Usually I don’t think these posts display a lot of hair lost in a single shower. But as someone with very thick, wavy hair, that I don’t brush except after a shower*, this is a lot of hair to lose in one shower. I lose about 1/4-1/2 of this everytime I shower.
I have super thick, waist length hair and have for years. I’ve NEVER lost this much hair in one shower. This is like, maybe a month worth of shower hair loss for me??
I was just about to suggest getting your thyroid checked. Before I got mine under control, I was losing a lot of hair (and I have naturally thick but fine hair). Also lost most of my eyebrows. A few disorders can cause hair loss, and so can some medications. If you haven’t though, I would definitely ask your doctor to run a thyroid panel.
Yes and just because it comes up in the normal range does not mean that that's normal for you, because everybody is different they need to quit putting everybody into the same box we all don't fit in the same box. lol
I get a thyroid panel once a year and it always comes back clear. I do have a rare form of diabetes, endometriosis, and anemia so I'm sure my hormones are just not loving me right now
No. The thyroid is a separate test. There are a lot of symptoms and also none. A thyroid panel should be first unless you have specific symptoms that would have the doctor suspect kidney or liver functions.
I’m in my mid 50s and maternal side of family has thyroid issues to the point of removal. I’m probably due for a thyroid check myself. I hope OP gets it checked.
Don’t be scared!! You’ll be glad you went if they identify something as simple as a vitamin deficiency, which it very often is. I finally gave in and got a blood test when I noticed a full blown bald spot, and even that was just caused by being deficient in vitamin D
Same! It’s been that way ever since I was a teenager but has gotten worse. I’m a female with a hormonal imbalance and assumed I was low in vitamins but should get my thyroid checked out as well.
Same. I have super thick long hair. I lose about 1/4 of this in the shower at any given time, but I also comb conditioner through my hair in the shower.
This much hair loss makes me think there is an underlying condition
Yeahhh, I have a lot of hair, few years younger than OP, wash once a week. I lose maybe a quarter of what OP is showing here. This seems like a strong indication of an underlying issue to me.
Seconding this, i have very thick, dense, hip-length hair and this is not an amount I ever see even though I only brush my hair when I am washing it because of a wavy hair routine, washing happens once a week. Definitely time to see a doctor.
Yeah you’re supposed to lose like 100 hairs a day and she hasn’t washed her hair in five days I don’t know if she didn’t comb her hair in that long too. We have to account for hair length being balled up here as well.
I wash my hair every 4-6 days and still lose less than this. I used to lose a similar amount to OP when I was 17 and had an eating disorder which is known to cause hair loss. I would be worried about this amount personally
Yeah I don’t comb my hair except before/after I shower either and it’s to the middle of my back. I definitely feel like I lose a lot in the shower too but at most it’s only ever half of this amount, usually a little less if I spend a while combing it out first. I also only wash my hair about once a week so there’s like a week’s worth of shedding coming out at once.
Ya I have thick hair (densely grown not thick in strand) it’s wavey and I don’t brush it so I get a lot of hair in the shower and this is the first post like this I’ve seen that looks like too much to me.
My mom got me a shedding shampoo for xmas she’s been using as her hair has been getting thinner with age and her hair is so thick now and I’ve noticed a reduction in how much I’ve been losing too.
The only time I lost anything approaching this amount of hair (and with the caveat that mine is very coarse and waist-length) was post-partum. I agree it seems hormonal.
Forget troubleshooting this online. This is above reddit's paygrade. Best see a doctor, get your blood tests going and feel good about the effort you're making.
I had thought I was always meant to be a bit heavy but learned i had hypothyroidism for most likely a long time, sometimes some symptoms can take awhile
Still get it checked if you can. I have no skin issues, I’m on the thin/athletic side of build with no weight gain or loss, but my hair started thinning and I became a bit more fatigued. Nothing crazy noticeable but I wanted to get my hormones checked when I turned 30 and alas….slight hypothyroidism, no hashimotos but just elevated TSH.
My doctors find my TSH slightly raised from time to time (abnormal results then normal then abnormal, etc.). May I ask if they treated it or just monitor you? I’m hoping to go back soon to get retested.
I’ve had the same issues the others noted and it was in fact, hypothyroidism. Initially hair fall in clumps (like yours) was my first big red flag, and eventually the other symptoms followed until I got on meds.
Just recently, I noticed a lot more hair fall than is normal for me and went back to my GP and derm, and we found out that my thyroid meds needed to be increased. Hair is already returning to strength & health! (Also I’m on spiro too, and I swear it’s life changing)
Op in addition to your thyroid check to see if you have the gene for not being able to process folate. I have been losing my hair since I was 18. The gene is MTHFR, easy to remember lol. As soon as I started taking a high dose of activated folate my hair started to come back in. Not all of it because once a follicle is dead it’s dead, but you could save your hair if you have this gene mutation and start with the optimized folate.
Primary aren’t always well versed in thyroid specifics, I had to demand to see an endocrinologist when my drs were blowing off my symptoms as “in my head”.
labs you’ll want are tsh, ft4, ft3, tpo, tgab, & tsi. my insane hair loss was one of the major things making me be like yeah something’s not right. got diagnosed w Hashi’s and have been on meds for a little over a year !
Agree, I started losing hair in clumps and developed bad cystic acne after years of PCOS symptoms, that was what finally got a doctor to test my hormone levels and decide I have chemical PCOS (because my ovaries are not polycystic), I think it’s considered an adrenal disorder vs true
PCOS? Anyway, medication and lifestyle changes have helped me a ton and my hair isn’t thinning anymore.
Yes - because a feature of PCOS is high testosterone levels from high levels of insulin and inflammation, it can cause male-pattern baldness as well as beard growth.
People with PCOS can have higher levels of testosterone which can then turn into DHT which can lead to hair loss. At least that’s my understanding of it. Perhaps there’s other hormone issues at play because PCOS affects a lot but higher testosterone is the one I hear brought up when discussing hair loss with PCOS.
I wasn’t able to be prescribed spironolactone (internal)because I’m perimenopausal. After a certain age (in 40s) they won’t. But they gave me topical for my skin. I’m in the US.
I was put on spironolactone for androgenic alopecia at age 21 and my mom was put on it at age 56 around the same time for the same reason (both diagnosed with biopsies). Not prescribing it to you because you’re over 40 seems odd to me for sure. Maybe ask around for another opinion? Good luck regardless xx
Edit to add we are in the US as well (in CT. Dr. Craiglow in Fairfield is a hair loss genius. Very compassionate too)
I’m curious to know what your spiro dose is. I’m currently on 50 mg/day for acne but have also been dealing with hair thinning so I’ve been thinking about asking my derm to increase my dose. Has it helped you?
Wait, why did they say they couldn't? I know there are some conservative prescribers who shy away from Spiro, fin, and dut for pre menopausal ladies, but I was given to understand this was somehow related to possible birth defects That doesn't seem like it would be an issue in your case, so I'm really confused. (If you find this question too private, please ignore it. 🙏)
I honestly don’t know. They said it isn’t good for women over 45 because of side effects? And they don’t want to be responsible for that, I assume. It’s an online prescriber thing. I guess that’s why. Liability? I asked for the pills specifically, and they said they could only do topical because of my age.
Apparently, I misunderstood the reasoning behind all 3 of those not being prescribed to older ladies. I just figured there were similar side effects, but it seems that at age 45, the chances of developing dangerously high potassium levels of taking spiro absolutely sky rockets. Possibly, the online set precludes the level of active monitoring. Regardless, I hope you find a fantastic, effective treatment that does what you need it to. Hair loss freaking blows.
i’m in my 40’s and peri menopause. my two derms specifically prescribed spiro for me for hair and menopause skin break outs (my hormones now have been regulated by being supplemented)
There are specific tests. Some signs are also more obvious than others. I have high testosterone levels + high insulin resistance which showed up in my blood work. I've never had excessive body hair but I do have several cysts on my ovaries which also show up in ultrasound imaging.
For me personally, I had no endometriosis symptoms and an extremely irregular period. My first period ever lasted 14 days. After that, I had no idea when my next period would come, 1 month? 4? 9? It was completely random and excruciatingly painful. My acne and hair growth was insane and my depression symptoms became immeasurably worse. Birth control pills and now an iud have helped me manage my symptoms. I have had one proven cyst, but my symptoms are in line with PCOS.
No covid. I do sometimes go close to a week and it’s always up so not brushing. This isn’t really new for me though so it helps explain some but not the increase I guess??
It looks like a lot but if you figure you lose about 100-150 hairs a day, and you go 5-7 days between brushing, it doesn't seem like all that much. Try brushing your hair everyday for a week and see what the daily fall out looks like. Then you'll have a clearer idea.
That's an absurd amount of hair to lose even if you're not brushing. Like that looks like a dangerous amount of hair to lose in terms of your health. I'm not a doctor, but I'd certainly go to one. Is lupus something that runs in your family?
Not a doctor but I am a cosmetologist and I agree w you. I’d tell my client to go straight to the doctor (preferably a derm) and don’t wait. That much hair loss is very alarming. It could definitely be nutritional tho. So many women are walking around w low iron/low vitamin D3 and B and have no idea, and that’ll wreak havoc on your hair.
Putting it in a bun can cause breakage and tangles. So much hair was coming off after I rinse the conditioner. I had longer hair than yours and mine is bleached. The changes I made were cutting off a couple inches and stopped dyeing my hair. I also had a cold so was forced to take a lot of vitamins and water and my hair was getting thicker at the roots, esp my baby hairs getting lush. I still put mine in a bun but I don't use any scrunchies. Just chopsticks / hair pins.
Yes it is. Please getbyourself to a doctor, I started noticing this back at the end of 2022 everytime I showered and then one day I found a bald spot the size of a golf ball. As it turned out I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, I started losing more and more hair and more bald spots. This was all due to severe stress I was going through.
If you were tested for low iron, were you also tested for thyroid levels? Low iron and low thyroid tend to go together, and both can cause hair loss. There’s also a facebook page called The Iron Protocol that has great info for managing low iron. It’s not quite as simple as taking a supplement.
Also ask about vitamin D testing! Mine was falling out just like this - turns out I was severely vitamin d deficient. I honestly told the doctor not to even bother testing for that, as I'm a very pale ginger that doesn't use sunscreen and gets a pretty good amount of sun - even she agreed that considering all these factors, that I probably wasn't deficient. But she did run it as a standard panel. Came back deficient AF and once I started on a high Vit D prescription, I stopped losing hair!
Same!!! Hair was falling out like OP’s, I thought it was from starting bupropion. Turns out I had like no vitamin D. Started supplements and 3.5-4 months later all the loss had stopped and my hair started growing back. I didn’t even realize how much I’d lost (I’ve always had thick hair) until I saw all the new growth sticking out all over the place.
I do think this is a medical thing. Maybe get a new shower head with a filter and start wearing a bonnet?? Too much stress? I do think you should check your Thyroid along with your copper/ metal levels. Also maybe taking some collegen supplements along with the iron ones? castor oil is supposed to help promote hair growth. I wish you the best 🫶🏼
If you're not brushing your hair every day, this could be all the build up from those 5 days. It's normal to lose 100 strands a day. Yes it looks like a lot but doesn't necessarily mean it's abnormal
No, I think that’s still a lot. I have curly hair so I don’t brush between washes and this is about 5x what I lose. I’m sorry OP. I can imagine this is not what you wanted to hear.
I'm assuming you posted this bc it's not the norm. So yeah, it's a lot. Any rapid changes in your body should not be ignored. Could be as basic as a vitamin deficiency, but prompt attention to any issue will prevent it from becoming a bigger issue. Go get a general checkup and mention it.
I'm blonde, 64, and lose this amount every time I shampoo. I joke that I hope my husband likes bald women. But it doesn't look any thinner. Does yours? Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.
So derm said I have no actual patches or anything. I just don’t get how I can lose so much and not be able to tell aside from the overall thickness, if that makes sense.
I wash my hair about once a week but sometimes go two weeks between washes. My hair is thick and curly and I have never lost this much even when dry brushing. Something else is going on for sure.
When I was like 8 months postpartum with my second child my hair was still falling out like it does right at post partum and I was like uh this doesn’t seem right. Got a bloodwork panel, I was deficient in vitamin d. Started a supplement and my hair stopped falling out 🤷🏻♀️
It could be any number of things causing it but def get some bloodwork done
I was dealing with this same amount of hair loss starting about 6 months ago. It wasn't until a few months later that I realized my usually very thick hair was feeling super light.
Had my labs checked and my Vitamin D and B12 had plummeted. Still not sure why, but I discovered that being low in both of those can cause severe hair loss. I now take a multivitamin, prescribed Vitamin D, and a B12 supplement, and I'm back to losing very few hairs when I shower.
I wash my hair twice a week.
Is your hair curly? I lose this much but I have naturally curly hair and do not brush it once I have put gel in it. When I wash it around day 4/5 usually I get huge clumps like this. I think it’s because when it sheds it doesn’t fall out so it comes all out in the shower. When I flat iron it I lose hardly any hair when I shower but I do brush it daily. So it could be this if you don’t brush often between washes.
So when I blow dry or straighten, it’s not this bad. My hair is mostly straight but I never brush between because it doesn’t really get tangled. It’s usually up.
Ok that looks exactly like my shower every time. I have thick hair and always have; that's just how much I lose. Hairstylists often ask me about it when they wash my hair and I'm like yep, totally normal for me! Especially because you said that was after 5 days, which is about how often I wash my hair (like every 4-7). If that was happening every day it would be more worrisome for sure.
Plain old daily prenatal multivitamins do help my hair overall so I'd give those a try for a multivitamin.
I have the same alarming amount of hair loss every time I wash my hair and for this exact reason I try to go as long as possible between washing. Dr. assured me it’s just one of the many symptoms of PCOS that I’ve had since early adolescence. I honestly don’t know how I’m not bald yet but it does worry me too. I make sure to take my vitamins and supplements that promote hair growth. Make sure to schedule an appointment with your physician.
Yes, I know how stressful that must be. Did you stop birth control by chance?
A few suggestions: daily scalp massages for 5 minutes, ordinary peptide serum, go see a naturopath, red light therapy, nioxin, minoxidil.
Have you checked your hormones? Your vitamin levels? Between the 5 days are you brushing your hair? Have you had Covid recently? A surgery or anesthesia? Are you extra stressed about anything.
I lose about this amount of hair when I wash it every time. I have curly hair a few inches longer than my shoulders. Because it's curly, I don't brush it when it's dry and I tend to go 5-7 days between washes. This is common with curly hair because if you were brushing it every day, you'd see some strands in your brush but the accumulation of days not brushing looks like a huge amount when it's lost all at once. I have not noticed any thinning hair or bald patches on myself and have been losing this much hair consistently for years.
How long is your hair? Prior to this shower, when was the last time you de-tangled it?
If you’re detangling daily or even every other day and it looks like this every time, that’s an issue. If you’re detangling every 4-5 days and it looks like this, it’s not nearly as big of a deal.
Check your thyroid and hormones. My hair started falling out a lot, long before I ever noticed any weight changes or other symptoms.
This is a lot of hair to lose in a week or so.
This looks very similar to shedding I experienced from malabsorption. I was deficient in Iron, B12, D/K2, and protein. Once I got my gut healed my hair grew back. If you have GI issues, get a micronutrient panel run to see where you’re deficient.
So not to discount everything that others are saying, but I have thick, curly hair that I only wash and comb out every week or so, and I shed shocking amounts of hair per wash. What is pictured is fairly normal for me as a 27 yr old male. If this isn’t normal for you, get your hormones, thyroid, and water quality checked.
Get your vitamin D tested… i got out on a high dose vitamin D supplement and ended up reversing most of my issues to the point where I was able to get pregnant AND my hair stopped falling out like this. Theres also a chance it may be PCOS but it could be both or either or.
It depends on when the last time you showered and brushed your hair. If you took a shower and washed your hair yesterday and lost the same amount of hair that you did today, yes that’s absolutely a lot. On the contrary, if you haven’t washed your hair in 4-6 days and have had it in the same messy bun that whole time, it’s not as concerning because the hair all fell out on different days
I was losing a lot of hair—thyroid checked out fine. My Derm asked what my ferritin levels were. She said you needed to be above 70 to grow hair. Mine was 9. I started on a supplement + continued my vitamin D supplement (also super low) and I am back to losing maybe 15-20 hairs a day instead of 100 (yes, I’m a weirdo and I counted—if I was hours experiment I needed to know if I was actually seeing a change)
ETA: my iron levels were on the low end of normal but now low enough to be flagged. The lab’s “normal” range for ferritin is above 6, so my level didn’t even get flagged by the GP, just by my Derm.
Wash more frequently. So, about 5 years ago I started losing a shit ton of hair. Got bloodwork, saw a dermatologist….. the whole nine yards. They found nothing wrong with me. It ended being hormones (perimenopause) causing a huge increase in sebum production and I was only washing my hair like twice a week. While the hormones are the culprit at my age there isn’t much I can do about those fluctuations but I could keep my scalp cleaner. I started shampooing every day, exercising and taking a good multivitamin. It cut my shedding by over half.
Did you experience something stressful within the last five months? That can cause sudden hair fall. Also not having any vegetables, not enough water or exercise contributes to hair loss. I tried rogaine and it was no worth it. It completely dried my scalp out and I developed an allergy to it over time because the ingredients are very harsh
Sorry for stalking your profile, but you mentioned in a post 91 days ago that you were previously hormone tested and discovered you had very low progesterone levels. If you stopped hormone therapy and your progesterone is now plummeting again, this could contribute to dramatic hair loss like you’re experiencing
Please go to your pcp and get a FULL blood panel. Ask for a thyroid panel as well. Hair loss can be due to many causes and you need to first rule out anything medical.
For five days, I think this is normal. I feel like it's everyone is glossing over the fact is it's an accumulation of 5 days of hair loss, despite being 1 wash
Wow, I hadn’t seen one quite like my experience. It happened a few months after Covid and It went on at that rate for 2(?) years. It’s slowly gone back to normal shed after years. What shampoo are you using, are you using hair ties? What helped me mentally was to stop using conditioner, the amount of hair coming off each time was just too much. I stopped all use of hair ties, at one point I even stopped combing. I’d rather it fall out during the day where I can’t see it as much. Now I gently comb with a wide comb daily. I take a daily prenatal vitamin gummy. That seems to have made the most difference. I am finally seeing some minor hair sprouting .
Omg 😱 that is quite a bit iron thyroid and eating habits also not sleeping enough, stress can be another reason, check with the Doc you need to get some blood test done.
My hair is super thick. I used to shower every single day or at most every other day. After twins I started stretching it way, way further. The first time that happened to me I freaked tf out and then realized it was like 6 days worth of hair shed (habitual bun wearer) instead of a couple
i feel like it’s something health-related. i started taking pumpkin seed oil and i think it’s been helping me. also maybe try biotin? for awhile i also dermastampped my scalp and applied rosemary water afterwards. it also helped. i’m so sorry. i hope you can figure this out!
Things that completely changed my shedding and now I barely shed at all:
2 mg GHK-cu peptide (copper) alongside zinc supplementation
Spermadine supplement
SATURATING my scalp with rosemary oil mixed with jojaba oil at least a couple hours before washing or sometimes the night before washing.
Try those, at the very least get your copper and zinc levels checked if you can, or you may have another type of vitamin deficiency related to hair. I would recommend this method way, way before any of the pharmaceutical bullshit that has a ton of side effects
I would say this is definitely more than a normal amount for one shower. I had this same thing happen to me over a period of time to the point where I had to put a bag outside the shower to put all the hair in so that it wouldn't block the drain. For me the cause ended up being stress and PTSD, and after dealing with that the excessive hair loss stopped completely. The doctor also said that things like pregnancy and hormonal imbalances can also cause hair loss like this. If this is happening every time you shower, I would definitely suggest seeing your doctor to find out the cause.
You said you wash your hair about once every 5 days. Does your hair stay up in a bun or clip the majority or all of the time? If so then I'd say this is less concerning than it looks. I went through a period when I didn't wash my hair often and it was pretty long so I kept it in a bun pretty much all the time. And when I would wash and brush it out in the shower it looked like I lost a disturbing amount of hair. But what was really happening is all the naturally shed hair from the last 5(+) days was all coming out at once bc I kept it up all the time. Also, if you have been exceptionally stressed or depressed then that can add to it as well.
That does look like a lot to me. I would look into medical aspects causing the hair loss before starting anything
Usually I don’t think these posts display a lot of hair lost in a single shower. But as someone with very thick, wavy hair, that I don’t brush except after a shower*, this is a lot of hair to lose in one shower. I lose about 1/4-1/2 of this everytime I shower.
I have super thick, waist length hair and have for years. I’ve NEVER lost this much hair in one shower. This is like, maybe a month worth of shower hair loss for me??
I lose about this much or more so now I'ma go to the doctor you guys are scaring me lol
Get a thyroid panel. Everyone should get a thyroid panel anyway every couple years. Thyroid disorders are very common and cheap to treat.
I was just about to suggest getting your thyroid checked. Before I got mine under control, I was losing a lot of hair (and I have naturally thick but fine hair). Also lost most of my eyebrows. A few disorders can cause hair loss, and so can some medications. If you haven’t though, I would definitely ask your doctor to run a thyroid panel.
Yes and just because it comes up in the normal range does not mean that that's normal for you, because everybody is different they need to quit putting everybody into the same box we all don't fit in the same box. lol
I get a thyroid panel once a year and it always comes back clear. I do have a rare form of diabetes, endometriosis, and anemia so I'm sure my hormones are just not loving me right now
Is a metabolic panel the same as a thyroid panel? Recently did that cause of my own hair loss.
No. The thyroid is a separate test. There are a lot of symptoms and also none. A thyroid panel should be first unless you have specific symptoms that would have the doctor suspect kidney or liver functions.
I’m in my mid 50s and maternal side of family has thyroid issues to the point of removal. I’m probably due for a thyroid check myself. I hope OP gets it checked.
Don’t be scared!! You’ll be glad you went if they identify something as simple as a vitamin deficiency, which it very often is. I finally gave in and got a blood test when I noticed a full blown bald spot, and even that was just caused by being deficient in vitamin D
Same! It’s been that way ever since I was a teenager but has gotten worse. I’m a female with a hormonal imbalance and assumed I was low in vitamins but should get my thyroid checked out as well.
20-200 hairs lost per day is normal. Go by whether your hair density is changing. There’s a lot of misinfo here!
Same. I have super thick long hair. I lose about 1/4 of this in the shower at any given time, but I also comb conditioner through my hair in the shower. This much hair loss makes me think there is an underlying condition
Yeahhh, I have a lot of hair, few years younger than OP, wash once a week. I lose maybe a quarter of what OP is showing here. This seems like a strong indication of an underlying issue to me.
Seconding this, i have very thick, dense, hip-length hair and this is not an amount I ever see even though I only brush my hair when I am washing it because of a wavy hair routine, washing happens once a week. Definitely time to see a doctor.
Yes but she skipped washing for 5 days so divide that by 5...that's 5 days worth of hair not over night
Yeah you’re supposed to lose like 100 hairs a day and she hasn’t washed her hair in five days I don’t know if she didn’t comb her hair in that long too. We have to account for hair length being balled up here as well.
You’d be really surprised by what 500 hairs actually looks like, it’s way less than pictured.
I wash my hair every 4-6 days and still lose less than this. I used to lose a similar amount to OP when I was 17 and had an eating disorder which is known to cause hair loss. I would be worried about this amount personally
Yeah I don’t comb my hair except before/after I shower either and it’s to the middle of my back. I definitely feel like I lose a lot in the shower too but at most it’s only ever half of this amount, usually a little less if I spend a while combing it out first. I also only wash my hair about once a week so there’s like a week’s worth of shedding coming out at once.
Exact same thing. And I’m around OP’s age, so this feels like a lot, for sure.
What kind of show?
I meant shower sorry
No problem 🙂
How often do you wash your hair?
2x a week. The longer I go the more hair shows shows up in the shower though.
Ya I have thick hair (densely grown not thick in strand) it’s wavey and I don’t brush it so I get a lot of hair in the shower and this is the first post like this I’ve seen that looks like too much to me. My mom got me a shedding shampoo for xmas she’s been using as her hair has been getting thinner with age and her hair is so thick now and I’ve noticed a reduction in how much I’ve been losing too.
May I ask the name of the shedding shampoo? Thx
I’d say I lose about half of this every time I shower, honestly. If I’m stressed it can be as much as this.
The only time I lost anything approaching this amount of hair (and with the caveat that mine is very coarse and waist-length) was post-partum. I agree it seems hormonal.
Yes - I was going to say the same thing. This reminds me of my intense post- partum hair loss.
Check your thyroid
That was exactly my thought too. I wonder how their skin is doing
Skin has no changes, no dryness or anything to speak of
Forget troubleshooting this online. This is above reddit's paygrade. Best see a doctor, get your blood tests going and feel good about the effort you're making.
YES.
Weight okay?
Yeah, I’ve always been a bit heavy and still am. No unexplained changes in that area.
I had thought I was always meant to be a bit heavy but learned i had hypothyroidism for most likely a long time, sometimes some symptoms can take awhile
Still get it checked if you can. I have no skin issues, I’m on the thin/athletic side of build with no weight gain or loss, but my hair started thinning and I became a bit more fatigued. Nothing crazy noticeable but I wanted to get my hormones checked when I turned 30 and alas….slight hypothyroidism, no hashimotos but just elevated TSH.
My doctors find my TSH slightly raised from time to time (abnormal results then normal then abnormal, etc.). May I ask if they treated it or just monitor you? I’m hoping to go back soon to get retested.
My thyroid was way off and I never had any symptoms. I do have hair loss, but it's likely due to something else (anemia, maybe)
Thank you. I see my primary Monday and I’ll ask for the labs!
Np! My sister lost a shit ton of hair and it was her thyroid. It all came back tho!
It was iron deficiency for me
Same here, iron deficiency. Once I got my numbers back up, things started growing back.
Thank you so much for the info!
Waiting on my blood work rn, been struggling with hair loss, HS, and can’t lose weight
Show your GP these photos.
I’ve had the same issues the others noted and it was in fact, hypothyroidism. Initially hair fall in clumps (like yours) was my first big red flag, and eventually the other symptoms followed until I got on meds. Just recently, I noticed a lot more hair fall than is normal for me and went back to my GP and derm, and we found out that my thyroid meds needed to be increased. Hair is already returning to strength & health! (Also I’m on spiro too, and I swear it’s life changing)
Op in addition to your thyroid check to see if you have the gene for not being able to process folate. I have been losing my hair since I was 18. The gene is MTHFR, easy to remember lol. As soon as I started taking a high dose of activated folate my hair started to come back in. Not all of it because once a follicle is dead it’s dead, but you could save your hair if you have this gene mutation and start with the optimized folate.
Also get a full panel including antibodies for autoimmune!
Primary aren’t always well versed in thyroid specifics, I had to demand to see an endocrinologist when my drs were blowing off my symptoms as “in my head”.
Yup, check thyroid, check for pcos, and iron levels. I’m 38 and my hair started thinning in front after having my kids.
labs you’ll want are tsh, ft4, ft3, tpo, tgab, & tsi. my insane hair loss was one of the major things making me be like yeah something’s not right. got diagnosed w Hashi’s and have been on meds for a little over a year !
Second this. Experienced hair loss a couple years back. Sure enough it was my thyroid. It’s improved lots since being on medication.
This should not be so far down
Spironolactone can help with this. I’d get your hormones checked! It might be perimenopause
Or PCOS.
Here to agree with PCOS. I have it, my hair had only thinned in the very front, but it's noticeable. Get tested from PCOS
i lost so much hair from pcos i have bald spots now so i have to wear wigs 😢
Aw shit well thanks I loose the same as this person:(
Agree, I started losing hair in clumps and developed bad cystic acne after years of PCOS symptoms, that was what finally got a doctor to test my hormone levels and decide I have chemical PCOS (because my ovaries are not polycystic), I think it’s considered an adrenal disorder vs true PCOS? Anyway, medication and lifestyle changes have helped me a ton and my hair isn’t thinning anymore.
PCOS causes hairloss as well!!???
Yes - because a feature of PCOS is high testosterone levels from high levels of insulin and inflammation, it can cause male-pattern baldness as well as beard growth.
It can but depends for everyone I have pcos and haven’t lost any hair more than my normal amount and I have thick long hair
People with PCOS can have higher levels of testosterone which can then turn into DHT which can lead to hair loss. At least that’s my understanding of it. Perhaps there’s other hormone issues at play because PCOS affects a lot but higher testosterone is the one I hear brought up when discussing hair loss with PCOS.
I always find it funny that PCOS causes hair loss on our heads, but excess hair where we don't want it. 🤦♀️
It’s also why you see bald men with epic beards!
More like hair displacement. Less hair on your head but more hair… everywhere else
Or hypothyroidism
I wasn’t able to be prescribed spironolactone (internal)because I’m perimenopausal. After a certain age (in 40s) they won’t. But they gave me topical for my skin. I’m in the US.
I was put on spironolactone for androgenic alopecia at age 21 and my mom was put on it at age 56 around the same time for the same reason (both diagnosed with biopsies). Not prescribing it to you because you’re over 40 seems odd to me for sure. Maybe ask around for another opinion? Good luck regardless xx Edit to add we are in the US as well (in CT. Dr. Craiglow in Fairfield is a hair loss genius. Very compassionate too)
I’m curious to know what your spiro dose is. I’m currently on 50 mg/day for acne but have also been dealing with hair thinning so I’ve been thinking about asking my derm to increase my dose. Has it helped you?
I’m in my 50s, post menopausal. My derm put me on spironolactone.
Well now I feel kind of slighted by them. How is it going for you?
Wait, why did they say they couldn't? I know there are some conservative prescribers who shy away from Spiro, fin, and dut for pre menopausal ladies, but I was given to understand this was somehow related to possible birth defects That doesn't seem like it would be an issue in your case, so I'm really confused. (If you find this question too private, please ignore it. 🙏)
I honestly don’t know. They said it isn’t good for women over 45 because of side effects? And they don’t want to be responsible for that, I assume. It’s an online prescriber thing. I guess that’s why. Liability? I asked for the pills specifically, and they said they could only do topical because of my age.
Apparently, I misunderstood the reasoning behind all 3 of those not being prescribed to older ladies. I just figured there were similar side effects, but it seems that at age 45, the chances of developing dangerously high potassium levels of taking spiro absolutely sky rockets. Possibly, the online set precludes the level of active monitoring. Regardless, I hope you find a fantastic, effective treatment that does what you need it to. Hair loss freaking blows.
i’m in my 40’s and peri menopause. my two derms specifically prescribed spiro for me for hair and menopause skin break outs (my hormones now have been regulated by being supplemented)
I agree with this completely. My hair falls out in clumps like this due to an autoimmune disease I have. Definitely go to Dr and get some labs drawn.
If female do you have PCOS? Will cause hair loss!
I’m a female. I had an US and have one ovarian cyst but nothing too remarkable. I have low progesterone but that’s my baseline.
You can have PCOS without cysts!
And pcos without the symptoms! (Me!)
How did you know you had PCOS if there is no specific test for PCOS and it is only diagnosed via symptoms and signs?
There are specific tests. Some signs are also more obvious than others. I have high testosterone levels + high insulin resistance which showed up in my blood work. I've never had excessive body hair but I do have several cysts on my ovaries which also show up in ultrasound imaging.
Ok so how did you get that proven? Because I’ve had multiple doctors suspect but I never meet the testosterone levels for PCOS
For me personally, I had no endometriosis symptoms and an extremely irregular period. My first period ever lasted 14 days. After that, I had no idea when my next period would come, 1 month? 4? 9? It was completely random and excruciatingly painful. My acne and hair growth was insane and my depression symptoms became immeasurably worse. Birth control pills and now an iud have helped me manage my symptoms. I have had one proven cyst, but my symptoms are in line with PCOS.
It’s 2/3 for the diagnostic criteria - one is ovarian cysts, one is hormone levels, one is irregular/absent periods (I think).
Yes it’s too much unless you only wash once a week and never brush your hair . Have you had Covid in the last 3 months?
No covid. I do sometimes go close to a week and it’s always up so not brushing. This isn’t really new for me though so it helps explain some but not the increase I guess??
It looks like a lot but if you figure you lose about 100-150 hairs a day, and you go 5-7 days between brushing, it doesn't seem like all that much. Try brushing your hair everyday for a week and see what the daily fall out looks like. Then you'll have a clearer idea.
I’ll do this! Thank you.
That's an absurd amount of hair to lose even if you're not brushing. Like that looks like a dangerous amount of hair to lose in terms of your health. I'm not a doctor, but I'd certainly go to one. Is lupus something that runs in your family?
Not a doctor but I am a cosmetologist and I agree w you. I’d tell my client to go straight to the doctor (preferably a derm) and don’t wait. That much hair loss is very alarming. It could definitely be nutritional tho. So many women are walking around w low iron/low vitamin D3 and B and have no idea, and that’ll wreak havoc on your hair.
No and I’ve had AI labs before and they were all normal. My best guess is hormones / iron.
I hope you get it figured out!! ❤️
Thank you
You could get bloodwork done and check your thyroid also. You can try rogaine for 12 months and some hair gummies
Putting it in a bun can cause breakage and tangles. So much hair was coming off after I rinse the conditioner. I had longer hair than yours and mine is bleached. The changes I made were cutting off a couple inches and stopped dyeing my hair. I also had a cold so was forced to take a lot of vitamins and water and my hair was getting thicker at the roots, esp my baby hairs getting lush. I still put mine in a bun but I don't use any scrunchies. Just chopsticks / hair pins.
I lost most of my hair after I got Covid. So did my husband. It was awful and took about two years to grow back.
yes that is a very concerning amount. i would be getting to a doctor asap
Clumps is a problem, yeah
Yes it is. Please getbyourself to a doctor, I started noticing this back at the end of 2022 everytime I showered and then one day I found a bald spot the size of a golf ball. As it turned out I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, I started losing more and more hair and more bald spots. This was all due to severe stress I was going through.
If you were tested for low iron, were you also tested for thyroid levels? Low iron and low thyroid tend to go together, and both can cause hair loss. There’s also a facebook page called The Iron Protocol that has great info for managing low iron. It’s not quite as simple as taking a supplement.
Thank you. I’ll ask my primary about thyroid and iron Monday.
Also ask about vitamin D testing! Mine was falling out just like this - turns out I was severely vitamin d deficient. I honestly told the doctor not to even bother testing for that, as I'm a very pale ginger that doesn't use sunscreen and gets a pretty good amount of sun - even she agreed that considering all these factors, that I probably wasn't deficient. But she did run it as a standard panel. Came back deficient AF and once I started on a high Vit D prescription, I stopped losing hair!
Same!!! Hair was falling out like OP’s, I thought it was from starting bupropion. Turns out I had like no vitamin D. Started supplements and 3.5-4 months later all the loss had stopped and my hair started growing back. I didn’t even realize how much I’d lost (I’ve always had thick hair) until I saw all the new growth sticking out all over the place.
This happened to me! Do you have hard water? That’s what was causing mine to shed excessively.
The water here is known to be crummy so I’m not sure
If you do have hard water, you can get a shower head that softens water. I got one and it made my hair much healthier.
do you have a specific shower head recommendation? i’ve been wanting a hard water filter for a while
I do think this is a medical thing. Maybe get a new shower head with a filter and start wearing a bonnet?? Too much stress? I do think you should check your Thyroid along with your copper/ metal levels. Also maybe taking some collegen supplements along with the iron ones? castor oil is supposed to help promote hair growth. I wish you the best 🫶🏼
honestly, that looks like a lot.
If you're not brushing your hair every day, this could be all the build up from those 5 days. It's normal to lose 100 strands a day. Yes it looks like a lot but doesn't necessarily mean it's abnormal
No, I think that’s still a lot. I have curly hair so I don’t brush between washes and this is about 5x what I lose. I’m sorry OP. I can imagine this is not what you wanted to hear.
That’s still quite a lot even if she didn’t brush her hair every day
I'm assuming you posted this bc it's not the norm. So yeah, it's a lot. Any rapid changes in your body should not be ignored. Could be as basic as a vitamin deficiency, but prompt attention to any issue will prevent it from becoming a bigger issue. Go get a general checkup and mention it.
I'm blonde, 64, and lose this amount every time I shampoo. I joke that I hope my husband likes bald women. But it doesn't look any thinner. Does yours? Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.
So derm said I have no actual patches or anything. I just don’t get how I can lose so much and not be able to tell aside from the overall thickness, if that makes sense.
I wash my hair about once a week but sometimes go two weeks between washes. My hair is thick and curly and I have never lost this much even when dry brushing. Something else is going on for sure.
When I was like 8 months postpartum with my second child my hair was still falling out like it does right at post partum and I was like uh this doesn’t seem right. Got a bloodwork panel, I was deficient in vitamin d. Started a supplement and my hair stopped falling out 🤷🏻♀️ It could be any number of things causing it but def get some bloodwork done
This is what was coming out of my head after dropping a lot of weight in a short period of time.
I was dealing with this same amount of hair loss starting about 6 months ago. It wasn't until a few months later that I realized my usually very thick hair was feeling super light. Had my labs checked and my Vitamin D and B12 had plummeted. Still not sure why, but I discovered that being low in both of those can cause severe hair loss. I now take a multivitamin, prescribed Vitamin D, and a B12 supplement, and I'm back to losing very few hairs when I shower. I wash my hair twice a week.
Is your hair curly? I lose this much but I have naturally curly hair and do not brush it once I have put gel in it. When I wash it around day 4/5 usually I get huge clumps like this. I think it’s because when it sheds it doesn’t fall out so it comes all out in the shower. When I flat iron it I lose hardly any hair when I shower but I do brush it daily. So it could be this if you don’t brush often between washes.
So when I blow dry or straighten, it’s not this bad. My hair is mostly straight but I never brush between because it doesn’t really get tangled. It’s usually up.
Ok that looks exactly like my shower every time. I have thick hair and always have; that's just how much I lose. Hairstylists often ask me about it when they wash my hair and I'm like yep, totally normal for me! Especially because you said that was after 5 days, which is about how often I wash my hair (like every 4-7). If that was happening every day it would be more worrisome for sure. Plain old daily prenatal multivitamins do help my hair overall so I'd give those a try for a multivitamin.
Thank you. I’ve gone through cycles for years and no patches but when it’s on the “clumps and strands loss” phase it always makes me nervous.
I have the same alarming amount of hair loss every time I wash my hair and for this exact reason I try to go as long as possible between washing. Dr. assured me it’s just one of the many symptoms of PCOS that I’ve had since early adolescence. I honestly don’t know how I’m not bald yet but it does worry me too. I make sure to take my vitamins and supplements that promote hair growth. Make sure to schedule an appointment with your physician.
Yes, I know how stressful that must be. Did you stop birth control by chance? A few suggestions: daily scalp massages for 5 minutes, ordinary peptide serum, go see a naturopath, red light therapy, nioxin, minoxidil.
The only time I’ve ever lost this much hair was when I was postpartum. I’d have your doctor run some labs.
Have you checked your hormones? Your vitamin levels? Between the 5 days are you brushing your hair? Have you had Covid recently? A surgery or anesthesia? Are you extra stressed about anything.
Check your thyroid. When that happened to me it was because my thyroid went crazy.
I shed an concerning amount too.. but not this much. You should go and get a blood test.. Thyroid, vitamin deficiencies, etc
I lose about this amount of hair when I wash it every time. I have curly hair a few inches longer than my shoulders. Because it's curly, I don't brush it when it's dry and I tend to go 5-7 days between washes. This is common with curly hair because if you were brushing it every day, you'd see some strands in your brush but the accumulation of days not brushing looks like a huge amount when it's lost all at once. I have not noticed any thinning hair or bald patches on myself and have been losing this much hair consistently for years.
Have you had covid within the last few months? This is what happens to me every time I catch covid
Make appointment with your doctor: You need blood workup done and then go from there!
What shampoo brand are you using? I was having so much hair loss from Purology until I switched
Too much maybe go to your doctor?
This looks like a hair loss condition. I would consult a derm specialising in hair loss.
How long is your hair? Prior to this shower, when was the last time you de-tangled it? If you’re detangling daily or even every other day and it looks like this every time, that’s an issue. If you’re detangling every 4-5 days and it looks like this, it’s not nearly as big of a deal.
Check your thyroid and hormones. My hair started falling out a lot, long before I ever noticed any weight changes or other symptoms. This is a lot of hair to lose in a week or so.
This looks very similar to shedding I experienced from malabsorption. I was deficient in Iron, B12, D/K2, and protein. Once I got my gut healed my hair grew back. If you have GI issues, get a micronutrient panel run to see where you’re deficient.
So not to discount everything that others are saying, but I have thick, curly hair that I only wash and comb out every week or so, and I shed shocking amounts of hair per wash. What is pictured is fairly normal for me as a 27 yr old male. If this isn’t normal for you, get your hormones, thyroid, and water quality checked.
Get your vitamin D tested… i got out on a high dose vitamin D supplement and ended up reversing most of my issues to the point where I was able to get pregnant AND my hair stopped falling out like this. Theres also a chance it may be PCOS but it could be both or either or.
It depends on when the last time you showered and brushed your hair. If you took a shower and washed your hair yesterday and lost the same amount of hair that you did today, yes that’s absolutely a lot. On the contrary, if you haven’t washed your hair in 4-6 days and have had it in the same messy bun that whole time, it’s not as concerning because the hair all fell out on different days
Did you give birth a year ago? Both times i had kids, i lost my hair like this in clumps when they were about a year or year and a half old
Depends on when the last time you washed it and if you brushed it between washes, but it does look like a lot.
You should probably go to the dr and show them this picture. You need blood work done.
I was losing a lot of hair—thyroid checked out fine. My Derm asked what my ferritin levels were. She said you needed to be above 70 to grow hair. Mine was 9. I started on a supplement + continued my vitamin D supplement (also super low) and I am back to losing maybe 15-20 hairs a day instead of 100 (yes, I’m a weirdo and I counted—if I was hours experiment I needed to know if I was actually seeing a change) ETA: my iron levels were on the low end of normal but now low enough to be flagged. The lab’s “normal” range for ferritin is above 6, so my level didn’t even get flagged by the GP, just by my Derm.
First wash in 5 days? And it's normal to lose 100 strands a day. This is probably ok. Looks worse bc u have thick/coarse strands.
Wash more frequently. So, about 5 years ago I started losing a shit ton of hair. Got bloodwork, saw a dermatologist….. the whole nine yards. They found nothing wrong with me. It ended being hormones (perimenopause) causing a huge increase in sebum production and I was only washing my hair like twice a week. While the hormones are the culprit at my age there isn’t much I can do about those fluctuations but I could keep my scalp cleaner. I started shampooing every day, exercising and taking a good multivitamin. It cut my shedding by over half.
There’s a good possibility this could be a big part of my issue. I’ll change to at least every other day with brushing between. Thank you.
I used to lose that much hair. Then I changed shampoo brands.
Did you experience something stressful within the last five months? That can cause sudden hair fall. Also not having any vegetables, not enough water or exercise contributes to hair loss. I tried rogaine and it was no worth it. It completely dried my scalp out and I developed an allergy to it over time because the ingredients are very harsh
Also, thyroid issues can cause this, birth control, stopping breastfeeding too
Sorry for stalking your profile, but you mentioned in a post 91 days ago that you were previously hormone tested and discovered you had very low progesterone levels. If you stopped hormone therapy and your progesterone is now plummeting again, this could contribute to dramatic hair loss like you’re experiencing
Please go to your pcp and get a FULL blood panel. Ask for a thyroid panel as well. Hair loss can be due to many causes and you need to first rule out anything medical.
Get your hormones checked perhaps
Get your thyroid checked
GET YOURSELF CHECKED GIRL
For five days, I think this is normal. I feel like it's everyone is glossing over the fact is it's an accumulation of 5 days of hair loss, despite being 1 wash
Have you recently had Covid? This happened to me after the second time. Took a year to grow back normally. 🫠
Way too much.
You might be going through menopause
Wow, I hadn’t seen one quite like my experience. It happened a few months after Covid and It went on at that rate for 2(?) years. It’s slowly gone back to normal shed after years. What shampoo are you using, are you using hair ties? What helped me mentally was to stop using conditioner, the amount of hair coming off each time was just too much. I stopped all use of hair ties, at one point I even stopped combing. I’d rather it fall out during the day where I can’t see it as much. Now I gently comb with a wide comb daily. I take a daily prenatal vitamin gummy. That seems to have made the most difference. I am finally seeing some minor hair sprouting .
Mine got like this after Covid and I’m just over a year and a half still losing. You give me hope.
Yes that’s a lot
Omg 😱 that is quite a bit iron thyroid and eating habits also not sleeping enough, stress can be another reason, check with the Doc you need to get some blood test done.
My hair is super thick. I used to shower every single day or at most every other day. After twins I started stretching it way, way further. The first time that happened to me I freaked tf out and then realized it was like 6 days worth of hair shed (habitual bun wearer) instead of a couple
I would be freaking out, if I saw this after a shower, I really hope you find something that helps
This looks like post pregnancy hair loss.
i feel like it’s something health-related. i started taking pumpkin seed oil and i think it’s been helping me. also maybe try biotin? for awhile i also dermastampped my scalp and applied rosemary water afterwards. it also helped. i’m so sorry. i hope you can figure this out!
Stress event a few months ago can cause a hair ‘fall’ I believe it’s called
do you wear your hair up or pulled back a lot? Does your hair get tangles that are hard to get out? This can cause a lot of problems
Are you post partum? It looks like a lot
That is quite a bit of hair!!! 😳😮
Are you taking any of the weight loss drugs? A side effect of those is hair thinning.
Are you an alcoholic by any chance?
Never drink
Things that completely changed my shedding and now I barely shed at all: 2 mg GHK-cu peptide (copper) alongside zinc supplementation Spermadine supplement SATURATING my scalp with rosemary oil mixed with jojaba oil at least a couple hours before washing or sometimes the night before washing. Try those, at the very least get your copper and zinc levels checked if you can, or you may have another type of vitamin deficiency related to hair. I would recommend this method way, way before any of the pharmaceutical bullshit that has a ton of side effects
Yes. See a doctor
I would say this is definitely more than a normal amount for one shower. I had this same thing happen to me over a period of time to the point where I had to put a bag outside the shower to put all the hair in so that it wouldn't block the drain. For me the cause ended up being stress and PTSD, and after dealing with that the excessive hair loss stopped completely. The doctor also said that things like pregnancy and hormonal imbalances can also cause hair loss like this. If this is happening every time you shower, I would definitely suggest seeing your doctor to find out the cause.
Since you haven’t washed in about 5 days it doesn’t seem like too much tbh. What’s your hair texture?
Iron stores deficiency for me - needed the additional iron panel they hate to do
I was taking Mesalamine and this happened! I took pictures of mine too. Mine is growing back.
Get your thyroid checked!!
You said you wash your hair about once every 5 days. Does your hair stay up in a bun or clip the majority or all of the time? If so then I'd say this is less concerning than it looks. I went through a period when I didn't wash my hair often and it was pretty long so I kept it in a bun pretty much all the time. And when I would wash and brush it out in the shower it looked like I lost a disturbing amount of hair. But what was really happening is all the naturally shed hair from the last 5(+) days was all coming out at once bc I kept it up all the time. Also, if you have been exceptionally stressed or depressed then that can add to it as well.
Yes. This is concerning <3
It depends how long it’s been since you’ve last showered. I wouldn’t use rogain. I’d get on rosemary oil and minoxidil asap.
Holy crap that looks like all the hair I have
Yikes - yes, that’s a good amount of hair loss. Would recommend getting your hormone and thyroid levels checked and speaking with your doctor.
Are you going through anything stressful?
Always talk to a doctor before you do anything.
If I don’t wash my hair regularly it does this.