| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
I was anorexic for about a year where I ate less then 700 calories a day. I had lush dark black hair and now it's so thin everywhere. I've begin eating about 2500 calories or say a day with exercise and take vitamins. In addition, I've started to use Rogaine 5% to help speed up recovery. Any advice or comments? | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: I assume you are a woman. "I had lush dark black hair and now it's so thin everywhere." A reduced caloric intake over a period of time can certainly trigger telogen effluvium. Once the trigger is removed this type of hair loss usually resolves itself but it can take many months. You're now eating good food and getting the vitamins and minerals you need so the trigger is evidently removed. Of course you might not have telogen effluvium. You might have another type of hair loss. No one can diagnose a hair condition over the Internet. If you see a dermatologist, he'll probably give you tests to see if your thyroid and iron are in normal ranges. It's always good to have these two factors ruled out before you elect other treatment. If you are a woman, did you read what has been written about the 5% Rogaine formula? Sometimes the 5% medication can have a systemic effect especially in women. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: One more thing. In the subtopic above yours - Possible Telogen Effluvium - I answered Carole's post. This might be relevant to your problem. But even if it's irrelevant, all the knowledge you can gain about hair growth and hair loss will be helpful. And it will be especially helpful in giving you the sophistication you need in order to avoid treatments that are fraudulent or ineffective. | ||
| Anonymous |
Thanks for the comments. I am already seeing hair growth(I think I am). THere are alot of half inch hairs(alot of them are fine and some unpigmented) growing all over my scalp. I've been off anorexia for about 3 months. I'm hoping that Rogaine is helping. Family members say it's getting better. How long does it usually take for full recovery. Thank you | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: The trigger for the hair loss is apparently gone and your hair is growing back. But you indicated that many if not most of the hair that is growing back is thin and unpigmented. This unpigmented (vellus) hair does not just grow into thick (terminal) hair. The follicles have to cycle first in order to become larger and thereby produce thick hair. This can take time - it can take a few years. But as long as things are improving you'll probably be satisfied. As for a full recovery, sometimes that is too much to expect but it is certainly not impossible. Keep good health habits. I was going to say avoid stress, but after Tuesday, September 11, that's not going to be easy for us. | ||
| Cipone |
Tom, i was following some diets and i lost more than 20 pounds per month several times i tried to loose weight. That was not only once. My question is : do u think this could trigger my hairloss. And if so, is it possible that my hair will grow back in several years ? It's been at least 2 and a half years and my hair looks just the same. How long can it take ? ( i'll keep doing the SE anyway  ) | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Cipone: Dieting with even a 2 pounds a week loss of weight can trigger telogen effluvium. That 20 pounds per month several times could certainly do some damage to your hair follicles. The good news is that telogen effluvium is not usually a permanent condition. But the bad news is that it can take up to 72 months before telogen effluvium resolves itself. It usually take only a year or two though. I hope you're not contemplating more crash diets. And do the scalp exercise night and day - never sleep. | ||
| Cipone |
I do it al the freaking time ! | ||
| Anonymous |
I had anorexia for about four years. I limited myself to rice cakes and fruit and nothing else. My once thick "lion mane" has diminished into stringy, thin strands. Do I have any chance of recovering my previous beutiful hair? Please say yes. | ||
| Freddie |
The only way to know is to eat a well balanced diet and get your weight up. Take a multi-vitamin pill once a day. I am guessing that most of the hair should come back slowly. It may take as much time to get your hair back as it took to lose it. So if that was after the 1 yr mark for you, then it will take a year. The important thing is to eat and get upto a normal to slighly overweight weight. Never starve yourself again. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: Freddie gave you the right advice. Eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals and get enough of the essential fatty acids (EFAs). Supplements will help too. Your hair loss, which is probably telogen effluvium (TE), is not a permanent thing. Get healthy and your hair follicles will respond but the time frame, as Freddie said, might be a year or longer. | ||
| Freddie |
To add on to what Tom said, concentration camp survivors of the second world war (who were reduced to skin and bones) did lose a lot of hair. However after they were rescued by American military or the Red Army, those that survived did regrow their hair. So there is every reason to beleive your hair should come back if it was lost due to malnutrition. The US Army also did a study on the effects of starvation using American volunteers. Their calories were gradually restricted until starvation point and kept that way for some time. I don't remember what was said about hair loss unfortunately. The only thing I recall about the first signs of malnutrition is that finger nails get more brittle and hearing gets sharper (the muscles around the ear drum grow tighter). That's the only two details I remember. I don't know why I cannot remember what was said about hair. Perhaps I did not have my milk shake that morning and was low on nourishment. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Freddie: The cells of finger nails and hair are both mostly the hard protein keratin synthesized by the keratinocytes. That's interesting about the hearing of starved volunteers getting sharper. I was once on a fourteen-day restricted diet (bread and water). My hearing toward the end of this torture was extremely acute. I remember this clearly. | ||
| Freddie |
> I was once on a fourteen-day restricted diet > (bread and water). How did you get yourself in that circumstance? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Freddie: It's an involved story that took place a long time ago when I was in the army. I was going to answer your question with a joke something like - when I was in a Catholic school I had impure thoughts - the priest put me on a restricted diet for penance. But the real episode was no joke. | ||
| Anonymous |
I am 16 and last year I went on an extreme diet in january and in june I had barely any hair left. how much longer will it take for ym hair to grow back? which foods will help me do this? | ||
| AmandaH |
Anonymous...I wish I had an answer for you. Howevery, if i had an answer for you, I would have one for myself. I am 18 (just graduated) and my hair has been falling out since February. It's still falling out and I also have hardly any left. I may seriously need a wig soon. I have been taking vitamins all along and it is still continuing to fall out. The doctors can't even offer me any help. The most I can do is suggest a multi-vitamin. I am with you on this one. I know first hand how extremely depressing this can be. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Amanda H: Natural foods full of nutrients beat a multi-vitimin pill in supplying the body with what it needs. The vitamins and minerals from foods are easily assimilated whereas these nutrients from pills may not be. But people like the easy way and prefer to rely on the magic of popping a pill once a day. | ||
| Amanda |
Tom, I do know that mult-vitamins aren't as easily absorbed. I work at subway and eat subs sometimes twice a day. I think my main problem could be not enough variety. Subs are healthy, but probably not as a meal twice a day. I just wanted to say thanks for the advice you have given me. My hair is still falling out and I am still extremely depressed, but I do apreciate that you are trying your best to help me out. I did read the Keratin site. Actually I have a couple of times. Thanks again. It seems all I can do it wait, and eat. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Amanda: You work at Subway and eat subs twice a day. You say subs are healthy. I eat them too on rare occasions, but I question whether they're healthy. There's a lot of sodium nitrite in these sliced cold meats - that's what gives them the red color. Too much of sodium nitrite is not good for you. I don't know if this glut of sodium nitrite in your system is in any way affecting your hair, but it certainly is not helping it. Does anyone out there know anything about sodium nitrite and hair loss? What about you Searcher? | ||
| Amanda |
Tom: That is good to know. I knew too much sodium was bad for you,and I also knew that deli meats had a lot of sodium in them. I did NOT know, however, that too much sodium could cause your hair to fall out. Maybe I will look around on the internet and see if I can find out any information about it. I just went to the doctor on Thursday, and she did a test to see what some level of something is that has to do with my pituitary gland. She says if it's too low, a pituitary tumor may be my problem. The tests won't come back till Wed. though so I will have to wait and see. | ||
| marc |
I dont think he said that sodium nitrate could cause hairloss. I think he was just saying too much of it cant be good in general, reagrdless of whether or not it could potentially make your hair fall out. | ||
| Anonymous |
Hi, I am 29 and recently have noticed that my beautiful thick hair has become really thin with scalp showing through in many areas.Three years ago I lost about 25 pounds through severe dieting- eating nothing but fruit and vegetables. I have maintained this diet for the past three years, though have started to eat a bit more normally. I am far from what you call a normal eater. My doctors think my hair loss is from PCOD and genetic, though not one of them has asked me about my weight changes/diet. Can my diet be the cause?I really don't wan't to take their pills for the rest of my life! | ||
| marc |
You need more protein and more fats! I think. But ask Tom. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: If I were your doctor, the first questions I'd ask would be abut your diet. You have maintained a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables for the last three years, and previous to that you lost 25 pounds with a severe diet. Your eating habits could very well trigger telogen effluvium. I've written about this hair loss problem many times. Click Search under Utilities on the left and type in "telogen effluvium." Read these threads carefully. You wrote PCOD. I've never heard of this. Do you mean PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)? This is a cause of hair loss also. | ||
| Anonymous |
Thanks Tom, Yes PCOD is PCOS. I may have this though from my knowledge weight loss should help this condition- when I was overweight I had no problems! The doctors have put me on the birth control pill and spironolactone. My concern is that if something else is causing my hair loss , my hair will become dependent on and eventually resistant to the spironolactone. I don't think anyone has a patient who has been on it for many years....I've heard too many horrible stories about women who responded to something or another for a while and then stopped seeing any benefit.Should I wait until the thin patches are a lot more noticeable? My fear is about the future- I don't wan't really thin sparse hair in the next few years- I'm still very young and would like to keep my head of hair into my late forties/fifties. My ferritin was 71- which they concluded to be normal so they gave up the whole diet related issue.I'm still convined there is more to the story- I'm seeking a second opinion. What should I ask the doctor to do? The others didn't even lift up my hair!!!!! One last issue- do you know if women with PCOS have a better outcome than those with AGA without any hormonal causes? Sorry about the rambling but I have so many questions and the doctors just aren't giving me the answers I seek.... | ||
| Anonymous |
Tom,te message above did not come through. Yes PCOS IS PCOS. From my knowledge weight loss should help this condition not worsen it. When I was overweight I had no problems! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: I don't want to comment about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It's a complex endocrine disturbance that requires professional diagnosis and treatment. Your serum ferritin of 71 is within the normal range but some dermatologists suggest getting it to a higher number in order for your hair to respond quicker if you have TE or female pattern hair loss. I don't know what you'd ask your dermatologist. There's a dermatologist in my area that schedules his appointments every ten minutes. This professional wouldn't have time for even one of your question. Rereading you post of June 16 makes me feel that diet is a major factor in you hair problems. I would suggest reading a good book on nutrition and following some of the dietary hints. But stay away from those books by the food faddists who tell you to avoid one thing or another. | ||
| Anonymous |
Hey Everyone, I am only 15 and expierancing major hair loss (200-300 hairs each day). I used to have thick, full, healthy hair... but now my hair is probably half of what it used to be. I went on a pretty limiting diet in January and maintained that diet until June. The diet consisted of mostly veggies and fruits. I did have some starches, but very little protiens. I lost about 35 pounds in a period of 7 months. I'm taking a multi-vitiman and biotin pills now, but I think the hair loss is getting worse! I've corrected the problems in my diet and now have PLENTY of protiens and I'm eating at least 1500 calories each day. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop my hair loss or how long it is going to last? Thanks for the help! -Anonymous | ||
| Alicia |
You said you were taking a multi-vitamin pill. Maybe you should take some minerals too like iron (1500 mg but no more than this), sulfur, copper, and selenium. The iron especially is supposed to help people with hair loss due to restricted diets. | ||
| Anonymous |
so, if you lose weight b/c of poor dieting will rogain help?? ahhh *tear* i used to have such thick heair :-( but im eating better now... | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: Rogaine might help to kick start your hair follicles back into the growing stage, but even better is a good nutritious diet - and no more crash diets. | ||
| Anonymous |
Hi. I'm only 14, but last june I gradually started becoming anorexic. By December, I had lost 20 pounds. I'm now on my road to recovery but I am experiencing hair loss and am too ashamed to tell my family. Is there any way I can try to reverse it without seeing a doctor? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: Anorexia and a quick loss of weight can trigger a form of hair loss that's called telogen effluvium (TE). This form of hair loss can cause a lot of psychological stress in your life, but the hair loss is not permanent. To speed up recovery you should now have a good diet (and that doesn't mean loaded with calories) that contains sufficient iron, the B-complex, and the essential fatty acids like omega-3. If you have some time, read the great article about anorexia in the Microsoft Encarta Enclycopedia. This is a five-part article that will help you to never get into the anorexia mode again. | ||
| RandySmith |
I'm 50 pounds overweight. When I try to lose weight on a 2000 calorie diet, I can feel my hair beginning to fall out. Is hair loss just inevitable when you cut calories? I've got to get this weight off me. I'm starting to show signs of type II diabetes due to the weight. But I don't want to be bald. I also have bone loss problems. Is there a way to supplement the body so there is no bone loss or hair loss but still keep the calories down so i can lose weight? Also, someone mentioned Subway and its sodium problem. I've noticed this too. Subway sandwiches have enough salt in them to kill a horse. Their meats are extremely salty. | ||
| RandySmith |
Also, what EXACTLY causes hair loss when one eats less? Is it lack of nutrition? Lack of calories? Some internal trigger caused by a calorie drop? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Randy Smith: Your 2000 calorie diet is hardly a starvation diet. With a lot of exercise you could possibly loose weight on such a program without jeopardizing your hair. Occasionly when people lose over two pounds a week for a period of time, their hair follicles are triggered into the telogen or resting stage of the hair cycle. The telogen effluvium (TE) that follows is characterized by diffuse hair loss - loss of hair that is not in a pattern. If you're thinking about Subway sandwiches you're not on the way to well-defined abdominal muscles. It's not just the salt, it's the chemicals in the meat and the empty calories. This kind of junk food has no nutritional value. I'll eat one on a rare afternoon, though, because it tastes good. "Also, what EXACTLY causes hair loss when one eats less?" I don't know EXACTLY, but diet specialists suspect that most people's metabolism slows down when they start losing weight very fast. The lowered metabolism may shut off the anagen or growing stage of the hair follicles. Another factor about the lowered metabolism of people who are trying to lose weight fast - when they go off their diets, they gain weight extremely fast. People with a lowered metabolism pack on weight as fast as a bear coming out of hibernation. In other words, rapid loss of weight is often counterproductive. | ||
| RandySmith |
Tom, thanks for being so nice and helpful. I wanted to add some more info about myself. A couple of years ago, I went through a period of depression where i just stopped eating. Sometimes i would lie in bed all day and eat nothing. I went through this two years ago and i am still trying to get my health back. I had hair loss then, and I still don't know if I will ever get it all back. The loss has stopped , and I think some of the hair is back, but definitely not all. Also, I gained about 20 lbs. when I started eating right again - i guess because my metabolism had slowed so much. Now , I need to lose the 20 i gained plus some more, and you are supposed to cut calories to lose weight, but i don't want to start the starvation mode over again. I need to get the weight off but I'm afraid to do anything about it. Well, anyway, thanks for your kind help. P.S. Is this any way to regain bone mass that has been lost due to starvation? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Randy Smith: Prolonged starvation not only causes loss of bone mass, it causes weakening of the heart muscle, tooth and periodontal deterioration, and much more. Many people who have suffered from enforced or self-imposed starvation never fully regain their pre-starvation level of health. A good diet can reverse some of the physical effects of starvation though. Bone mass can be restored but it takes time. Young people have more success than older people in regaining previous levels of health. | ||
| dorothy |
hi, i was borderline anorexic (5'4 105-100 pounds) with no menses for five years! i did not experience telogen effluvium but i just started to notice this year that my hair has thinned dramatically. about 50% is gone. it has a slight androgenetic pattern but mostly it is diffuse. my question is: if it is androgenetic alopecia triggered by low estrogen (from chronic low body weight) is this reversible. i am assuming not, but i am praying for a glimmer of hope. i just turned 30 this month. i am so depressed about this. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Dorothy: Often women who are anorexic or even borderline anorexic, especially if they have less than 17 percent body fat, stop menstruating. The change in hormone levels often triggers telogen effluvium. But you did not experience TE in this period of semi-starvation. Perhaps you were taking a good multi-vitamin and an iron supplement during this period. But now, five years later, you have diffuse thinning and perhaps a pattern of hair loss that looks like the dreaded androgenetic alopecia. Sometimes TE can morph into AGA. The prognosis for AGA is not as optimistic as that for TE. With TE there is often a resolution of the hair loss problem within one year after the trigger (rotten diet) has been removed. With AGA, resolution is not always a sure thing. | ||
| dorothy |
thanks for your response tom, i really appreciate it. i suppose the odd thing is that my hair thinned while i was underweight but i never had TE at all. i think my main problem was lack of protein (i was also vegan) i never noticed a lot of hair coming out, just a gradual diffuse thinning that just became noticable this year. i did get blood levels tested and i was low in iron, low estrogen / progesterone, and borderline thyroid condition. i am still a tad underweight (115 pounds) and my period is still irregular. i am working on all of these deficiencies. my question is: if this is early onset of AGA, if the imbalances are corrected is it reversible? or are the follicles permanently minituarized / damaged. this is a question that i am so confused about. all of the research i have done is not clear on this. it ususally says AGA pattern hairloss with normal hormones / normal bloodwork is basically nonreversible. but what if hormones are seriously out of balance like in my case or in PCOS? you seem extremely knowledgable, can you shed any light on this?? thanks! dorothy | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Dorothy: Dermatologists have a hard time differentiating between TE and AGA in the early stages of both. If you are in the early stages of either there will be some miniaturization of the hair follicles, especially with AGA. With TE, it's mostly the loss of telogen hair with the follicles going into a prolonged resting stage. Miniaturized follicles have the potential to become terminal follicles again although it's not likely without treatment. Dead follicles are dead forever. People who have been bald for a long time - ten years or over - need more than Rogaine or Propecia; they need a miracle. | ||
| dorothy |
Thanks Tom, so i guess you are saying that gradual diffuse thinning (even if it was triggered by low body weight , protein deficiency ect.) will not correct itself with out treatment (because basically it is AGA), and sudden onset hairloss like TE is the only hair loss that will naturally correct itself? Can people who have longterm borderline protein deficiency lose hair gradually or is it always in TE manner? i was never below 100 pounds but i was definitely thin for a long time with no periods. I assume that maybe this triggered AGA but I am still so confused. I guess there is alot of mystery involved. I had one dermatologist tell me in 30 seconds (without asking me anythign abnout myself) that i had AGA, then I had another hair "expert" basically say that he didn't know and I guess that is the truth. Thanks so much for reading and responding. I am so distraught and confused about this. Also, i have this weird feeling that the minoxidil (i have been using it since october) is somehow making things worse. i have a tiny bit of regrowth but I just feel weird about putting this chemical on my raw-feeling scalp every day. Thanks Tom, Dorothy | ||
| dorothy |
i also meant to ask whether aga always worsens over time or does it stabilize? thanks! dorothy | ||
| Anonymous |
What would be the best supplements you would reccomend for a 16 year old girl who was down to a very low weight (about 105 pounds and 5'4", who is now back up to 120 and now has a healthy diet, to correct major hairloss that has occured? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: I assume that you are not the girl but someone concerned about her general health and her hair health. Of course iron is important for good hair. Anorexics are usually lacking in iron. The best source for iron and the enzymes to absorb iron is lean meat. The entire B-complex including B12 is also important as is omega-3. Young people seem to like the foods with lots of trans fats. These processed foods full of trans fats are not good for general health or hair health. The long article about anorexia on the Encarta Encyclopedia that comes with Microsoft products is the best that I've read on the subject. | ||
| Anonymous |
I am feeling so depressed about my hair--it used to be so thick and now it is stringy and I could see by hairline so clearly--it's disgusting! I know I have been eating very little calories--about 1300 a day. But I do not know how to eat more without gaining too much weight. I know my metabolism is so slow. I try to eat some more lean meat--like turkey, but it doesn't seem like my hair will be growing back soon. I am scared I will be bald before long and I am just sixteen! I did not realize how good I had it--is it wise to purchase those hair growing products? They claim to make my hair more thick and long, so is it ok? Please help me--I just don't know what to do! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: I wish I could help you because I know what you must be experiencing at 16 years of age when looks are very important. The reason I can't help you is that an explanation of good nutrition - the kind that could help your hair - would require many pages. You can read my article on - Nutrition - but this is a superficial treatment of the subject. You're getting about 1300 calories a day. If these are "empty" calories from fast food, processed food, soft drinks, and so on - this could have a negative impact on your hair. Vitamin and mineral supplements may help if you persist in eating the kind of food teenagers indulge in. These supplements are not as helpful to hair health, though, as real dietary changes - eating nutritious foods. By eating nutritious foods and doing some aerobic exercise every day, it's possible to change your metabolism, to speed it up. Just replacing the fat on your body with muscle speeds up metabolism. Your slow metabolism is not carved in stone. It can be changed. If it's changed, then you can consume 1500 calories a day without putting on weight - and your hair will start to look better. At age 16 improvement can be fast. Your cells are young and resilient. They'll respond to changes in your life style fast. I hope you'll read a good book on nutrition. I would not recommend the Atkins books even though there are some great suggestions in these books. The danger with Atkins is in the early fat-burning stage of the program. This could be harmful to your health. Go to your library and get a good book on nutrition and follow its guidelines. This will help you a lot. | ||
| Jess |
I used to be an anorexic, but I now made myself eat more. However, my hair is still thin and not thick like it used to be. I feel so much envy everytime I see a girl with thick beautiful hair. Would it work if I use Rogaine even though I just turned 17? Or is there another drug that could help me? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Jess: I can't help you but perhaps someone on this board can give you some suggestions. The reason I don't think I can help you is that your quest is for, "...another drug that could help me?" I've been around anorexics most of my life working at various racetracks throughout the country. Many if not most jockeys are anorexic. I've had long conversations with many of them. There's one thing they have in common in their problems with anorexia - they are looking for that perfect drug, the perfect pill, that will help them with their eating disorder and depression, and even increase their bone density and decrease their tooth decay (older anorexics have a lot of tooth decay). I of course recommend a nutritious diet of natural foods, and staying away from junk foods and processed foods, but I know this is an impossible program for a young person. Hair responds to good nutrition, especially when you're young. But if you're like most 17-year-olds who I know, good nutrition is the last thing you want to hear about. Do you have the Encarta Encyclopedia on your computer? Read that long article on anorexia. It's really good. | ||
| Anonymous |
hi im 23 and ive been on a crash diet myself. i would only eat once a day and drink nothing but water.i lost 60lbs in about 2 or 3 months.im not on it anymore ive started eating right and taking a hair, skin and nail vitiman.but my hair has started thinng out really bad it was really thick but now its not.im scared im going to go bald.my question is will it come back and about how long will it keep thinng out. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: An optimistic estimate of the time frame for telogen effluvium recovery, extreme weight loss being the trigger, is one year. For some the recovery process could take more than two years. Many dermatologists believe that a serum ferritin level above 70 ng/ml is important is speeding up recovery. If your level is low, lean meat is best to raise the level - supplements are the second best choice. It takes several months to bring serum ferritin up to an optimum level. (If you use supplements, don't take too much iron.) | ||
| Jess |
you say that i eat junk food but i don't. after losing so much weight, I read a lot of stuff about health. So i am eating really healthy foods--like fruits and veggies and drinking tons of skim milk. And I eat some fish and chicken. But, I do not understand why my hair won't grow back to normal. Am I not eating enough? Or will my hair and my metabolism always remain like this? And will I ever have back a metabolism like my sister and my brother, who eats everything but stays so thin? I eat no more than 1400 cal a day, but my body is still bigger than theirs. Please tell me what to do. I am trying to get a special doctor to help me, but my mom has to get papers from the family doc ready and stuff so it will be quite awhile before I see one. Thank-you for helping. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Jess: Many people on aerobic exercise programs actually do change their metabolic rate. If you have a nutritious diet and work out daily it's possible that your metabolism will speed up. People who lose weight fast will have a slow metabolic rate for a while - this is not a permanent condition. "I eat no more than 1400 cal a day..." If these are not "empty" calories, 1400 or preferably 1500 or 1600 calories should be enough to provide you with the nutrients for healthy hair. When you get below 1200 calories a day for a period of time, it's likely that the quality of your hair will suffer. | ||
| lacey |
thank u for the info.im so scared im going to go bald ive talked to many different doctors and they all say im not it will eventaully stop fallen out and the hair will come back.when i get back all the vitimans back i lost from the diet.i hope this is true cause i tell myself this everyday so i want flip out. | ||
| Anonymous |
A diet consisting of how many calories will lead to TE? I know my diet of only 800-900 calories a day for several months has caused my hair loss. But I wonder at what amount of calories does it start/stop? Also, I was (as many others here) anorexic four years ago. Lost most of my hair. Recovered. My hair was almost back to normal and now I have had a relapse. It started falling out almost 5 months ago and seems to be worse, and falling out even more. During this relapse I haven't lost that much weight, (25 pounds) and am at a normal healthy weight. Will my hair forever be sensitive, will it ever be normal again, and what should I do with it now, as it is falling out? | ||
| Anonymous |
Hi, I'm fourteen years old and around February of this year, I got myself on a crash diet. By the following June, I had lost almost 30 pounds. I needed to put my weight back on, so I have been trying to gain weight for a little over a month now. I've gained 6 pounds and I take vitamins and calcium pills everday. However, my hair has been falling out like crazy. I first really started to notice it around July, and the problem keeps getting worse. What do I do to stop my hair from falling out?? I was just in the shower and it was the most depressing thing to look at all the hair that had just come right out of my head. What foods can I eat to reverse this? How long will it take for me to regrow my hair? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: You really don't need to consume way over 2000 calories to have a nutritious diet. You have to make your calories count though - no empty calories like fast food, soft drinks, white bread. Make sure you get enough iron in your diet preferably from lean red meat. The omega-3 fatty acids are important too. Eat some fish or walnuts occasionally for this. And get enough of the B-complex - whole-grain breads, vegetables, fruits - the kind of stuff fourteen-year-olds hate. And of course there's that question of how long. I can't answer this because the time frame is so variable. You're young, though, so perhaps six months to a year is a realistic guess. | ||
| pete |
Build upto a good diet - Toms advice is good. 1)lean meats/ oily fish / fruit veg / wholefoods 2)Take a good multi vit/min - with iron /C /B complex included 3)Perhaps additional Zinc 5)Essentail fatty acids - www.equazen.com | ||
| Anonymous |
I have stopped my big diet and started eating healthy foods and also plenty of protein from fish and milk and fortified cereals. And I even use Rogaine 2%. I even started doing the scalp exercises that you advised. Do you think I am doing something wrong, because no new hair is growing. Please give me some advice on what I should do! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: Progress in hair growth is never fast no matter what you may read in advertisements for bogus products. It often takes six months or even a year. If you had telogen effluvium because of anorexia, you should see improvement now that the trigger for the hair loss is gone. Be patient. | ||
| Anonymous |
i was on ana for a couple of months a year and a half ago. consuming 400 cals a day. after that i lost about 80% of my beautiful brown curly hair. however, i ate well and after almost a year my hair grew back and i went from 103-115. then i started chewing & spitting out my food, and gained 20lbs. it was horrible. after c&sing i went back to ana and after only 3 weeks lost 7 lbs and my beautiful hair statred falling out again. my ? is will i experince the same amount of hair loss as before although i restricted my cals to 900 for 3 weeks? PLEASE DON'T CHEW AND SPIT OR FALL INTO THE PITS OF ANOREXIA. they are the two most horrible things one can experince. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: The telogen effluvium triggered by bouts of anorexia is a temporary form of hair loss, but that doesn't mean that your hair will bounce back right after the trigger has been removed. If you keep doing the same things you know you shouldn't do, the telogen effluvium may become chronic. No one can tell you if you will experience the same amount of hair loss that you had the first time or how long it will take to recover. Each individual responds differently to biochemical stress to the hair follicles. | ||
| Anonymous |
Tom I am an 18 yr old female and the past month have drastically lost a lot of hair. I did have anorexia for about 6 months, but my hair didn't fall out until I started eating normal again. I used to have thick, dark and volumous hair. Now it's thin an very depressing. I'm 5'5 and weighed 123, but dropped down to 107. I did not get a period for those 6 months, and was wondering if this is what triggered the hair loss. Is it TE or female balding? I am back to my normal weight and was wondering if this hair problem will reverse itself. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: If you read through this thread on anorexia or through other threads on telogen effluvium, you'll know that hair loss follows the triggers, sometimes by several months. Dropping down to 107 pounds probably brought your body fat below 18 percent. When this happens, you stop menstruating. This of course is a change in your hormone levels. Changes in hormone levels trigger TE just as does quick weight loss. Once you have TE, recovery can take six months to over a year. Good diet, and that means foods with sufficient iron like lean meat, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, etc., can speed up the recovery process. | ||
| Anonymous |
I just had a post about being anorexic for 6 months. So it's for surely TE. Will my hair growth be normal again, or have I ruined some of the follicles? I am eating very well and healthy and am back to my normal weight, so hopefully my hair comes back. thanks again! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: You ask, " Will my hair growth be normal again, or have I ruined some of the follicles?" There can never be a guarantee that your hair will be normal again, but the probability is high that it will be normal again if you stay on a healthy diet. TE does not ruin hair follicles permanently. They'll produce new hair again after they've recovered from the shock of anorexia. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
This page has become too long - too much scrolling. Please post new messages on this topic here - Hair Loss after Anorexia, page 2. |
