YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Hair health

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Hair health https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 25 Apr 2026 05:20:39 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Laurie on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1460258 Fri, 20 Mar 2015 11:23:29 +0000 Laurie 1460258@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ thanks for sharing, everyone - this is a really hard subject.    I can share the information about the woman in NJ I met with about wig/hair pieces if anyone wants it.  The owner is a very interesting, compassionate woman.  The hair pieces are gorgeous.   They ship all over the world.   I think that it is a great alternative, and I will do it if it comes to that.   I have a extra bit of an emotional issue with this due to the fact that I lost all of my hair during chemo in my 30's....but I never doubted that it would grow back.  It's different if the situation can't be diagnosed and fixed.   this is also the reason I'm having these problems - the radiation I had to my neck and chest area destroyed my perfectly healthy thyroid, and set me on this cycle.  No one ever told me this might be a problem later in life.  In a weird way I guess I should be grateful I've made it to the point to even have this problem, right? RachyLou - I fired my endocrinologist (2nd only to the tyrannical stereotype of orthopedic surgeons in my experience) and my ob/gyn through this,  and I now see an internist who is in practice with another doctor who I found by reading Mary Shomon's books about thyroid disorders.  They specialize in thyroid and other hormonal issues and take a holistic approach to treatment.  My doctor is kind and patient, is never threatened when I bring research I've done to her and has helped me through this.  Thyroid management is a very charged subject!   PM me if you want more information or an empathetic ear. Elly on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1460163 Fri, 20 Mar 2015 04:42:24 +0000 Elly 1460163@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've written here in the past about significant hair loss. I've always had fine hair but lots of it, which helped give it some body. Now it is thin, it grows back a little, then falls out in huge amounts. It appears that the lack of oxygen that reaches my scalp during periods of stress that go along with my heart condition causes the hair loss and thinning. Because the condition is rare I haven't had any doc have any suggestions, but I do use Nioxin-type shampoos. It is frustrating because it affects my appearance as a professional (limits my hairstyles -- which are already limited by profession-specific rules and looks shabby tied back) and as a young woman. Makrame on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459783 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:57:22 +0000 Makrame 1459783@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Glad your hair is filling out these days! I have hereditary hair loss (my Mom has really thin hair, I had very thick hair as a young adult but have been losing it gradually). I have recently started using minoxidil for hair loss (generic Rogaine), and it seems to be helping. My hairdresser has commented on the regrowth she is seeing. I hear you on being obsessed with other women's hair! I have also just given the endocrine system lecture for a medical course I am teaching, and I am totally with you on the amazing complexity of the endocrine system. Style Fan on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459546 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 15:14:39 +0000 Style Fan 1459546@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My hair went crazy during my early 40s due to menopause and stress (my husband died).  I was losing a lot of hair.  I always had beautiful hair and then it was falling out.  :(  My fingernails also got weird.  Nail polish would not stay on.  Now I am 59 and my hair seems to be staying in my head.  I still can not wear nail polish on my fingers.  I can wear it on my toes.  My hair will never look the same though but it doesn't bother me anymore. My hair is not as shiny as it was.  I did try the oral supplement that starts with B.  I will not write it so it wouldn't come up when someone searches for it.  I think it was helping but my skin broke out and my skin never breaks out.  Apparently this can be a side effect for some people.  So I stopped. jackiec on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459478 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 13:22:58 +0000 jackiec 1459478@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for sharing. I can see myself going down that road and it terrifies me too. I have fine, thin hair, and suffered significant hair loss in my last year of high school. I know how traumatic it can be, especially for a teen when it seems like the world is tied to your looks. They couldn't figure it out, and thought it was due to a crazy high fever I had that year. Either way, having it once makes me feel "susceptible." I appreciate your story and am glad things have worked out for you. rachylou on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459382 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 06:11:48 +0000 rachylou 1459382@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Or maybe it was me. I have to take replacement thyroid and it's been too high. Still, I fear it's more than that - that it's because I agreed to go back on synthetic thyroid several years ago. My endo is a tyrant. I appreciate the hope that it might be possible for it to go back the other way a bit. And no, I can't switch endos without HER permission. I would have to leave the university hospital system all together, and I'm a difficult case. I need to be at the research hospital. Aziraphale on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459264 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 01:09:05 +0000 Aziraphale 1459264@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You know, my mother in law has had thin hair all her life, and menopause did not improve the situation. She finally got a wig. It looks fabulous. Plus, she said that she very quickly got used to it and doesn't even notice it anymore -- a bit like wearing contact lenses, I think. Just putting that out there for anyone who is struggling with hair loss. Wigs are a very real option, and not a big deal at all. I think my MIL now has about six, because they eventually get tatty (like all hair), and she's not going back. One of my friends recently commented about her lovely thick hair, and was astonished to discover that it's a wig.  Ideally, of course, people want real hair, and if it's a matter of endocrine function, I'd look into that first. But sometime our best efforts are not enough. Shit happens. For example, we also prefer natural teeth, and when that's not possible, a crown can make a very good substitute. I now think of a wig a bit like a crown -- expensive, but worth it. Knowing I can always get a fabulous wig saves me from worrying about future menopausal hair loss. Peri on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459242 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 00:31:05 +0000 Peri 1459242@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think it might have been me...I was worried about mine thinning and also breaking a lot. In the last week the thinning seems less so I'm hoping it will stay less! I am 5 years post menopause, so who knows why it would kick up now. I do have fine, thin hair to begin with...it has only ever looked like a lot because it is curly. I did just get mine cut shorter (shoulder length layered bob) and it is looking much better. And I go to my Dr next week to ask him about it.  Has anyone tried that rub in treatment? I'm trying not to say a brand name because then this post will show up in every online search! But you know which one I'm talking about! Laurie on "Hair health" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/hair-health#post-1459213 Wed, 18 Mar 2015 23:28:40 +0000 Laurie 1459213@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I got a nice compliment on my hair in my last WIW post, and I wanted to make a few comments as I am one of those women who has the misfortune of thinning hair related to menopause and hormonal change.  I think there was a thread a while back about hair, and it's a topic that is very sensitive if you are going through hair loss.  My hair is better than it has been in almost 5 years.  In my late 40's I was shocked when it started falling out unusually heavily for extended periods of time. I had just hit perimenopause and my hormones went nuts. I also have no thyroid function and have to take thyroid meds which truly amplified the hormonal imbalance.  Most of my doctors wanted nothing to do with this problem.   It was very difficult to regulate everything.    I have been through about 5 cycles of extended hair loss over the past 5 years, and it's incredibly depressing.  As it is hormonally related, I usually feel crappy overall durign those cycles, exacerbated by the horror of hair falling out.  My hair was probably 1/2 of its original thickness at the worst times.  I literally felt like hiding in my house during those episodes. Fortunately, I had really thick hair to start with, but there have been times when I  seriously worried I would need to get a wig. I even located a woman in NJ who specializes in wigs for women with health related hair loss (she's amazing).  I spent too much time on the Internet reading things that were scary and mostly unhelpful.   I was obsessed with every woman's hair thickness! I  have an amazing hairdresser who has become a dear friend and is half-therapist and half-stylist. She has gotten me through some bad stuff, she is an angel sent from Heaven. I've finally gotten my thyroid and hormones in good balance after all these years of trying, and realized just recently that my hair has really been filling out.   i have learned a lot about the medical profession through this experience, and how much we need to take control of our health and find the right physicians. I've also learned a lot about the endocrine system. I always feel like I could go into a hair loss cycle at any time, so I hope I don't jinx myself by writing this.  But, when I was low, I took comfort in hearing other womens' stories.  It's sort of a taboo subject -I really had no idea that this was not an uncommon side effect of menopause. Thanks for the boost yesterday, lovely YLF'ers!