steroids & anesthesia made my hair really thin.

[jenna]

hi, all. i haven't posted here in a while. it's nice to be back reading.

i had two major surgeries this year - one in june and the other in august. i started taking steroids during my stay at the hospital in june and didn't stop until mid-september. i know that steroids and having anesthesia (twice, in that short amount of time) can make your hair fall out and thin.

i went from having a ponytail that was almost 5" thick to ...well, i guess about 2". i can't measure at the moment since it's up in a turbie.

i know it can take a while for this stuff to leave my system, but is there anything that i can do to help strengthen my hair, make it fuller, etc. etc. ?

TIA.

[Speckla]

I had surgery in Oct 2006 and lost a lot of my hair. What grew out was thin and broke very easily. Taking more B vitamins 6&12, Biotin, and MSM has really helped my hair to thicken up and grow back better than before. Anesthesia is always hard on my body and hair.
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[WindowDressing]

Just words of support here, been there. LHC helped me to cope. But I don't really have any cure for the terrible damage steroids do to all of one's health, not just our manes.

Hang in there, dear jenna.

Love and Hugs!
WD :)

[jenna]

thank you both for your replies.

i already take a b12 supplement. i'll look into biotin and msm.

the steroids were for brain swelling pretty much. and you couldn't stop taking it cold turkey, either or it would feel like your brain was going to implode so i had to wean off of them and it took a while. decadron can make you crave sweets like mad, too. i was so happy to finally get off of it.

definitely did a number on my weight and my hair. and i had people commenting on my hair a lot - noticing that it's not as thick, healthy.

i'll probably head to the HFS within the week and check on the biotin and msm. thanks!

[Darkhorse1]

Keep in mind, any major surgery is major stress to the body--that may have been more the root cause of hair loss. Adding to the fact you had brain swelling, that's very serious! I hope you are doing ok!!

Steroids in general aren't the best, but for medical reasons, are certainly beneficial. Keep in mind, a very high fever and major trauma can cause massive hair shedding. I had a very high fever many years ago and shed a lot of hair due to that. It grows back, but is kinda freaky.

Make sure whatever suppliments you choose to take are okayed by your doctor as your may have some medical concerns that may not allow certain suppliments.

Hugs!

[WindowDressing]

thank you both for your replies.

i already take a b12 supplement. i'll look into biotin and msm.

the steroids were for brain swelling pretty much. and you couldn't stop taking it cold turkey, either or it would feel like your brain was going to implode so i had to wean off of them and it took a while. decadron can make you crave sweets like mad, too. i was so happy to finally get off of it.

definitely did a number on my weight and my hair. and i had people commenting on my hair a lot - noticing that it's not as thick, healthy.

i'll probably head to the HFS within the week and check on the biotin and msm. thanks!


Yes, I've had scores of Decadron shots, Solu-Medrol drips, and Medrol dose paks. At one point my hair was shedding by the handful..It did recover for the most part, but since it has been almost 2 years since the last Decadron shot and Medrol, I think that really helped my hair recover. My doctor said we are done with steroids. I have to deal with whatever happens without them. The weaning was torture.

Hoping you still are under good doctor's care, dear jenna, and checking in before beginning any self-treatment of any kind. Just to be safe, that's all.

Love and Hugs!
WD :)

[Peggy E.]

What WindowDressing has said is important: Be sure your medical team is aware of any sort of ingested treatments you decide to take to promote hair growth and thickness. Even with patches and rubbed on the skin, this goes into your blood stream and could cause you to be at risk, depending on your medical situation.

As wonderful as it is to have long, thick, lovely hair - building a strong, healthy body is the foundation to any changes you hope to make in your hair, or skin, nails, weight - all of it, as well as your attitude, thrives on a healthy body.

Take care of YOU first and your hair will come right along nicely!

[backtolonghair]

have you considered colostrum???




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