Would a dermatologist help?

[LadyGoddess]

My hair was down past my butt, but now has crawled up to my waist. I have not cut it. My husband thinks the old pipes in our house is the culprit, so he put in a filtered shower head. It's made no difference. Do you think going to a dermatologist would help? I'm healthy and only 30.

My routine:

Use hair strengthening shampoo and conditioner every day (very oily hair)
No blow drying
Comb only when dry
Wear down or in a loose bun
Take a multivitamin a day
Eat at least one meat item per day
Got about 40 white hairs around the temples over the past 6 years

I was dying just the roots of my hair, but stopped since I'm so concerned. My roots show that my hair is still growing half an inch per month, but the length isn't increasing.

This is becoming emotionally upsetting. My coworkers and regulars at work keep asking if I'm cutting my hair. I feel devastated by it.

[lapushka]

Maybe you have breakage?

I doubt a dermatologist can do much, except if you have scalp issues; they're not there for hair!

Examine the ends of your hair; are there any white dots along the strand or splits that might account for breakage.

Breakage to me seems to be the only logical thing here.

Do you wear it down all the time? Might be a sign you should wear it up at least once in a while. :flower:

[lithostoic]

Does the hair strengthening shampoo contain protein? Maybe that's what's causing the breakage.

[lapushka]

Did you have a baby recently? Hormonal change? Could you give us more info on the products you're using as well?

[spidermom]

Unless you are having scalp issues, a dermatologist can't help.

[Anje]

Have you been wearing your hair differently since it was longer? What kind of time frame did you lose length over? Have you noticed any health symptoms like fatigue?

I agree that if you don't have thinning or scalp issues, a dermatologist probably can't help much. But a general health workup might find something. Thyroid issues and anemia are common and affect hair. They're also treatable.

[Nymphe]

A trichologist may be able to help. Also, you can get a hair analysis from GoosefootPrints (https://www.etsy.com/listing/158218594/hair-analysis-physical-properties-of) on Etsy; she has the cheapest price I have ever seen for that service.

[LadyGoddess]

Thank you for the reply! Yeah, I wear my hair up 50% of the time. I've lost an entire foot without doing anything in particularly different.

[LadyGoddess]

No baby though I did switch to prenatal vitamins with the aim of having a kid in the next couple of years. But that's only been for about 18 months. The disappearing hair has likely been going on earlier than that. No hormone changes either. I get a clean review at my annual doctor visits.

Mostly whatever product is cheapest! I'm using Aussie and Gardnier hair strengthening shampoos and conditioners.

[Aphra]

If your hair isn't thinning and is still growing, it sounds more like breakage than a scalp problem. In which case, it's all about protecting your hair, and working out where breakage might happen. When you are wearing your hair down, could it be rubbing on things like your office chair, car seat, sofa etc, catching in coat collars or bag straps and so on? When you comb your hair, how much of what gathers in the comb is full length sheds vs shorter broken bits?

Also, you mention dying your roots - obviously what is waist + now was roots once, so could it be that the hair was slightly damaged and waist was about where it could cope with before breaking? I guess the likelihood of that rather depends on how long you had longer hair before the breaking started.

[LadyGoddess]

Thank you! I'm always tired, so that's nothing new, haha.

It's kinda hard to pinpoint. Five years ago my hair was past my butt. It looks like my hair started "showing" it was shortening around summer 2015. The only thing that has changed is that I no longer blow-dry my hair. My mom has thyroid issues, so mine is watched carefully but I'm healthy as a horse!

[LadyGoddess]

Hmm, that's a good point. I used to wear my hair up 80% of the time due to working in hospitality. Now I wear it down a lot.

The amount combed out hasn't changed much. Though! I should have added to my original post that my spouse is losing length of his hair too. We moved to this house two years ago and he's lost at least 6 inches. He wears his hair up 95% of the time, thus why we think the problem is related to the water since we're both affected.

[spidermom]

Our hair follicles can be affected by a lot of things. Stress (like moving to a different place), starting or stopping cigarette smoking, starting or stopping medications or drugs, major dietary changes, alcoholism or recovery, the possibilities are nearly endless. If your hair is breaking off, you'll be able to see the damage at the ends under strong lights plus see short bits on the sink and floor after combing or brushing hair. If that isn't the case, something may have changed your length potential. Unfortunately, sometimes we can't figure out what exactly has changed but must find a way to make peace with it. Best wishes to you in figuring this out and correcting it (if possible).