Anyone experience sudden hair shedding/diffuse shedding & seborrheic dermatitis?

[ontheway]

Hi all! APOLOGIES for the length of this... any problem-solvers may enjoy this!

I'm pretty new to the community, but wanted to post and see if anyone else has gone through this. :confused: I've always been long-haired, with a lot of hair, and my hair has always grown relatively quickly (over an inch in a month - even over the last month, the strand at the very front of my forehead has grown at least 2 cm). However, about 2 months ago, my hair started to shed pretty rapidly. It was really shocking to me, as I've never had issues with my hair density before. I also noticed, around the same time, that the flaking on my scalp was out of control. I had some inflammation of the scalp, a lot of itching.. I wish I hadn't scratched my head so much because I've heard that contributes to hair fall.

So, I noticed some weird tingly feelings in my scalp earlier this year. I'm not entirely sure when this started, but no earlier than May. Over the last 2 months or so, I've seen my hair go from abnormally thick to quite thin for me. :( You can see my scalp in some areas, and it's still a bit itchy/irritated (especially at the top and sides of crown), but much better than it was a month ago as I've gone to a trichologist and a naturopath who've been helping me deal with it externally and internally. I was so scared that it was "genetic hair loss" but I've visited a trichologist (who examined my scalp/follicles with one of those cameras that zooms in to your scalp), an MD who specializes in hair loss, another MD, etc, and they all said it wasn't due to that, so I'm hoping it's not that. My trichologist said I actually had a lot of active follicles/hairs coming in and that I still have a lot of hair, but at the top (where it was the itchiest, along with sides of my crown) it's noticeably thin unless I style my hair over it.

Now, I don't know what caused the shedding/stunt in growth. I got my ferritin levels tested in September, and they were at 24. Walk-in clinic doctors told me that was normal, but my main doctor and my sister (also a doctor) told me that it was too low for hair growth and that I should be taking iron.. so, for a month now, I've been taking 2 pills of iron a day (trying to up it to 3 but it's so hard with the other supplements I'm taking). I'm going to get my iron tested in a week, so i'll have updates on this. I'm also supplementing with a lot of vitamin D, omega3, b12, biotin (occasionally, because high doses make me break out unfortunately), zinc, and a probiotic. My gut health was undoubtedly not the best, so my naturopath and I are working on that with me being on the low FODMAP diet. I actually check the anti-candida diet to cross-reference foods (in case this is a candida thing, but no one has confirmed that), so I'm on a pretty restrictive regimen for another week or two at least. Also, I got my TSH tested and my levels were normal, and will be testing that again in a week. I really hope I don't have a thyroid issue though because I know that comes with medication and other issues. My health has generally been fortunate, so I'm hoping it still is.

My parents think it's stress-induced. I experienced two panic attacks this year... the first in the spring, and one in late summer. I had never been an anxious person before this year or so (I was the opposite... the kind of person who never over-analyzed), and had been feeling a lot of stress due to finances, living on my own, work, etc. I had too much on my plate. Now, I'm actually not stressed AT ALL (except for about my hair... so I'm realizing I can't stress over that either, because it'll make it worse). My job is not stressful at all anymore (thanks to an understanding boss who has taken a load off my plate), I no longer live on my own and therefore have much more support, I eat waaaaaaay healthier (I used to eat what ever I wanted, now I eat CLEAN), drink a ton of water, and although I hadn't been sleeping well this week, I finally got back on a normal sleeping pattern and today's the day I have felt the most energetic I've felt in ages.

My naturopath thought I was also experiencing "adrenal fatigue", which would very well be accurate given how tired I felt this year and late last year. Before late last year, I NEVER felt fatigued no matter how much I was moving around. But this past year, I was just always tired and wished I didn't have to work (unlike me). I'm also lucky enough to have started therapy this past week or so, and will be seeing my therapist twice a month for now (wish it was more but I can't afford more lol). I'm hitting this from ALL angles as I'm a fighter. I will not let this get me down anymore. I spent so much of October being depressed, anxious, sad... I had some dark thoughts, which sounds ridiculous, but my hair has always been an awesome trait of mine, and I felt like I was being stripped of my true self and of my youth. Now, as much as I wish it would come back ASAP, I accept what's happened, hope and pray it'll come back over the next year, and hope to never experience this again. It has truly been a learning experience for me, and as ridiculous as it sounds, it's making me not hide behind my hair anymore. I'm having to embrace my other traits, which is good because I'm realizing that thinking my hair was my ONLY "good" trait is absurd. I appreciate so much about myself that goes beyond hair. And for the last 2 years, my hair decided to go from being mostly straight-wavy to being wavy-curly, and I denied it that by over-styling, over-dying... when it's back (God willing), I'm going to let it be natural and curly and I'm ditching the heat. (PS I've been heat-free for almost 2 months. I have never gone this long without heat styling before, at least for several years.. I usually used heat styling tools 3-4 times a week so my hair is probably healthier now).

So, having said all of that... does seb dermatitis generally cause 40-50% hair shedding?? Or is it usually more minor, and would this be more like stress-related/iron/telogen effluvium? I didn't THINK I was so stressed out this year but I guess I was. I lost a job, lost an ex, moved, went on a 3-week trip (which was exhausting), was on birth control for a month (so verrrry brief), and had a slightly traumatic fight/argument happen in early summer. I never thought those things would cause my hair to fall out. I'm hoping seb derm doesn't really cause tons of loss because I know it's a lifelong thing, and because I'm sure I've had it before this shedding happened... weird how it all happened now.

[Obsidian]

SD doesn't normally cause that much hair loss. I have SD and never experienced any kind of major hair loss until this year, not even when I pick and scratch at my scalp.

Didn't the trichologist give you a diagnosis and/or treatment? Don't over do it on iron supplements, its easy to OD so don't try to bring your levels up too high or too fast.

[ontheway]

SD doesn't normally cause that much hair loss. I have SD and never experienced any kind of major hair loss until this year, not even when I pick and scratch at my scalp.

Didn't the trichologist give you a diagnosis and/or treatment? Don't over do it on iron supplements, its easy to OD so don't try to bring your levels up too high or too fast.

Hi! Yes, I've heard some really confusing things about SD. I've known people who've had it and never experienced much loss, yet I read those scary posts on the internet of people saying they lost all their hair due to it... I sometimes wonder if those people actually had genetic loss (a lot of them seem older also) and attributed it to SD. I'm in my late 20s. And I actually did notice some itchiness earlier this year but honestly, before my hair shedding got bad, I didn't even notice flakes in my hair. I thought telogen effluvium induced my SD... (aka stress brought it on...) but maybe I had SD for a while and didn't realize it because it never flared up badly.

When I first met with the trichologist, she said my shedding was due to stress based on what I told her and how she saw me. I did actually feel stressed out a lot this year but I always downplayed it. She said I have SD also but that it was easily treatable as she's treated a ton of people for it and has been successful. I've seen her 3 times over the last month. She has provided some treatments and yeah, gave me some stuff to use. I feel like the SD has improved, but it's still there a bit, and I'm sensitive to harsh products so we've had to tweak it. I see her again on Friday and hopefully she has good news.. last time I saw her was right after I tried Nizoral 2% (and my head was BURNING, so red, so flakey...) and she said it still looked like it improved since she last saw me, but that the nizoral wasn't good on my head so I've stopped using it. It was so harsh on my hair, so I really don't know how people use that.

As for iron, my doctor said I can actually take a lot of iron because of my ferritin levels. She actually suggested I take more than I'm taking, but I decided to take a bit less. I'm taking 60mg a day of elemental iron, and when I get my iron level tested, I'll be careful from there on to make sure I don't overdose. I actually don't see my levels being higher than 35 right now though, I've always been low on iron. But I'll check with her again when I see her tomorrow and I have a physical coming up too, so I'll be careful of that.

[Obsidian]

If you had panic attacks, your stress was pretty bad. I have anxiety and experience panic attacks quite often, the first year they started it was really difficult to deal with. Yoga and meditation was a game changer for me, I can now control all but the very worse panic attacks.

There are quite a few members here with SD. I don't know if I've ever seen any of them mention extreme hair loss. I'm inclined to agree that the people who are blaming SD on their hair loss are most likely losing hair for other reasons.

Great that your trichologist is treating you, hope you find something that helps soon. I don't know if she mentioned it but with SD you need to keep your scalp clean. Don't oil your scalp and don't let conditioner touch it either. I'm really surprised the nizoral was harsh for you, it doesn't bother my hair at all. Sometimes we need to concentrate on our scalp though and put our hair second.

I much prefer selenium sulfide 2.5% shampoo, it clears my SD right up but its expensive and my insurance won't cover it anymore. It is harsher than the nizoral and it smells kind of bad but it works well. I also use a liquid steroid on the really bad spots, its great, one use will clear up most bumps. I don't get flakes like most people, I get red, weepy bumps instead.

Good to hear you are keeping a close eye on your iron. I'm currently waiting on blood tests. Kind of hoping for low levels of something, that will at least give me a place to start. I've stopped shedding but my thin spots aren't really filling in very well.

[ontheway]

If you had panic attacks, your stress was pretty bad. I have anxiety and experience panic attacks quite often, the first year they started it was really difficult to deal with. Yoga and meditation was a game changer for me, I can now control all but the very worse panic attacks.

There are quite a few members here with SD. I don't know if I've ever seen any of them mention extreme hair loss. I'm inclined to agree that the people who are blaming SD on their hair loss are most likely losing hair for other reasons.

Great that your trichologist is treating you, hope you find something that helps soon. I don't know if she mentioned it but with SD you need to keep your scalp clean. Don't oil your scalp and don't let conditioner touch it either. I'm really surprised the nizoral was harsh for you, it doesn't bother my hair at all. Sometimes we need to concentrate on our scalp though and put our hair second.

I much prefer selenium sulfide 2.5% shampoo, it clears my SD right up but its expensive and my insurance won't cover it anymore. It is harsher than the nizoral and it smells kind of bad but it works well. I also use a liquid steroid on the really bad spots, its great, one use will clear up most bumps. I don't get flakes like most people, I get red, weepy bumps instead.

Good to hear you are keeping a close eye on your iron. I'm currently waiting on blood tests. Kind of hoping for low levels of something, that will at least give me a place to start. I've stopped shedding but my thin spots aren't really filling in very well.

Oh I don't get the weepiness. I do get bumps but she gave me some bacterial stuff for that and it's helped a lot, I cleared a few of the bumps I had! And yeah, it's so odd that Nizoral hurt me that much. But I think my scalp is still pretty sensitive and I need to be careful. That stuff is medicated plus it has sulfates.

As for stress/anxiety, yeah, I had bad anxiety this year. :( I actually don't feel anxious now though, thankfully. I had those two panic attacks and I did feel quite anxious last month, with all this happening. But something made me snap a week ago when I realized that the longer I feel anxious, the more I'll deal with this. I decided not to let it win - the anxious feelings, the hair loss crap. A positive attitude is so important. And I think the therapy's helping, as I'm getting a lot of my issues out in the open with someone who can help me deal with them. My anxiety is definitely situational, so i just have to work on facing my fears (which I am doing with this hair stuff!!!) and also not internalizing any "failures". I've always been a perfectionist and now I'm letting go of that. Yoga is also so helpful, I agree! I do yoga when I wake up, go for a walk/jog outside (daylight first thing), and I do light yoga moves at night to stretch my body out. Working on breathing exercises also.

I hope you get the answers you're looking for! How long has your loss been going on for? If you have a history of low ferritin/iron, it could definitely be that. I've had periods before where I was told to specifically take iron pills, and my mom's had to get infusions before, so I know it runs in my blood (literally and figuratively)... with me not having eaten a lot of meat for a while, I'm having to do that also. I guess a lot goes into this.

[ontheway]

If you had panic attacks, your stress was pretty bad. I have anxiety and experience panic attacks quite often, the first year they started it was really difficult to deal with. Yoga and meditation was a game changer for me, I can now control all but the very worse panic attacks.

There are quite a few members here with SD. I don't know if I've ever seen any of them mention extreme hair loss. I'm inclined to agree that the people who are blaming SD on their hair loss are most likely losing hair for other reasons.

Great that your trichologist is treating you, hope you find something that helps soon. I don't know if she mentioned it but with SD you need to keep your scalp clean. Don't oil your scalp and don't let conditioner touch it either. I'm really surprised the nizoral was harsh for you, it doesn't bother my hair at all. Sometimes we need to concentrate on our scalp though and put our hair second.

I much prefer selenium sulfide 2.5% shampoo, it clears my SD right up but its expensive and my insurance won't cover it anymore. It is harsher than the nizoral and it smells kind of bad but it works well. I also use a liquid steroid on the really bad spots, its great, one use will clear up most bumps. I don't get flakes like most people, I get red, weepy bumps instead.

Good to hear you are keeping a close eye on your iron. I'm currently waiting on blood tests. Kind of hoping for low levels of something, that will at least give me a place to start. I've stopped shedding but my thin spots aren't really filling in very well.

Forgot to add that yes, I've stopped using oil on my hair. My trichologist gave me hair growing "oils" but she said it's essential oils and therefore it's fine, but I've ditched them. I find that when I use them, my hair feels greasier... there's ONE she gave me that I used weekly and it's the least offending one. I'm still confused as to how using oils makes sense in my case. I'll address that with her on friday.

Also, trying to get to a dermatologist but in canada, it's a long wait...

[Obsidian]

I started shedding in march, about the same time I started the process of getting a hysterectomy. I thought it might be hormone related, then there was a lot of stress from other things on top of that. I shed heavy for about two months then it stopped quite suddenly. It started up once since then but only lightly for a couple weeks. I did cut my hair very short so its really hard to tell just how much I am shedding at the moment.

I've never actually had my iron checked, at least not that I know of. I should have though as I had very bad periods for years and I get tired easily. I know I have low Vit D and magnesium so I take supplements.

[ontheway]

I started shedding in march, about the same time I started the process of getting a hysterectomy. I thought it might be hormone related, then there was a lot of stress from other things on top of that. I shed heavy for about two months then it stopped quite suddenly. It started up once since then but only lightly for a couple weeks. I did cut my hair very short so its really hard to tell just how much I am shedding at the moment.

I've never actually had my iron checked, at least not that I know of. I should have though as I had very bad periods for years and I get tired easily. I know I have low Vit D and magnesium so I take supplements.

My mom told me she had some shedding around the time she had a hysterectomy also, along with weight loss. I think surgeries can induce more shedding and all of that, plus with the hormonal changes I assume (but I'm not an expert). But it's usually 3-6 months after the surgery that you'll notice more shedding, so it's good that you aren't seeing tons of it now.

Low vitamin D does a lot of harm to people. It seems like most conditions are linked to that. Definitely good to take up to 5000 IUs a day.

[lapushka]

I'm sorry, but your entire post was hard to read for me... That is why I'm asking:

Do you perhaps oil your scalp? This is something you *for sure* cannot do if you have SD. The fungal overgrowth *feasts* on oil. That is why it is SO important to keep the scalp squeaky clean.

But! There is something else. Some of us cannot tolerate oil on the scalp because it leads to shedding, and not just the "hair that would have fallen out anyway", no, shedding to the point of thinning. This can happen with oil, but also with conditioner on the scalp (which is also not exactly recommended for people with SD).

HTH.

[ontheway]

I'm sorry, but your entire post was hard to read for me... That is why I'm asking:

Do you perhaps oil your scalp? This is something you *for sure* cannot do if you have SD. The fungal overgrowth *feasts* on oil. That is why it is SO important to keep the scalp squeaky clean.

But! There is something else. Some of us cannot tolerate oil on the scalp because it leads to shedding, and not just the "hair that would have fallen out anyway", no, shedding to the point of thinning. This can happen with oil, but also with conditioner on the scalp (which is also not exactly recommended for people with SD).

HTH.

I never did before this all started happening, so I don't have a history of oiling my scalp. I started using jojoba oil on my scalp last month because it was so dry (I had no idea I had SD), which probably didn't help. I went to the trichologist, who told me what I had, and I researched and immediately stopped using any oils. She did however give me a couple of serums to help with hair growth, and yes, they contain some "essential oils". She said it was fine because they weren't hard oils... but I noticed my scalp was greasy after using them, so I've stopped using them. My shampoo from her does also contain a couple of oils, but stuff like rosemary oil, orange peel oil, which don't seem to be "bad" for SD.

I don't use conditioner on my scalp at all. I use it on my very ends but not even for every wash anymore... I just skip it if I can.

And yes, I think it exacerbated the problem. But I had no idea it could lead to a drastic amount of thinning. I thought it just contributed a bit to it.

[lapushka]

I never did before this all started happening, so I don't have a history of oiling my scalp. I started using jojoba oil on my scalp last month because it was so dry (I had no idea I had SD), which probably didn't help. I went to the trichologist, who told me what I had, and I researched and immediately stopped using any oils. She did however give me a couple of serums to help with hair growth, and yes, they contain some "essential oils". She said it was fine because they weren't hard oils... but I noticed my scalp was greasy after using them, so I've stopped using them. My shampoo from her does also contain a couple of oils, but stuff like rosemary oil, orange peel oil, which don't seem to be "bad" for SD.

I don't use conditioner on my scalp at all. I use it on my very ends but not even for every wash anymore... I just skip it if I can.

And yes, I think it exacerbated the problem. But I had no idea it could lead to a drastic amount of thinning. I thought it just contributed a bit to it.

I would recommend a dermatologist over a trichologist, especially for SD. We all have to find what works for us, and that is highly individual. I myself use Nizoral 2% (which is prescription in the US). In Belgium 2% is the only Nizoral we have and it is pharmacy OTC.

Thank goodness you know now! :flower:

I hope things start to look up for you, I really do! :D Good luck!

[ontheway]

I would recommend a dermatologist over a trichologist, especially for SD. We all have to find what works for us, and that is highly individual. I myself use Nizoral 2% (which is prescription in the US). In Belgium 2% is the only Nizoral we have and it is pharmacy OTC.

Thank goodness you know now! :flower:

I hope things start to look up for you, I really do! :D Good luck!

Oh I'm definitely trying to find a dermatologist, but where I live, there's a really long waiting time for one and a lot of them don't treat scalp issues. I'm going to see if my dr can send a referral though and I'll say it's a skin issue (it is, because my face isn't so great either right now).

I guess my main concern was just figuring out if it's normal for SD to cause a lot of shedding or if perhaps it's the wrong treatments/the stress that causes it. I'm still losing a fair bit of hair, but I've been told it's "shedding season" and stress-induced shedding can last for 3 months (this is the 3rd month I believe). I just want my hair to stop falling out!! The density can't keep up with this shedding.

I should add that I'm not losing 300 hairs a day, but the hairs come out easily and it is more than what I'm used to.

[*Wednesday*]

The vitamins ....Having low iron can lead to a disorder called anemia which has major health issues. I’m not a doctor, but a doctor advising you to take iron because you don’t have enough for hair growth (unusual) can cause more harm than good for some people. Iron is a metal. Many times, disorders that lead to hair loss (also skin and nail issues), hair loss can be in the later stages with more of a concern on organs, blood etc. that take the hit first. Once levels are sufficient slowly, does hair recover.

You take two iron pills daily? You mentioned your iron levels are being tested in a week….Your iron should be tested prior to taking iron and you should not be told by doctors to take it for “hair growth.” Taking too much iron can lead to iron overdose. Depending on the dosage (considering twice daily) iron supplements can be toxic which adverse effects can be hair loss among other things. It sounds like you are taking vitamins to try and fix a problem can cause more.

[ontheway]

The vitamins ....Having low iron can lead to a disorder called anemia which has major health issues. I’m not a doctor, but a doctor advising you to take iron because you don’t have enough for hair growth (unusual) can cause more harm than good for some people. Iron is a metal. Many times, disorders that lead to hair loss (also skin and nail issues), hair loss can be in the later stages with more of a concern on organs, blood etc. that take the hit first. Once levels are sufficient slowly, does hair recover.

You take two iron pills daily? You mentioned your iron levels are being tested in a week….Your iron should be tested prior to taking iron and you should not be told by doctors to take it for “hair growth.” Taking too much iron can lead to iron overdose. Depending on the dosage (considering twice daily) iron supplements can be toxic which adverse effects can be hair loss among other things. It sounds like you are taking vitamins to try and fix a problem can cause more.

I had my iron levels tested before I started taking supplements, and was advised by my doctor, as well as my sister who is a doctor, that my iron levels were fairly low and that low iron is a cause of poor hair growth/more hair fall. I didn't start taking them on my own without advising a doctor.

I am, however, going to go down to 1 pill a day for iron until I get tested. Once I get tested again, we'll go from there. But I have always struggled with iron and taking pills for it is absolutely not unusual for me nor is it for a lot of people.

[*Wednesday*]

I had my iron levels tested before I started taking supplements, and was advised by my doctor, as well as my sister who is a doctor, that my iron levels were fairly low and that low iron is a cause of poor hair growth/more hair fall. I didn't start taking them on my own without advising a doctor.

I am, however, going to go down to 1 pill a day for iron until I get tested. Once I get tested again, we'll go from there. But I have always struggled with iron and taking pills for it is absolutely not unusual for me nor is it for a lot of people.

I take your post very seriously and just giving careful attention to what you are stating.

I wouldn't go down a pill a day unless your doctor advises to do so. If they have you on lets say 28 mgs of iron twice daily there is a reason. A MD will or should set a dosage on how much you should take. They key is to test the ferritin levels pre-treatment, see your levels, than prescribe along with a iron diet to get sourced iron from food. Yes, low iron levels is common, especially in women. As Obsidian mentioned, it is done slow for tolerance. Also considering, low iron can be supplemented. Dangerously low iron needs to be immediately treated. I will suppose since you had blood work, you don't have anemia which is a good.

You mentioned in your opening post, "I'm also supplementing with a lot of vitamin D, omega3, b12, biotin (occasionally, because high doses make me break out unfortunately), zinc, and a probiotic"

You're taking "a lot." Zinc often blocks the absorption of iron. They don't work together nicely. Make sure you are taking the zinc with food and drink plenty of water. You are also taking biotin which I hope you are taking other B complex vitamins with them.Is a must. Too much biotin can bock the absorption of other B Vitamins and causes the breakouts. I also don't see Vitamin C listed in your list. Vitamin C helps the absorption of iron and also D as well as other vitamins.

I Just want you to be careful. :) Maybe it is the way you are articulating your post, it sounds like you are prescribing your supplements with no oversight or restrictions. The mention of "my doctor said I can actually take a lot of iron because of my ferritin levels" makes me uneasy. Iron can be toxic.

[ontheway]

I take your post very seriously and just giving careful attention to what you are stating.

I wouldn't go down a pill a day unless your doctor advises to do so. If they have you on lets say 28 mgs of iron twice daily there is a reason. A MD will or should set a dosage on how much you should take. They key is to test the ferritin levels pre-treatment, see your levels, than prescribe along with a iron diet to get sourced iron from food. Yes, low iron levels is common, especially in women. As Obsidian mentioned, it is done slow for tolerance. Also considering, low iron can be supplemented. Dangerously low iron needs to be immediately treated. I will suppose since you had blood work, you don't have anemia which is a good.

You mentioned in your opening post, "I'm also supplementing with a lot of vitamin D, omega3, b12, biotin (occasionally, because high doses make me break out unfortunately), zinc, and a probiotic"

You're taking "a lot." Zinc often blocks the absorption of iron. They don't work together nicely. Make sure you are taking the zinc with food and drink plenty of water. You are also taking biotin which I hope you are taking other B complex vitamins with them.Is a must. Too much biotin can bock the absorption of other B Vitamins and causes the breakouts. I also don't see Vitamin C listed in your list. Vitamin C helps the absorption of iron and also D as well as other vitamins.

I Just want you to be careful. :) Maybe it is the way you are articulating your post, it sounds like you are prescribing your supplements with no oversight or restrictions. The mention of "my doctor said I can actually take a lot of iron because of my ferritin levels" makes me uneasy. Iron can be toxic.

I know iron can be toxic, but when you're ferritin is at 24, you're not close to "toxic" levels... you're borderline anemic. If I was under 15, I'd be classified as dangerously anemic. I've been at that point before, so I know what it means to be deficient in iron. My doctor advised me to take up to 100mg of elemental iron per day, which isn't even close to what I'm taking (I take close to 60). I'm getting my iron tested again in a week and will have more info then, but... if I managed to bump up my iron by even 10 pts, I'd be pleasantly surprised. And usually they say the normal levels are closer to 50.

I don't take zinc with iron, it's a strong supplement. Sometimes, I take zinc every other day. I prioritize iron, vitamin D, my probiotic, and B12. I take the others as I remember to, but I don't take biotin on its own. Biotin comes in my iron supplement at a low amount. Also, vitamin C is in my iron supplement... but I try to get vitamin C through food rather than a pill, because it's easily found in a lot of food I eat.

I'm not taking things for no reason, but I'll ask my doctor about zinc and the other supplements. I've had her and my naturopath advise me that it's good to take vitamin D, b12, iron, omega 3s, probiotic... they didn't quite say "take zinc", I took that on my own, so I'll ease up on that until I know more.

[ontheway]

Bumping this to see if anyone has personal experiences!

[Beeboo123]

I see that you mentioned birth control. I’ve read of some members here who lost a lot of hair when they started on birth control. I can’r remember offhand who this happened to, but I hope they find this thread. Bump!

[Rowdy]

I see that you mentioned birth control. I’ve read of some members here who lost a lot of hair when they started on birth control. I can’r remember offhand who this happened to, but I hope they find this thread. Bump!

I didn't have shedding when starting birth control but I did have a shed when I stopped taking the pill after five years.

[ontheway]

I see that you mentioned birth control. I’ve read of some members here who lost a lot of hair when they started on birth control. I can’r remember offhand who this happened to, but I hope they find this thread. Bump!

I took birth control for a very brief period of time (it was 3 weeks) some time in April or May. So I'm actually not entirely sure if this caused it, because I was only on it for 3 weeks. My periods were pretty regular after. Maybe I just got really unlucky and it affected me? But yeah I've definitely heard a lot of women say they lose hair (temporarily) after quitting BC.

I'm still not even sure what made my hair fall out to be honest. I'm still baffled by it. I've had low iron before and it didn't affect me like this. Might have been a combination of everything.. but I've heard conflicting things about seb dermatitis for people, too. I know lots of people with psoriasis whose hair didn't fall, and some whose hair did fall. And I've heard the same about dermatitis. My flare-up was really bad 2 months ago, even up until a few weeks ago, so I don't know if that alone could cause it. I hope this never happens again, even if I have to deal with some flakes!

[Blondieee]

I thought I would comment on this because Wednesday's comment really offended me. I have suffered with anemia for years. I've had a ferritin level as low as 4 (with normal hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cells) but yes still anemic. If ferritin levels are less than 50, you absolutely should be taking iron. I have had a massive amount of hair loss from low ferritin. The last time my ferritin was checked it was 26 and I've noticed a huge difference in my hair but it's still not fantastic to be honest. I have noticed my ends feel stronger. And the bald spots on my scalp are starting to fill in. But I have so many health issues going on it's hard to pinpoint what's causing what. But normal ferritin levels are 50. Optimal levels are around 70. A dermatologist told me levels should be around 60. You should definitely be taking iron with a ferritin of 24. And even if you're not anemic (discovered by low serum iron, low % saturation, low ferritin, and high TIBC) it still causes severe hair loss from just having an iron deficiency.

And also yes SD (which I also have) most likely indicates a Candida/yeast issue. I have a major Candida overgrowth.

The one thing I do agree with that Wednesday said is I don't think I would be taking the Zinc because it has been shown to lower ferritin levels. Even if you don't take Zinc and iron together, taking Zinc has still been shown to lower ferritin levels. At one point, I tried using Total cereal to correct my anemia. It didn't work because the Zinc in it was just bringing my ferritin back down.

The Vitamin D, iron, and B12 are all good to take. I can definitely tell when I don't take my Vitamin D. I'm always exhausted anyway, but when I don't take it, I become practically bedridden. It's awful! I don't take a huge amount, just 1,000 IU along with 600 IU in my multi and it helps a lot. Depending on where my levels are when I get them rechecked, I might have to add another 1,000 IU to get them back up to optimal around 50.

[ontheway]

I thought I would comment on this because Wednesday's comment really offended me. I have suffered with anemia for years. I've had a ferritin level as low as 4 (with normal hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cells) but yes still anemic. If ferritin levels are less than 50, you absolutely should be taking iron. I have had a massive amount of hair loss from low ferritin. The last time my ferritin was checked it was 26 and I've noticed a huge difference in my hair but it's still not fantastic to be honest. I have noticed my ends feel stronger. And the bald spots on my scalp are starting to fill in. But I have so many health issues going on it's hard to pinpoint what's causing what. But normal ferritin levels are 50. Optimal levels are around 70. A dermatologist told me levels should be around 60. You should definitely be taking iron with a ferritin of 24. And even if you're not anemic (discovered by low serum iron, low % saturation, low ferritin, and high TIBC) it still causes severe hair loss from just having an iron deficiency.

And also yes SD (which I also have) most likely indicates a Candida/yeast issue. I have a major Candida overgrowth.

The one thing I do agree with that Wednesday said is I don't think I would be taking the Zinc because it has been shown to lower ferritin levels. Even if you don't take Zinc and iron together, taking Zinc has still been shown to lower ferritin levels. At one point, I tried using Total cereal to correct my anemia. It didn't work because the Zinc in it was just bringing my ferritin back down.

The Vitamin D, iron, and B12 are all good to take. I can definitely tell when I don't take my Vitamin D. I'm always exhausted anyway, but when I don't take it, I become practically bedridden. It's awful! I don't take a huge amount, just 1,000 IU along with 600 IU in my multi and it helps a lot. Depending on where my levels are when I get them rechecked, I might have to add another 1,000 IU to get them back up to optimal around 50.

Do you have suggestions on how to take iron? It sounds like you bumped yours up. I haven't been able to bump it up significantly but now I'm taking iron once a day with food (without it makes my stomach upset). Trying hard!

Also, how did you figure out that you had candida overgrowth? I might have to ask about that as I noticed my SD start around the time I felt like I had a yeast infection (that "went away on its own").

I'm definitely taking vitamin D! I take 2-3,000 IU per day though.. because I take tablets and according to my naturopath, that doesn't absorb as well. Supposedly, liquid vitamin D is best. And B12 is crucial for me also. I'm definitely taking a probiotic, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and omega 3s. I feel like a B-complex (that doesn't have yeast or anything like that in it) would be a good idea though.

It's tough to figure out what to take to combat the SD and the low iron issues at the same time, because I hear zinc is good for hair and it's also good for SD, but then as you say, it lowers ferritin, so it's acting against that...

And an update: my SD has gotten a lot better (I THINK). I still have flakes... does that seem normal to those of you who have cleared flares in the past? I've been taking care of it for 5-6 weeks now but didn't really start properly using the right shampoo until 2 weeks ago or so. My irritation/inflammation seems to be down though, and my hair isn't super greasy anymore. If anything, it seems to be more dry. About a week ago, using the shampoo I was given, I noticed immediately that my grease was way down but wasn't sure if this was because the shampoo was too drying or not. Nizoral made my skin so much worse when I tried it.

Also going to try to see a dermatologist finally and going to push for it this time! The doctors I've seen seem kind of clueless about it, even my primary doctor. I've been seeing a trichologist and it's been getting better with her, but I feel like I need a dermatologist's opinion to make sure I know what I'm dealing with if it's long-term or if it's just more of an acute thing. Really hoping this isn't long-term.

[lapushka]

And an update: my SD has gotten a lot better (I THINK). I still have flakes... does that seem normal to those of you who have cleared flares in the past? I've been taking care of it for 5-6 weeks now but didn't really start properly using the right shampoo until 2 weeks ago or so. My irritation/inflammation seems to be down though, and my hair isn't super greasy anymore. If anything, it seems to be more dry. About a week ago, using the shampoo I was given, I noticed immediately that my grease was way down but wasn't sure if this was because the shampoo was too drying or not. Nizoral made my skin so much worse when I tried it.

Also going to try to see a dermatologist finally and going to push for it this time! The doctors I've seen seem kind of clueless about it, even my primary doctor. I've been seeing a trichologist and it's been getting better with her, but I feel like I need a dermatologist's opinion to make sure I know what I'm dealing with if it's long-term or if it's just more of an acute thing. Really hoping this isn't long-term.

No whenever my flares subsided, the flakes were gone; when a flare is over, all signs and symptoms should be *gone*.

I do use Nizoral, but if you just condition twice afterwards (not on the scalp!) then you should be fine.

[ontheway]

No whenever my flares subsided, the flakes were gone; when a flare is over, all signs and symptoms should be *gone*.

I do use Nizoral, but if you just condition twice afterwards (not on the scalp!) then you should be fine.

Hmmm, okay. Maybe mine is stubborn. :\

I went to my trichologist a couple of days ago, she did some cleansing and I had no flakes after. She said when I came in (before the cleaning), I had faaaaar less flakes than when she last saw me, and that I was recovering and it was normal for some flaking as my scalp gets adjusted. So I don't know what to think anymore.

I definitely feel more like I don't have the same greasiness as I did before. If anything, my scalp actually feels a lot dryer (not in an awful way, just not greasy). My facial skin is the same, too. I don't wake up with grease on my face anymore, so I wonder if mine's just gradual/improving slowly. I get the feeling that a lot of my hair loss was due to inflammation.

[lapushka]

Hmmm, okay. Maybe mine is stubborn. :\

I went to my trichologist a couple of days ago, she did some cleansing and I had no flakes after. She said when I came in (before the cleaning), I had faaaaar less flakes than when she last saw me, and that I was recovering and it was normal for some flaking as my scalp gets adjusted. So I don't know what to think anymore.

I definitely feel more like I don't have the same greasiness as I did before. If anything, my scalp actually feels a lot dryer (not in an awful way, just not greasy). My facial skin is the same, too. I don't wake up with grease on my face anymore, so I wonder if mine's just gradual/improving slowly. I get the feeling that a lot of my hair loss was due to inflammation.

I'd definitely go see a derm instead of a trichologist. A dermatologist knows a lot more about scalp conditions, I'm willing to bet.

Do you know what shampoo she got you? I seem to remember I asked you before, but I'm not sure if you answered already. :flower:

[ontheway]

I'd definitely go see a derm instead of a trichologist. A dermatologist knows a lot more about scalp conditions, I'm willing to bet.

Do you know what shampoo she got you? I seem to remember I asked you before, but I'm not sure if you answered already. :flower:

Going to my primary doctor tomorrow and will ask for a referral to a dermatologist. The trichologist is helping me at least calm the situation down though, which I need. Dermatologists here don't focus much on hair, even if it's linked to the scalp. But I'm going to push for a referral.

I'm using "Curbicia" by Rene Furterer. I tried Nizoral and it made things flame up and I lost a lot of hair when I used it, my scalp was burning and flaking like crazy.

[lapushka]

Going to my primary doctor tomorrow and will ask for a referral to a dermatologist. The trichologist is helping me at least calm the situation down though, which I need. Dermatologists here don't focus much on hair, even if it's linked to the scalp. But I'm going to push for a referral.

I'm using "Curbicia" by Rene Furterer. I tried Nizoral and it made things flame up and I lost a lot of hair when I used it, my scalp was burning and flaking like crazy.

I've never heard of that shampoo being good for SD. Never. First time I've heard that name drop. Maybe it's just a fancy Head & Shoulders? I'm going to look up the ingredients; hold on. Looks like it's more of a shampoo for oily scalp. It has not even the active ingredient H&S has. Yes, it has camphor but that's like... nothing. And it does have a lot of oils in it (which is not good). I think you need the derm, or something stronger than this, IMMHO. As a sufferer with SD myself.

Hmm, well Nizoral 2% isn't for everyone. There are other options like T-gel (Neutrogena), or Selsun Blue. If you're in the US. I'm not sure what country you're in.

IF it is SD that you have!!! Might also be eczema of psoriasis, because it is odd that your scalp reacted the total opposite with the Nizoral. Most people that can't stand it it doesn't work for but it looks like your scalp freaked the heck out!

Tell the derm that you went to a trichologist, and what all you tried, because that's important. I hope s/he listens to you and that you can get a solution to your issue!

Good luck!

[ontheway]

I've never heard of that shampoo being good for SD. Never. First time I've heard that name drop. Maybe it's just a fancy Head & Shoulders? I'm going to look up the ingredients; hold on. Looks like it's more of a shampoo for oily scalp. It has not even the active ingredient H&S has. Yes, it has camphor but that's like... nothing. And it does have a lot of oils in it (which is not good). I think you need the derm, or something stronger than this, IMMHO. As a sufferer with SD myself.

Hmm, well Nizoral 2% isn't for everyone. There are other options like T-gel (Neutrogena), or Selsun Blue. If you're in the US. I'm not sure what country you're in.

IF it is SD that you have!!! Might also be eczema of psoriasis, because it is odd that your scalp reacted the total opposite with the Nizoral. Most people that can't stand it it doesn't work for but it looks like your scalp freaked the heck out!

Tell the derm that you went to a trichologist, and what all you tried, because that's important. I hope s/he listens to you and that you can get a solution to your issue!

Good luck!

Yeah still waiting on a dermatologist appt.. they take forever here. I live in Canada.

As for the shampoo, it honestly is what helped my skin. I was using H&S, Nizoral, etc... none of those shampoos helped. Maybe they needed more time, but the second I started using the shampoo from the trich, I noticed a difference. I also noticed a big difference when I used a bacterial spray she gave me (which I haven't used in almost 2 weeks, which may also not be helping me right now). Then over the course of a few weeks, it just got a lot better. So it might have been an oily scalp issue combined with an allergic reaction I had to the products I used. I am not convinced that I lost *that much* hair only due to SD. I really don't think people with SD lose that much hair because of flaking... I'm just not convinced. I know it says some places online that it happens, but I lost a LOT in a SHORT amount of time (it was all triggered by the products) and I think it was definitely a reaction to the chemicals in the products I used/to coconut oil clogging my pores as well. I'm only just now seeing new hairs grow in and now I see quite a few at the front of my hairline, and can feel them in other parts of my scalp (it's almost like I shaved parts of my head, I can feel it like a buzz cut at the back). I'm hopeful that my hair will keep growing in! I'm getting used to how my hair looks now, and while it's "normal" thickness for other people, to me it's thin... so I imagine when all my hair comes back in, I'll feel so grateful for having so much of it.

I actually have no idea now what it is. It doesn't look like psoriasis at all and my dr already ruled that out (same with the trich). I do think it's either dry skin/eczema at this point, maybe due to weather, or a mild form of SD. I actually went away for almost a month (to a warmer climate) and my skin didn't flake AT ALL there. I got much more sun, more warmer weather, and no flaking. At. All.

I got back last week and didn't have flaking. I've been sick for the last week and a half... and I just got some flaking today, but I wonder if it's because I just got my period (hormonal?) or because I didn't sleep much last night, or both. I'm really frustrated that I see some flakes. I feel like I'm taking 2 steps back, after so long of being flake-free... but if it's just a monthly thing I'll get one or two days because of my menstrual cycle, I can deal with that. My scalp doesn't feel super oily on day 3 of not washing it, so something has definitely changed. I can feel internal changes in other ways.

I find that changing my diet helped a lot. I cheated a lot during my trip and recently, so I know I have to get back on top of that. I am considering visiting a herbologist to see if I can get a concoction to help, as herbs I was taking at the beginning helped regulate my then-IBS symptoms. I had some IBS-like symptoms a day or two ago from eating old rice so maybe this flare-up is because of that (hopefully means it'll go away in a couple of days). Who even knows?