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View Full Version : Ponytail circumference changing, without a clue. . . almost



mamaherrera
December 13th, 2014, 01:15 AM
I hope you all can hear me through on this and can give me any thoughts/opinions. I have always had a 3.75inch ponytail, even through big sheds, it has always stayed like that. Then I got pregnant, shed almost nothing, and it stayed like that until after pregnancy, and it grew by like half a cm.Yeah, I was excited. Then four months after(MAY), I began to shed, some weeks were over 100 per day(guesstimates) and some weeks were under 100, but nothing like clumps, omg, massive shed, no. I didn't have that, thank God. I have seen more of those thin, shed short hairs, when i shower like 1o per shower, (I wash my hair three times a week), but everyone has said that it must be normal, and yes they are not short thin hairs from the nape/temples, but from all over my head. Everyone has said, as long as your ponytail stays the same. But then. . . . in October, I measured my pontail and it had dropped a bit. Then I measured it now in December (where I'm now shedding 50-75 per day), and it has dropped back to it's normal measurement, 3.75. I'm not complaining . . . . that's my norm, but I just don't understand "WHY" it's dropped, if no massive shedding, because if there's no obvious reason, then my fear is. . . . will it drop more??? Obviously I am going to shed 50-75 hairs per day, so does that mean it will keep dropping down. I'm a little worried, because like I said, I've gone through bigger sheds than this "postpartum" shed and it never changed, but my husband says . .. well it is just going back down to it's normal measurement, but from a "normal" shed. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas/theories, things I can cling onto as hope, as it's got me a big upset. Thank you!

Panth
December 13th, 2014, 08:23 AM
Sounds like a variation on the normal post-partum shed to me. Pregnancy hormones cause hair follicles to remain in anagen (growing) phase when they would normally go through catagen, telogen and shed their hair. Once those hormones are gone, the hair follicles that have been 'paused' in this way go into catagen. However, catagen takes ~3 weeks to complete and telogen takes ~3 months. The hair is only shed from the follicle once anagen re-starts and the new hair pushes the old one out. Hence, there is usually about a 4 month gap between giving birth and having a post-partum shed.

The exact timing depends on many things including your pregnancy hormones, whether you breast feed (and thus keep hormone levels higher than if you didn't), how quick your catagen and telogen are, how fast your hair grows (and thus how quickly the new hair gets long enough to push the old one out), etc.

lapushka
December 13th, 2014, 09:34 AM
Yes, give it at least a year, and then some. Panth is right.

LongHairLesbian
December 13th, 2014, 11:07 AM
mamaherrera, I mean this in the gentlest possible way, but you've made several posts on this forum about your ponytail circumference. As far as anyone can tell, you experienced some pregnancy related thickening, and you've gone back to your pre-pregnancy circumference now that you are several months post baby. There is really nothing anyone on this forum can say besides that. I think that all you can do is try to put it out of your mind if your thickness doesn't drop too much past 3.75, and be happy that you have all your pre-pregnancy thickness. Some women have massive post-partum sheds, and never get back to their original thickness, so you are lucky.

mamaherrera
December 13th, 2014, 11:17 AM
thanks everyone, I appreciate you all being kind, it's just scary when I see those "thin" short hairs on top of my head, and I have read about miniaturization, so I start thinking those are replacing thick normal, long growing hairs and then I put this together with my ponytail getting "back to normal" but I take it as " getting smaller" and I start freaking out. I guess, I wouldn't worry so much if I would've had a big shed, or something, cuz then it would make more sense, but I guess I should be glad I didn't have a big shed, because it might (like you all have said) have dropped below prepreg circumference. Thanks and sorry, I repeat it on here, but it does help me, so thanks for your time!

jeanniet
December 13th, 2014, 02:42 PM
Measuring ponytail circumference can also be very inexact. Unless you measure in exactly the same spot, with the same amount of pressure, under the same environmental conditions every single time, there are bound to be variations of at least a few millimeters. My best advice to you is to stop measuring, because you're going to drive yourself crazy.

mamaherrera
December 13th, 2014, 10:48 PM
all of this is good to hear. It's just hard, because like I said, when I was going through massive sheds for 3-4 years, I would measure frequently to keep sane, and it never budged, a bit for bad or good. and now here eleven months postpartum, and not having a MASSIVE shed, now it has dropped. ad yes, if it stays at my norm, that's wonderful, the fantasy is over, but the fact that it took so long to drop, it dropped when I was nine months postpartum, I mean, it didn't drop immediately when I began to shed postpartum, adn now two more months, and it dropped a bit more. I just hope the dropping every two months stops, especially since I'm shedding normally. Unless it's just gonna take time to regulate, like you all said. I guess, if I weren't shedding the skinny hairs AND losing ponytail cirum, I wouldn't worry,but put the two together, and whoa. . . but someone above made a good point, could it be because of the cold dry weather, that would make it a bit smaller, or all the WCC that I've been trying, maybe keeping it more tame. I hope so! I guess, I could try less oily conditioners, and just do one conditioner for a while,and see in a while if it gets back together.

Halliday
December 14th, 2014, 04:17 AM
Yep postpartum shed sounds like it; try not too cowash or massage your scalp vigorously, be very gentle with it.

hennalonghair
December 14th, 2014, 04:38 AM
I'm quite sure I go through massive sheds also but I'm not constantly measuring my hair so couldn't tell you
I've also never in my life known anyone who is more obsessed with their hair count than you mamaherrera*
I've been here for 9 months and in that time you've asked this question continuously*
You might change the question around some but its STILL the same question .*
Obviously the answers you are getting aren't helping otherwise you wouldn't keep asking the same question over and over and over again. Like others have mentioned......... StOP measuring!
This is a LHC forum so its expected that we are all a bit OCD about our hair but you take it to a whole new level
If stress and worry can cause hairloss then your persistent obsession isn't helping the issue any.
I honestly think you should see a psychiatrist about this because no matter what answers you get from others you are never satisfied with them.*
I've seen many others try and tell you the same thing but with no success.
This obsession must be exhausting to you. Its certainly not healthy

lapushka
December 15th, 2014, 06:12 PM
This obsession must be exhausting to you. Its certainly not healthy

I'm sorry to say, and as harsh as it sounds, I tend to agree with hennalonghair. I think it might be time to go see someone about this issue of being so overtly obsessed with your hair (thinning is the key issue here), because it's got to be getting damaging. Not only are you obsessed with it, but I'm sure the people around you pick up on this.

Time and time again people have tried to reassure you there is nothing wrong, and you still won't accept it as an answer.

Ingrid
December 15th, 2014, 06:19 PM
If you're really concerned about this hair loss, it's probably better to see a doctor about it.