Telogen Effluvium- Major Shedding

[Jocelyn78]

Hi all!

I'm new here but have had long hair practically my entire life. My hair is waist length and is drastically thinning out. I've been shedding around 75-125 per day for the past 8 weeks (end of December). Normally I think I lose around 50 per day. My ponytail is measuring 5" but I think it was more than that prior. It's the ends that have gotten very thin. :(

I've been to two dermatologists and they both think it's telogen effluvium from either stress, medical stuff, etc. over the past 6 months. It seems like I have lost a great deal of hair down near the base of my head/neck area. It just feels drafty and missing under there.

I usually shed once or twice a year but not like this. It has me extremely worried and I don't know how long it's going to last. Has anyone gone through something similar? Is it worse some years than others for you? Is it normal for it to be thinning in different locations depending on the week?

Bloodwork for thyroid was good and hormones seem to be in range. My iron/ferritin was only 26 so I started taking iron supplements.

[lapushka]

What medical "stuff", exactly? If you're willing to share. Are you on a particular medication that could cause hair loss?

Iron shortage is *notorious* for hair loss, so that might just be it.
Most certainly get back to us when your iron is back on point.

[lucid]

I had this last year, it lasted 4-5 months for me. I lost 300 strands a day when I first started counting, but this was a couple of months after the problem started, and I had been loosing a lot more than that the first months. It was hair everywhere in the apartment. My hairline looked very thin, and people commented on it.... My scalp was also hurting when this was going on. Anyways, my hair is still thinner than it was, but since my hairline now is back to normal, it looks good. So I don't care. It will regain thickness eventually :) I put some highlights in my hair after it happened, and that made it look a bit fuller again.

I got it because I got underweight (I struggle with my appetite, and after the flu I just didn't have any appetite at all for about half a year).

Loosing up to 125 strands a day is within normal (that is at least what I was told), so you could also just be in a period with excess shedding? Either way, I hope it doesn't last long, it's a very stressfull experience :(

[Jocelyn78]

Thanks so much to both of you for responding! For medical, I went through IVF (in vitro, hormone shots) in January 2016 and August 2016. However, I had done 2 previous attempts and didn't have problems with hair loss. I was on a different medicine brand this time though. I also had a bad flu/sinus infection the end of June and again in August. They put me on a high dose Medrol steroid for a week in September. In Sept- November my cat was very sick and ended up needing surgery so I was extremely stressed. I also got the flu shot in November and started a Retin A tretinion face cream. Any of these things could have caused it! :( It's frustrating.

I'm worried that I developed a chronic shedding tendency from so much stuff last year. I may start taking Viviscal supplements to help. Have any of you taken those? I'm already taking a ton of biotin and other vitamins. I know worrying about it is just going to make it worse.

Lucid, I get the scalp pain too. First it would feel like of like coldness/pain, then it kind of turned to burning on and off or just soreness. I started using Head and Shoulders but I think that was making the hair fall even worse.

[lapushka]

Thanks so much to both of you for responding! For medical, I went through IVF (in vitro, hormone shots) in January 2016 and August 2016. However, I had done 2 previous attempts and didn't have problems with hair loss. I was on a different medicine brand this time though. I also had a bad flu/sinus infection the end of June and again in August. They put me on a high dose Medrol steroid for a week in September. In Sept- November my cat was very sick and ended up needing surgery so I was extremely stressed. I also got the flu shot in November and started a Retin A tretinion face cream. Any of these things could have caused it! :( It's frustrating.

I'm worried that I developed a chronic shedding tendency from so much stuff last year. I may start taking Viviscal supplements to help. Have any of you taken those? I'm already taking a ton of biotin and other vitamins. I know worrying about it is just going to make it worse.

Lucid, I get the scalp pain too. First it would feel like of like coldness/pain, then it kind of turned to burning on and off or just soreness. I started using Head and Shoulders but I think that was making the hair fall even worse.

Might be it...

Medrol is something my mom gets once in a while too -for a short time-, for a wrist that keeps infecting on her. It happens out of the blue. She can't quite pinpoint it to something that she does wrong with it.

Iron is really important for hair, though, so that might just be it. I think people sometimes underestimate what a shortage in iron can do; it really wreaks havoc on you! So keep up with the suggestions from your doctor and try and get it back up as fast as you can - but just follow the schedule your doc has given you aka respect the dosage, because you can overdo iron quite easily too!!!

Good luck with IVF!