My hair setback (TE), I feel like giving up....(PICS)

[Ivey14]

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[MangaManiac]

Good luck Ivey14! I know what it's like to get discouraged, but don't fret! The stress will make any problems you do have with shedding or hair loss worse. Just vow from now on you're going to step up your game and care for your hair through topical, internal, and spiritual means. Set a small goal for 90 days from now and make it a mantra you can repeat every day. Meditate on it and continue following your hair care journey and you will definitely have a healthy head of hair without excessive shedding or loss. Also, remember to talk to your gyno/physician about the nuvaring and your hair. Sometimes when we stop giving our bodies certain chemicals it's been used to it goes into a kind of shock. But fear not. It never lasts for very long!

 

[msa]

Sorry you're going through this. It's not uncommon for women to have hair issues after they get off of bc. I don't think it will be permanent though. I think the best thing to do is try not to stress about it too much (because that will make it worse). Hopefully, it's not as bad as you think it is.

ETA: I was just looking up TE and it seems like it's completely reversible...

Whatever form of hair loss TE takes, it is fully reversible. The hair follicles are not permanently or irreversibly affected; there are just more hair follicles in a resting state than there should normally be.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/effluviums

From the article it seems like your hair will return to normal pretty quickly if the problem is TE caused by your body's adjustment to stopping the bc.

 

[Ivey14]

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[Avaya]

Dr. Oz says L-Lysine is proven to help thicken hair. I don't know if he meant the actually strands (thicker diameter) or increase the number of hairs that grow (turn on the growth of the hairs that have been shut off). He recommends 1000 mg/day.

Apparently L-Lysine is good for the immune system too.

 

[laurend]

I sent you a PM. However, you need to see a dermatologist, to see what is going on. Don't guess, you might be wrong.

 

[msa]

Looking at your pics, the only place I can see a difference is on the side edges.

But either way, you should go to the doctor just in case it's something else.

 

[Kerryann]

No assuming just go straight to the doc

 

[angelgrl135]

This sounds like the same effects of postpartum hair loss. In both situations you go through a period of increased estrogen (while pregnant or in your case while on bc) then when you get off of the pill (or have the baby) you experience a large amounts of shedding...

Curly Nikki just had an article about this yesterday and your areas of shedding sound very simliar to the ladies with postpartum problems. Read the comments section b/c a lot of ladies chimed in.
http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/10/postpartum-hair-loss.html

HTH- don't worry, the shedding will stop!

 

[Barbie83]

yeah, definitely see your doctor asap. But don't fret; your hair is still gorgeous. I'm sure it's nothing that can't be reversed or improved.

Good luck!

 

[Ivey14]

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[msa]

Something else?? Eek! I think I'm a pretty healthy individual. There was nothing out of the ordinary that's happened to me this year except taking and stopping birth control and adding supplements. These are the only two things I can think of. I don't have thyroid issues (already went to see an Endo for earlier suspicions due to my weight).

And I don't have insurance to afford a Derm....or any doctor for that matter. Not now at least. I'll see what I can do though. I may just wait a couple months to see if the problem persists or declines over time and make a decision then.

I should probably be severely depressed right now, but surprisingly, I have hope that this will pass, now that I have done more research and through your positive inputs.

And now that I think about it, if it doesn't go away and I go bald eventually, I don't think I would mind that either. At least there are wigs and luckily, my SO doesn't care about a woman's hair. Short, long, bald, it don't matter to him. I mean, it is still a scary and sad experience to see your hair fall out easily though. I feel bad that it's happening mostly because I really wanted to reach my goal next year and now I have to wait even longer to recover and get back in the game. Frustrating...

I'll keep you guys posted. And thanks for sharing your thoughts! It adds more hope for me.

I doubt it's something else...but if you get the chance to go in it couldn't hurt. My body always had horrible adjustments to bc so I pretty much think it's that. I'm sure by the time a couple months pass you'll probably have recovered.

And by the way, from the last picture you showed it looks like you're already WL (if you stretched your hair out) or at least really close to it. I don't think you have to worry about reaching your goal at all.

 

[locabouthair]

I'm sorry this is happening to you. I think you should see the derm. I dont think you should cut it.

 

[lilsparkle825]

It's your head so I could be way off base, but I think you're overreacting...I mean, you're already talking about buying wigs and stuff. You know, stress leads to hair loss too, so if you lost a couple of strands and started worrying about that, you may be causing yourself some additional hair loss. Cheer up, your hair looks beautiful from the pictures!

 

[lilanie]

I am lifting you up in prayer - please don't cut your hair; I've cut my hair so many times for my perceived impefections. It always ended up not being as bad as I thought, thus sabatoging my progress over and over.

Reclaim your thick, lush locks, maintain your health and don't focus on it.

 

[shunemite]

There should be a public clinic in your area where you can see a doctor on a sliding scale fee. (I'm assuming you're in America). Family doctors are pretty knowledgeable as well on this topic. Seeing one will definitely help. As a health issue, I really encourage you to go see a doctor. Sometimes there's bigger issues involved with estrogen withdrawal like bones