TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Apr 2, 2016 12:59:12 GMT
My dd, 16, has been losing a ton of hair. Not huge hunks, but extreme shedding.
She has mentioned it to me a few times, but it wasn't until we were in NYC sharing a hotel room that I noticed how much she was actually losing.
I will call her doc on Monday. I have Graves' disease/thyroid issues, so I will definitely ask that they check for that.
I was also thinking it could be due to her spirolactone she recently started taking for acne.
Any thoughts? Anything I should be considering?
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YooHoot
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by YooHoot on Apr 2, 2016 13:08:16 GMT
Was going to say thyroid or new meds. Poor thing. Did she recently color it? Or flat ironing a lot?
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TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by TankTop on Apr 2, 2016 13:10:06 GMT
Was going to say thyroid or new meds. Poor thing. Did she recently color it? Or flat ironing a lot? No coloring and no flat iron use. |
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gsquaredmom
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Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Apr 2, 2016 13:19:45 GMT
Thyroid or other hormone issue sounds likely.
I think spironolactone actually encourages hair growth.
Maybe have her checked for PCOS and metabolic syndrome?
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Post by atomicdog on Apr 2, 2016 13:24:25 GMT
My daughter went through the same thing - this was probably 8 years ago - she had SUPER thick hair - very curly. She took Acutane for extreme acne and when she had completed the treatment, she found she was losing a ton of hair - she was actually seeing bald patches in places. The dermatologist said it wasn't the meds, but we check thyroid/iron levels, etc and nothing else was off. The hair has grown back a bit -then sheds a bit, in cycles. It's very thin, but if you didn't know how much she had to begin with it doesn't look bad. Encourage her to take biotin and eat healthy. Like others said - no flat irons, watch how she brushes. Mine started to wash her hair every 3 days instead of daily. Good luck - it was traumatic for awhile here, but all good now.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 2, 2016 13:40:17 GMT
Hair loss is extremely common in girls with eating disorders.
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Peamac
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by Peamac on Apr 2, 2016 14:13:42 GMT
(((Hugs))) to you and DD. Hopefully the doctor will be able to help!
Has she been under a lot of stress lately? My brother had a classmate in jr or sr high who had very bad hair loss. I think they determined it was because of the stress of having a little brother (she was very close to him) go through a serious illness. He recovered after a while, but her hair growth never improved, even 20 plus years later. This was back in the 1980's though, so I'm sure there's more information out there now.
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Post by gracieplusthree on Apr 2, 2016 15:54:12 GMT
I also wonder if she has been under stress, I *dropped* large amounts of hair a couple times due to stress, once was after my late dh was diagnosed with cancer--it came back normally then, and then again after he died--of which it never did come back the same and is now not near as super thick as it was(oh how I miss it!!)but it is back and looks normal just that I know its not as thick as it was. definitely check the medical stuff out too.. My hair now has also became straight, after being super curly all my life.. no clue whats caused this but dang it I want my thick curly hair back!!!.. its thought that maybe one of my meds has caused this latest change,but I'm not taking anything that I can stop taking  |
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Post by SallyPA on Apr 2, 2016 16:16:23 GMT
Vitamin deficiencies (often, not always, secondary to eating disorders), thyroid, and hormone imbalances all need to be looked at. It might be normal shedding but I rink it's good to take her in. Also, spironolactone does not cause hair loss at all. It blocks testosterone so may prevent excessive hair growth but doesn't cause loss.
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Post by mirabelleswalker on Apr 2, 2016 16:31:02 GMT
I was given spironolactone for thinning hair, so I doubt that's it.
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Peamac
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea # 418
Posts: 4,229
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Post by Peamac on Apr 2, 2016 17:22:00 GMT
I also wonder if she has been under stress, I *dropped* large amounts of hair a couple times due to stress, once was after my late dh was diagnosed with cancer--it came back normally then, and then again after he died--of which it never did come back the same and is now not near as super thick as it was(oh how I miss it!!)but it is back and looks normal just that I know its not as thick as it was. definitely check the medical stuff out too.. My hair now has also became straight, after being super curly all my life.. no clue whats caused this but dang it I want my thick curly hair back!!!.. its thought that maybe one of my meds has caused this latest change,but I'm not taking anything that I can stop taking My sister-in-law works in a salon and says that menopause can cause your hair to change texture. I've noticed that a lot of my hair is coming in straighter than usual. Instead of a lot of wave and curl, it's coming in fairly straight with a little bit of wave. |
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msliz
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Jun 26, 2014 21:32:34 GMT
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Post by msliz on Apr 2, 2016 17:34:48 GMT
The two I was going to suggest are already mentioned : PCOS and eating disorders, both of which are not uncommon.
DD lost a lot of hair while on Topamax, but it seems to be coming back some with a biotin supplement.
Hope you figure it out.
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NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on Apr 2, 2016 17:40:58 GMT
Check into PCOS. I have that and hair loss is one of the big things (thankfully I don't have this issue that bad). Does she have irregular periods, weight gain and troubling losing weight? If so I'd be leaning towards PCOS.
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Post by compeateropeator on Apr 2, 2016 17:49:48 GMT
Alopecia Areata? Does she have any pitting on her fingernails?
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scrapbug
Full Member
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Jun 26, 2014 0:11:46 GMT
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Post by scrapbug on Apr 2, 2016 21:28:02 GMT
A change in diet will cause a lot of hair shedding.
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TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1,871
Posts: 4,829
Location: On the couch...
Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Apr 2, 2016 21:40:57 GMT
Thank you all so much.
I do not think an eating disorder is the cause. I had an eating disorder in the past, so I would think I would clue in to that. However, she is a teen so my radar will be on high alert.
Thyroid and stress seem to be the most likely for her. Her anxiety has been high lately due to testing at school and getting her license.
We will definitely be following up with her doc. Thank you all for the suggestions and information.
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Post by emelle64 on Apr 2, 2016 23:58:17 GMT
My hair fell out significantly when I was 17 and it turned out that I was (am) hypothyroid.
Emelle
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Post by jenr on Apr 4, 2016 20:33:43 GMT
I am nowhere near my teens anymore  but have had a serious problem with shedding for the last 6 months. My doctor found I had extreme anemia, but also told me that hair loss can become a problem 6 months after an extremely stressful life event. When I thought back to the months prior, it calculated perfectly to a very rough patch in my life. So while others have mentioned checking her iron, it could also be attributed to stress. Good luck to her - I know how hard it is to go through that! |
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but have had a serious problem with shedding for the last 6 months. My doctor found I had extreme anemia, but also told me that hair loss can become a problem 6 months after an extremely stressful life event. When I thought back to the months prior, it calculated perfectly to a very rough patch in my life.