Since August last, I have been losing hair at an alarming rate. My D.O.
says it's probably due to the trauma of major surgery, but that was in
June. Another theory blamed general anestesia, but the effect from that
usually lasts only a few weeks.
I have increased my protien intake, switched shampoos, started using
cooler water for washing, and am taking a good multi-vitamin, all to
no avail.
I have even stopped wearing it back unless I have to (for work) and now
use a piece of soft leather lace instead of coated elastic to hold it.
My hair stylist nearly had a massive M.I. the last time I saw him; by his
estimate I have about half as much hair as usual, but a thorough check of
the scalp revealed nothing untoward.
The hair is not breaking off, it's falling out, usually with the "roots"
attached. This is making me insane! 
Any ideas or suggestions out there?

25 responses total.

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 Telovium effluvium is the sudden, often dramatic loss of hair in response
to some sort of traumatic event (major illness, starvation, etc).  There
are other conditions to consider, as well  (eg. low thyroid function). 
Treatment may be available, depending on the root cause... (did I really
say that? :)
 A dermatologist is the specialist who takes care of hair disorders.

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<neurotic hair-pulling, which is another cause of hair loss>

<I used to be a neurotic beard-puller (of my own beard only, I
 hasten to add), but have managed to get this behavior under
 control.>

i had a friend tht lost hair for about 6 months, while she was in england,
but once she got home, it stopped...about the same amount as what you've
lost...but i don't think that she did anything to make it stop...it just did.

I know when I shower and wash my hair i pull out hand fulls of hair...Mind
you my hair isnt all that short..it is rather long...but none the less I
worried at first until I realized that my hair wasn't showing any visible
signs of thinning....

Zook!...root cause! <giggle>
Thyroid checked out A-OK in October. My D.O. swears this will stop, and I do
trust him, but the prospect of having less hair than I'm used to *really* bugs
me. <Vanity, thy name is otter.>

it will eventually just a ll grow back in...it may take a while, but it'll
be worth it.  :)

yeah I just unstopped the drain in the  shower with a handfull of my hair...a
handful....

Are you sure it was yours Honey???     ;)

<giggle>

yes...it was long strands...Honey cries over her lost hair....
and stop giggling....

Hey my hair is long!!!
and i know you need a good laugh my dear....;)

YES I did..very much....and I did laugh..*big smile*
that is until  a few more strands ended up on my shoulders not attached to
my head while showering..:)

I should be bald since I have permed my hair on a regular basis since I was
13... 10 years now. I've also colored it. I am going to try and grow this
perm out and see what happens. I've always had thin, fine, baby-like hair that
was flyaway. But my stylist sez as I've gotten older the texture has changed.
Odd. I hadn't heard of hair changing so much.... guess there's no way to make
it grow fast is there?

this is very true but odd to me......
I had thick straight hair until 7 years old..my mom got fed up with it and
grabbed me by the hair and whacked it off straidght across short...the result
curly hair...I still have naturally curly hair ..however every seven years
it changes getting eigher more curly or straighter.
Mr Love is curly haired too and of our three children only our son was curly
haired then at age 14 our daughter developed naturally curly hair previously
being stick straight and fine...(it is very thick now) our youugest child 10
is  fine haired and straight...

Still falling out by the brushful and no sign of regrowth. I will be
completely bald by July.

otter, it would take until July of the year 2000 to make all of your hair fall
out.. <redfox runs her fingers through he baby fine hair with a jelous pout>

i went to school with a girl that used to have very straight hair...and now
it's so curly that she rally can't get a brush through it!!!

Otter, you said you were taking a good multi-vitamin.  How "good"?
Does it have folate, pantothenic acid, biotin, PABA, or especially
inositol?  Adelle Davis said "When animals are put on a diet lacking
inositol, their hair falls out.  If the vitamin is then added to the
diet, their hair grows in again."  

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(In other words, have you had a bad hair year?)

I am having a "bad hair winter".  This winter my hair looks flat and
flyawayish almost every day. I refuse to set it or use a curling iron and
probably need to get a body wave.  But the dry air and weaing scarfs on my
head and sleeping on my hair after washing it every night, are all making it
look dreaful.  Better stop complaining, Audrey, and do something about it.

Gosh, this losing hair thing could be the result of a change in hormones, too.
Some women, like me, have this happen after the hormones readjust following
giving birth.  And i know when my hormones adjusted again with thyroid
replacement therapy it fell out then, too.  Just a thought.

Thanks for asking. It seems that the rate of loss has slowed down quite a bit,
though it still seems high to me. And (lovely!) the ones I lost seem to be
growing back, causing an exterme case of fuzz-head.
I've just decided to say, "whatever!", and ignore it.

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