Sudden Hair Loss — Was it Stress, Fish Oil, Hair Product, or Genetics?
Dear Dr. Rassman,
I think it is great that you have this blog. I am sure I should come in to see you for a consultation, but first I’d like to see if you can shed any light on my particular circumstance. I am extremely healthy, eat mostly fresh fruits, salads and soy protein powders, but also eat meat, whole grains et cetera. I have worked-out for 25 years and handle stress better than anyone I know (all my friends and family say that too). At the end of June, 2006, I returned from vacation and my THICK, beautiful hair started falling out FAST. In one month I had lost so much it looked like I was going bald and one could easily see my scalp, which was an impossibility before that. The only 3 things I could think of as a cause for the rapid fallout were the following: 1. a very STIFF, THICK, HARD hair product which I had begun using 2 months prior. 2. I had begun taking 12,000 mg’s of fish oil daily upon returning from vacation. 3. A stressful life incident, but I have had so many of those, it doesn’t seem likely that another would affect me. Anyway, I stopped the product, stopped the fish oil, and my stress has increased if anything. By about 6 months out, my hair started to return, but no where near what it had been. People who look at me think I have a good head of hair, but I know it is not what it was. I want it back. Super thick like before. In what I wrote to you, can you identify anything that may have caused this rapid fallout? Or do you think it is best I just come in so you can see my scalp?
Thank you for your time, and have a great day.
I really do not have a good answer for you. Your hair loss could be due to many factors and sometimes a stressful event (emotional, physical, chemical, etc) can trigger a hair loss process. Nobody really understands why, but it is thought that a genetic ‘switch’ is turned on and once it is turned on it is difficult to go back to your original state. If your hair loss is due to genetic causes, there are medications such a Propecia (for men only) than can slow the process or even partially reverse the process in the best case (though it will rarely bring your hair back completely).
Um, why didn’t anybody notice that this person said they take 12,000 mg of fish oil!? The suggested daily allowance is only 650-1200 not 12,000. Taking too much of any supplement is bad for you and will have adverse affects. Im not a doctor and even I know that.
12mg is a HUGE dose.
I would reduce that dose of fish oil. Are you using it for anti inflammatory purposes? Also, watch out for foods high in Iodine such as soy (from your soy protein). You eat a lot of fruits and vegies which is good but they have minerals from the ground which can contain iodine. Too much of anything is not good. Iodine can increase your levels of thyroid hormones and lead to an increase metabolic rate. People with overactive thyroids sometimes have pretty nasty hair loss. I had a pretty nasty case of hair loss which caused a lot of anxiety. My doc noticed in my blood test (the blood test was for a different purpose) that my thyroid hormones are high and as it got higher over the few months, my hair loss got worse, when it dropped back, my hair got better. Then it got worse again and so did my hair loss. Its safe to say that there is a pattern here. The doc is puzzled by this since further tests and a thyroid ultrasound shows no underlying disease – I guess that’s because he forgot to factor in nutrition. Now my docs referred me to an endocrinologist. I’ve stopped all (or most) of my sources of Iodine (12 eggs per week, soy based protein supplements usually taken with soy milk, iodized salts – which my mum started using without me knowing, and the Ethical Nutrients high strength fish oil ( 1 tea spoon = 9 fish oil caps – that totals 63 fish oil caps per week) when you add them all up, it probably explained why my thyroid hormones were so high despite no underlying disease state. I know this posting came a few years too late but since people are still posting, why not I?
Let me know how you go.
I am in early 30s, have had strong thick hair all my life. All the sudden, my hair on the upper part of the scalp began falling off!! At first, I noticed round coin sized balding spots on my beard. Then the front part of the scalp began losing hair rapidly. In two months I’ve lost half the hair and can now see my scalp.
Though my dad and grand father, most my uncles are bald. The sudden change seems abnormal. I had no change in diet or life style.
I always had dandruff problem and itchiness. However, now I feel a sensation in the area where hair loss is occurring.
you’d think this is normal baldness or an indication of some underlying disease?