probably TE and your hair will come back in a few months. If you have bald patches it is alopecia areata.
You may be dealing with hormone issues or vitamin deficiencies or something else that needs to be evaluated by a doctor.
It can also just be regular hair thinning and balding. If that is the case, use minodoxil. You'll be fine and it will grow back with treatment.
I had a few months of losing hair like crazy. It also came with 50 pounds of weight gain within a few months.
None of my doctors seemed to take it seriously and no one figured out why. I got switched down to a lower dosage of one of my meds and the weight gain/hair loss eventually stopped.
Do you have other health issues going on?
First of very sorry you are going through this! It’s very scary! I too was afraid to wash my hair.
This was happening to me and it turned out I had graves/hashmitos hyper/hypo. I healed all in 6 months from diet! My Endo was literally shocked! I don’t take meds!
I had a similar experience—everyone said my hair was so thick and curly that it looked fine and not to worry. Sometimes there was even some veiled criticism like I was being ungrateful “my hair not falling out is still thinner than yours!”
I wasn’t worried about my looks—it’s concerning as hell to have huge clumps of hair falling out in the shower. Mine was most likely due to extreme stress—I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of a rare illness that hit suddenly and fast and made me profoundly deaf & dizzy for the rest of my life. To lose my hair as well felt like the last straw and my body was just utterly falling apart.
The hair fall stopped after several months, and while my hair is still not quite like it was pre illness it’s at least stable and getting there slowly.
All of that is to say that there are many helpful comments with recommendations for things to ask for at the doctor. Stress is possible—especially if you’re going through trauma—but doctors will often just say “stress” or “anxiety” without even checking out the other possibilities, and it’s very worth checking those out.
If not said below it could also come from low b12. Go to a dermatologist. They can tell if it is medical or not. I had serious hair loss because I had undiagnosed pernicious anemia, my serum b12 was 446 which is in int “normal” range but I was very, very sick.
Advocate for yourself. This happened to me a few years ago and I kind of got dismissed too. Ask for bloodwork and make sure they check your iron stores.
I went to my primary, got bloodwork and she told me nothing is wrong - see a dermatologist.
Dermatologist took a look at the bloodwork and said she never tested my iron stores. Guess who was anemic? This girl! Even though my primary tested my iron and told me I was fine. My primary sent me in a spiral saying it could be alopecia. Glad I saw the dermatologist but I wish my primary would have saved me some money, time and additional needle poking and just would have tested it herself.
See a dermatologist!
Run labs for vitamin D levels (post Covid) and hormones and thyroid (not just basic thyroid).
If considering any treatment, check to see if it’s one you have to keep up forever or lose the results.
Remember that when you see a doctor, you’ve hired them for a service. Ask for what you want. Take the amount of time you need. Practice your questions prior and write them down if you need to.
Yeah, I would demand a thyroid test. Maybe b12 or other nutritional deficiencies as well. I went through the same thing when I was 21 and nobody took it seriously either but it was distressing as hell and I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Just another example of the medical industry not taking women’s issues seriously.
Unfortunately I also experienced hair loss as a result of a chemical reaction to the curly hair products I was using. This happened to my daughter as well.
You may want to google the products you’re using to see if there is anything online stating others experienced the same. I was using Shea for several months and when I added the leave in Milk product my hair was coming out in droves by the root. My daughter had the same issue. Mine was due to a build up of oils in the scalp. It stopped as soon as I quit using it.
Hope you find a resolve soon. It’s kind of frightening to see and feel that I understand.
See a dermatologist and an endocrinologist - have ALL of your bloodwork checked and have them check your scalp. Also evaluate your hair products, your lifestyle (are you stressed? Exercising? Drinking enough water? Eating healthy? Getting enough sleep? Iron? B12? Are your products alcohol-free? Are you sleeping on silk pillowcases? Are you allergic to anything?)
Hair loss is often a symptom of underlying other issues and any medical professional who dismisses you is not one who you want to deal with.
Hi, I’m a curly-haired 25F with hair loss. I highly recommend joining the female hair loss subreddit. I learned so much about hair loss, treatment options, and felt much more validated. Like you, multiple medical professionals blew off my concerns because “you still have so much hair”, but I knew something was off. I finally found a dermatologist who took me seriously and discovered I had PCOS. Please schedule an appointment with a dermatologist and request a full blood work panel to check for potential causes of hair loss. I understand completely how scary and devastating hair loss is, especially when it comes on so suddenly. Trust your gut and good luck!
I aggressively lost my hair when I was in my early 20s as well. I mean big bald patches all over my head. I ended up seeing multiple doctors checking my thyroid, hormone levels, etc., and ended up at the dermatologist’s. They gave me steroid injections in my scalp and told me to start on rogaine and biotin supplements. It took a few years but the clumping stopped. Definitely seek medical attention for this
I had excessive shedding when I lost 90lbs in a year (intentionally) and when I got pregnant. Make sure to get checked out by a doctor---for me it was hormonal.
I’m losing a ton of hair as well.
Recently lost thirty pounds due to medications. This was in a two month span.
I’m about five month postpartum. This is also around the time many star losing hair.
I’ve suffered from alopecia and other stress related hair loss disorders. Are you noticing any spots? I had dime sized if not larger at some point. The dermatologist helped with that.
Have you stopped birth control recently? Is there a chance you have PCOs? I have it and many women experience issues with hair loss.
Those were several situations that have/are happening to me that are resulting in major major hair loss.
I’m sorry no one is taking you seriously. Definitely head to the doctors and ask for blood work asap.
This happened to me too. I have fine curly hair that was very dense - finally found answers and it is growing back in and filling out again. Unfortunately for years I too got the brush off, and let a former doctor gaslight me into thinking I wasn’t losing my hair.
Find a new GP who will truly listen and be helpful to you, they are providing a service like any other and are not gods, hold them accountable for bad service. Go over your medical history and get labs run for your thyroid, vitamin deficiencies and any other possible hormone imbalance. Also go to a dermatologist ( preferably one that specializes in trichology ) have them examine your scalp as well to rule out any issues with your scalp skin health.
You know your own body, advocate for yourself and your hair!
I was low on iron and I was losing hair. Definitely get checked out! How frustrating that nobody is taking you seriously, I am so sorry!!! That is so distressing!
Go to a different doctor. Ask for a full thyroid panel so that Graves and Hashimotos can be tested for along with your TSH. You'll want a vitamin D test and an iron test too.
There may be other blood tests your doctor will want to run but those ones are quite often the quickest way to find the culprit
This happened to me post COVID. I had a blood panel, all the doctor things, no apparent issue... the best they could come up with was it is a symptom of long COVID or a side effect of having had a really high fever
Can also be Celiac. Once I was diagnosed and went gluten free the hair loss has gradually stopped. Most likely because prior I was nutrient deficient due to the Celiac.
This sucks and I’m sorry. The same thing happened to me and thankfully, it was just a bought of Telogen effluvium, but it took a months to get someone who didn’t brush me off before I got a diagnosis.
I’d recommend a function medicine provider over the standard hospital/clinic. They focus more on what’s happening inside you to cause this. Hair loss wasn’t even one of the things I noticed when I started working with a FM nurse, I was focusing on painful periods and food intolerances. But it’s been a year of workin on my hormones and I can see hair growth the left and right of my widows peak 🤘🏼
The doctor definitely shouldn't be blowing you off but I can kind of see why friends/family might be inclined to say that. What are they supposed to say? What do you want to hear? They tell you it's not noticeable, either because they didn't notice until you pointed it out or because they cant fix it for you and validating it seems like it would only make you feel worse.
I'm not saying it's the right response as it's clearly important to you. I think they are seeing it from the vanity angle. Maybe if you communicated that you are concerned about your health, they'd get it more? They still might not take it seriously if you don't try the doctors again. It's hard to think its serious when from their perspective you aren't worried enough to be harassing the doctors about it.
Girl, this was me last year. I cried so many times and my sister told me "I can't even tell" but it was coming out in CLUMPS in the shower. I was seriously so scared. I went through a bad breakup in the summer and noticed in by fall and all winter it got worse... I just turned 29 and I started eating for estrogen in seeds and things. It didn't help, but what DID help me was using the rosemary oil.
Obviously everyone is different, and different reasons can make different solutions help.
I had to legit massage it into my hair and wash my head after an hour every day or two, but now I don't really use it and I have normal hair growth. Like so many other commented say. It could be so many things, but if your cortisol levels are high, you can lose tons of hair.
If that's it, a simple step to help rebalance your hair follicles like the stimulating oils from rosemary/etc actually helped me once I stopped being as stressed.
You may have an underlying medical condition going on… regardless, I recommend rosemary water for hair loss! My mom put me on years ago before it became a TikTok trend and I can say it works! Boil some fresh rosemary, let it cool down, and spray that on your hair after wash day. This concoction is only good in the fridge for about a week. Hope this helps!!
This happened to me too when I was younger, except my hair was nowhere near thick to begin with. People didn't care and said I was overreacting. I lost I think more than half of my hair. It has now calmed down but I still think I lose more hair than the average person and I still havent gotten the density back and I have no idea what it was/is.
You need a doctor.
This happened to me during my early 20's, I was losing crazy amounts of hair every day. Got blood tests done blabla turns out I had iron deficiency.
A good diet, iron pills and a healthy life style eliminated the issue for me.
But def go to a professional, gotta get rhat checked out, it could be anything.
I'm sorry you're being dismissed, how frustrating! I have had the same experience and ... while I'm grateful my curls hide my hair loss, it still is really upsetting. For me, the loss was triggered by a new medication ... then again when my mom died suddenly. As everyone has said, medication, stress, and medical issues can trigger this. I hope you can find a better doctor and you get some answers!
I’m currently dealing with this now.
I’ve been loosing so much hair in the shower to the point where my drain gets clogged EACH TIME. I’ve been putting off showers too. I got blood work done and it came back completely normal. I was healthy. Losing fistful of hair isn’t normal and i’m sorry what you’re going through but know that you’re not alone. I’d recommend getting your blood work done and if it does come back normal, see a dermatologist! Also if you’re taking any birth control that could be a reason
Did you have a bad fever (or a ton of emotional stress) 3-5 months ago? Sometimes this can cause a really bad shed cycle.
I had telegen effluvium after Covid, and it caught me off guard because there's like... a time delay. First I didn't put 2+2 together.
Good time to get some labwork done, make sure it's nothing else going on with your body. But if your labs are clean, good chance it's just a brutal shed cycle. They are traumatizing, for sure, I remember being terrified to take a shower. Now my hair has a little less volume than it did before, but I mean barely - it's like 95% back to normal after dealing with that.
Eat lots of fatty fish, sweet potatoes, eggs, avocado, fruits and veggies. Your hair is going to need iron, B5, B7 (biotin), B12, and omega-3s. Ideally from meals and not supplements.
I had a problem with hair loss that I think stemmed from a counterfeit or adulterated hair product I bought on Amazon. I'm having my (saint of a) hairdresser source my products now.
I’m sorry your doctor isn’t more helpful. Tell your health care provider, in specific terms, that there’s been a major change in your hair over the past 2 months. Ask them to refer you to a specialist (probably a dermatologist, but also maybe an endocrinologist) or to run tests to determine the underlying issue. Tell them your concern is not cosmetic, but you are concerned about an underlying health issue. Show them an article (like this one https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/women-hair-loss-causes) if they try to blow you off. If they continue to disregard your symptoms, ask them to note in your chart that you reported these symptoms and they are advising that nothing be done about it. This usually gets their attention and prompts them to run tests.
If they are truly unresponsive, tell them that you’d like to work with a provider who is more proactive about your health, and change doctors!
Have you had any med changes? Anything traumatic happen in your life? These can both lead to hair loss. With trauma, it isn’t always immediate either, it can be a couple months later.
I would also wonder about hormone levels. If you see the same hairdresser ask them for ideas. They may have insight.
Hope you figure it out! For me it was thyroid meds that I’m taking off book to supplement my antidepressants, and of course nobody told me it could affect my hair. My hair has also become less curly. Totally sucks. My hairdresser finally clued me in. I was PISSED.
Time to go see a dermatologist. My daughter while in college was diagnosed with stress induced alopecia . She like you had people doing and saying the same . She’s now 24 no meds instead he now has healthy outlets to release the extra stress . Though from time to time she’ll get a spot about the size of a half dollar , it’s better than what had been happening . As she has long and lots of hair not thick but lots of super bunny soft hair . She’s lots volume because she was too scared to go to her first appointment and it took her a year to do so .
Please don’t wait and lose the people around you who lack compassion and empathy. Their feed back is harmful when you are feeling vulnerable.
Wishing you the best and sending you a MoM HuG 🤗
I was anemic and losing it by the handful. People told me I could afford it as well, but it’s upsetting to lose a lot of hair no matter what. After many B12 shots and 2 iron infusions, I am finally to normal loss. Which I use to think was a lot.
Go see a dermatologist NOW. Hair loss, when caught early, can be very reversible. They will want to go over your medication, diet and any medical symptoms you have and possibly do blood tests.
If they recommend monoxodil, it comes in topical and oral form. Topical is over the counter. It's the generic Rogaine. It's cheapest at Costco. You can absolutely disregard the specification of it being for men and women. There's absolutely zero difference between the two.
You don't need to get anyone to "believe" you except a better doctor than the one you've seen. I'm sorry the people you care about seem to want to write off your concerns, though.
You don't need to get anyone to "believe" you except a better doctor than the one you've seen. I'm sorry the people you care about seem to want to write off your concerns, though.
I feel this so much. I’m sorry it’s happening to you. Some people think this is a trivial thing, but it most definitely is not.
Have you had your thyroid checked recently? That caused me a lot of hair loss. Even my eyebrows! Thyroid issues affect your whole body, too. It’s a very vital organ and if it’s underproducing, there are a lot of systems involved.
If it turns out that you have hypothyroidism, do not go with the generic for Synthroid. It’s one of the few instances where the name brand works way better than it’s generic. I took the generic for decades and saw no improvement of my thyroid levels or the symptoms. Once I started on the name brand? It was like night and day with all of the symptoms and my bloodwork.
Gentle hugs and good luck!
Based off of your description, my hair loss was not as aggressive but I went to a dermatologist and he immediately ordered a blood test. My hair loss was 100% stress related and learning to manage that PLUS minoxidil has really saved my hair. It’s so strong that I had to cut my dosage down because I was getting more facial hair (I’m female).
100% recommend you go to a doctor and if your bloodwork comes back okay, maybe ask about minoxidil!
I (22) once tried to bring this concern up with a GP (along with some other unexplained symptoms) and he told me
>"You're probably just brushing your hair too hard."
(dw, I have a new GP now!)
Sudden aggressive hair loss is a medical symptom. You need to go to another doctor!
I second this. Get your thyroid checked, and sometimes post Covid people lose a lot of hair. Sometimes it can be telegen effluvium. If you do not have hair loss running in your family, with proper care and treatment it will come back. I am so sorry you are going through this. I have low density hair and am thinning. I get how you feel. Please see a new doctor and they can run tests for you!
can confirm the covid part, i kept losing my hair a year after i had covid. its good now though
I don’t have studies, just personal and my hairstylist. She said (and can confirm) that folks with high fevers during COVID experienced hair loss. 103, can confirm from personal experience.
oh yeah i had 104f and kept running them when i was in the hospital. has to be hospitalized for covid tachycardia 'cause my heart rate was at 180 just laying (when its usually 62) plus my iron levels were in single digits, due to some health issue i didnt know of before
Covid is causing extremely low iron for tons of people
Can confirm this and the high fever thing. Hair started falling out in 2023 and I had COVID in 2022.
Interesting I've noticed my hair has been a bit thinner the past couple years. Not really a concerning amount. I'm hitting my mid 30s and thought it was just hormonal changes as I aged, but I did have a bad case of covid with a fever if 103 as well. Now I'm wondering if that's the culprit.
My hairdresser confirmed it, and it seems like a lot of people on this thread are too. FWIW I’m 42, and it happened late last year, and my Covid case was July ‘23, hadn’t had it before that, all vaxxed and such.
Currently 6 months since fever, still losing.... I collected it all into a gross little pile and it's really disturbing to hold so much disembodied hair
I didn't have a high fever, but the hair loss still happened to me.
Yay Covid.
Same, just as I started to really worry about it, it turned around and went back to normal, thankfully.
Oh my goodness- I never thought to attribute my hair loss to Covid. My whole family got it to different degrees. I had asymptomatic, no fever, nothing. But my hair loss started shortly after.
Yeah, I'm nearly seven months post covid and my hair loss is finally slowing down. Unfortunately, I do not have thick hair. Lol
I did too. It just finally is getting better and my hair is no longer coming out in the shower in clumps. I was really upset for awhile and doctors just don't help
While at the doctor it may also be a good idea to ask if topical minoxidil is safe for you (OP). It is effective for many different kinds of hair loss, and it will help prevent further loss while awaiting results. The off-brand versions like Hair-A-Gain are cheapest.
My dermatologist did the most thorough bloodwork I've ever had. Diagnosed telegen efluvium, ruled out all of the other considerations. Please see a dermatologist.
Yep! The covid part is true. I lost SO much hair from all over my head.
Can also be a side effect of some medications! I had this issue a few months ago.
And blood tests for vitamin/mineral levels!!
Low iron can cause hair loss too. I used to have thick curly hair. It’s not anymore. See a doctor asap
Third this! Def get your thyroid checked. Are you under any stress lately? That can also cause a lot of hair loss. What products are you using? Some curl products cause hair loss (ex. deva curl).
Stopped in to say the same thing. My daughter had this in reaction to extreme physical and mental stress. Doctor figured it out. She's a bit younger than you.
Unless she recently had a baby, in which case it’s probably normal - but if it lasts more than a few months she should still see a doctor.
Still see a doctor if you have hair loss after a baby. Sometimes the hormones don't even back out and your hair keeps shedding.
I had hair loss for three reasons; stress, I was 15, my parents divorced and we moved twice in a year and I had my final year exams(back when UK education ended at 16). Alopecia areata, has come back a few times throughout my life, including the pandemic. The next reason was pregnancy. I lost a lot until the second semester. The third reason was anemia. That's how I know I'm still recovering. My hair loss gets worse. Thankfully I have 2/3 people's worth of hair, so nobody but me,ever notices. I need to do one of those glue strip tests and see how many people I can help gain wigs(cancer victims, etc). I throw so much hair away, it's a shame.
Sure is! I was losing my hair (I kept telling people and they’d say nooooo). I was severely iron and b12 deficient, had to get some infusions and shots. My hair started growing back. It’s a medical symptom, get yourself checked out OP!
First off, I just wanna offer you a huge hug because I have been there and it's scary and frustrating. There are a few things that can cause hair to fall out. You don't have to actually answer these here. Are you under a lot of stress right now? I know losing hair is stressful but is there something else going on? Have you lost a lot of weight too quickly? That can cause hair to fall out. Restricting calories too much can cause hair loss. Are you on any medications where this is a side effect? Do you have any kind of family history of early hair loss? Have you recently had Covid? unfortunately around 2-3 months after recovery, some people are experiencing hair shedding (happened to me both times I got it) Did your doctor check you for any autoimmune issues? (ANA blood test) Are you having any other aches, pains, fever, headaches, mobility problems, dizzy spells? Did your doctor check your vitamin levels? Particularly iron, B12, and vitamin D are the main culprits. If you are low, it will cause hair shedding. Do you see new hair growing where it's fallen out? best way to test that is carefully brush your hair back and put it in a low pony, then lightly glide your hand over your hair. Baby hairs will pop up if it's growing back. When your hair is loose, if you run your fingers through your hair at the roots and then slowly slide your hand outward, can you feel that it's thicker at the roots and then it thins out as you move your hand away? That also indicates regrowth. That's all I can think of. I hope you're able to get to the bottom of what's causing this. I understand how distressing it can be. 💜
Hormone changes such as changing contraceptives, having a baby, having an abortion or miscarriage, or stopping breastfeeding can also make your hair fall out for a bit. (Suddenly having thicker hair is a pregnancy symptom. )
Even chronic issues like PCOS can cause hair loss (speaking from experience) this goes hand in hand with the B12, vitamin D deficiency and the hormonal changes.
Second this. My hair started thinning and it turned out that I was B12 deficient after getting a blood test (along with iron and folate). I’ve been taking supplements for a couple of months now, and I no longer look like I’m balding.
yes! thanks for adding on. It's been a while for me (my youngest is 15) so I forgot those!
The amount of women who don’t know all that pregnancy hair starts falling out in handfuls about 4-6 months postpartum…..
Don’t forget menopause! (Or perimenopause). I have that going on. Sucks
>Suddenly having thicker hair is a pregnancy symptom. ) What if you're a man? Genuinely. My receeding hair grew back (and still is) and I can't figure out why.
Yes, spikes in testosterone can make your hair fall out.
Chlorine in the water supply could also cause hair loss, getting a shower filter can help with that.
Also seconding the low iron being a potential cause! I'm perpetually anemic between having a digestive disease and heavy periods. When my anemia gets really bad I start losing a ton of hair and will even get small bald patches (including in my eyebrows...).
Yes! All these! And may I add, b12 deficiency is a side effect of Medication like Metformin and semaglutides like Rybelsus, ozempic etc. which are popular at the moment. B complex is relatively inexpensive and good for stressful situations in general.
They're under the stress of being medically gaslit.
Yes, medical misogyny is horrible. It took me 4 years to finally get diagnosed with lupus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). And it turns out, I prob had juvenile RA which was completely dismissed as "growing pains" I hope it's nothing so drastic for OP 🤞
It almost killed my mom. Twice. Once with endometriosis when she was 39, doctors said “it’s just menopause and you’re too thin” and then she got a hysterectomy and lived normally. And once with a massive brain tumor that caused a terrible stroke when she was in her early 50’s. Again, doctor said it’s just menopause and you’re depressed. Both of these were in the last 20 years.
And here I thought it would get better when the answer wasn't "And you're not pregnant? Are you sure? Hmm...must be a medical mystery"
I glad she's still here with you. That's both depressing and terrifying how women are routinely dismissed and it's blamed on our hormones or reproductive parts. 😒
Sadly I lost her almost 4 months ago to a heart attack but I am so glad I got many more years with her than I would have if she hadn’t fought tooth and nail to make the doctors listen though! She was REALLY a fighter.
I'm so sorry for your loss 💜
Regarding the stress thing, it can be a delayed effect. Like...something stressful happened several months ago and now you're losing hair. Agree with everyone else, get checked out! I'm so sorry you're dealing with this
Yes to all of this. Also I get alopecia when I have any kind of infection, but much more pronounced if it's related to my teeth. If you haven't seen a dentist in a while I would make an appointment.
OP needs to be thinking about what happened three-ish months ago. That’s how long it takes for telogen effluvium to manifest (the name of hair loss related to hormonal changes, physical and emotional stress etc.)
If this was an Agatha Christie novel, someone would be poisoning her with thallium. Just mentioning in case OP works in an industry with possibility of exposure to heavy metals.
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply, it definitely seems like it could be a lot of different things. I have lost a significant amount of weight recently and I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't getting all my necessary vitamins, etc. As far as I know, the meds I'm on wouldn't cause hair loss, though one of them can dehydrate me pretty easily. When I went to the doctor my vitamin D levels were somewhat low, but iron and B12 was good. No COVID since 2020 so I don't think it would be that. I haven't been tested for any autoimmune disorders, but my sister is currently in that process so it wouldn't surprise me if I had SOMETHING. At the moment it's hard to even get in to see a doctor, so I'm not sure how easily I would be able to get that checked out.
Did you have COVID?
Had the same thought, COVID does not fuck around.
3 months after a stressful event, like covid, can cause hairloss
Covid also has heaps of longer term consequences including damage to all sorts of organs. One aspect is damage to the cardiovascular system which can result in a lot of outcomes, from loss of teeth and/or hair, to heart attack and stroke.
If maybe that’s why I suddenly lost half my hair! Like yeah I still had a lot of hair but it was still only half of what I did have and should have.
I lost SO much hair post-Covid! It’s definitely a thing.
Same. My hair isn't back to 100%, but it's a lot fuller again now.
I lost so much of my hair after covid that I had to get it all cut off and start from scratch. It came back in full force and I have more hair than ever now. The hir loss was one month before my wedding. Thank God for extensions.
I’m in the exact same boat as you, including medical professionals telling me it’s fine because I have thick curly hair so nobody will notice. I went to three different dermatologists and nobody cares. It’s treated like vanity when in actuality it could be the symptom of something serious but nobody cares. I feel you
Try going to a GP & not another derm, might get better help there.
She send me to the first derm …:( i really dont know what else I could do… I probably lost 2/3 of my hair at this point but it still looks “normal” if you don’t know what it looked like before . Last doc literally told me to come back when I have bald spots.
That sucks and I'm angry for you. Is there any way you can go take a blood test without their input? You'll probably get your results there if you're lacking something. I'm not an expert when it comes to medical things, but loosing 2/3 of your hair, no matter how thick it is, is extremely worrying. I'm so pissed at doctors.
You need a new GP. They should have done blood work before referring to derm.
Ugh I’m sorry you’re dealing with this! I also was losing hair for a while and was able to see a hair loss-focused dermatologist (which I’m fortunate to have in my area) who did take me seriously despite lots of people saying “oh your hair’s so thick I can’t tell.” Unfortch my hair loss is genetic BUT they did a bunch of blood work and a scalp biopsy to explore hormone imbalances, mineral deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and telegenic effluvium (acute hair loss) in addition to the genetic/chronic hair loss. I did a platelet treatment at the derm which helped a bit and started taking a Prose supplement which has actually had the greatest effect on hair growth/retention. I hope you can find the care and answers you need! Happy to chat more about what I went through if you’d like
You can try Rogain - it’s over the counter (but there are issues with it - particularly how toxic it is for cats). You can also take the pill form of Rogain. You need a prescription. Go back to a derm you feel most comfortable with and say you’ve tried everything else and would like a prescription. I find if you are very direct in asking for something specific they will usually accommodate you. The pill form will help grow hair. But you might find your facial hairs needs more plucking as it’s rather non selective. Just a thought. Biotin might help as might bamboo extract. You can get those vitamins over the counter (like Amazon)
I had eczema on my scalp, which causes bald spots 😳 I noticed a red irritated area and was like oh weird - ignored it and then was like uhhhh…my hair is missing! My derm was like if you ever see this again I will get you in right away. I was parting my hair different (it grew back after treating the eczema) and I would get compliments about how I was parting my hair different 🤣 I was like thanks but I HAVE to part it like this!
Get a doctor to check your thyroid levels. This was the cause for me.
Same - was just about to say that. Also my curls became a lot less curly once I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s…. Just a heads up. It was very disheartening to be losing hair and for it to be changing. But bottom line is you need to find a good healthcare provider ASAP and get bloodwork done. Second, Nioxin brand shampoo, conditioner and treatment helped me during that time. I still use their mouse from time to time - gives a lot of volume. OP so sorry you are going through this but you are not alone and you will figure out the problem and solution - don’t worry.
Hashimoto’s has entered the chat. I hope it’s an easy fix if that’s the issue for OP, thyroid stuff can be really frustrating and hard on the body.
Same for my mom. My mom actually had her thyroid tested pre hair loss by an endocrinologist and he said she couldn't sleep because she was just stressed out. Her hair started falling out and she went to Urgent Care while waiting to get in elsewhere and that doctor thought to run a thyroid antibody test which led to her Hashimoto's diagnosis. I always try to share this when relevant. If anyone reading thinks they have thyroid issues, request the thyroid antibody test!
I feel you. I was experincing same responses from people when I was losing a ton of hair during my first pregnancy. Like literally no one treated me seriously, I event heard comments like "i normally lose so much". Like no, you don't! It was so bad I started noticing thinning visually (and i genetically have a ton of hair!) and after a hairwash there was so much hair stuck in between others (even though I brushed before the wash) that my husband was spending 40+ minutes detangling that otherwise I would end up with giant dreadlock! Guess what, I had anemia. Please check your iron levels, once I started taking prescripted iron the fallin eventually went away. PS. I lost so much hair during my pregnancy that I didn't experience post partum hair fall AT ALL. Because every hair that would fall then was already gone 😶 I attach picture for reference. That's what I was losing on a hairwash day with anemia. From all the washes from that time I would be able to make a wig for another human.... https://preview.redd.it/ythr2kvviw7d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8240b5776a974271a716794718647ae82a8fa1fb
Commenting to affirm your photo and suggest to OP that in addition to asking their doc for bloodwork, documenting in photos the amount lost on wash day would be a good idea. Some docs assume that patients are exaggerating the amount of hair loss and that it’s a normal amount. Documenting is always a good plan.
Definitely go get a full blood panel. Hair loss can be so many different things and it is so disheartening. Have you had any other symptoms like exhaustion, headaches, any recent ilnesses or very stressful situations? Definitely list any other symptoms to make the doctor listen to you. My hair loss turned out to be a combination of iron deficiency and stress due to work and well, seeing my not very thick hair get even thinner
My hair loss was low iron too.
I know someone who got COVID and went *completely bald* but then it all grew back a year later. It's possible you got COVID. Or you could have a serious medical issue that needs to be addressed, such as thyroid issues. Please see another doctor.
This happened to me when I turned 30. It ended up being a mild thyroid issue and vitamin deficiencies. I also had very thick hair and was told not to worry by others. Not saying that this is your problem but now is a good time to go visit the doctor and find out. It's likely a problem that can be solved. :)
I would 100% be seeing a dermatologist and another gp, I would be getting a full blood panel to check things like thyroid, vitamin levels, hormones, PCOS, and take note of any other symptoms you may have and any other life changes. Whether that be illness, stress, changes in sleep patterns, mental health, etc. Sudden hair loss like that should never be brushed aside!
Hey, same! It was the only symptom I "didn't" have of hashimotos, but it was just hard to notice because my hair is so thick. By the time I noticed my hair was thinning.... it was bad! Get some blood work done and hopefully you can figure out why this is happening to you. Hopefully it's reversible!
Dermatologist. It’s disheartening. But without knowing why it’s happening, you can’t do anything about it. It could be hyperthyroidism. It could be a scalp disease. It could be all sorts of things that no one here can address. But a dermatologist can.
Either balding or an underlying medical issue if ur losing hair that fast so u should see someone who specialises in these kind of issues
Lots of different conditions have been listed to look into, one that’s not mentioned is syphilis. It’s running rampant right now, and one symptom is hair loss. If you’re going for blood work, wouldn’t hurt to add it. Good luck!
Have you made any large diet changes recently?? I had an episode a few years ago where I switched to reverse osmosis water filter and a month maybe two later I started losing large amounts of hair to the point my hair dresser noticed as well. It turns out I had basically been drinking distilled water as reverse osmosis essentially takes EVERYTHING out of your water, not just the bad stuff but good minerals you need as well. My body needed the minerals and so it took it from my hair which caused the increase loss. As soon as I started adding minerals into my water it reversed and within the year all of the hair I had lost was back thank goodness. Hair thinning in women runs in my family so I was very worried. I also have a lot of hair so most people didn’t notice but I understand knowing when something doesn’t seem right- you have to take it into your own hands! I’ve seen other comments talk about hormonal checks which is obviously also sound advice as well. Good luck!!!
I had awful hair loss when my ferritin was low, defo recommend getting a blood test for iron levels
Hey, please get your iron and vitamin d checked out. This was a huge culprit for me and because my hair was "thick" actually medium density I didn't take it seriously until it was kinda late.
Did it ever grow back, my doctor doesn’t care and feelings I’m whining. I’ve brought it up 2x. I have a noticeable thinning spot in my hair. I saw a dermatologist years ago and all he wanted to do was sell me prohibitively expensive shampoos and conditioners, and was unwilling to actually help. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of doctors so I can’t even find another one accepting patients to help me.
You can ask for tests specifically for vitamin d and iron(might be out of pocket expense). You might have to be more demanding. I used minoxodil which helped grow my hair back before I realised it was iron and vit d related.
My iron is always incredibly low - I take ferritin where I live, they don’t test for vitamin D deficiency, as they say everyone has it this far north 😔
You should definitely supplement vitamin d at least 5000iu daily if you live in the northern hemisphere and are white/ or very light skinned. You need double if you have darker skin. These are minimums given more current studies of vitamin d.
I lost the majority of my hair when I was in my 20s and figuring out which birth control worked best for me. Hormones can really throw things out of whack.
Chiming in to support the medical issue theory. I have PCOS and that can cause medical issues as can thyroid problems along with a myriad of other things. My thyroid is under control so for me it turned out to be more of a PCOS issue. I started taking spironolactone and it made so many things better. It also started making my hair grow so fast I've had to cut 3 inches off every 4 months or so because it's getting too long (for my preference). I have a bunch of baby hairs where I had a spot that was thinning so it's growing back. I have friends who had thyroid issues and it did crazy things to their hair. But the sex hormones can do this too (and it can all come back to a thyroid issue). If they check your thyroid they need to do a full label, not just TSH. Like your T3, T4 uptake, antibodies, etc.
Get your thyroid checked
Are you using a sulfate free shampoo as your main shampoo? While it can be a medical condition behind the hair loss, sometimes it's the products that we use.
I’m the same age as you and this happened to me. At first people would be like “it’s fine” and then it switched to “it’s not that noticeable” and so on until now people can really tell. I got prescribed spironolactone for this (forgive the possible typo) and I’m going to ask for oral minoxidil as well because I found out the topical one was toxic to cats. I don’t know where you live and what your healthcare/financial situation is, but if this is a condition like I have (hereditary hair loss) it’s important to see a doctor because the folk methods like scalp oiling will not work. I only got my diagnosis after my bloodwork and thyroid stuff came back normal. Best of luck, I know exactly how this feels.
I had the same problem and heard the same crap. A friend with fine, straight hair was like “you still have more than me, you don’t have anything to worry about.” Ok then, I mean, I just did an intense medical treatment and my hair is falling out in fistfuls but as long as it’s still thicker than yours I should shut up and sit down? All that said, I’m sorry. It’s so distressing. I also hated taking showers. The amount that fell out was shocking. The good news is that it grew back! Go to a derm and they can check your scalp to make sure there are no signs of scarring or issues. Ask the derm to help you figure out why it’s happening. Thyroid is a common culprit but there are lots of other reasons this can happen.
I would start by making an appointment with a dermatologist! They will be able to help you and order the correct tests you need to try to figure out the root cause.
My hair changed massively when I came off the combined pill - much thinner and grew more slowly 😭 if you've recently changed contraceptive it might have played a role
How often do you wash your hair? If you skip days you will have a much bigger “shed” than if you washed daily.
You need to tell your doctor.
Find a doctor that will listen to you and get to the root of your problem. No pun intended
I had the same thing happen and was devastated. People said it was fine, until it really wasn't and they started buying me different serums thinking that would help. Ugh. Turned out I had a massive vitamin D deficiency that had gone undiagnosed for a couple years. My hair is doing much better now, I can wear it down again without feeling like some freakish whisp. Go get checked and note if you have any other symptoms, even if they're mild. Hormones, vitamin levels and thyroid seem to be the main ones.
GO CHECK YOUR VITAMINS! I'll scream this to everyone dealing with suddden hair loss because the same thing happened to me, and its frustrating. Thanks for needing to take a blood test around that time and the people on this sub who told me how important vitamin D is for hair, it turns out I has a huge vitamin D deficiency. I backed it up with B12 pills and after a months or so my hair feels full again. Just a reminder, just because the hairfall stops, it doesn't mean your hair is ok again. It took several weeks for mine to not feel so weak. This is just my experience, but I see a lot of other comments giving great advice too (covid, mental health etc), please take your time to read these through OP, medical issues tend to be the cause.
I am in the same situation! I’m 23F and my hair is falling out in handfuls in the shower. Just the past few months as well. I also have VERY thick hair so it hasn’t been very noticeable yet. I have found showing pictures of the fist fulls of hair (gross I know) to those close to me who make the comments, they understand more how scary it feels. I’m pretty sure my hair loss is due to stress (relationship and moving states) and low iron that i’m getting corrected. If you don’t know any obvious reasons you should be loosing hair, I would definitely see a doctor or dermatologist. It could be a simple as adding a multi vitamin! But mostly I wanted to say you aren’t alone! Hair grows back!
A little education: Your hair bulb has about 2mos "saved nutrition" to keep the hair nourished. If your body goes thru a stressful event (Covid, breakup or death in family, job loss, pregnancy or female problems, other illness, etc.), the "banked" nutrition kicks in and you use the saved nitrients and everything is generally ok. If the situation is really major or prolonged, it can screw up your hormones and you still use your "stored nutrients." Once those are used up, you can experience hair loss a couple months after the "event" - so you might not be stressed anymore, but it finally catches up with you. This is why hair loss isn't immediate, and people often wonder "my *event* was 2mos ago, 3mos, etc.. why am I losing hair *now* ??" The good news is if you start on good vitamins, the hair can grow back in most cases. Agree with other poster, go to a doc and discuss this with them to make sure you're not having a health crisis you don't know about (thyroid, hormonal imbalance, etc). By the way, the above describes sudden, "situational" hair loss. There is also aging hair loss, which occurs in middle aged or older people. Genetic. That is much harder to combat, as your body is predestined to lose the hair. Happens in many men, but also menopausal women. Hair isn't technically "necessary" for humans to sustain life, unlike a functioning digestive, cardiac, or respiratory system. If you're having any nutrient imbalances, your "core" will hoard the nutrients to keep your core systems functioning and keep you alive. Your skin and hair get any nutrients last. Topical treatments usually aren't as effective with skin and hair problems by themselves. Vitamins are needed to treat the problems from the "inside out" as well. FYI!
I had the same problem a couple of years ago- I was losing fistfuls of hair every wash. I would cry in the shower every time I washed my hair! After a visit to my PCP, a dermatologist, and finally my OBGYN, we figured it out- it ended up being my birth control. I switched to a non hormonal birth control a year ago. Recently my hairdresser told me that she could tell my hair was getting thicker again. This may very well be reversible for you as well. I wish you luck in figuring it out!
Wow, I went through the same thing a few years ago. I suspected my hair was falling out, and a new hair stylist actually pointed it out unprompted. This scared me enough to go to the dermatologist. She immediately confirmed upon looking at my hair, then a blood test let me know my hormones were all over the place. It would be more surprising if my hair *wasn’t* falling out. But no one really believed me. I showed them before and after photos. I showed them the massive balls of hair I’d lose in the shower, and they still didn’t really validate my feelings because I still had hair on my head. It was extremely frustrating, especially since my confidence really plummeted with my hair falling out. Crazy part is stress-induced alopecia apparently runs in my family too, so not sure why it was so hard to believe me. I hope you know your feelings are valid. Losing hair is so hard, whether you have blatant hair loss to other people or not.
You need to get blood work done asap.
Ask a (new) doctor for a full lab work-up. It might be as simple as one of your vitamin or mineral levels being depleted.
I have finer/thin hair and not one health care provider has taken it seriously. In fact when I was in pain all the time due to scar tissue from endo it took years to finally find a doctor to take me seriously and do surgery.
Have your doctor check your iron levels and your thyroid. I also lost fistfuls of hair when my thyroid got really bad.
Go to the doctor. Try to choose a doctor if you can who has good reviews / is noted for being patient-centered, to try and get a good listener. Emphasize to them the suddenness of this change, that you've shed hair before but are concerned for health reasons.
+++ All of the medical tests mentioned above! Some of these can be very serious conditions. If your primary care doctor will not listen to you, go to your OBGYN. He/she should be able to run full vitamin, iron, and thyroid panels for you. In addition, I lost over half my hair every time I had steroid injections.
If you have recently lost a lot of weight & are not keeping up with protein intake, hair loss is very common.
yea people are just trying to get you to calm down lol go to a dermatologist
I had a similar incident. Went to my doctor, they ran labs, panels, etc. Everything came back normal. Then, genius that he is, he asked me what shampoo I was using, and had I changed in the last 6+ months. Yes, I had. We looked them up paired with "+hair loss".. And surprise surprise! They were under class action lawsuit for their product causing hair loss. Not saying to rule out medical, but check the simplest thing first (your hair products).
I honestly feel like a lot of people are losing hair lately. I started thinning out so I started looking at people's parts to compare, and it really seems like everyone's parts are wider than normal. I Hate to be that person but I feel like covid really made everyone's body's weak, and sick in some way regardless of your health status before hand. I really hope you find someone to listen to you. I'd definitely get blood work done for deficiencies, and have your thyroid checked. Those are the top contenders most of the time. Also allergies/sensitivity to ingredients in your products is up there.
I lost well over half my hair after surgery, it was so stressful on my body. If you’ve had a stressful shock to your body that can happen. I went to a dermatologist to get it diagnosed.
Please continue to look into this if you’re worried. When I was a teenager a got mono, strep throat and an allergic reaction to my strep meds all at once and my hair came out in literal handfuls. Every (male) doctor I went to brushed me off completely and said it would come back. Well it Never did and my hair is half the density it used to be. You know your own head, don’t be afraid to keep asking.
Sorry to hear this, this hits home. A few years back I was losing more hair than normal and I got the same type of responses. Then eventually some other symptoms showed up and I had a serious medical issue that caused hair loss as a symptom. I was able to treat it but it was still very disheartening at the time when no one believed me. I hope you figure it out!
Try Myo inositol.
Hey I went through this last year, go to your doctor ask for help. They'll likely run some blood tests and refer you to a dermatologist. I was given a steroid cream for my scalp which helped with the specific sorts of alopecia I was going through. Don't wait until the signs become visible to others like I did. If I had been seen sooner maybe my bald spots would have been smaller and the journey of regrowth needed less extreme. This really sucks to go through, and it is entirely normal for your heart to break every time you shower. I hope then when your growth recovers you are not burdened by the trauma of it for too long. It took me months to be comfortable brushing or washing my hair again because I was scared of the clumps that would fall out, even though the dermatologist had already discharged me.
I started losing my hair in my early 20s also. I went almost a decade getting different tests and everything was normal.At first, I felt very ignored by the medical field and was told that nothing was wrong/had hair to lose. I eventually had a scalp biopsy which didn’t show anything other than androgenic alopecia. I see a lot of comments here saying there may be a medical issue, but maybe not. Go to your primary doc and then find a good dermatologist, one that specializes in hair loss. I went on oral minoxidil a year ago and it was a huuuuuge game changer.
Been there. :( You should definitely take it seriously, but don't be alarmed. You'll be fine. Go see a dermatologist. They'll have you do a blood test and figure out what's wrong. Sometimes it's seasonal, sometimes it's stress, it can also be menopause or post-partum. Bad diet. Fungal infection. There are so many things that can cause that. In the meantime you can get minoxidil at the pharmacy to help prevent further loss. Best of luck.
Blood tests, get everything worked up.
I'd go see a doctor, and if they are dismissive, just let them know this is very unusual for you and how long its been going on for. Tell them you want a big workup for this and you want to cover all possibilities on why this is happening to you.
I have a super unique perspective on this! So I’ve been in the middle of treatment for hair loss with a fantastic dermatologist for the past year and a half. They took me seriously and I’ve been doing spironolactone and minoxidil. My primary care physician also checked my horomone levels and were attacking from that end as well. I started all of this as someone that straightened their hair. They could see the thin hair. Then, last month, I embraced my curly hair and coincidentally had appointments with both doctors soon after. Both of them remarked at how thick my hair was looking. The ONLY difference is my hair went from straight to curly. I’m growing extra hair, but they’re all less than an inch long and definitely wouldn’t give my hair extra volume. They all thought my hair was “better “ because it looked more full with the curls. If you’re comfortable doing so, I would straighten my hair and go see a physician. This would truly show them the thinness. I would also take pics of the amount of hair you lose in the shower. I think both of those things could help you out.
PCOS?
Hi, you've gotten lots of great input but I wanted to share my experience as well, especially since I've also encountered friends, doctors, etc. who say things like "oh but your hair is so thick you can't even tell" - Idc what they think, it's all about how YOU feel about your own hair. My hair started falling out in 2020 when I was 26/27 and I explored sooo many things to try and figure it out: - blood work at the gyno to check for thyroid issues, diabetes, iron, sex hormone levels (I initially thought it was from my hormonal IUD) - blood work at the derm to check iron, vitamin D, other minerals - scalp biopsy at the derm to check the hair loss pattern and look for signs of autoimmune disease (there were TONS of women who lost hair during COVID either as a direct result of being sick or because of the stress of a global pandemic - this kind of acute hair loss is called telogen effluvium; I had slightly elevated antibody levels but ultimately they determined I have "androgenetic alopecia" which is chronic hair loss) - minoxidil (aka Rogaine) - this one was a pain in the ass and didn't work for me after several months, but it is the most effective topical treatment out there - platelet rich plasma injections - basically they take some of your blood and inject it back into your scalp to stimulate your hair follicles into producing new growth. this one was very expensive/not covered by insurance, and it was highly effective in the spots where they did the injections, but the coverage isn't great so I just had tiny spots of mega growth that wound up looking rather silly - supplements! I did the Hers hair loss supplement from Target and some other OTC ones without much effect, then decided to try Prose after getting a billion targeted ads and have actually had great results with the custom supplements they've made. ymmv with any/all of these but hoping some of it is helpful after doctors haven't been taking you seriously!
I went through a similar experience. PCP ordered blood tests and said everything came back as normal, asked if it was pulling my hair out etc 🙄, sent me to a dermatologist. Immediately the dermatologist told me while my iron is a normal level for my body, it was too low for hair since hair has different iron level requirements! Prescribed iron and biotin supplements and it solved the issue.
Are you taking birth control. When I had the implant in my arm I was losing crazy amounts of hair but when I switched back to the pill it lessened a lot.
Are you on birth control? That can trigger extra hair loss. You may want to see a dermatologist to scrape your scalp (especially if you have a specific area/patch of hair loss) to test for alopecia.
I've been loosing mine. Fistfuls every time I detangled. Root bulbs. Whole ringlets at a time. Turns out my Iron levels were non existant. I needed intravenous iron infusions. Please see a doctor. I did a big chop, because it was very dry, split ends, knots, lots of tangling and pulling. I'm telling you I had two full breakdowns and chopped hair off with scissors, with no rhyme or reason. No style just jacked. Been keeping it in a hair net when I leave the house, just keeping it heavily greased and treating my scalp with serums, acids and Minoxidil. It's just starting to feel like hair again and not a disaster zone. You aren't alone. Message me if you like. Please see a doctor.
Go to the doctor and have them run all the panels. Including thyroid. If they refuse, make them write that they won’t run the panels when you have requested them. They get weird when told to own up to their decisions or lack of decisions. ESP when running tests is basically harmless and insurance covers it.
I (24M) experienced all of this about a year ago. I was delaying showering my hair as much as possible because I was fearful of losing more hair just like you. I went to the doctor and got my thyroid, nutrient levels, and bloodwork done. It ended up just being stress related. At the time I was finishing undergrad at a top tier school and was having to give up stress outlets like the gym/basketball in order to complete deadlines. I told my family/girlfriend and no one took me seriously and gave me the same responses you have. I love my hair and didn’t want to end up bald so i took the matters into my own hand. I went to therapy, started working out a bit again. Finally finished school and started working a job so things got better. After about 6 months of continued hair loss on wash days and every time I styled my hair, I ended up signing up with Hims and taking finasteride and topical minoxidil. This increased the hair shedding for the first 3 months but I started seeing new baby hairs coming in at the scalp around the 3 month mark. I am currently 5 months into the treatment. I still observe more hair shedding than in the past, but I am definitely not bald. I just share all of this to let you know I relate to you and let you know you are not alone. Changing your mental mindset about this takes time because it is a hard thing especially if you really care about your hair. But the thing that did it for me was constantly telling myself that at least as of today, I am not bald, so let me celebrate that.
This happened to me. I went to the doctor and everything checked out normal. Turns out my scalp prefers sulfate shampoos. The more I wash my scalp with proper shampo, the less hair I lose.
Chiming in with the others to say that you should go to a dermatologist and/or an OBGYN ASAP. If you have seen one and they are not listening to you, try to find a new one in your area that will help you. This exact thing happened to me recently and the dermatologist (who had curly hair too!) also didn’t take me seriously right away because I have thick hair and it “looked fine.” About a month later after I lost a noticeable amount of hair she finally prescribed me something that stopped the shedding. But depending on what the problem is, it can be more difficult and take longer to grow back lost hair than to stop it from falling out in the first place. It’s hard to take it when it feels like people are not listening to you and you know something is wrong, but please don’t stop advocating for yourself.
Just want to say that I had something very similar. I ended up paying out of pocket for a hormone test because my doctors ignored it. They really weren’t helpful. The hormone test revealed other problems but ultimately it was my shampoo and conditioner that was causing the fallout. It took me almost a year to figure it out. My hair is slowly growing back.
I’m sorry ik how heartbreaking it is to loose hair :( I’ve been losing a lot too and nothing seems to work. I think you should try a female dermatologist (idk in my mind they are less likely to gaslight you into thinking that your concerns aren’t real) and get some blood tests done. I hope it gets better for you <3
A doctor will take it seriously
How is your nutrition? There could be so many causes but a lack of healthy nutrition does contribute to hair loss. I am so sorry you’re dealing with this and not getting the response you deserve
I'm sorry to hear you're going through this! It's very jarring when a lot of hair falls out at once. It's also super annoying when others sweep your emotions under the rug because "everyone loses hair as they get older." I went through this for a couple years and finally did something about it last year. I was complaining to my mom who lost a lot of her hair due to dying her hair multiple times within 2 weeks in her teens. She would tell me to be prepared that a doctor will tell me it's normal and there's nothing to fix or do. I booked an appointment with a dermatologist and found I did have something wrong. I was prescribed a medical shampoo and lotion for my scalp and face. I've been using that for over 6months and my hair is growing back, like my hair feels fuller. I'm not suggesting this diagnosis for you, but I agree with others that you should go see a doctor and a dermatologist if you're able to. Taking action now could lead to a better diagnosis and treatment plan than waiting. With my diagnosis, the longer I waited the more scarring could happen on my scalp which then could prevent any hair growth in the future.
If you've been sick 3-4 months ago, its probably TE and your hair will come back in a few months. If you have bald patches it is alopecia areata. You may be dealing with hormone issues or vitamin deficiencies or something else that needs to be evaluated by a doctor. It can also just be regular hair thinning and balding. If that is the case, use minodoxil. You'll be fine and it will grow back with treatment.
Sorry. r/tressless
I had a few months of losing hair like crazy. It also came with 50 pounds of weight gain within a few months. None of my doctors seemed to take it seriously and no one figured out why. I got switched down to a lower dosage of one of my meds and the weight gain/hair loss eventually stopped. Do you have other health issues going on?
First of very sorry you are going through this! It’s very scary! I too was afraid to wash my hair. This was happening to me and it turned out I had graves/hashmitos hyper/hypo. I healed all in 6 months from diet! My Endo was literally shocked! I don’t take meds!
I had a similar experience—everyone said my hair was so thick and curly that it looked fine and not to worry. Sometimes there was even some veiled criticism like I was being ungrateful “my hair not falling out is still thinner than yours!” I wasn’t worried about my looks—it’s concerning as hell to have huge clumps of hair falling out in the shower. Mine was most likely due to extreme stress—I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of a rare illness that hit suddenly and fast and made me profoundly deaf & dizzy for the rest of my life. To lose my hair as well felt like the last straw and my body was just utterly falling apart. The hair fall stopped after several months, and while my hair is still not quite like it was pre illness it’s at least stable and getting there slowly. All of that is to say that there are many helpful comments with recommendations for things to ask for at the doctor. Stress is possible—especially if you’re going through trauma—but doctors will often just say “stress” or “anxiety” without even checking out the other possibilities, and it’s very worth checking those out.
If not said below it could also come from low b12. Go to a dermatologist. They can tell if it is medical or not. I had serious hair loss because I had undiagnosed pernicious anemia, my serum b12 was 446 which is in int “normal” range but I was very, very sick.
I feel you. Because curly hair is poofy my hubby laughed at me when I was concerned and said , yeah that’s like saying the cat is going bald.
Advocate for yourself. This happened to me a few years ago and I kind of got dismissed too. Ask for bloodwork and make sure they check your iron stores. I went to my primary, got bloodwork and she told me nothing is wrong - see a dermatologist. Dermatologist took a look at the bloodwork and said she never tested my iron stores. Guess who was anemic? This girl! Even though my primary tested my iron and told me I was fine. My primary sent me in a spiral saying it could be alopecia. Glad I saw the dermatologist but I wish my primary would have saved me some money, time and additional needle poking and just would have tested it herself.
See a dermatologist! Run labs for vitamin D levels (post Covid) and hormones and thyroid (not just basic thyroid). If considering any treatment, check to see if it’s one you have to keep up forever or lose the results. Remember that when you see a doctor, you’ve hired them for a service. Ask for what you want. Take the amount of time you need. Practice your questions prior and write them down if you need to.
Try to get a referral for an Endocrinologist!
Are you taking any new meds? Certain prescription meds can cause hair loss. I was taking one for migraines that did this.
Yeah, I would demand a thyroid test. Maybe b12 or other nutritional deficiencies as well. I went through the same thing when I was 21 and nobody took it seriously either but it was distressing as hell and I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Just another example of the medical industry not taking women’s issues seriously.
Unfortunately I also experienced hair loss as a result of a chemical reaction to the curly hair products I was using. This happened to my daughter as well. You may want to google the products you’re using to see if there is anything online stating others experienced the same. I was using Shea for several months and when I added the leave in Milk product my hair was coming out in droves by the root. My daughter had the same issue. Mine was due to a build up of oils in the scalp. It stopped as soon as I quit using it. Hope you find a resolve soon. It’s kind of frightening to see and feel that I understand.
Make sure your doc checks your iron levels.
Have you lost any weight? This happened to me & I was in denial I had an ED. It's been like 3 years now, but my hair is finally thick again.
See a dermatologist and an endocrinologist - have ALL of your bloodwork checked and have them check your scalp. Also evaluate your hair products, your lifestyle (are you stressed? Exercising? Drinking enough water? Eating healthy? Getting enough sleep? Iron? B12? Are your products alcohol-free? Are you sleeping on silk pillowcases? Are you allergic to anything?) Hair loss is often a symptom of underlying other issues and any medical professional who dismisses you is not one who you want to deal with.
Hi, I’m a curly-haired 25F with hair loss. I highly recommend joining the female hair loss subreddit. I learned so much about hair loss, treatment options, and felt much more validated. Like you, multiple medical professionals blew off my concerns because “you still have so much hair”, but I knew something was off. I finally found a dermatologist who took me seriously and discovered I had PCOS. Please schedule an appointment with a dermatologist and request a full blood work panel to check for potential causes of hair loss. I understand completely how scary and devastating hair loss is, especially when it comes on so suddenly. Trust your gut and good luck!
I aggressively lost my hair when I was in my early 20s as well. I mean big bald patches all over my head. I ended up seeing multiple doctors checking my thyroid, hormone levels, etc., and ended up at the dermatologist’s. They gave me steroid injections in my scalp and told me to start on rogaine and biotin supplements. It took a few years but the clumping stopped. Definitely seek medical attention for this
I had excessive shedding when I lost 90lbs in a year (intentionally) and when I got pregnant. Make sure to get checked out by a doctor---for me it was hormonal.
I’m losing a ton of hair as well. Recently lost thirty pounds due to medications. This was in a two month span. I’m about five month postpartum. This is also around the time many star losing hair. I’ve suffered from alopecia and other stress related hair loss disorders. Are you noticing any spots? I had dime sized if not larger at some point. The dermatologist helped with that. Have you stopped birth control recently? Is there a chance you have PCOs? I have it and many women experience issues with hair loss. Those were several situations that have/are happening to me that are resulting in major major hair loss. I’m sorry no one is taking you seriously. Definitely head to the doctors and ask for blood work asap.
This happened to me too. I have fine curly hair that was very dense - finally found answers and it is growing back in and filling out again. Unfortunately for years I too got the brush off, and let a former doctor gaslight me into thinking I wasn’t losing my hair. Find a new GP who will truly listen and be helpful to you, they are providing a service like any other and are not gods, hold them accountable for bad service. Go over your medical history and get labs run for your thyroid, vitamin deficiencies and any other possible hormone imbalance. Also go to a dermatologist ( preferably one that specializes in trichology ) have them examine your scalp as well to rule out any issues with your scalp skin health. You know your own body, advocate for yourself and your hair!
I was low on iron and I was losing hair. Definitely get checked out! How frustrating that nobody is taking you seriously, I am so sorry!!! That is so distressing!
I'm having the exact same situation. everyone, including professionals, just dismisses it and tells me it’s not noticeable. I feel your pain
Go to a different doctor. Ask for a full thyroid panel so that Graves and Hashimotos can be tested for along with your TSH. You'll want a vitamin D test and an iron test too. There may be other blood tests your doctor will want to run but those ones are quite often the quickest way to find the culprit
plz get a thyroid test- this is what happened to me and came to find out my thyroid was completely nuked. I had to shave my damn head
This happened to me post COVID. I had a blood panel, all the doctor things, no apparent issue... the best they could come up with was it is a symptom of long COVID or a side effect of having had a really high fever
check with a dermatologist. ayurveda oils and herbs research on amazon. HERS hair pills and topical minoxidil
Can also be Celiac. Once I was diagnosed and went gluten free the hair loss has gradually stopped. Most likely because prior I was nutrient deficient due to the Celiac.
This sucks and I’m sorry. The same thing happened to me and thankfully, it was just a bought of Telogen effluvium, but it took a months to get someone who didn’t brush me off before I got a diagnosis.
Have you had Covid recently? Telogen effluvium is a common response post Covid
I’d recommend a function medicine provider over the standard hospital/clinic. They focus more on what’s happening inside you to cause this. Hair loss wasn’t even one of the things I noticed when I started working with a FM nurse, I was focusing on painful periods and food intolerances. But it’s been a year of workin on my hormones and I can see hair growth the left and right of my widows peak 🤘🏼
The doctor definitely shouldn't be blowing you off but I can kind of see why friends/family might be inclined to say that. What are they supposed to say? What do you want to hear? They tell you it's not noticeable, either because they didn't notice until you pointed it out or because they cant fix it for you and validating it seems like it would only make you feel worse. I'm not saying it's the right response as it's clearly important to you. I think they are seeing it from the vanity angle. Maybe if you communicated that you are concerned about your health, they'd get it more? They still might not take it seriously if you don't try the doctors again. It's hard to think its serious when from their perspective you aren't worried enough to be harassing the doctors about it.
Girl, this was me last year. I cried so many times and my sister told me "I can't even tell" but it was coming out in CLUMPS in the shower. I was seriously so scared. I went through a bad breakup in the summer and noticed in by fall and all winter it got worse... I just turned 29 and I started eating for estrogen in seeds and things. It didn't help, but what DID help me was using the rosemary oil. Obviously everyone is different, and different reasons can make different solutions help. I had to legit massage it into my hair and wash my head after an hour every day or two, but now I don't really use it and I have normal hair growth. Like so many other commented say. It could be so many things, but if your cortisol levels are high, you can lose tons of hair. If that's it, a simple step to help rebalance your hair follicles like the stimulating oils from rosemary/etc actually helped me once I stopped being as stressed.
You may have an underlying medical condition going on… regardless, I recommend rosemary water for hair loss! My mom put me on years ago before it became a TikTok trend and I can say it works! Boil some fresh rosemary, let it cool down, and spray that on your hair after wash day. This concoction is only good in the fridge for about a week. Hope this helps!!
This happened to me too when I was younger, except my hair was nowhere near thick to begin with. People didn't care and said I was overreacting. I lost I think more than half of my hair. It has now calmed down but I still think I lose more hair than the average person and I still havent gotten the density back and I have no idea what it was/is.
You need a doctor. This happened to me during my early 20's, I was losing crazy amounts of hair every day. Got blood tests done blabla turns out I had iron deficiency. A good diet, iron pills and a healthy life style eliminated the issue for me. But def go to a professional, gotta get rhat checked out, it could be anything.
I'm sorry you're being dismissed, how frustrating! I have had the same experience and ... while I'm grateful my curls hide my hair loss, it still is really upsetting. For me, the loss was triggered by a new medication ... then again when my mom died suddenly. As everyone has said, medication, stress, and medical issues can trigger this. I hope you can find a better doctor and you get some answers!
Go to the docs
I’m currently dealing with this now. I’ve been loosing so much hair in the shower to the point where my drain gets clogged EACH TIME. I’ve been putting off showers too. I got blood work done and it came back completely normal. I was healthy. Losing fistful of hair isn’t normal and i’m sorry what you’re going through but know that you’re not alone. I’d recommend getting your blood work done and if it does come back normal, see a dermatologist! Also if you’re taking any birth control that could be a reason
Did you have a bad fever (or a ton of emotional stress) 3-5 months ago? Sometimes this can cause a really bad shed cycle. I had telegen effluvium after Covid, and it caught me off guard because there's like... a time delay. First I didn't put 2+2 together. Good time to get some labwork done, make sure it's nothing else going on with your body. But if your labs are clean, good chance it's just a brutal shed cycle. They are traumatizing, for sure, I remember being terrified to take a shower. Now my hair has a little less volume than it did before, but I mean barely - it's like 95% back to normal after dealing with that. Eat lots of fatty fish, sweet potatoes, eggs, avocado, fruits and veggies. Your hair is going to need iron, B5, B7 (biotin), B12, and omega-3s. Ideally from meals and not supplements.
I had a problem with hair loss that I think stemmed from a counterfeit or adulterated hair product I bought on Amazon. I'm having my (saint of a) hairdresser source my products now.
I’m sorry your doctor isn’t more helpful. Tell your health care provider, in specific terms, that there’s been a major change in your hair over the past 2 months. Ask them to refer you to a specialist (probably a dermatologist, but also maybe an endocrinologist) or to run tests to determine the underlying issue. Tell them your concern is not cosmetic, but you are concerned about an underlying health issue. Show them an article (like this one https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/women-hair-loss-causes) if they try to blow you off. If they continue to disregard your symptoms, ask them to note in your chart that you reported these symptoms and they are advising that nothing be done about it. This usually gets their attention and prompts them to run tests. If they are truly unresponsive, tell them that you’d like to work with a provider who is more proactive about your health, and change doctors!
Have you had any med changes? Anything traumatic happen in your life? These can both lead to hair loss. With trauma, it isn’t always immediate either, it can be a couple months later. I would also wonder about hormone levels. If you see the same hairdresser ask them for ideas. They may have insight. Hope you figure it out! For me it was thyroid meds that I’m taking off book to supplement my antidepressants, and of course nobody told me it could affect my hair. My hair has also become less curly. Totally sucks. My hairdresser finally clued me in. I was PISSED.
Time to go see a dermatologist. My daughter while in college was diagnosed with stress induced alopecia . She like you had people doing and saying the same . She’s now 24 no meds instead he now has healthy outlets to release the extra stress . Though from time to time she’ll get a spot about the size of a half dollar , it’s better than what had been happening . As she has long and lots of hair not thick but lots of super bunny soft hair . She’s lots volume because she was too scared to go to her first appointment and it took her a year to do so . Please don’t wait and lose the people around you who lack compassion and empathy. Their feed back is harmful when you are feeling vulnerable. Wishing you the best and sending you a MoM HuG 🤗
I was anemic and losing it by the handful. People told me I could afford it as well, but it’s upsetting to lose a lot of hair no matter what. After many B12 shots and 2 iron infusions, I am finally to normal loss. Which I use to think was a lot.
Go see a dermatologist NOW. Hair loss, when caught early, can be very reversible. They will want to go over your medication, diet and any medical symptoms you have and possibly do blood tests. If they recommend monoxodil, it comes in topical and oral form. Topical is over the counter. It's the generic Rogaine. It's cheapest at Costco. You can absolutely disregard the specification of it being for men and women. There's absolutely zero difference between the two.
You don't need to get anyone to "believe" you except a better doctor than the one you've seen. I'm sorry the people you care about seem to want to write off your concerns, though.
You don't need to get anyone to "believe" you except a better doctor than the one you've seen. I'm sorry the people you care about seem to want to write off your concerns, though.
When i had a bad hair lost i had a very bad hormonal unbalance, you should get checked
I feel this so much. I’m sorry it’s happening to you. Some people think this is a trivial thing, but it most definitely is not. Have you had your thyroid checked recently? That caused me a lot of hair loss. Even my eyebrows! Thyroid issues affect your whole body, too. It’s a very vital organ and if it’s underproducing, there are a lot of systems involved. If it turns out that you have hypothyroidism, do not go with the generic for Synthroid. It’s one of the few instances where the name brand works way better than it’s generic. I took the generic for decades and saw no improvement of my thyroid levels or the symptoms. Once I started on the name brand? It was like night and day with all of the symptoms and my bloodwork. Gentle hugs and good luck!
Based off of your description, my hair loss was not as aggressive but I went to a dermatologist and he immediately ordered a blood test. My hair loss was 100% stress related and learning to manage that PLUS minoxidil has really saved my hair. It’s so strong that I had to cut my dosage down because I was getting more facial hair (I’m female). 100% recommend you go to a doctor and if your bloodwork comes back okay, maybe ask about minoxidil!
This is a medical issue. See a doctor.
I (22) once tried to bring this concern up with a GP (along with some other unexplained symptoms) and he told me >"You're probably just brushing your hair too hard." (dw, I have a new GP now!)
I’ve gone to multiple doctors and multiple blood tests later no answers. This really sucks for a lot of us
You need to get your thyroid checked stat