Hair Loss - San Leandro,CA

Hi G.,
when I started lossing my hair it was because I was iorn deficient and the doctor put me on iron pills. It is common for breast feeding mothers that might be prone to this condition to sometimes develop anemia.

most common known form of nutritional deficiency. In the human body, iron is present in all cells and has several vital functions—as a carrier of oxygen to the tissues from the lungs in the form of hemoglobin, as a transport medium for electrons within the cells in the form of cytochromes, and as an integral part of enzyme reactions in various tissues. Too little iron can interfere with these vital functions and lead to morbidity and mortality.

The direct consequence of iron deficiency is iron deficiency anemia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_deficiency_(medicine)

my son is 10m old. i am loosing TONS of hair as well. My hair is so thin, I feel like getting extensions to just make it feel and look fuller. Its unfortunately, part of being a new mom. Same goes with bigges hips, thighs, arms and back....and MORE weight. LOVELY!

I look completely different now that I had my son. He aged me. NO kidding. Its amazing how having a child changes you from head to toe. some people don't change a bit. I on the other hand changed every aspect of my body.

Frustrating and very depressing sometimes. But my son was worth what I deal with daily.

I had a friend who once joked about "mama hair" and at the time I had no idea what she meant, but now almost all of my friends (and myself) who just had a baby are unfortunately plagued by it. I've had tons of hair fall out, and now they're growing back causing "mama hair". I have little wisps of hair sticking up all over the place. I heard it just takes time for the hair to grow long enough to tame. No worries about that part, I think that's just normal for many women.
As for the dry skin and tingly sensation, it sounds like your skin may be getting more sensitive. I would consult with a dermatologist - you may have to temporarily change your regimen. I've always had dry skin and I really like Ceravue lotion (MD recommended, you have to buy online).
good luck!

i am losing more hair than normal also

When you are pregnant you hair usually doesn't fall out as much as normal. Soon after your child is born your hair will fall out-a lot of it. This happens for pretty much everyone. Your body goes through changes. I have massive amounts of hair and so when I am pregnant my hair just gets thicker and I welcome the loss after the baby. It is normal. My hair also be really curly, but has straightened out after my children were born. Your body will go through changes.

Yes, this is normal. Hormones are very rough on the body. Apparently, you don't lose hair as you normally do while you're pregnant, but after you have the baby you lose what should have been lost throughout those months. It comes back. As for your skin, I would definitely discontinue the products and see a doctor or esthetician. Congratulations on the new baby! C.

G. - I'm not adding anything new that the other moms didn't already mention. I just wanted to let you know that I started losing my hair when my son was 3 months old. I continued to lose hair...and I mean lots of it...handfuls. I would run my hands through my hair and I would get big handful of it. It was so scary. I completely freaked out and went to see my dermatologist. She said it's normal after pregnancy and can last for up to a year after giving birth. I know that's a long time, but just wait it out. Try different hairstyles that make your hair look more fuller. Don't tie your hair up in a ponytail. It will only make it worse. My hair loss has finally stopped after about 5 months and I have the baby hairs all over my head.

So hang in there!

At one time I had 1/2 my normal ponytail. It was shocking to notice that I had 50% less hair than normal. It seemed like a fair amount in the hair brush, but what was worse was the hairs were always on the floors. What was worse was the amount of hair that had accumulated in the shower drain, that I removed one day to my shock. I called the dermatologist's office and since it was not male pattern baldness, it was not coming out in clumps, etc, they were not concerned. The nurse told me that hair had different growth phases, so perhaps your growth phase is beginning. I bought some hair products called Nioxin. The system has a drain strainer, so you can actually see how much hair you are losing in the shower. Somehow the shampoo and other treatment in the kit resolved the problem and it never came back. There are also hair and nail vitamins to be sure you don't have some deficiency, and it can't hurt. The facial tingling, you should ask your MD. This could be a symptom of Bell's Palsy or some other condition for which you should be seen. Thyroid conditions might be a cause as well. I'd schedule a physical, just to cover my bases.

Hi and congratulations on your baby.
My little girl is just over a year and about 3 or 4 months ago my hair started falling out like mad and hasn't stopped! It's everywhere and drives me crazy. Everyone tells me it's normal and eventually, once my hormones get back to normal (I'm still nursing) it will stop.
Good luck!
n

Definitely get your thyroid checked. I had same issues, as well as the inability to lose any of the baby weight. Turned out my thyroid had completely shut down. Exhaustion (usually happens with new baby, and folks assume it is because of that), hair lose, dry skin, weight gain or inability to lose weight, and depression are all signs of inactive thyroid.

Hi G., congratulations! Sorry to say this is totally normal for some. My hair and skin were never better than when I was pregnant and never worse a few months after baby. It's hormones. This will go on to some degree until a few months after you finish breast feeding. I would probably adjust your face care products but not spend a fortune doing so since you will likely face other changes. You may also want to ask your doctor about running some thyroid tests. Are your nails more brittle? Are you more tired than usual (I know, you have a 10 month old of course you're tired), emotional changes etc. Obviously you mentioned skin and hair issues. I just had a panel of tests done and am waiting for the results. Thyroid issues after pregnancy are more common than you would think. Some people are so lucky and these things didn't happen to them or weren't as severe. I was not a lucky one ;-) Hang in there. As my doc joked, next up is perimenapause and menapause - horray!

I starte losing my thick and shiny hair when my girls were about 6-7 months old. That is when I started them on solids. Then I had a crazy mass of new hair, too. It is pretty normal.

Hi G.,
The same thing happened to me after I had my son. When I went to my hairdresser he just laughed because he said that it happens to all of his clients. My son is now 14 months old and my hair looks good as new. You can try taking prenatal vitamins again because part of the reason why pregnant women have such beautiful hair and nails is due to the prenatal vitamins.
As far as the dry skin goes it is very common for peoples skin to get very dry during the winter because having the heater on in the house and car can dry out your skin. I use Aveeno lotion for my face and body during the winter and than I go back to using my regular face lotion during the summer. I hope this helps.
Jenn

Hi G.,

Your symptoms sound like thyroid problems to me. It is very common after the birth of your first child. I had thyroid problems when my first was about 10 months old. Don't be too worried as it is usually easily treated but can really become much worse if you don't get on top of it right away. It can be easily detected with a simple blood test. Good luck. I hope you feel better soon and get it sorted out.

JJY

The hair loss is completely normal. It is all connected to hormonal changes. I think the same might be the case for your facial skin. I have been having a similar problem but my little nurser is 2 years now. Over the last couple months I have been having very dry skin and patches of redness. I'd love to hear what others have experienced.

Please go see the doctor and get your thyroid checked out. I went through the exact same symptoms and thought it was just post pregnancy hormones messing with my body. But after talking to the doctor about it we found that my thyroid had shut down and that was the cause. Within a month of taking one little pill a day my hair luster started coming back, it started growing back in, I got my energy back, and my skin improved.

It could be something else like a vitamin deficiency, but the Thyroid test is so simple and easy go make sure that it is functioning normal before you try other remedies.

My baby is now 4 months and I too have started to lose hair on a daily basis. My mom says it's because of the hormone change as it is trying to balance out. Others I have talked with also have same symptoms. As far as skin goes my skin is also a little different. Try doing a facial every week and use a good night time and day time moisturizer. I use Philosophy for facial and Bare Essentials for all other facial products including make up it really helps.

L.

6 months ago or so , i have been having hair loss continuously for months (strands of hair just come out all day long). I used to have thick hair but I can feel it was thinning...

I was googling 'Leaky Guts' for other reasons, and read that zinc deficiency leads to malabsorption which causes hair loss and some eye disorders. I started taking zinc supplement (15 mg/day citrate) and the hair loss stopped, meaning no more losing strands of hair constantly. I feel normal about that now. it also says zinc has to be balanced with some copper ( 1 mg copper/ 15 mg zinc). This is only my experience; good luck finding your own cause & cure! BTW, I am probably peri-menopausal, so this is only FYI.

Oh I remember this well. My daughter is also 10 months and I just started getting my hair back and my skin is starting to even out. So normal. I use origins,and I love it. It is a little pricy, but it is worth it. My friends swear by oil of olay. Also at origins, they have a skin refresher you can use throughout the day that does not disrupt make-up etc. Oh the joys of motherhood. I lost my hair in the front. It looked like I was going bald, dividing and conauering. This happened with both of my kids. It is annoying but will be back to normal in a year or so. Take care.

Yup! Normal!!! That's one of the fun parts of giving birth. Your hair and skin will never be as nice as when you are pregnant. Within 6-9 months your hair will return to pre-pregnancy thickness.

Hi G.,

I don't remember going through these changes after my child was born (I was also 41), but I've been through hair loss and skin changes since then. I seem to have developed an allergic reaction to any kind of skin cleanser and lotion. I also was losing a lot of hair a couple of years ago. I think pregnancy and nursing really depleted my body. My hair loss stopped with acupuncture, which also helped my lower back problems I developed during pregnancy. I attribute some of this to perimenopause (I'm 48 now).

Good luck and take care of yourself - us older moms need to!!

E.

Don't worry! You aren't going bald. It is a hormone thing. Basically while you are pregnant you don't lose your hair (normal hair loss is around 100 hairs a day). However, after you've had your baby you lose your normal amount of hair plus extra to shed what didn't get lost while pregnant. I breastfed my baby and it was the same. As for your face, it too is hormonal. Try to take it easy on cleaning your face - use gentle cleansers that don't dry your face. Dr. Brown's castille soap is great or Dove sensitive bar (not the liquid) and some Oil of Olay (the cheap stuff in the white bottle) for sensitive skin worked great for me. Also, make sure you are using sun screen. Use a gentle one that is safe for faces - I used the same one I put on my kids and it worked great. I promise your face and hair will go back to normal. For your hair if you have any prenatal vitamins left take them until they are gone to help with the shine. You can also do a hair masque to restore shine and add softness (mayo works great but is messy and a little gross; same with olive oil). Good luck and congrats on your baby!

http://www.chefwalton.com

Hi G.,

I am a hair stylist and a wellness consultant.
Hair loss comes from lacking of nutrients, taking medicine, hormonal inbalance, trauma, chemical services, product build up, parasites, and from health challenges. These are reasons why we have this problem.

A lot of women loose their hair after birth because the baby takes all the nutrients from them and leave the mother empty. There are some great wholefood supplements that are wonderful for mothers to take that will help not just keep them healthy but give the baby more nutrition to help support the immune system.

As for the product you are putting on your face, you have to be careful what you put on your face because there are a lot of chemicals in some of these face products that are known to be a carcinogenic. Check and see if there are Parabens in the product. If your face is getting red from using a product stop using it immediately. That is a sign it is not agreeing with your body. Anything you put on your skin will go directly to the kidneys and liver to flush it out. That is your filtering system. If it is toxic it will show up on your skin or face.

I have some other suggestions on how to get yourself, baby and family healthy.

If you are interested let me know.

Have a great weekend.

N. Marie

it takes about 18 months after birth for your hormones to get back to normal, so i wouldn't worry too much, you just have to wait it out.

Hi G.,
I definitely relate. I am 39, and my daughter is 14 months. I had to stop breastfeeding at 3 months, unfortunately. But my hair all fell at around that time. I looked a bit bald. I used to joke that my daughter was getting to have more hair than me. Then my own baby hairs started growing. Finally, now, I have a little more hair-looks thicker and shinier again. My skin was also a terrible mess, and I am just starting to have clear skin again. It is definitely a hormonal fluctuation that causes this. I would just leave your skin be for awhile, maybe just a little shea butter, but nothing else. Also try Biotin shampoo, it thickens hair, and has helped me a lot. One other thing-have you checked your thyroid? Sometimes that can cause hair loss and dry skin. But in your case, since you're 10 months postpartum, it's most likely just good old reproductive hormones. Congrats about your baby!
J

Hi G.,
Just adding my affirmation to some of the things you've already heard. If you took prenatals during pregnancy and now you've stopped, that would explain just about everything. The change in hormones explains the rest. All perfectly normal. You may be experiencing harsher symptoms because you're a little older having your first child (I sure don't won't to say "OLD" because I'm your age!). It could even be due in part to your thyroid which would benefit from getting checked. But don't be surprised if your thyroid is completely normal. You grew more hair faster during your pregnancy, and now all that hair is falling out. Yes, you're getting more hair to replace that, thus the new sprouts you're seeing. Sometimes it all settles back to normal, and sometimes you're changed for life. No one truly understands the female body and hormone changes affect all of us differently. Just try to focus on your beautiful baby and not stress about your body changes. That will just make everything worse. Your body has changed and may never spring back completely.....but those amazing new creatures are so completely worth it! God bless.

G.,
It is not uncommon for these changes to occur. You might want to try different products. But things might change again once you are no longer breastfeeding your child. The baby hairs will be replacements for the old ones that fell out, be greatful they came back, mine never did.
W. m.

I was also 41 when I had my first child. You may want to have your doctor check you hormone levels as this could be the cause of you problems. In the mean time you should also look at the personal care products you are using. Most commercial products have excessive amounts of toxins. Check your products out at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com which is a independent site where the ingredients for many products have been tested by independent labs and the products are rated for their toxicity. I have personally switched to a skin care routine called Glimpse. It just came on the market last November and it is completely toxin free. I have always had a problem with dry skin and this is the best product I have ever used. You can learn more about it at www.glimpselady.com.

I wish you luck with your new arrival and hope that you find a solution to your problems.

Regards,

Victoria M

I lost TONS of hair after both of my pregnancies. Within the first year after they were born I lost handfulls, I even had bald spots right abobe my ears. I was the same way during pregnancy, very thick pretty hair that hardly fell out. I'm sure it was the hormones after having babies. It's all grown back now, my youngest are almost 3.

Hi G.
Your hair was thick and shiny during pregnancy in part because of all the extra hormones, but now.. you aren't producing quite as much as you were. However, what's happening now is probably hormone related as well but in a different way.... perimenopausal... or even just a tiny bit.. As estrogen levels drop, you can lose some hair and your skin can become more dry. Of course, the dry winter air doesn't help matters when it comes to the skin.
I use two things, one Dr. Hauschka's rose cream (it's very rich) and I take evening primrose oil every day.. Also, drink a lot of water. you may notice that your skin varies at different times of the month, the first part of your cycle which produces the estrogens and then the second part, the progesterone... (the reason why once you ovulate) your body begins to feel warmer. If you really want to see what is going on with your body, begin to chart your cycles for a few months and notice the changes and too, as you chart you can begin to see if you are still ovulating (just because one has a period) doesn't mean they are ovulating... it's very interesting to see how your body is changing and too, how you feel at different times of the month, not to mention, when you are losing more hair and when you are not.
I think this is more of nature taking it's course than anything worrisome.. if you look up your age and the symptoms you are having, you can see it's pretty natural what you may be going thru. I am 44 years old and have experienced similar things as you are. I had my son at 37 and when I hit 40... I began to see subtle changes.. especially with the hair loss. although, it did slow down and I am by no means bald.. :) actually I have a lot of hair, but believe me, I noticed that more was coming out than usual..

I can tell you about the hair loss but not the skin. I lost my hair a lot about 6 months after my daughter was born. It comes back and it's back to how it used to be before I got pregnant. It took til she was almost a year old though before it stopped falling out. I almost was beginning to think that I wouldn't have any hair left! LOL. But alas I have my hair back (and I have a lot of hair) and it's good again. Just be patient and it will come back to it's former glory.

Think happy thoughts!