Serious illness in teens, permanently ruined hair?

[SilverDoe]

As a child I had really long, fine angelic wavy hair with lovely bouncy curls here & there. In my pre-teens it began thickening somewhat & got much curlier.
But at the age of 13, and probably a few years before, I became anorexic after a long period of binge eating disorder.
I lost over half of my hair, and haven't seen it since. Almost all of my curls disappeared as well.

My eating disorder went in waves all through my teens, but I'm 21 now, and eating better.
Will I ever get some of my hair back? :( I have such a hard time living with myself knowing I've probably ruined my hair for life.

My only hope is that I began chemically dyeing it at that time & carried on to right about 3 months ago. Hoping the dye had something to do with it & some of my hair can recover.
I'm still very depressed & have PTSD combined with general anxiety, could this prevent my hair from returning?

[Elenna]

The body has an amazing ability to heal itself with healthy habits and good nurturing foods. You stopped the commerical hair dye which is usually harsh on the hair and you are eating better. Give yourself time to heal. Learn how to take care of your hair without harsh chemcials or heat.

[henné]

I lost a lot of my hair due to depression and extreme homesickness after I moved to the US at the age of 16 (lost all my friends and most of my family to distance). It came back, but it took its time. The best you can do is not stress/feel sad over it and just do your best to take good care about your hair now - imagine and visualize how it gets thicker and healthier all the time.

I also have PTSD and get depressed occasionally.

[DragonLady]

Your hair loss, which is probably telogen effluvium (TE), is not a permanent thing.

http://www.hairloss-reversible.com/discus/messages/3/47.html


Those with anorexia usually do not consume enough fluids and the result is dehydration. This causes the skin to become dry and flaky. The scalp often becomes bald or patchy. Conversely, hair growth increases on other parts of the torso, which is an attempt by the body to keep itself warm.

http://www.remudaranch.com/resources-a-articles/medical-complications-of-anorexia

I suggest talking to your doctor, and then babying your hair in every way possible for a couple of years before becoming too stressed or worried about it.

[Pooglebloom]

Hey, Silverdoe.. I really feel for you and can sympathise with how you're feeling. I can offer my own experiences, and hopefully you might feel less alone?

I've got polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and severe depression. The gynae issues that I have play havok with my hair (greasy, malting etc) because they're hormonal based problems, but my depression always means when I'm particularly bad, I lose a lot of hair.. I also tear at my hair when I'm really bad. I was recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital and I'm on the mend (mentally) but my physical problems will always be a factor.

Remember hair is made mostly of protein and water, so as long as you eat the right things, you'll be doing some good. I've never had anorexia, but as Elenna said, the body has got a fantastic ability to recover and survive. I wish you all the best! I use low cal, whey protein shakes which are light but filling, full of protein and help with hair growth. Perhaps you could try something similar. :)

[DragonLady]

Whoops! I missed a link: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/effluviums

[Falcore]

The important thing is to look after and nurture yourself and that will reflect on the health of your hair. You've made positive steps by eating better and stopping chemical dye.. give it a little time and I'm sure you'll see a difference :)

P.S You say you've lost your curl.. have you tried the curly girl method?

[SilverDoe]

Thank you so much everyone for the support & quick replies, it really calms me down. :blossom:
I guess I just expected to see some improvement by now, as I've been at a steady calorie intake & weight for a few years, and started CO washing a year ago.
The hair I do have is behaving & looking better, but it's still so incredibly thin & dull looking.
My mother isn't making me feel better either, she keeps telling me it's permanent & due to all my sick years & natural ageing. :(

My curls only show slightly in really humid weather, and as I just fell in love with henna I doubt I'll get any even then.

[turtlelover]

Have you had bloodwork lately? Is there a chance that you could be anemic?

[SilverDoe]

Have you had bloodwork lately? Is there a chance that you could be anemic?

I did have extensive testing both when I was really ill, and about a year ago.
I've never been anemic or had any other obvious deficiency luckily. There were no obvious hormonal issues either, although I still suspect it.
I take specific supplements for hair, containing many B vitamins, iron, biotin, Niacin, Zinc, amino acids & such as well as a large amount of silica.
Still no difference in my hair. :confused:

[Maiken]

Is your body overall doing well? Remember that the hair isn't important to survive. So i will be the first thing the body will stop using energy on, and the last thing it will start using energy on again, when you are recovering.
Just take good care of yourself, and then the hair will slowly come along.

[Freija]

Thank you so much everyone for the support & quick replies, it really calms me down. :blossom:
I guess I just expected to see some improvement by now, as I've been at a steady calorie intake & weight for a few years, and started CO washing a year ago.
The hair I do have is behaving & looking better, but it's still so incredibly thin & dull looking.
My mother isn't making me feel better either, she keeps telling me it's permanent & due to all my sick years & natural ageing. :(

My curls only show slightly in really humid weather, and as I just fell in love with henna I doubt I'll get any even then.

Natural ageing?! You're the same age as me!

I abused my hair all through my teens, and used chemical dyes for about ten years. My curls went away, too. But about a year after I started using henna, I noticed my hair was starting to get wavy again. It wasn't until I cut all my hair off and grew it out virgin, with no dyes, heat or harsh products, that my ringlets came back.

You just need to give it time and be patient, okay? I know it's hard, but you're healthy now and in time, the rest of your body will heal too. Keep taking the multivitamin, it may not seem to be helping much right now, but it will be playing an important role in the long term. And I'm sure your mother means well, but she can't possibly know whether your hair will recover or not. The most any of us can say is that the odds are much in your favour, and that a lot of people here started off in a similar place, but healed and grew long. :flower: Maybe if she tries to comment in the future, you could just tell her that you appreciate the input, but that the negativity really isn't helpful?

Also, just a thought, but if you CO maybe a gentle clarifying wash and then an SMT might help bring back a bit of shine and body? It's possible that your hair is looking a bit dull because of product buildup. Are you 'cone-free?

[sarelis]

Might be worth doing a search for the Monistat threads on here, it's supposed to help thicken up thin hair :)

[Othala]

I would strongly recommend that you consult a dermatologist and/or a trichologist. They will be able to give you an objective evaluation and there may be a problem that you are not aware of that they will be able to resolve.

[swearnsue]

I have very fine and thin hair and massaging castor oil on my scalp once or twice a week has really helped. A ton of little new hairs came in and they are about 4 or 5 inches long now. Of course I'm doing all the other stuff too like vitamins, protein shakes, gentle combing and drinking a lot of water. Your hair will grow back in, try not to listen to your mother, she is dealing with her own issues about that.

[SilverDoe]

Is your body overall doing well? Remember that the hair isn't important to survive. So i will be the first thing the body will stop using energy on, and the last thing it will start using energy on again, when you are recovering.
Just take good care of yourself, and then the hair will slowly come along.

Well I still faint easily, especially due to heat stroke in the summer. My doctor has no idea why this is though, my body's ability to cool itself is quite low.
I can't work out as I have a very low blood pressure as well. And in all honesty I probably need to eat better.


Natural ageing?! You're the same age as me!

I abused my hair all through my teens, and used chemical dyes for about ten years. My curls went away, too. But about a year after I started using henna, I noticed my hair was starting to get wavy again. It wasn't until I cut all my hair off and grew it out virgin, with no dyes, heat or harsh products, that my ringlets came back.

You just need to give it time and be patient, okay? I know it's hard, but you're healthy now and in time, the rest of your body will heal too. Keep taking the multivitamin, it may not seem to be helping much right now, but it will be playing an important role in the long term. And I'm sure your mother means well, but she can't possibly know whether your hair will recover or not. The most any of us can say is that the odds are much in your favour, and that a lot of people here started off in a similar place, but healed and grew long. :flower: Maybe if she tries to comment in the future, you could just tell her that you appreciate the input, but that the negativity really isn't helpful?

Also, just a thought, but if you CO maybe a gentle clarifying wash and then an SMT might help bring back a bit of shine and body? It's possible that your hair is looking a bit dull because of product buildup. Are you 'cone-free?

Thank you, really makes me feel better. :blossom: Henna definitely made my hair feel awesome & more moisturized.
Still waiting for the thickening & strengthening effects though. :cool: But I've only hennaed once so far.
Yes my mother is extremely negative about everything I do or talk about. Unfortunately she doesn't give a damn if I ask her to stop.
I use no cones, and avoid paraffin & other products that create buildup. But I'm sure I need to clarify more often.


I have very fine and thin hair and massaging castor oil on my scalp once or twice a week has really helped. A ton of little new hairs came in and they are about 4 or 5 inches long now. Of course I'm doing all the other stuff too like vitamins, protein shakes, gentle combing and drinking a lot of water. Your hair will grow back in, try not to listen to your mother, she is dealing with her own issues about that.


Oh yes! I've seen really amazing results with castor oil, but unfortunately it's way too difficult to wash out with CO washing, and my scalp freaks out if I put any oil on it. Major shedding.

[SnowWhite]

I had anorexia myself too, in 2009, later boulimia. Also suffered from severe depressions and anxiety.
Now I can say that I'm completely recovered from my eating disorder after a lot of difficulties of course... I don't want to talk too much about myself but perhaps it can help you:
My hair was a disaster too, dry, falling out, but it started to grow and become healthy when my eating pattern got better and healthy, I was less depressed and started to do some sports. I got my period again after a while and even grew another 0,5 cm. (I was 17 and stopped growing while I had my ED so had not expected to grow after I began to eat again).
Hair is a part of your body and stress can cause problems with your health, including your hair so it might be a cause.

When I really started to notice difference is:
I started eating more fats and proteins (I know this is the nightmare of lots of eating disorder patients including myself at the beginning) and I had a healthy diet: not eating too much processed food, a lot of fruits & veggies.
Doing sport was important, and last but not least: I felt not depressed anymore after therapy, taking medicines etc.

Relaxing and taking time for yourself, taking care of your body is so important!
Even just a simple thing like painting your nails or giving your hair a treatment... Perhaps you don't feel relaxed and don't like it at all but the fact that you don't neglect yourself is very good (unconsciously).

Be kind for yourself and take your time to recover physically and mentally. Your hair will benefit in time!
I wish you all best and I hope this will help!:)

[Tota]

My friend had anorexia through her teenage years. It was really bad and we thought we might loose her. Her hair was falling out in strands and she had to cut it short and tease it to make it look better. She was taken to psychiatric hospital when she was 22 and they managed to bring her back to life after a year. She is 25 now and very healthy. She was taught what and how to eat and her body rejuvenated completely. She has beautiful healthy hair now as it was before the illness struck her. Just love and take good care of yourself and your hair will be healthy again when your body rejuvenates.

[Laylah]

Thank God I have not gone through this myself, but my mom and grandma also went through periods of starvation as refugees during their teen years (I hope this pattern doesn't continue in my generation!). My grandma and her brothers and sisters were on the run for years and had malnutrition, eating bark and grass to survive. And then 30 years later she had to go through the same thing again. She is in her 80's now and she has the thickest hair I've ever seen on a senior! Don't worry too much, SilverDoe. If someone can go through that, I'm sure you can too. But seriously, don't worry too much - I think mentality has a lot to do with recovery. Try to keep a good attitude and don't get stressed. When I asked my grandma how she went through all this, she said that whenever things got too hard to bear, she just reminded herself that this life is just temporary... no matter what happens to her body, her soul is undamaged, so she wouldn't have to fear the bullets, the disease, the soldiers, or the starvation and thirst. That really inspires me... I hope it can help you out too! :) Sorry if this was a bit off topic, but I find that story really helpful. It is amazing how attitude can change how an extreme stress, in your case anorexia, will affect you. I pray for you to recover well! :)

[thirstylocks]

First of all, I send many hugs to you! I too suffered from this illness when I was at that age, and it is something I've struggled with every day since my "recovery." In the climax of it, my hair was very thin and fragile also. It didn't help that I constantly straightened it so I could manage it. I have been eating much, much healthier since then. My hair has become significantly thicker, so I hope this gives you the courage that yours will become thicker in time. Just try to eat as healthy as you possibly can, and constantly take your multivitamins. When you get that dark feeling creeping up on you from time to time, which is what happens to me, remember how much you would love to have beautiful hair again and keep your head up!

[HintOfMint]

Thank God I have not gone through this myself, but my mom and grandma also went through periods of starvation as refugees during their teen years (I hope this pattern doesn't continue in my generation!). My grandma and her brothers and sisters were on the run for years and had malnutrition, eating bark and grass to survive. And then 30 years later she had to go through the same thing again. She is in her 80's now and she has the thickest hair I've ever seen on a senior! Don't worry too much, SilverDoe. If someone can go through that, I'm sure you can too. But seriously, don't worry too much - I think mentality has a lot to do with recovery. Try to keep a good attitude and don't get stressed. When I asked my grandma how she went through all this, she said that whenever things got too hard to bear, she just reminded herself that this life is just temporary... no matter what happens to her body, her soul is undamaged, so she wouldn't have to fear the bullets, the disease, the soldiers, or the starvation and thirst. That really inspires me... I hope it can help you out too! :) Sorry if this was a bit off topic, but I find that story really helpful. It is amazing how attitude can change how an extreme stress, in your case anorexia, will affect you. I pray for you to recover well! :)

What an inspiring story of survival. Thank you so much for telling us. If you don't mind me asking, what part of the world is your family from?

[Deborah]

I don't think you could have permanently damaged your hair. As you get further and further away from your eating disorder, I am positive that your hair will catch on, and will return to it's best natural state.

Make sure you eat plenty of protein and some good fats. If you are fainting and have low blood pressure you may have to actually gain a little weight in order to feel better. I know this sounds terrifying to a person who has fought so hard to be thin, but there is healthy slim, and there is unhealthy thin. Be good to yourself and your hair will respond in time.

[heidi w.]

As a child I had really long, fine angelic wavy hair with lovely bouncy curls here & there. In my pre-teens it began thickening somewhat & got much curlier.
But at the age of 13, and probably a few years before, I became anorexic after a long period of binge eating disorder.
I lost over half of my hair, and haven't seen it since. Almost all of my curls disappeared as well.

My eating disorder went in waves all through my teens, but I'm 21 now, and eating better.
Will I ever get some of my hair back? :( I have such a hard time living with myself knowing I've probably ruined my hair for life.

My only hope is that I began chemically dyeing it at that time & carried on to right about 3 months ago. Hoping the dye had something to do with it & some of my hair can recover.
I'm still very depressed & have PTSD combined with general anxiety, could this prevent my hair from returning?

Well, one assumes you have a doctor of some kind that you could ask. I am not aware of the relationship of an eating disorder and hair and it growing back in time. My guess is that if you continue to eat well, it will eventually grow back. Most of us know of the nutritional and hair relationship. One way of getting healthier is to eat better. People will often do something this way for their hair but not for their body. Hair is external; body is internal, so you can watch the external improve. But you can't see the internal improvements. It's not as tangible.

All you can do is ask your doctor regarding the prognosis and what will help you, and continue as you have begun: take care of what you've got and over time things will become better and better. Growing hair that is healthy is not a snap of the fingers. It takes a while, and it's a process. That's just the way it is. So don't give up. 3 months is very brief in terms of growing healthier hair. It's very little time. In fact, it may be just the beginning for you because when you make a change, it takes hair a couple of months to catch up with the new agenda.

Just be patient. It gets better.
heidi w.

[filthygorgeous]

Your hair will recover over time be patient..My sister had years of anorexia, bulimia and chemical dye during same ages as you...she has recovered from it and today has to most beautiful thickest waste length hair I have ever seen! it's incredible! The best thing you can do now is take care of yourself and let your hair recover

[filthygorgeous]

also...take biotin...it's used for hair loss. it's a cheap vitamin you can get anywhere. it will def help

[spidermom]

I think that as you continue to improve your nutrition and your health, your hair will follow. Some of the changes may be due to natural causes. I haven't had the hair I had as a child for a very long time; it's gone through several changes. In my 40s, it went from being relatively straight to nearly curly in places. Few things about a living organism stay the same through life's stages.

[Laylah]

What an inspiring story of survival. Thank you so much for telling us. If you don't mind me asking, what part of the world is your family from?
Those stories are from the [this is just a wikipedia link, but the images may be disturbing] second sino-japanese war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War#Full_scale_invasion_of_China) (Japanese invasion/occupation of China 1930's-1945) and the fall of Saigon/South Vietnam and the Vietnamese boat people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people) (1975). Yes, they give me inspiration too, to not get upset no matter what happens in life. Not all of my family made it on the boats... I never got to meet them. It is a reminder that life can end in an instant - but not to worry and fear and dread what will come, but to accept it, and be thankful for life while we still have it.

[earthnut]

#1. I would talk to a doctor first. We really can't diagnose you. They can run a blood test and make sure you're not deficient in anything and can help you address any lingering mental issues you have from that time.

#2. There is a possibility that your former hair type may never return. It's uncommon, but possible. Serious illness is known to permanently change hair type sometimes. Also, puberty itself can permanently change hair type sometimes. It's hard when you had an attachment to your old hair type. Your hair is part of what make you, you. But *all* hair types can be beautiful, and your current hair type is you too. We are usually our own worst critics. I'll bet your hair is still beautiful and it looks better than you think. :heart:

#3. Focus on making your body and hair healthy and beauty will follow. :blossom: