Hair Loss Question

[mitchell66]

Do you think thyroid problems make your hair fall out or break or both?? I have a strange fuzz about 4 cm long all over my head and I'm wondering if my hairs is growing back or is it the broken ends??

[Fruitandnutcase]

Ive got Graves, was or probably still am a bit under as a result of the carbimazole part of block and replace, I'm losing masses of hair isn't of it comes out when I wash it, probably because I try to touch it as little as possible. I think mine seems to be coming out from the roots rather than breaking off as it is mainly long hairs I am finding. Hopefully yours is growing back

Liz

[Mouse]

My hair falls out constantly. When I wash my hair the plug hole is full of hair and when I comb it hair falls onto the floor.

I was told by someone on this site that low ferritin can also be a cause as my levels are within range but low. I am now taking an iron supplement and I think that it has improved slightly.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Mouse]

You're right, I'm working up to asking to have iron / ferratin tested. I tried evening primrose oil but I felt that they made me gain weight so I stopped. I've never lost hair on this scale before.

Liz

[hblower in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Hi Liz

I am on arimidex for breast cancer, which give hot flushes and other side affects, I mentioned this to a stand in Dr who advised evening primrose, I then had a book from Breast Cancer Care, evening primrose had been researched and offers no more than placebo.

Best wishes Helen

[puncturedbicycle]

I continue to lose a lot of hair but somehow it is no longer visibly thinning, so I think all those little fluffy hairs are from my hair growing back. I can also see little clumps of short, fine hair at my temples (where it has always been a bit thin). I suppose you can get brittle/breakable hair from uat, so it could be broken hair (like what you see on slebs with over-straightened hair), but if it all looks the same short length I'd be inclined to be optimistic and assume it is regrowth. Broken hair would be a variety of lengths.

Do you process (colour, straighten, curl, perm, etc) your hair at all?

[mitchell66 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

no, hair is untreated, try to have it cut regularly, its fine anyway. Sine being on the levo i have this fuzz, like you say temples, and very noticeable at the parting. Really hoping it's regrowth and not split ends lol

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to puncturedbicycle]

No I haven't done anything to it for years. I've gone grey at the front and temples, it is weird because if I do my hair in its normal bob you don't really see the grey but if you comb it straight back you reveal all the grey. My hairdresser thinks it is great fun to do it both ways for the benefit of anyone who happens to be around - he says I am lucky to have it and he will never let me dye it! Might not look so old and tired if I did - on the other hand it might just all fall out if I ill treat it!

I'm going for a trim on Friday so I will ask him to have a close look and see if he can see what is going on. It looks thinner all over now and it is definitely full length hairs that are coming out.

How long has it taken you to get to the stage where it is no longer visibly thinning?

Liz

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Liz my hair is identical - short bob with grey at sides - and if I just wear it normally you can't see the grey at all, but if I tuck it behind my ears there it is. I think it's ageing and sometimes I dye it back to my natural colour - v dark brown, almost black - but I can't be bothered to do anything about it at the moment. Unlike yours, my hairdresser is always yammering on about colouring it but she just wants to supplement her income.

I'm not sure how long it took to come back to normal thickness. It took me ages to figure out it had thinned at all because I have a lot of hair and the thin places were not very visible to me. In the strong light over the bathroom sink I eventually noticed that I could see my scalp and when I put my hair up I could see how thin it had become around my ears. I guess I've been on levo for about 18mos or so, but it took a while to get up to the right dose and I think it was only then that things started to happen. If I guessed I would say it took almost a year - ? And my eyebrows look better now too.

My hair continues to fall out impressively. I went out to dinner and there was my hair on the white tablecloth before my bum had even hit the chair. When I wash it, I find it on my hands, in the drain and stuck all over my body, and this is after I've brushed it thoroughly before washing. Bonkers.

[Haynton]

forgot to say that doctor also mentioned that my cholesterol was on the high side too