View Full Version : Amount of hair now vs. as a kid/teen?
rubix
September 19th, 2016, 10:47 AM
Ugh!!!
For a few years now I've been feeling like my hair is significantly thinner than it was when I was a kid and have been thinking about it a lot lately because I seem to be shedding a LOT (I would estimate 300 hairs/day). My ponytail measures 8.5 or 9 cm around and when I do get trims my hairdresser always says I have a lot of hair (flattery?) but I've been feeling like it's so much thinner than it normally is.
I've said to people before that I'm SURE my single braid now is the size that one of my braided pigtails were as a kid. Yesterday I saw a picture of me as a teenager with my hair is pigtails. Each pigtail was clearly bigger at the base/elastic than my single ponytail now!
I know I went through years of dye but I quit all dye two years ago so I had hoped there would be recovery if that was an issue. I know I have trouble with anxiety so maybe that would explain some shedding, but that much? I'm only 28-- I wouldn't think hair would thin out for a number of years yet!
Does anyone else have significantly less hair than they did when they were younger? What is happening!? I'm freaked out!
Miata
September 19th, 2016, 11:01 AM
Hmmm. I know it might sound a little crazy to try and literally count up the hairs you shed in day, but maybe doing so might put your mind at rest a bit, in case you're potentially overestimating the amount that you're shedding? 8.5-9cm ponytail circumference is not an insubstantial amount at all, but obviously I can understand you're worrying because you're concerned that it's still in the process of thinning out. I'd be inclined to keep my hair up all day and then literally collect all the shed hairs when I took it down at night and count them on one or two occasions (hell yeah, do I know how to party it up of an evening or what?), just so you can get a more accurate sense of where you're at before you panic too much.
lithostoic
September 19th, 2016, 11:07 AM
You probably have the same amount of hair, it just looked like more when you were younger because you were smaller.
lapushka
September 19th, 2016, 11:07 AM
If you're that concerned, I'd get a check-up at the doctor, have some bloodwork drawn. And... well, puberty does funny things to you. I went through balding spots when I was 13/14 and clumps falling out. Hormonal. :shrug: It did grow back and about 2 years later I was fine again. But that was scary there for a bit!
Miata
September 19th, 2016, 11:26 AM
You probably have the same amount of hair, it just looked like more when you were younger because you were smaller.
Good point!
Belle Paix
September 19th, 2016, 11:28 AM
I still have pretty thick hair, but as a 17 year old, my hair was SUPER thick...two kids, a crap thyroid, and age will do that to you I suppose...
Anje
September 19th, 2016, 11:28 AM
I agree -- if you're worried that you're shedding a lot, get some bloodwork done. Low iron and thyroid problems are really common, and they can do a number on your hair.
Some temporary shedding from time to time is also normal. Lots of people have a big shed when they go off of or switch hormonal birth control, for example. Post-partum shedding is also really normal. It's been a common observation here (and in my own life) that shedding tends to shoot up about 3 months following a major stressor. I've also noticed that I tend to shed a bit more in September-October, just like my cats.
At 34, my hair is roughly the same thickness I always remember it being, though measurements indicate that it's increased a little over the last few years. I still have a 3-wrap ponytail, same as I had as a kid and as a teen.
rubix
September 19th, 2016, 11:53 AM
I counted the amount of hair I lost when I ran my fingers through my hair first thing in the morning (stopped it was between 50 and 60) and based the 300 estimation on the size of that bunch of hair. 300 is a low estimate. :( I could literally make a creepy hair doll with the amount of hair in my brush after one brush through! It's pretty scary.
AZDesertRose
September 19th, 2016, 11:57 AM
I never really paid it any particular attention, but I think that mine is now maybe slightly thinner than it was when I was younger. It's still not thin by any stretch of the imagination (I'm still a solid iii), but I think it may have been a little thicker when I was twenty than now at age forty. My daughter's hair seems to be somewhat thicker than mine, but maybe hers is thicker than mine ever was.
My mother's hair has thinned a bit as well; in her younger years, she was well into iii territory, and now she's probably on the thick end of ii, and she hates it. She's learned to deal with it, but she ain't happy!
rubix
September 19th, 2016, 11:58 AM
I want to get some blood work done anyway since I've been feeling periodically weak and shaky lately, but my doctor tends to write everything off as anxiety so I'm hesitant to even go in because he never does anything for me! Maybe I'm more stressed about my health issues (possible crohn's disease) than I thought and that's causing a massive shed? I was more anxious about it a couple months ago than I am now, so maybe...
I don't think my hair just looked like more as a teenager-- my head is still about the same size as it was then. :(
AZDesertRose
September 19th, 2016, 12:01 PM
I want to get some blood work done anyway since I've been feeling periodically weak and shaky lately, but my doctor tends to write everything off as anxiety so I'm hesitant to even go in because he never does anything for me! Maybe I'm more stressed about my health issues (possible crohn's disease) than I thought and that's causing a massive shed? I was more anxious about it a couple months ago than I am now, so maybe...
I don't think my hair just looked like more as a teenager-- my head is still about the same size as it was then. :(
Is there a chance of finding a new doctor? I mean, anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms; that is entirely true. But a doctor who writes everything off as anxiety seems to me to be maybe not such a great medical care provider. You deserve medical care from someone who will listen and take you seriously.
Best wishes! :flower:
rubix
September 19th, 2016, 12:05 PM
Is there a chance of finding a new doctor? I mean, anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms; that is entirely true. But a doctor who writes everything off as anxiety seems to me to be maybe not such a great medical care provider. You deserve medical care from someone who will listen and take you seriously.
Best wishes! :flower:
I've definitely thought about it! But my last doctor did the same (and was mean on top of that) so I'm worried that the next one could be the same or worse. There also aren't many accepting new patients where I live so I'd have to settle for one on the other end of the city and I don't drive. I plan on giving him an earful next time he says something is anxiety without even blinking first! If that doesn't help, I won't really have a choice but to switch.
AZDesertRose
September 19th, 2016, 12:12 PM
I've definitely thought about it! But my last doctor did the same (and was mean on top of that) so I'm worried that the next one could be the same or worse. There also aren't many accepting new patients where I live so I'd have to settle for one on the other end of the city and I don't drive. I plan on giving him an earful next time he says something is anxiety without even blinking first! If that doesn't help, I won't really have a choice but to switch.
Ugh, that is un-good. My sympathies!
They need to teach empathy/bedside manner in medical school. There's more to medicine than science and medical knowledge, after all. :?
Miata
September 19th, 2016, 12:13 PM
Maybe I'm more stressed about my health issues (possible crohn's disease) than I thought and that's causing a massive shed?
My mum has Crohn's. That can interfere with your absorbtion of nutrients too, from a dietary point of view. Bloodwork definitely sounds like a good idea, find out if you're deficient in anything that could be impacting your hair retention (and health generally, of course!).
Hope you manage to figure out what's up and how to manage it effectively.
sarahthegemini
September 19th, 2016, 12:30 PM
My hair was a lot thicker when i was younger - based on pictures. Ah well.
XiaoBaiTu
September 19th, 2016, 04:37 PM
I'm only 18 and still I have significantly less hair now than I did at 13-14 years old. My hair when I was in the middle of puberty was just a lot thicker, and as that ended my hair returned to what it used to be before puberty. I've noticed the same with my younger sister, who has a ponytail circumference that's a lot larger than mine is or than hers used to be, but hers will probably return to the thinner side as she gets older.
Sometimes your hair as a teenager has little to do with what your hair is like as an adult. There's so much going on in your body as a teenager that hair might change drastically afterwards.
On the other hand, chronic shedding could point to some other health issue. If that's the case, then once your health improves your hair will too. It probably sounds lame coming from someone ten years your junior, but really, just remember to take care of yourself and your hair will follow suit. You're going to be fine. :)
Hairkay
September 19th, 2016, 04:58 PM
I think my hair is more or less the same thickness. There's a slight change around the temple area but the thickness is still there. Of course it's longer now too.
Marymary
September 20th, 2016, 04:31 AM
Hello, I'm new to the board so I apologise if I'm saying something that you already know, but if you are feeling weak and shaky and are going to get some blood tests done, ask your doctor to test your iron to rule out anemia. Also ask to check ferritin levels as well because low ferritin can cause increased hair shedding even if other iron levels are ok. It is possible to have completely normal levels of iron and low ferritin (iron stores) which can cause issues. Anemia and Low ferritin can make you feel cold, weak and tired. Also I tend to shed a lot of hair through the summer months and I have read a lot of others shed more hair at different times of the year, is it possible you are just going through a time of increased shedding?
lapushka
September 20th, 2016, 05:29 AM
It is getting to be fall, fall shed is here or just around the corner, but I feel that the OPs issues have been going on for quite some time, and that's different in that case. I definitely am pro the bloodwork. If you are losing a lot of thickness, then something's up.
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