Hair falling out after ICU stay

[Dolphinsandwales]

My hair has been falling out in strands every day since I got out of ICU the support group I attended told me it was linked to being in ICU which didn't register with me at the time. My question is, am I liable to loose all my hair?

Will it grow back?

I hope someone can answer my question, thanks in advance.

[Sepsur]

telagon effluvium is common, you may find your skin is flaky and your nails are poor too.

The body in trauma directs all essential resources towards fight the infections and keeping vital organs functioning - hair, skin & nails are secondary.

So all your hair goes through is normal cycle but goes into its dormant phase all at the same time - not piecemeal as it would under normal circumstances - ie you lose & regrow some hair all the time. Not in trauma - there is often a delay of a couple of months - so it can fall out much later when we get home. Mine grew back softer & blonder 🤪

[Fingerlickinggood in reply to Sepsur]

My hair started to grow back after about 8 months I was upset about it my nails are still work in progress tissue paper thin and grow very slowly I hope the grow harder

[Dolphinsandwales in reply to Sepsur]

Thanks for the information

[Dolphinsandwales in reply to Sepsur]

Thanks for the information

[Heretotellthetale_]

hi, I lost approx 60% of my hair and I decided to take control and have it all cut short. New hair had already begun to grow so I was confident I would regrow. I also take numerous supplements. From what I’ve learnt losing hair is really common, I guess our bodies don’t worry about our hair, nails and skin while critically ill but I really struggled psychologically until I took charge. That was about 3 weeks ago and everyone loves it!! Me included

[Dolphinsandwales in reply to Heretotellthetale_]

Thanks for the information

[downthemoor]

Mine started coming out after 3 months...very traumatic as noone had told me ...had to google it to find it was 'normal' . It got very thin but has grown back ...coarser and oddly curlier

[Dolphinsandwales]

Thanks for the information

[SummerFruity]

I can so relate to this. My hair fell out in handfuls - I was so worried! But it's growing back now and I have a ton of new hair. I can't straighten it anymore because it's so thick on top. Don't worry it will come back. Excuse the mask 😷

Thin hair and 9 months later, thicker hair

[Dolphinsandwales in reply to SummerFruity]

Thankyou for the reassurance

[Luara82]

Mine fell out aswell 9yrs ago. I got it cut as short as I could without shaving it. It came back like baby hair + very curly. It is awful at the time as I had never had my hair shorter than shoulders but it was only another stepping stone to getting better. X

[Dolphinsandwales in reply to Luara82]

Thanks for the information

[Lynn2010]

my hair fell out, the skin on my hands and feet peeled off. Mine came back. I was told your body puts all its resources into the essential organs so hair, nails and skin suffer. It’s quite normal but sadly not something they tell you about when you leave icu.

[Lucindar]

I was in ICU in February and for some reason, I didn’t get the delay with hair loss- from my first shower in hospital, hair has been coming out!! The process of losing hair for 4 months has made me appreciate how much I had in the first place (which I never felt was a lot). I had long hair, so my first top tip is cut it shorter- bobs are trending right now! It makes it a lot less daunting when those clumps come out in the shower and it instantly makes it look fuller if you go for a blunt cut. I’ve since gone for a shorter Bob BUT have realised that I’m now at the point where it just doesn’t look good and I had a day of crying a couple of weeks ago.

HOWEVER- it is growing back. I have little tufts all over the place! I lost a lot around my parting and now that part of my head is so fuzzy! I’m going to end up with a crazy mullet if I don’t go for the pixie cut chop, which I’m gearing myself up for. Using it as a good excuse to experiment!

I’m sure you have been on google and found this out already, but the hair that is going is gone- there is no saving it. You need to focus on that regrowth! So hair supplements- I’ve been using centred hair vitamins and also boosting with more biotin. You need to look after that scalp- try rosemary oil once a week (I’ve been using centred for that too). I think the MOST important thing is head massaging- you need to get the blood to that scalp! So I’ve been massaging in a growth serum (vegamour) everyday (just using my finger tips) and I’ve also started using a seven star needle hammer twice a day. Look like an absolute plonker hitting my scalp with a little hammer, but it’s all for the cause!

It will come back on its own, I’ve just been trying to help it along. I’m not back at work yet, but I imagine keeping up with my treatments will be tricky when I do 😅 Trying to see this as the opportunity to get my hair the healthiest it’s ever been! It’s a horrible process, but it WILL get better.