Help! sudden hair loss!

[DreamsOfEmerald]

ok so yesterday i just woke up as usual from bed and handfulls of my hair were just coming out of my head. I could just run my hands through my hair and come out with loads of strands. Nothing in my diet /regime has changed and the doctor couldn't see anything wrong with my scalp and there were no bald patches but i have to wait till Monday for a blood test and then a further week for the results!#

Has anyone experienced this before? Is there any product you could recommend to stop it coming out? Help! and I'm not exaggerating, this is not simply shedding, when i said handfulls I was serious! Im lucky I have a lot of hair but if it keeps falling out at this rate it will definitely be noticeable to everyone and not just me.

[DinaAG]

samething happened to me one week ago! very weird indeed! so i made a blood test and another one for thyroid, the first one came ok and waiting for the thyroid one, i am trying to avoid combing it just letting it in a bun and its still falling in a weird way :( hope things will be ok soon

[Cassidy]

Yes, the same thing happened to me! It lasted for a few months... I went to my doctor & she ran tests for diabetes, thyroid, etc, and they all came back fine. I was so confused and stressed out, until finally I decided to visit a dermatologist. He ran a few tests to check my levels (iron, ferratin, vitamin D), and it turned out that my vitamin D levels were less than HALF of what they were supposed to be. So, that would be one of the first things I would get checked because even the slightest imbalance in your vitamin levels can be detrimental to your hair. A lot of times doctors will tell you that it is just a part of the hair's natural cycle, but we know our hair better than anyone & if something doesn't seem normal, it probably isn't. What my dermatologist recommended to me was taking 5,000 mg of vitamin D for 8 weeks. Now I've switched to a lower dose (2,000 mg). Also, if you are not already, I would take a hair/skin/nails vitamin. GNC makes a great one that I've been taking. After restoring my vitamin D levels, my hair has since improved dramatically & is almost back to normal. Another thing to watch out for is any change in hair products. Keep your hair routine to a minimum right now. Excessive build-up can cause hair loss, so if you notice any waxiness in your hair, I would invest in a good clarifying shampoo (Sally's Beauty has a tea tree oil one that helps, but only use a small amount each wash). I hope this helped somewhat. I know how terrifying it can be, trust me, but I'm positive you'll find out the source of the problem very soon.
P.S. Don't give up! If I had listened to my family doctor, I'd STILL be experiencing dramatic hair loss right now.

[Anne10]

I second the suggestion of the GNC hair/skin/nails. It makes a huge difference for me.

DreamsOfEmerald, please go see your doctor, that much hair loss can indicate any number of underlying problems.

[jeanniet]

Please don't do anything until your test results have come back and you have discussed treatment with your doctor. Random supplementation when you don't know the cause of hair loss can cause issues in other areas. I take vitamin D to prevent deficiency (2000 iu), but had no hair loss when I was deficient. Likewise, my son was diagnosed hypothyroid and had no hair loss--we actually had no idea he was hypothyroid until it showed up in a routine blood test. So while it might be due to deficiency, thyroid, etc., there's no way to be sure until your results are back. In the meantime, be as gentle as you can with your hair, eat as well as you can, get plenty of sleep and exercise, and try to relax. I hope you get it figured out soon.

[MiaBeth]

This is scary! I have no advice, but I hope you find out the cause soon so as to stop stressing out about it!

[Firefox7275]

Please don't do anything until your test results have come back and you have discussed treatment with your doctor. Random supplementation when you don't know the cause of hair loss can cause issues in other areas. I take vitamin D to prevent deficiency (2000 iu), but had no hair loss when I was deficient. Likewise, my son was diagnosed hypothyroid and had no hair loss--we actually had no idea he was hypothyroid until it showed up in a routine blood test. So while it might be due to deficiency, thyroid, etc., there's no way to be sure until your results are back. In the meantime, be as gentle as you can with your hair, eat as well as you can, get plenty of sleep and exercise, and try to relax. I hope you get it figured out soon.

Responsible, medically sound advice. Unfortunately once hair is in the dormant phase nothing is going to stop it shedding.