Eating disorder and hair regrowth

[winnifred17]

Hi all,

I am in constant despair...I became more active in college and restricted calories so I became underweight. At the time it felt like I was being healthy because I was fit but I now realize it was not. As a result, my hair has become very thin (each strand has become a lot finer) to the point where it has half the density it used to, and my eyebrows have become very sparse. I am very sad about all of this. I have been at a normal weight now for about 7 months and have been eating healthy and regular meals but have not seen any improvement in my hair. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and knows how long it will take for the hair to grow back as thick as it used to? I am very worried that I have ruined my hair forever and it will not go back to how it used to be. Please help!!

[Glitch]

Constant despair is basically stress, which can be a pretty big factor in health (hair included). I'm sure feeling mentally balanced will do wonders :) I myself went through a massive surgery years ago, and could barely eat or walk after for a whole year. As you can imagine, I lost a ton of weight, way too much. It took me years to gain it back (personally because of my difficult metabolic system, not due to an eating disorder), and then once I finally did, about 2 years to go back to the hair I used to have previously. Right now, I still have a few inches left of it, but the rest is basically great. My eyebrows became very sparse too, and took even longer than the mane to thicken up again (very recent). A giant factor which kept setting me back all the time was stress, and now that it's been more or less been taken care of as best as it can be for now, my hair has been growing like crazy, thickening up, and my face glows. I know you can get there too, if not way better than you ever were :o I'd say to keep eating well (especially healthy fats like avocado nuts), have your doctor evaluate your BMI if you haven't done that, and find a de-stressing activity (dancing, yoga, whatever). There's no real secret to get your hair to return quickly. It's all an internal process and what you put in (including positivity - lowering the cortisol stress hormones) is what you'll get out eventually. Even though it might feel like forever, time never stops ticking and effort won't betray you. You should also know that the body uses up the nutrients it receives to nourish itself, and then the remainder goes to the hair, as an extra. It will take time for your body to fully heal, even if it looks okay on the outside, and more time for the benefits to reach your hair.

Don't give up :heartbeat Back then, I looked like my body was about to give in any minute and break, so if I can come this far, than so can you <3 Just keep going :)

[Otempura]

Hey girl I've been there and you have hope, I promise. A few years ago I got very stressed out (worked at a bank) and was starving myself... Searched out Pro-Ana on the internet, drank black coffee to keep the hunger pangs at bay, I burned anywhere from 500-800 calories a day, and restricted my calories heavily (started at 1500, tightened up to 1200... then ended up eating anwhere from 500-600 calories a day, all while calculating how many calories I burned as closely as possible....) Took 3 different kinds of diet pills...

Dropped from 230+ down to 130 in a little over 5 months.

Lots of stress, plus malnutrition and the damage from the diet pills was making my hair fall out. It was pretty discoraging. What's worse was I was bleaching my hair at the same time, to get it to a light orange-ish color.

For me I ended up dying it back to my original color and chopping it off to above ear length (I actually got a bob...) Biotin plus food in general (ANY food is better than none) helped the hair start to grow back and thicken up. I struggled a bit (and still do struggle) with binge eating as a result of the mental effects of the anorexia (bit complicated that) but if you get the nutrients back in your diet then the hair on your head will start to improve drastically. Unfortnuately the eyebrows may take a bit longer :/

Baby your hair, eat nutrient rich foods and trust me, it'll help. You may have to cut though because those kinds of big restrictions will put a toll on any hair you have grown. It really depends on how badly the lack of food effected the health of your hair. Also don't stress! You don't need to worry about the hair never growing; it will grow, trust me, it just may take time.

(sorry for the rant, I think this is the most I've ever written on this website.)

[Beckstar]

It's a slow climb back because the rest of your body will get the extra nutrients first. I've lost a fair amount of hair due to disordered eating history. It'll come back. Mine did.

[lapushka]

Hi all,

I am in constant despair...I became more active in college and restricted calories so I became underweight. At the time it felt like I was being healthy because I was fit but I now realize it was not. As a result, my hair has become very thin (each strand has become a lot finer) to the point where it has half the density it used to, and my eyebrows have become very sparse. I am very sad about all of this. I have been at a normal weight now for about 7 months and have been eating healthy and regular meals but have not seen any improvement in my hair. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and knows how long it will take for the hair to grow back as thick as it used to? I am very worried that I have ruined my hair forever and it will not go back to how it used to be. Please help!!

Not to disappoint you, but it takes *years*. I was once on the brink of anorexia, for about 6 months that I wasn't eating right. I lost 1/3 of my hair thickness, and the last 3 months I lost my period. It's when my mom noticed (because I bled heavily, she always noticed in the laundry). She then told me to either shape up or she would not hesitate taking me to the doctor. I shaped up, but the hair had to grow back in (it's like starting from a shaved head with the hair that has to grow back), and it took a few years for that hair to be at around shoulder or a little past.

It's not like snapping your fingers and your hair is "back". That is not how it goes. AND your body has to recover too; something that also doesn't happen overnight.

[The-Young-Maid]

For me it was definitely 6 months to a year before i noticed lots of baby hairs. The rest of your body has to fill out first. Try not to worry about your hair right now, just think about getting fuel for your body. I'd recommend wearing it up often if that's easier. I've been recovering for almost 2 years I think and I've been trimming regularly while the new growth catches up.

[NikitaJane]

I've been in a similar position due to my eating disorder, and I promise you it does get better. Your body will use the nutrients to repair itself first, then if you stick with regular eating, you'll see an improvement in your hair too.

Don't lose hope. 💛

[Queerantine]

Your hair will come back in, provided you properly fuel your body, but to echo others, your body will be repairing the essentials first, so it may take some time to grow in. I had an eating disorder for about four years - my hair took about eight months before it was noticeably sprouting. I was keeping my hair short back then, so I didn't have to wait long for the actual grow-in period. Trims will be your best friend in making it look thicker as it grows in.

Just remember that it's not enough to be a "normal" weight - it's the fuel you're putting in daily. I know that in navigating an emergence from an ED space, we can have some warped ideas of what eating regularly and healthfully looks like, so make sure you're being honest with yourself about whether or not your body is getting the proper fuel it needs to repair everything, including getting enough fat, etc.

Not saying you're not, I'm merely projecting because I remember thinking that because my weight was "normal" my still largely disordered eating must be healthy enough. It was not. BUT - it is now, my hair is healthy, my body is healthy, and it does come back.

Congrats on taking steps toward your mental and physical health - 7 months is quite the accomplishment! You have a lot to be proud of! I know this is a difficult and frustrating time. Just remember you are not alone.

[winnifred17]

Constant despair is basically stress, which can be a pretty big factor in health (hair included). I'm sure feeling mentally balanced will do wonders :) I myself went through a massive surgery years ago, and could barely eat or walk after for a whole year. As you can imagine, I lost a ton of weight, way too much. It took me years to gain it back (personally because of my difficult metabolic system, not due to an eating disorder), and then once I finally did, about 2 years to go back to the hair I used to have previously. Right now, I still have a few inches left of it, but the rest is basically great. My eyebrows became very sparse too, and took even longer than the mane to thicken up again (very recent). A giant factor which kept setting me back all the time was stress, and now that it's been more or less been taken care of as best as it can be for now, my hair has been growing like crazy, thickening up, and my face glows. I know you can get there too, if not way better than you ever were :o I'd say to keep eating well (especially healthy fats like avocado nuts), have your doctor evaluate your BMI if you haven't done that, and find a de-stressing activity (dancing, yoga, whatever). There's no real secret to get your hair to return quickly. It's all an internal process and what you put in (including positivity - lowering the cortisol stress hormones) is what you'll get out eventually. Even though it might feel like forever, time never stops ticking and effort won't betray you. You should also know that the body uses up the nutrients it receives to nourish itself, and then the remainder goes to the hair, as an extra. It will take time for your body to fully heal, even if it looks okay on the outside, and more time for the benefits to reach your hair.

Don't give up :heartbeat Back then, I looked like my body was about to give in any minute and break, so if I can come this far, than so can you <3 Just keep going :)

Thank you so much for your support. I am happy for you that you got your hair back! So your individual hair strands got thinner also? Could you see a difference in a strand once your hair camd back thicker, like did the strand go from thin to thick?

[Glitch]

Thank you so much for your support. I am happy for you that you got your hair back! So your individual hair strands got thinner also? Could you see a difference in a strand once your hair camd back thicker, like did the strand go from thin to thick?

You are so welcome :flower:
Thank you so much! Yes, my strands became very thin, straggly and weak. I lost so much hair too. Of course, I ruined things a lot more once I began bleaching constantly and what not, but this health change had the most severe and sudden impact. Recently, my hair went up by another half inch in thickness. It takes a lot of patience (with evident frustration), but in my opinion and experience, a great recovery is never off the table :) Do you best to remain consistent with healthiness, and your body, hair, skin, many things will speak for themselves as they blossom over time and you build yourself back up :o

[lucid]

Yes, I was underweight (12% body fat) and lost tons of hair. It takes a long time to regrow... I didn't see much regrowth until after a year - it will take time.

Now it's been 2.5 years, and the longest regrowth is armpit length, but most is around shoulder length. The rest of my hair is tailbone length.

Here you can see my regrowth :)
https://s26.postimg.cc/53cp1v1s9/20180522_025633.jpg

[winnifred17]

It's a slow climb back because the rest of your body will get the extra nutrients first. I've lost a fair amount of hair due to disordered eating history. It'll come back. Mine did.

Thanks for your response. How long did it take for yours to grow back? Was each individual strand thinner and then slowly got thick again?

[winnifred17]

Yes, I was underweight (12% body fat) and lost tons of hair. It takes a long time to regrow... I didn't see much regrowth until after a year - it will take time.

Now it's been 2.5 years, and the longest regrowth is armpit length, but most is around shoulder length. The rest of my hair is tailbone length.

Here you can see my regrowth :)
https://s26.postimg.cc/53cp1v1s9/20180522_025633.jpg

Is your hair naturally fine or did it get thinner with being underweight? It looks great!!

[winnifred17]

Hey girl I've been there and you have hope, I promise. A few years ago I got very stressed out (worked at a bank) and was starving myself... Searched out Pro-Ana on the internet, drank black coffee to keep the hunger pangs at bay, I burned anywhere from 500-800 calories a day, and restricted my calories heavily (started at 1500, tightened up to 1200... then ended up eating anwhere from 500-600 calories a day, all while calculating how many calories I burned as closely as possible....) Took 3 different kinds of diet pills...

Dropped from 230+ down to 130 in a little over 5 months.

Lots of stress, plus malnutrition and the damage from the diet pills was making my hair fall out. It was pretty discoraging. What's worse was I was bleaching my hair at the same time, to get it to a light orange-ish color.

For me I ended up dying it back to my original color and chopping it off to above ear length (I actually got a bob...) Biotin plus food in general (ANY food is better than none) helped the hair start to grow back and thicken up. I struggled a bit (and still do struggle) with binge eating as a result of the mental effects of the anorexia (bit complicated that) but if you get the nutrients back in your diet then the hair on your head will start to improve drastically. Unfortnuately the eyebrows may take a bit longer :/

Baby your hair, eat nutrient rich foods and trust me, it'll help. You may have to cut though because those kinds of big restrictions will put a toll on any hair you have grown. It really depends on how badly the lack of food effected the health of your hair. Also don't stress! You don't need to worry about the hair never growing; it will grow, trust me, it just may take time.

(sorry for the rant, I think this is the most I've ever written on this website.)

Thanks so much for your support. Is your hair now back to the state it was in before you went through that period of not eating well? Did each individual strand become thin and then thicken up again once you had better nutrition?

[winnifred17]

Not to disappoint you, but it takes *years*. I was once on the brink of anorexia, for about 6 months that I wasn't eating right. I lost 1/3 of my hair thickness, and the last 3 months I lost my period. It's when my mom noticed (because I bled heavily, she always noticed in the laundry). She then told me to either shape up or she would not hesitate taking me to the doctor. I shaped up, but the hair had to grow back in (it's like starting from a shaved head with the hair that has to grow back), and it took a few years for that hair to be at around shoulder or a little past.

It's not like snapping your fingers and your hair is "back". That is not how it goes. AND your body has to recover too; something that also doesn't happen overnight.

I'm happy for you that your hair grew back. Did each strand become thin and then thicken up again with better nutrition or did you simply lose hair strands?

[lucid]

Is your hair naturally fine or did it get thinner with being underweight? It looks great!!

My hair is naturally fine (individual strand thickness) and pretty thin (below average thickness). My hair didn't get finer when I was underweight (at least not noticeably), but it got thinner - especially around the hairline and sides (at least it was more noticeable there).

It got so thin there that people started commenting about it... it looks normal again now, so it the fullness came back. Of course it takes years for the thickness to travel down (the rest of my hair is at tailbone), but it's not the end of the world.

Hairloss was extremely stressful though, it's a horrible thing to experience...

[lapushka]

I'm happy for you that your hair grew back. Did each strand become thin and then thicken up again with better nutrition or did you simply lose hair strands?

No. You seem to think the strands go thin for some reason. They didn't for me. I just lost hair. Hair strands can't get thinner, or they grow out thinner at the root area. Hair is pretty much dead so the hair you have isn't going to change.

[winnifred17]

No. You seem to think the strands go thin for some reason. They didn't for me. I just lost hair. Hair strands can't get thinner, or they grow out thinner at the root area. Hair is pretty much dead so the hair you have isn't going to change.

Yes sorry! Not being clear. I meant the hair as it grows out might be able to grow out thicker. I guess I'm just hoping for the best at this point.

[lucid]

Yes sorry! Not being clear. I meant the hair as it grows out might be able to grow out thicker. I guess I'm just hoping for the best at this point.

I only have anecdotal evidence for this, but my understanding is that if you are malnourished and/or underweight for a prolonged period of time, you can (and most likely will) experience hairloss, and you may experience each strand getting thinner as well (the new part that grows from your scalp, not the already grown out strands).

When you become healthy again, the hair will regain overall thickness and strand thickness (the stands will have to regrow from the scalp, so it will take time). It seems like the most severe cases aren't able to regain 100% of the thickness, but most will.

[lapushka]

Yes sorry! Not being clear. I meant the hair as it grows out might be able to grow out thicker. I guess I'm just hoping for the best at this point.

Totally understandable, and I'm sorry I didn't understand correctly. :flower:

I hope you're doing OK!

I lost about 1/3 of my hair, and I wasn't even anorexic, I was borderline for 6 months, lost my period the last 3 months, so it was getting dire. And that was enough to wreak such havoc. So imagine if it is full-blown and you aren't nourished properly. I wish you all the best in your recovery.

And BTW, my hair is iii now and 4.25 inches circumference, that's quite a bit of thickness. It all grew in just fine when I was fine again!

[Beckstar]

Double Post.

[Beckstar]

Thanks for your response. How long did it take for yours to grow back? Was each individual strand thinner and then slowly got thick again?

6 months to see little fuzzies around my temples and thinning spots. You could tell the difference. My hair ends were thick, the middle was thinner/weaker, and several inches near the roots were thicker. It wasn't dye or chemical damage. It was due to the difference in my health and nutritional intake. It was a full year before my hair was back to normal.

[winnifred17]

For me it was definitely 6 months to a year before i noticed lots of baby hairs. The rest of your body has to fill out first. Try not to worry about your hair right now, just think about getting fuel for your body. I'd recommend wearing it up often if that's easier. I've been recovering for almost 2 years I think and I've been trimming regularly while the new growth catches up.

Thanks for the information! Did your individual strands of hair start to grow out thinner when you were malnourished? And then did they begin to grow thicker once your nutrition was better for a period of time? Or did you simply experience hair loss

[winnifred17]

I've been in a similar position due to my eating disorder, and I promise you it does get better. Your body will use the nutrients to repair itself first, then if you stick with regular eating, you'll see an improvement in your hair too.

Don't lose hope. 💛

Did your individual strands of hair start to grow out thinner when you were malnourished and then grow thicker again once your nutrition was normal? Or did you simply experience hair loss?

[winnifred17]

Your hair will come back in, provided you properly fuel your body, but to echo others, your body will be repairing the essentials first, so it may take some time to grow in. I had an eating disorder for about four years - my hair took about eight months before it was noticeably sprouting. I was keeping my hair short back then, so I didn't have to wait long for the actual grow-in period. Trims will be your best friend in making it look thicker as it grows in.

Just remember that it's not enough to be a "normal" weight - it's the fuel you're putting in daily. I know that in navigating an emergence from an ED space, we can have some warped ideas of what eating regularly and healthfully looks like, so make sure you're being honest with yourself about whether or not your body is getting the proper fuel it needs to repair everything, including getting enough fat, etc.

Not saying you're not, I'm merely projecting because I remember thinking that because my weight was "normal" my still largely disordered eating must be healthy enough. It was not. BUT - it is now, my hair is healthy, my body is healthy, and it does come back.

Congrats on taking steps toward your mental and physical health - 7 months is quite the accomplishment! You have a lot to be proud of! I know this is a difficult and frustrating time. Just remember you are not alone.

Thanks so much for your support. I'm just hoping for the best at this point. I guess your hair fell out but did you also experience the individual strands of hair growing out thinner/finer during malnourishment and then growing thicker again once you got your nutrition back to normal for a period of time?