So I wanted to talk about this recent phenomenon I've noticed, but first, a little backstory.
When I want to replace that happy endorphin pampered feeling I get from getting my junk food on, I tend to turn to spa therapy. I give myself manicures and facials more often than most people, and really, I've always taken good care of my skin. I had some acne when I was younger and I feel like it's important to maintain healthy skin.
My hair is another thing that I take really good care of. Even at my heaviest, my hair has always been one of those things that I thought was my best feature. I spend exorbitant amounts of money on expensive hair cuts and dyes (well, my lovely mom spends exorbitant amounts of money on it, honestly. I couldn't afford the hair cuts that she and I get on a regular basis.)
I wash my hair daily and treat it with two different conditioners. Then I blow dry it and add a volumizing spray. I've been doing this for a pretty long time. I like taking care of my hair. And it pays off- my hair is pretty effing sexy.
So, over the last 2 or so months, I've noticed two things: I am breaking out a lot more than usual, and I am losing a lot more hair in the shower than usual. Yesterday, while rocking my side ponytail for 80's day, I noticed a HUGE bald spot on the left side of my hair. HUGE.
Have you ever seen the movie "THE CRAFT"? In it, the witches put a voodoo curse on a girl who is a racist bully. Every time she hurts one of the witches, she loses some of her hair. Then one day the girl who was being bullied goes into the shower and this bully chick is just sitting on the floor, curled up in the fetal position clutching handfuls of her hair and yelling "it just keeps falling out!" (I tried to find a video of this, but I couldn't. Trust me, it's really intense)
Anyway, that's how I feel. Clutching literally handfuls of hair and having a little panic attack in the shower.
So, I have a friend who is a nurse, and who is also losing weight. She says (and I web MD'd this and as proof) that my body is reacting to the stress of losing all this weight.
ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!?!?
So, let me get this straight. I have the choice to either be fat, or be skinny, but be a 27 year-old pizza face with a receding hairline? How is THAT fair? This whole thing seems to be a bit of a proverbial kick when you're down, if you ask me.
I turn, as usual, to my readers- those of you who have lost weight (or even those of you who havent)- have you experienced stress related hair loss? And if so, what do you do to stop it (and hopefully gain some of your hair back)?
I look forward to hearing your answers. In the mean time, I'll be getting price quotes on wigs on the internet.
Oh, and here's my meals for yesterday. Since I know you're all dying to know!
7:00am- Herbalife shake and herbalife tea
11:15am- Herbalife shake, herbalife tea, 2 clementines, unsalted almonds
2:30pm- Oikos strawberry yogurt (which I effing LOVE btw, marie) and another clementine
7:00pm- Purdue grilled chicken breast (tasted a little better this time) 1/2 cup of whole wheat penne (with 1tbsp of organic pasta sauce), carrot sticks
Oh and a shit ton of water too.
Try pre-natal vitamins. Stress in general can make you lose hair. And I have seen The Craft several times and you just brought back the creepy memories. :) Good soundtrack though.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the craft. And I'm going to try and score some pre-natal vitamins from some people I know who recently had babies, try a few for a while and see if I notice a difference.
DeleteHey I have actually seen this happen to a few of my clients and one of my girlfriends. You can go to the skin Dr and get a shot (can't remember what but ill get back to you) on the bald spot and it will start to grow back again, it will take some time but I have seen it work!! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, please let me know. I take such good care of my hair, I was really distraught when I saw the size of this spot! Do you know how far gone your clients/friends were? This spot is pretty big.
DeleteOk, so especially since you haven't been loosing weight for a little while and you didn't loose any when you had your big weight loss, I'm not convinced its the weight loss that's causing the hair loss. Stress is the number one cause of it and also a hormonal change can cause it as well. Its really important to have good nutrition and I know that you're definately getting that, especially with the vitamins 3x a day. I've had times in my life where i've thought i was loosing my hair, had a spot that was bald and then it ended up coming back and being fine. Try not to worry about it or stress too much...that'll make it worse. Just keep going strong with what you're doing, you're doing soooo great!! Also, don't forget the option of the rottisary chickens from the market.
ReplyDeleteMarie :)
You're absolutely right about not stressing out about it, hahaha. And I've never been a fan of rotissary chicken, but I grilled a ton of chicken ahead of time at my mom's and I've been heating it up. Works just fine.
DeleteLol! Ur too funny! Don't search for wigs just yet :-P First of all, let me tell you some golden pieces of wisdom from experience. Nurses don't know everything no matter how good they are. Trust me. I don't trust most of them which is tradgic. It's even harder to find a Doctor who knows what the hell the hell is really going on. Even if you know your own body the majority of Doc's just wont care, and dismiss it. This is cuz they are the Doctor and think know more than anyone, and that their oppinions are always fact. Quite annoying. Occasionally I find a gem of a Nurse or Doctor and its rare but awesome. So any who, Your nurse friend is wrong, no offense to her of course. Most importantly don't listen to Web MD, forums, or anything online for that matter. Your problem has got nothing to do with losing weight. It's is 100% from stress, and stress alone. Dont get me wrong though. Sure it may cause you stress with the physical working out and dieting. However, for this to be at the point where it is physically manifesting, sure as hell isn't cuz the work of loosing weight. You got a shit ton more going on in your life, lots of emotional stuff too. Both thing you know about and don;t realize. People don't know how much these thing effect you. I find most of the people I'v met just see simple cause and effect. Black and white thinking. This is happening because of that. NOT TRUE! It's super common for this level of stress to effect young women at your age. The 20's is when the wear of starts to progress and become obvious with these kind of symptoms. Stress effects the way your brain works by letting out different hormones that cause all sorts of negative emotions, differences in PH and chemical imbalance. When that happens it effects you in every way possible. I'v always had clear skin, so I freaked out too when this happened to me. I lost hair, I broke out in acne, and I even started to go grey. Now that was horrifying! unfortunately there is no instant fix for this. The only thing you can do is find healthy ways to cope with the stresses in you life no matter what they are. It's lots of work, and it's incredibly difficult, way more times than not. It is a lot of work but it's worth it, and their IS HOPE. Also know that there is a several helpful options we could talk about in order to accomplish less stress. I have a ton of experience in this and can help you find a support system and different effective techniques, or game plans. I for one will be more than happy to support you if your open to it. So don't panic. I know and promise you loose your weight, find a better sense of well being, keep your sexy hair and skin, and live the best life you can. That's what you deserve! Trust me, it will get better even though things are scary and it doesn't seem that way. The only thing that is consistent is change, and you are headed in the right direction my friend. :-D
ReplyDeleteLove,
Elise xo
You're so sweet elise. Thanks for the encouraging words. When are we getting together?
DeleteAre you eating any vegetables? Vitamins from vegetables are much more bioavailable.... you can take hundreds of supplements but you might not absorb any of it.... leafy greens are everyone's best friend...
ReplyDeleteI am eating a fair amount of the few vegetables I like. I'm super picky though, so it tends to be more lettuce/spinach/and carrots than anything. PS how the heck are you? it's been months! You should come to the open mic at the locals on weds. joes' hosting.
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