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Hi guys, I rarely ask for help, but I am having a serious problem with severe shedding and I am very saddened and worried about it. I am shedding twice as much as normal and I am having greatly increased oil production as well. What you see is 910 mg. of hair. Most is from washing, but about 300 mg. is from shedding in between washing.
I have stopped taking glucosamine/chondroitin which can cause hair loss, and will be taking MSM instead. Both are good for joints but MSM is supposed to be good for hair too. Is there anyone here that knows what dietary supplements should be avoided to keep hair shedding to a minimum? Also what should I be taking to minimize hair shedding? I am going to take a high potency biotin supplement in hope that it will control the shedding. It is 5 mg. so I will take it every 2 days instead of daily.
If I am unable to resolve this, my hair is going to get thin in maybe a year. The severe shedding started about June 15th. Does anyone here know what can trigger severe shedding? I am wondering if my hair growth cycle has gone from 7 years to maybe 3. If so, I will only be able to have mid back length hair in the not too distant future. I am 55 years old. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Scott
Hi Scott
Sorry to hear of this, but if this is of any help, I too have noticed the biggest excess of shedding ever this year I have ever known which is peaking right now. I have not myself given it any worry because I go through a yearly shedding period beginning about the end of June and extending until about the end of Sept. August has ALWAYS been the time when the hair comes out so unbelievable. OMG: you should see the daily amount now.
I have a few medications that I have to take, and now insulin has been added. Despite all, whatever I have ever taken has had no effect on my hair that I have noticed.
Somehow I recall that you had a similar shedding period around the same time of year as do I?
My suggestion would be to see a dr. right away about this for the reason of "puting your mind at ease." It is always worse not to know as the mind can then go in a million different directions and eat the person up.
Looking into my crystal ball, I do not see that you are headed for a bad problem and that what is going on now is most likely something that was going to happen anyway. (Lots of terminal hairs have come to the end of their cycle.) And besides, that crystal ball was given to me by a wizard once who resided in the land of ozz.
We will get other opinions I hope, but for now you know mine and I KNOW just what it is like to a longhair who cherishes what they have to suddenly think that it will be taken from them. No fun at all!
Take care Scott-
Justin~
So how much are you losing, Justin? Is it as bad as in the photo? That is from one washing and 2 days in between washing. This is way too much.
It is good that the meds have not affected your hair.
I shed a little more in summer, but nothing like this. I started keeping records on 9/19/2005. (It is possible I have shed similar amounts before I started keeping records.)
I already have, and my blood tests are all normal.
I sure hope you are right. Do you get a proliferation of new growth after a severe shed cycle?
Thanks, Justin.
Scott
Hey Scott-
I wash once a week and have been doing so for years now. (Seems to need it less the longer the hair is.) Washing day right now looses about as much as you have shown and the most of all compared to the other days of simply finger-combing which in itself right now has scads of long hairs to show for it. Despite all, by the end of the shedding season for me a ponyband may fit a little more loose, but in 3 months all is back once again nice and thick and tight.
Yes, it IS possible. Perhaps a whole bunch of terminals have decided that it is now time for a changing of the guard so that new hairs will take their place.
Well, if all seems ok this is a good sign. And if the dr. has told you there is nothing to worry about, might as well take his word for it and try not to worry. (Easier said then done when long hair means so much to one.) Now, "if" by the end of Sept. the shedding is STILL going on at this rate, I myself would then seek another opinion.
Always and it has never failed as of yet.
Just a thought Scott. Wash once a week right now. And of course everyday do the finger-combing first followed by wide toothed comb and then boars bristle brush. (Lots of hair to pick out of that brush.) Notice that the hairs that come out are NOT tugged-out...........they have already fallen but are still lodged in with the other hairs.Then, when wash day comes you will see the most dislodged hairs of all, but most likely not as many as you are seeing now. I just don't know what it is, and here I am talking about myself, but, if I were to wash as often as you or every day I would see MANY MORE lost hairs regardless of my yearly shedding period.
I will be washing today and will take a photo for you of the amount that has fallen-out.
Take care Scott and try not to worry.
Justin~
Have you done any reading on this? You might get some clues. try googling "hair loss causes" here's a start below (sort of an overview).
Sudden stress can be a cause. Do you notice any particular part of your scalp that is suddenly showing through? I don't know what to make of the increase in sebum. I take 5 mg biotin every day. you might try adding soy to your diet because it somehow counters the effects of testosterone (can't recall the details). You can get organic soy powder at health food stores and mix it with things you eat or drink as it doesn't have much taste by itself as far as I can tell. This may not help your current problem but it's not a bad idea to start this anyway because soy is supposed to be good for the prostate and I have a hunch that anything that is good for the prostate and acts against testosterone probably helps counter MPB. You say you quit taking glucosamine condroitin (or something like that) Maybe that was it right there. If you just quit it, you probably won't notice any change right away because there's a lag time between cause and scalp effect. If you started taking the g/c late last year, then the shedding in June would be about right I think...6 months.
Finally, anything that's generally bad for skin (smoking, lots of alcohol, lots of animal and dairy saturated fat....) is going to be bad for hair. And as you probably know, a generally healthy diet is good for it. Well, this is getting obnoxiously long and preachy so I'll quit it. good luck.
Hi Rob, I have read a bit and found that glucosamine/chondroitin can cause hair to fall out. I won't take it any more. I will take MSM instead.
I have always been pathologically high strung and stressed. That has not changed. The hair is shedding from all over and not just from one spot. My testosterone is only 424. The test range is 299 to 999. That puts me about here:
299...424.................999 I am at low end of normal.
I don't smoke and have not consumed any alcohol in years. (I was exposed to smokey air from multiple forest fires. I live in California-the fire state.) I eat low fat cheese, just a few ounces per day. Most fat is from nuts and other vegetable sources. Thanks for your input Rob.
Scott
By the sounds of things scott, you have a healthy diet and you take good care of your health. I on the other hand could be healthier - i smoke and drink plenty of alcohal weekly. I have not noticed much hair shedding (i have been growing my hair for 4.5 years and i am 20 years old)
I hate to say it but maybe you are shedding lots of hair because you are getting older
Hi Scott,
I'm really sorry to hear you are losing hair, but please realize that all of us as we age do. You have been immensely blessed to have hair into your fifties that many guys in their thirties would die for. I have several longhair friends whom I have known for thirty years. All of them are our age now, all of them had hair down to their waist when I met them, and all of them have hair about half that long now.
Friends with terminal length beards say the same percentage of shortening has happened with their beards as the years go by.
Absent a medical condition, I highly doubt you will ever have hair as short as most guys your age. You will continue to be among the frontrunners in the masters division. You just aren't going to finish before the spring chickens anymore. That's just a fact of life in the gray lane.
Seriously consider this quote from the series of excellent pages from Mayo Clinic which Rob linked in his post to this thread: The over-the-counter (nonprescription) medication minoxidil (Rogaine) promotes new hair growth and prevents further hair loss in a small percentage of people. Other over-the-counter hair growth products have no proven benefit.
In other words, if you don't get it from your doctor, other than Rogaine, don't take it for hair loss, because it won't help. I know you are a man who values his health and is picky what you put down the hatch. I also know you have lots of snakes, but please stay away from the snake OIL.
Hugs,
Bill
Hi Bill, I still think it is something with my dietary supplements. I have seen people with hair much longer than mine in their 70s. There are men in Asia and India that are really old with super long hair. In fact, they set world records for hair length. There has to be something to that.
I really don't think MSM and biotin is snake oil. Biotin lengthens the active growth cycle of hair. (the longer the growth cycle, the longer your hair will grow. By increasing that growth cycle by one year, you gain 6 more inches of length.) I am going to cautiously try tweaking my diet and supplements before settling for shorter hair. Thanks Bill.
Big hugs,
Scott
Hi Absalom........Well, here is my two cents....i think you should contact a dermatologist pronto......sure, you can ask us for advice and opinions, but the way tou worded your post makes it obvious that you are very concerned about what this hair loss will mean for your future hair growth. So, I would not delay and see a professional who can give you more options to pursue. That being said, you are 55, and your hair is longer tham most men your age (probably 99.9% of most 55 years old if I could venture an educated guess).....and it is unlikely that your hair would be as long thick and luxurious as it was when you were younger. Very few men escape this fact as they age, and yeah, it sucks.....but you may be the very rare exception who has the hair of a twenty year old when you are in your fifties....So, I would see a dermatologist....and if he turns out to be a bald doctor like the second to last one I saw, then I'd go to a more sympathetic dermatologist who understands that long hair is not "just hair..so get over it (if you are losing it)...there's nothing you can do about it....." That's what the hairless dermatologist told me, so i went and saw another one...and i am still a longhair today at 49........
That being said, I like reading the posts...I usually pick up some bit of wisdom or useful advice from you guys......and Absalom, I did not know glucosamine/condroitin COULD cause hair loss.....i am still a marathon runner and was taking it as a precaution, so now i am going to look into alternatives...so i thank you for that piece of advice....Now I wonder why i never read about hair loss being a possible side effect.....a fact I would have picked up on immediately if I had read that before..And for all of you reading this post, if you are wanting long hair, just grow it....no trims...no worrying about the awkward stage...just enjoy the journey....who knows how long you can have long hair.....and if you are fortunate to still have longer hair when you are older, it might not be as thick and as long as it once was.....so enjoy it while you can......to paraphrase our friend EdG, he has long hair because it is his body's natural hair style...and that's a great reason and a wonderful incentive to keep it long for me.
Sorry to hear you are going through such hair loss, hopefuly it is a temporary stage, or the Glucosamine/Chondroiton you were taking. I can vouch for the MSM. MSM promotes collagen production, which is why it works so well for joints. Collagen is also a basic prponent of hair, so it does benefit hair as well. I have been using MSM for around 6 months now, and I am definitely noticing a difference. Glucosamine/Chondroiton is not for everyone. People with Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Hyperglycemia and Insulin Resistance need to stay away from Glucosamine, as it exacerbates these conditions.
MSM is a safe suplement that anyone can take. Most important, try not too worry too much, as stress itself causes hair loss too. I hope you find a resolution, as you have had one of the nicest heads of long hair among you older men. Considering you have kept it as long as you have, it is unlikely you are suddenly going to go bald, or something. More likely, you will have to deal with a shorter terminal length, and possibly thinner hair. There is also Minoxidyl or Propecia to look into as well.
Sorry to hear that.
I don't know if there is anything one can do about shedding, but I do notice that I shed the most in the summer when it's hot, and also that stress seems to increase shedding.
So try to relax and stay cool. I'm not sure if that will help, but it may be good to do anyway.
Ed
Hello Scott. Sorry to hear about your problem.
I'm pretty sure you wondered about that, but just in case...
Have you noticed a change in your overall physical condition. For example, are you suddenly extremely tired ? I see you saw a doctor. Was it just for the hair problem ?
Have you measure the hair you shed ? Is it only long and old hair ? Or do you found short which mustn't be there ?
Have you passed through some sudden changes of climat ? I've experiment things like that, 2 years ago, during the whole Autumn which had sudden temperature changes.
Keep in mind that at 55 you're blessed with that some men won't ever have, even in their 20s.
Take care :)
Bye
Vivien
Hi Scott,
I am sorry to read that this issue is troubling you. Maybe it is just a cyclical event that will resolve itself. If you have had no other changes in your life -- health, diet, etc., then your increase in shedding could just be seasonal. During May and June, I was shedding hair at what seemed to be a high rate. The hair having been shed in between washing and combing was making dreadlock tangles and all sorts of icky things. It was a mess and when I would comb it, there would be what seemed like way too much hair lost. But now, I am shedding much less, and I am not doing anything different for better or worse in terms of diet, exercise, etc.
I doubt that you have undergone any radical change that would have reduced your growth cycle so severely as you describe, but I would also take the good advice that some others have given and look into a dermatologist or some of the anti-hairloss medications if you determine that the problem is continuing.
I am sure you know this and just left it out of your post, but what is the number of strands per day that you are losing, rather than the measure by weight?
Good luck, Matt B.
This is more just a post to let you know you're not alone. I have experienced the worst shedding of my life in the exact same time frame that you have. My hair at the hemline has thinned noticably to the point that I actually cut three inches off the back. It looks much healthier now.
I don't notice any thinning on the top of my head so I'm hopeful that I can regrow what I lost. I also notice a lot of halo hairs that appear to be regrowth. Do you notice shorter hairs springing from your scalp that could also be regrowth?
We might both just be going through a bad shedding cycle that isn't permanent. Let's try to keep positive!
Jason
Hi Jason, thanks. I hope this is temporary too. I hope it is just laying the foundation for new growth. I don't see any halo of very short new hairs yet. That would not be noticable for a few months. I do have a lot of hairs maybe 6 inches long right now. Maybe the shedding is due to all the newer growth, you may be on to something.
Scott
I'm sorry that this is worrying you :(.
I think the MSM should work out if tthats what it's meant to do. I hope it does. However this time of year is terrible for hair shedding (my hair blocks the clean drain every time I wash it!) so it could just be temporary.
Other than that yeah see a dermatologist or try to avoid stress (useless advice i know but it's amazing how many problems stress causes in the body)...
I guess the others said other types of advice hehe.
Take care
Shawn
Hi Scott,
I am genuinely sorry to hear about this shedding, and I hope it is not too serious. I know that some guys go through "cycles" of excess shedding, and the summer is a fairly common time for this. I find it difficult to "count" the shed hairs I lose each day, although I don't think my shedding is particularly excessive. I have been taking MSM for about a year, since I have heard that it is good for the overall strength of the hair strands.
Perhaps it might be worthwhile to make an appointment to see a dermatologist if the shedding continues. However, my thought is still that you are going through a "cycle" right now.
Take care,
david
Hi Scot,
I too seem to be shedding a bit more than normal although if I think back to the first time I grew my hair out (97-00) the same would happen ocassionally. This time around I don't get too worked up because after 10 years my hair doesn't seem to be any thinner. I've always been thin at the crown, even those 10 years ago. I think your idea of switching to MSM is excellent, but you'll have to give it time in order to see the results. Heck, I tend to ache more now (we're about the same age) so I may start taking MSM! I'll have to check to see if it affects iron levels, I have hemochromatosis so I have to be careful.
You, out of any of us, have a good understanding of health and it's effects on hair and it sounds like you'll weather this just fine. Good luck my friend.
Bruce
I'm sure it's just a cycle Scott. In that case I'd better check my plughole this weekend and have a count!
Cheers,
John.B
Is the 910 mg from one washing or an accumulation over a period of time? I wouldn't worry just yet until the bald patch appears.
Keeping fingers crossed.
Kevin
It is from one washing plus 2 days in between. That is why I am worried. I think it is shedding from all over, there is no thinning spot.
Scott
It seems like this summer or this time frame is a bad period of shedding not only for Scott but for some others as well. Maybe its just the weather or even global warming?
Hi Scott.Hey I think you are getting too worked up over the shedding as even I had a bit of that going on during this hot,humid summer as well.It eventually slowed to its normal rate of shed hairs so no worries here.I also take that same supplement you are using and its never hurt my hair and I've used it for many,many years.In particular I use CosaminDS which is on the expensive side compared with other brands but I feel its helped me a lot.So Scott just take it easy and I'm sure the shedding will slow.Please do let us know how you make out with this in the months ahead.
Mark
So Scott just take it easy and I'm sure the shedding will slow.Please do let us know how you make out with this in the months ahead.
I sure hope so, this is the worst shedding I have ever had.
Scott
Hi Scott there are some great replies here that just about cover it. You have an amazing mane for your age and you know I am shedding more at the moment too, I get a huge wad of hair come out in the shower.I have put it down to it being long now and seeming as if there is more.
As Carol said its unlikely you would lose your hair now except for illness or stress, and as Bill so rightly pointed out when one gets older the body's regeneration slows enormously.
Take it easy and don't worry
~ Dave
Scott,
Please, do not play around with these herbal remedies if you feel that you might be experiencing some degree of hairloss, as they are most likely a waste of your time and money. I strongly recommend that you see a doctor and ask about Propecia. Propecia would most likely help you a great deal, but the sooner the better. Rogaine in conjunction with Propecia is probably the best bet. This is most likely genetic in nature and not related to your diet, however a good supplement probably wouldn't hurt anything. Check with your doctor and let us know how it goes.
jeffrey
Hi Scott,
I went through many shedding periods over the years especially when I had really longhair. I could hardly believe the amount I would have in my brush after a shower! I notice that it went in phases not always so bad at times. I now lose a much smaller amount (see photo) this is after three days of not brushing my hair much. I tend to wash my hair every three to four days so that may make a difference, also length does add more to the overall mass of the "hairball" and the shedding amount. ;-)
John S.
Scott,
I've also been shedding a much higher amount of hair than usual. This seems to start at the beginning of summer, and lasts for a few months. Sometimes, I can't believe there is any hair left, but it always seems to look the same - at least over a period of a few years. Over the longer term, I definitely have less hair than I had 20 years ago. Based on all of these similar posts, your shedding seems pretty normal for summer.
LMD
Thanks to everyone for their advice. I will try not to worry too much since so many of us here suffer severe summer shedding. I will be careful what supplements I take and what foods I eat. If the shedding is still bad at the end of summer, I will probably take further action.
Scott