Found the Cause, When Will the Hair Loss Stop?

by Ellen
(New York City)

I am a healthy, active 46 year old woman who's never dyed her hair and has yet to go grey. I started losing my long thick strawberry blonde hair last fall. I thought it was the usual seasonal thinning. But it didn't stop and by August was coming out in handfuls.

I have Hashimoto's disease (a thyroid condition) and thought it had something to do with that since I had recently changed my daily dosage of Synthroid. (My hair dresser suggested I take an iron supplement - which I ignored.) My blood work in June showed iron levels and thyroid levels fine so, under my doctor’s suggestion, I went to a dermatologist. (At this point I had lost at least half of my hair.)

The dermatologist instantly diagnosed chronic Telogen effluvium. as I eat red meat 2-3 times a week and have green leafy veggies every night, she ordered more in-depth blood work and found that not only was my iron 'low' it was completely DEFICIENT. Two things also started last fall, my periods became extremely heavy and I started using Retin A on my face nightly. Apparently both of these things have caused my CTE.
Here’s my question: I am now on a daily iron supplement. I’ve stopped the Retin A, I am taking the pill to completely stop my period/monthly bleeding out; when can I expect for my hair to STOP falling out at its current rate?

Editor’s Comments,

Hello there Ellen. Thanks for sharing your story with us. We do hope that you are recovering from your current situation.

First of all, you must know, there is no definitive time to predict when you hair will grow back. One rule of thumb to follow is that, when your body is back into shape, which means your iron levels and whatever related to it (like your blood oxygen and etc) are stable, then it’s time for your hair to start recover.
This period solely depends on your own body’s ability to stabilize itself. Make sure that your thyroid levels are normal as it can change drastically with Hashimoto’s disease. Bear in mind that certain medications that you are taking like birth control meds might also suppress hair growth.

If everything is fine, hair loss should gradually return to its normal pace (50-100 hairs a day) while new hairs will start to grow back up. It will take time, in the span of months after your body stabilizes itself before you can expect some improvements.

During this period of time, nourishing your hair is important because your hair needs nourishment to grow back up faster. We advice that you ask your dermatologists for any supplements that you can take to complement your hair’s condition. You might want to ask about vitamin B complex, Minoxidil 2% for women and maybe other supplements like Viviscal for women. Good luck in your recovery.