losing my hair?

[biblobaggins23]

i have been a stable 120lbs for my whole life. at 120 i wasn''t really into exercise and diet, but a year ago i made some health changes in my diet and cut out junk and i do exercise like walking and yoga. i lost 5-6 lbs a year ago and i''ve remained stable at a weight of 114/115/116 and i have not gone above or below that range for almost a year. i always have a regular cycle.i still get the recommended calories for someone my height/weight/age.

i know i don''t have any of the symptoms for anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia....but for some reason my hair has been shedding really badly for the past year. lately in the bath and shower my hair falls out a lot. last night enough fell out (not a massive chunk) to make me worried. i''m scared to shampoo and brush my hair or blow dry it because it falls out!

my question is what is causing this hairloss?

my hypotheses?

-more protein in the diet- (i''ve even started eating eggs because of it!)?????
-kerastase shampoo (irritating my scalp)
-coloring hair?
-i read hair loss can be a bacteria infection??????
-premature hair loss? (not a problem in my family though....)


are there treatments on the market i can buy for hair loss? i''m too young for this...

 

[Lorelei]

It seems this can be a common problem, so first see your doc and then he can refer you if needed to a trichologist for further advice. An exam by a doctor may pick up why this is happening and then give treatment, also this can seem to happen in patterns and resolve itself, but see a pro is my advice. You haven't mentioned how tall you are, how is your weight range for your height just out of interest? Also upping your protein might help in time, but with hair it can take a long time for any improvement to show up.

You also mention colouring, do you colour and do you lighten? I am asking in case what you are seeing is breakage and not actual hair loss. Also are you on any medications?

 

[crown1]

i agree with seeing a dermatologist about the hair loss. i did happen to notice your other thread about anxiety and it made me think about stress causing hair loss. i would definately mention that to the doctor if you are feeling stressed. good luck and keep us updated as to what you find out.

 

[jcrow]

it could be hormonal too.

i had a friend who loss a very noticable amount of hair. she finally found out it was her high dose of birth control. they lowered her dosage and it''s SLOWLY coming back.

and somewhere along the way i wanna say i heard it could have something to do with thyroids.
oh, yeh, i remember... that same friend. she talked to her doc about it and they tested her a thyroid condition. she didn''t have a problem there though.

 

[NYCsparkle]

it could be a thyroid problem---or any # of things previously mentioned. go see a dr. soon...keep us posted.

 

[VegasAngel]

I totally agree that it could be a thyroid issue. A simple blood test will let you know.

 

[poptart]

My friend had a thyroid problem in high school and lost a LOT of her hair. Major thinning. They gave her some medicine for her thyroids and also told her to watch her stress level, and her hair slowly grew back in. So stress and thyroids would be something for you to check.

*M*