Hair Loss - Ladies Could use some suggestions

Hi Beth,
My son lost most of his hair though the ordeal. It started growing back after his colon was out, medications ended, and better nutrition. It grew back quickly. We used Nioxin shampoo, but I'm not really sure if it mattered. He had very straight hair before it fell out. It grew back very curly. Eventually it went back to being straight.

Hello! I can absolutely relate to this problem as a 22-year-old girl who lost her hair. Exactly one year I had emergency surgery to remove my entire colon as a result of colitis. I spent the next 4 months battling internal abscesses and infections. As a result I lost almost all of my hair, and I had thick, THICK hair! I was never bald really, but had extremely thin hair. I stressed over it for 6 months not knowing what to do, scared of going the wig route at such a young age. Finally someone recommended me to a salon that did extensions. My hair was too thin for "extensions" but I was able to try on lots of hair pieces-- full heads of hair that you just clip in to your existing hair. It takes 2 seconds to put on and looks completely natural! I am so pleased with my "new" hair and I will probably continue to wear it even when my own stuff grows back! The problem is-- it is expensive!! A few hundred dollars. I love it though and wish I had done it 6 months sooner.

Good luck!

Oh-- I should mention though that it DOES grow back, my doctor said most of his patients grow even thicker hair after their loss so that is good news!

My hair was falling out in clumnps. I was starting to think I was going through chemo. I had my surgery to remove my colon December 9 and my hair stopped falling out 2 months ago. I was not deficient in anything so nobody knew what was up but it did stop. I cut it real short since it was so depressing. Now it is growing in healthy and thicker.

Time for a nice stylish short haircut. Once she gets through all her surgeries and regains some good nutrition.. it will most likely grow in thicker. Mine did. However, seems that hair is the last thing to "heal" as your body is focused on healing vital things first. So if she gets a stylin' short haircut she can be happy with that for a few years.

My hair did the same thing. I lost my hair in clumps to the point that I was in tears. My GI said 50% of patients will lose at least 50% of their hair. The good news is it grows back 100% of the time. You don't have to get really expensive extensions nowadays, some hair salons sell a cheaper alternative. Also I found that I could braid my hair to cover up the thinner patches. Tell her not to worry though, it does grow back really fast (and thick).

thanks so much for your comments - i know it will eventually grow back, she is 2 weeks from her takedown and it just is still falling out - she did have it cut shorter, but at this point there is so much gone the short hair doesn't matter and she is still clinging to have long hair - hayley - did you get the hair pieces at a salon or did you buy them somewhere. I think she would definitely go that route, we did look at extensions but like you her hair is too thin to be able to keep them in. A few hundred dollars is not bad if it helps her cope a little more with the loss of hair - as a 22 year old you can relate, she is due to go back to college at the end of august and doesn't want to go back as a baldy!! She was really lucky to have had such a thick head of hair...and from what i have read it will be even thicker when it comes back - thanks so much

Bethie,

I am not sure if this helps or not but one of the women I work with lost all of her hair due to chemo/radiation in the aftermath of complete mastectomy due to breast cancer. She is in her early 50s but a very attractive woman with unusually long and beautiful hair before the cancer diagnosis. She was initially distraught by the hair loss and for a period of time I suspected her hair would never be as long and lustrous as it previously was. It has now been a year or two and her hair is what it was pre-surgically and she has also returned to her normal weight. So hair can be resilient.

I have no hair at all but I am a guy and I shave my head, so I can get away with it. I would love to have hair like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise who are the same age as me but it was not meant to be. I realize things are different for women and I personally am attracted to women with long straight brunette hair. I wish your daughter well.

Hi,
I lost hair pre-Jpouch (when I had UC & was in a flare and also from 8 yrs of UC drug Asacol). I never lost hair in clumps or had bald patches but I always notices lots of hair coming out when I brushed my hair. It thinned out. Jpouch suregry had little effect on hair loss for me. I didn't notice more hair loss post surgery but my hair also didn't go back to it's pre-UC thickness either. A few months ago I had gel nails applied (I'll never do that again!) & my nails were so damaged and thin from being sanded down. I picked up a Biotin supplement for hair, skin & nails to help grow my natural nails back. Within a month of taking 1-2 pills a day (3000 mcg of Biotin in each pill) I was surprised to see that my hair was getting thicker. It didn't seem to help my nails at all though! I'm thrilled w/ this. I think it slows down natural hair "shedding" so it looks & feels thicker. I continue to take it daily-usually just 1 a day w/ food. I just buy a cheap brand-I think it's under $5 & Costco sells it also. Any Biotin supplement will do. I read up on it online & lots of people take Biotin to help w/ hair loss. I actually have to pluck eyebrows & shave more often now too! I don't know if it would help your daughter but it's worth giving a shot. The pills I buy are pretty big and are hard for some to swallow but I'm sure you could find smaller size or crush up for your daughter. I buy Nature's Bounty-Hair, Skin & Nails. Best of luck, Peggy

Completely relate!
If it helps I have some videos I did on my youtube channel (you can find that by clicking my blogs link below) and also some video's I posted on another youtube video I have called Sick Girl Beauty Vlog. I work in a high end salon so the combination of being a sick girl myself who experiences hair loss occasionally and working in a salon has given me some useful tips.

Aside from extensions, styling, or a short haircut nothing will really help with the actual hair growth process until the body becomes healthy again. Most of that comes from the inside- nutrition. I lost tons of hair when I was really sick and underweight before and after my surgeries. Once I got a little healthier after some time my hair started growing back in. I've also experienced hair loss because of meds which is a little bit harder to combat. I'm a pro with clip-in extensions and backcombing.

If you need anything, let me know!

I went to a salon. I called around and found one that had a specialist in this sot of thing and she had a ready collection of tons of different pieces and styles for me to try on. It has been a God send! I absolutely dreaded going to school each day because I was so self-conscious of my thin hair! (Vanity is a silly thing compared to health, but hey!) The salon I went to is called Hair Success but I don't believe it is a national chain? Good luck!!!

Berthie,
I've been through it numerous times...Every single series of surgeries did it to me...the latest was between 2005-2009...Bad run of sick/surgeries/meds etc...in the picture I looked like a plucked chicken (the short and sassy haircut did not help the illusion!)...so, I went back to my old favorite recipe for hair regrowth...H&S shampoo! That is it. You wash your hair normally 2-3xs a week and massage the scalp for an extra minute or 2 with the H&S and then use your usual shampoo for the 2nd shampoo and your creamrince.
Done. Do not forget to massage the cream rince into the cuticles of your nail-beds for 1 min to get those nails to grow back fast and strong..Within 6 months I started to see serious regrowth, the nails were back and by the end of the year my hair was growing in thick and strong.
I also do major vitamin/mineral suppliments including iron, zinc (not good apparently for breast cancer sufferers) and collagene plus the usual array of stuff and I eat/drink tons of home-made smoothies and soups.
It seems to work fo rme.
Sharon

Does you local mall have the kiakos that sell clip on extensions? Several around here do.

Once my hair grew back, it was better than before. I used to have to wash it every.single.day, now I can go two days out in public without washing it.

There is a wonderful product called VIVISCAL. It was recommended from my dermatologist. Rated very highly among users. Best price is on Amazon. It's expensive, but people swear by it! It has some Amino Mar complex with Horsetail extract, etc. All natural. Look it up! Hope it helps!