Post Transplant Hair?

[BelladonnaBunny]

I'm curious if anyone is or has been in my shoes regarding this.

Background
I've dealt with Chronic Kidney Diease, Dialysis, and currently kidney transplant over the course of 6.5 years. The issues were caused due to deformed/underdeveloped organs.

My hair has fallen out/thinned twice now.

The first was in spring/summer of 2011. This was caused from the crazy amount of steroids, prednisone particularly, I was taking in order to slow the deterioration of my kidneys function. It got so thin I had to keep a hat on so my scalp wouldn't burn. Once that slowed and it began growing, it came back darker and with a very distinct wave/twist. ( This was a slight surprise since I wasn't aware that was even possible until I looked it up) It took a solid 3 years for everything to grow and even itself back out.

Today

Everything is going great in terms of my kidneys now a year since my surgery. My hair thinned again, not nearly as bad as last time, but still enough to make me self conscious and sad.

I'm still on a very small steroid dose, 5mg prednisone, along with several immune suppressants, and general balancing drugs. I did talk with my drs about the loss and they said it could take up to a year for it to slow. Thankfully, it's finally done that.

My question is this:

Once yours slowed, did you immediately go and get the worst of the thin ends and such cut, did you wait a while then do it, of just leave it alone?

How did your hair regrow? Was the texture different, color, thickness?

[BelladonnaBunny]

Bumping it for a minute

[Tinyponies]

Hi Bella, I’ve just seen your introductory post, wow you’ve really been through it! Glad you’re doing ok, and it sounds as if you’ve a great attitude.

I didn’t reply earlier as I’m not in quite the same boat, but I had major surgery on my rib cage in Oct 2017, plus some family bereavements and house moves which triggered a massive shed that lasted about 6 months. I’m not on any medication. I lost maybe a third of my hair, but I’m letting it do it’s thing rather than cut back. It just looks stringy and my plaits aren’t what they used to be.

The regrowth is weird and wonderful, some hairs are coarser than I’m used to but most are baby fine. I had a head full of tiny sprouts sticking straight up for ages. Many more greys than before (I’m 37), which I’m fully embracing.

Wishing you all the best, and welcome here :)

[milosmomma]

I'm glad you're doing better these days and wish you hadn't had to go through all your issues.
I haven't had a transplant shed but I've had two post pregnancy shed which were far milder. I right now have tufts of hairs mixed through out that are about 3 inches long on average. They seem to be the same texture as a majority of my hair. I do have hairs of other textures though, unrelated to shedding I think. I have coarse black curly strands(perfect spirals and long so I know its not shed regrowth) and fine transparent white-ish blonde hairs. I think it's somewhat normal to have mixed strands, but I have also heard of texture changes after major sheds as well.
As far as trimming any thin ends, I would just play it by eye. If you're unhappy then go for a change. If you would be sad o lose the length then just baby the tapered ends. Maybe micro-trimming could be an option for you?
Sorry Im not much help as I've no experience but I am glad you're doing well :)

[BelladonnaBunny]

Thank you both for the welcomes, stories, and suggestions. After I originally posted, I had put my hair up in pigtails simply to get a better look at where the change in thickness started, excluding the fact that one side of hair tends to be a bit thinner anyway, it wasn't as bad as I thought!

If I did a cut, it would probably make my hair shoulder/bsl length just so it's all even and I understand that might be a needed evil once I get a professional opinion.

For now though, I simply trimmed the very ends plus a little and that seems like it's worked. It's not looking nearly as stringy.

[Lady Stardust]

It sounds like you’ve been through a lot BelladonnaBunny. I’m glad to hear that things are improving.

I had thin ends after postpartum shed, and because I was growing out a pixie cut at the same time. I had an inch cut off, and then decided to have half an inch cut every 3 months so that I could grow my hair as well as thickening up the ends. That worked well for me. If my hair hadn’t been at such an awkward length for me, I might have gone for bigger trims.

It felt so much better after the first couple of trims and I stopped worrying about it so much after that.

You can make a lot of progress by maintaining the same length. If your hair grows at the average half an inch per month, you can trim 1.5 inches every 3 months and you’ll see the ends thickening before your very eyes :)