I’m a 58 year old female with a cirrhosis diagnosis of ten years. I have been losing hair over approx 12 months. My hairdresser has been monitoring me but today at my appointment she informs me that my hair loss now requires me to request blood tests (she doesn’t know about my liver disease). She is really concerned and I have been in tears. My hair is so important to me. Of course I will speak with the liver nurses and GP but I wondered if any other ladies have experienced similar problems.
I wonder if it could be menapause and stress as we do experience this with family problems etc.
Thanks.
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Oscar21
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Sorry, about your hair loss, have you had your thyroid checked? You should be getting scan of your liver every 6 months to check for cancer, people with liver disease has a higher risk of getting liver cancer, please talk to your doctor about scans to check for liver cancer every 6 months not annually.
Thanks for your reply Sophia and Cazza. I do have regular scans and blood tests every 6 months and nothing has been said by the medics. I have emailed the Specialist Liver Nurses this morning, I find this is the best way of getting in contact with them, they will email me back when they get the chance.
Hi, I'm 62 and have had hair loss. I find it quite distressing I have started using a foam on my scalp called Regaine from Boots. It is expensive but lasts for a couple of months and has made a difference. Stress and menopause do affect your hair as do the medication I on but this has helped me. Not sure if it helps everyone..
Hello . I am 60 with cirrhosis and have the same problem. I used to have thick blonde hair and now have much thinner, drier grey hair. Some of it is hormone related of course but my liver disease has made it worse. I use the Kerastase Genesis range and also Champo. Neither are cheap but make sure you get a serum to use every day. I don't wash my hair that often these days so the leave in serums are important. I am now losing hair at a "normal" rate and hairdresser says I have new growth
Hi Oscar. This is my first post here, but your struggle was so relevant to me right now, I had to get in contact.I am 46, officially not in menopause,
I Had Pneumonia last year and got sepsis. As a result of that hospital stay I was also diagnosed with chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.
During that time (12 months) most of my hair stopped growing. My periods also stopped, as did my hormonal acne. Not a problem until my once beautiful tressess of full long hair started coming out in handfuls.
I now have thin whips.
Thankfully my periods have come back (actually I could do without those), my leg and armpit hair is growing again (I could do without that too!).
My head hair has been more difficult though. I can't replace what is lost, although I can encourage new growth.
I take Biotin, Vitamin D and Zinc. I also use Nioxin which is like Regaine, but Regaine is the gold standard.
Having been told it is not menopause, it is certainly autoimmune, hormonal, or just plain stress.
It's a horrible attack on your self esteem. Luckily I have a wonderful partner to help me through, but it's him I fear finding my struggles unattractive to. Life, what a thing!
Thank you everyone for your responses. I am still waiting for a response from the liver nurses but they will be busy. I will wait and see what their response is and then will probably ring my GP.
My hair is receding on the left side and is quite bad. I now don’t drink, smoke, have false nails, eye lashes etc. My hair is my only pleasure and It has devastated me although I am a positive person, so need to get things in perspective. I’m still here after being diagnosed 10 years ago with cirrhosis due to alcohol. Hopefully the hair loss is only temporary.
I am sorry you are going through this, it is very distressing and difficult to deal with.There are many types of hair loss and only someone experienced in it will be able to tell you which type it is. Most heps (or at least ones I have spoken to) have no idea about hair loss. If your hair is coming out in handfuls, there is a good chance it is "telogen effluvium". Usually we lose 10% of our hair, but when you have telogen effluvium, you can lose anywhere between 30-50% of your hair. Unfortunately, this process can last anywhere between 3-6 months and it can feel like it is never going to stop.
I have done a lot of research on this and there are multiple causes of this type of hair loss. Stress can be an issue; some experience it after a bad car crash, others from planning a wedding or moving country etc. This type of hair loss causes hair loss around the front of the scalp and then if it is severe it will become noticeable along the central part of the scalp, radiating out from the central hairline. Other causes are low ferritin, which would need to be checked by bloods and it needs to be asked for specifically because they only usually check for haemoglobin and then tell you "you're not anaemic". However, you can have normal haemoglobin, but low ferritin.
For good hair growth, you will need( and this varies on which expert you read) a minimum of 70 ferritin. Your diet will NOT improve this, unless you want to eat bucketloads of green veg every day- totally impossible. I have been fobbed off with dietary advice. If you read the experts i.e. doctors who specialise in hair loss, they will tell you, Iron plays a key role. You can supplement your iron with Iron tablets, but you will be better off getting those prescribed. They don't agree with everyone.
Lots of people seem to think Biotin helps, but medical doctors say that biotin will help only a tiny % of people as most people get enough from their diet. I know bitoin tablets are very popular, but honestly most people do not need them.
If it is alopecia, then the hair loss pattern is different. The hair falls out in patches (look up Zoe Lyons if you want to see how alopecia affects someone current) and can grow back. However, there is an autoimmune type of alopecia and because it is autoimmune, then you are reliant on your body to stop attacking your hair follicles. However, the hair can grow back. Alopecia does seem to be triggered mainly by stress.
Personally, I would ask the GP for advice and get the bloods checked. They can do a full iron panel and as others have suggested get the thyroid checked also.
I wish you all the very best and hope that things turn around for you very soon. I don't think people realise how much hair loss can be devastating, so I really do empathise.
My hair was shedding much more than normal a year and a half ago when I first became ill with liver disease. Since I have stopped drinking and became non symptomatic my stomach issues have resolved. My hair has come back thick and beautiful.
Make sure you are eating very high protein, as that is what hair is made of. B vitamins and folate is good too.
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