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Hair Loss...?

AJoy

By AJoy
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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AJoy Rookie
AJoy
Posted

I am new at this and have been seeing a lot about hair loss lately. Since I can remember I have been a profuse shedder - especially in the shower. I don't have bald spots or anything of the sort and unfortunately haven't ever noticed any thinning either. I always thought this to be somewhat normal for a girl with ultra thick long hair - is this in fact what people mean by hair loss in relation to celiac disease? I also had my thyroid checked when I was originally tested for Celiac about a month ago and it came back normal.

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AnnaR Newbie
AnnaR
Posted

I am new at this and have been seeing a lot about hair loss lately. Since I can remember I have been a profuse shedder - especially in the shower. I don't have bald spots or anything of the sort and unfortunately haven't ever noticed any thinning either. I always thought this to be somewhat normal for a girl with ultra thick long hair - is this in fact what people mean by hair loss in relation to celiac disease? I also had my thyroid checked when I was originally tested for Celiac about a month ago and it came back normal.

I have long hair (just past shoulders) and was losing handfuls of hair in the shower before I got my celiac diagnosis. I also have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis so it could be related to that, but the hair loss was one of my first problems to leave when I started the gluten free diet!

jess-gf Explorer
jess-gf
Posted

My hair stylist noticed this about my hair too a few months ago. I think over the past year I've just been slowly loosing hair whenever I wash it or comb or brush it, regardless of knots. Fortunately I have a ton of hair and nobody really notices it except for me and my hair lady. I'm just assuming it was from malnutrition and I'm hoping that soon it will go away.

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

I also have long thick hair. I think long thick dark hair is just more noticable wrapped around a ponytail, on the bathroom floor, or in the shower drain. I never noticed thinning patches or clumps of hair falling out while on gluten. 3 months after going gluten free, my hair in the front center of my head started getting thin and my hairdresser commented on the amount of hair I was loosing. It turns out that after your body goes through a major stressor (illness, pregnancy, environmental, and aparently for me starting a gluten-free diet), the hair roots shift together into a neutral non-growing state. Then 3 months later, they naturally fall out and start the process of growing new hairs. It is a normal process that all the hairs on your head go through at some time or another, but usually not all at once. My thyroid is fine, and the hair grew back. I just went for a side part or pulled back while the hair was recovering. Now, I'm pregnant and my hair has stopped falling out almost entirely. I expect that after the 3 month dormancy period, my hair will be falling out in handfuls again. Probably just about time for delivery.

Get your thyroid tested, but if that is negative and you don't have other issues, consider waiting 6-9 months for the new growth to fill in. Buy one of those thick headbands. I got lots of compliments.

Bella001 Explorer
Bella001
Posted

I am new at this and have been seeing a lot about hair loss lately. Since I can remember I have been a profuse shedder - especially in the shower. I don't have bald spots or anything of the sort and unfortunately haven't ever noticed any thinning either. I always thought this to be somewhat normal for a girl with ultra thick long hair - is this in fact what people mean by hair loss in relation to celiac disease? I also had my thyroid checked when I was originally tested for Celiac about a month ago and it came back normal.

Yes, I had hair loss. I have long think and curly hair. I will also have some loss but it was getting out of control for a while before I figured out what was wrong with me and went gluten-free. Hair loss has slowed big time but when I get glutened, it's back with full force.

Ivy Rookie
Ivy
Posted

I am new at this and have been seeing a lot about hair loss lately. Since I can remember I have been a profuse shedder - especially in the shower. I don't have bald spots or anything of the sort and unfortunately haven't ever noticed any thinning either. I always thought this to be somewhat normal for a girl with ultra thick long hair - is this in fact what people mean by hair loss in relation to celiac disease? I also had my thyroid checked when I was originally tested for Celiac about a month ago and it came back normal.

I have had handfuls of hair during shampooing. Apparently for me it's alopecia. Probably related to my fibromyalgia, or not, who knows? I have yet to have any bald spots, and it does seem to grow back. Shedding seasons just seem to be extreme sometimes. I have found two things helpful. Vitamins (B's including sublingual methylcobalamin) and monitoring my stress levels. Also quit using shampoos with SLS and excessive alcohols.

tea-and-crumpets Explorer
tea-and-crumpets
Posted

I had a lot of hair loss, also thanks to PCOS. I started eating gluten-free a couple of months ago and I am tentatively encouraged that my hair is growing back, but I'm not quite sure yet.

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Takala Enthusiast
Takala
Posted

Hair will grow back and your fingernails will get stronger and better, the longer you are on the gluten free diet. B)

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Hair loss for me has been a constant for years, with illness, with antibiotic use, and then really bad for no particular reason, I thought. Turns out it was gluten. My hair became very thin and sparse around my front hairline, like a lol, and I thought, heck, I'm not that old. Since gluten free it has grown back in again.

jessicalw28 Apprentice
jessicalw28
Posted

I have thick, curly hair and have always noticed that it seems like it sheds more than normal. I wasn't sure if it was anything to worry about or not. I always seem to have a lot of hair get caught in my brush and have to clean the shower drain every day. My fiance is always picking stray hairs off of my clothes. I'm just starting my journey with the gluten free diet, so hopefully it will help. It never looks like my hair is missing, but it does make a mess.

jebby Enthusiast
jebby
Posted

I lost a ton of hair when I first started to get sick, it started to grow back after about 3 or 4 months of being gluten free and is now back to normal. My fingernails grow much faster now too.

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