Hair anyone?

[thornbirdskkk]

Has anyone experienced any hair loss while on atkins? Once I went off the diet my hair stopped falling out, now being back on it since March 2005 it is falling out left and right!! It is really becomming distressing to the point of going off and on to weight watchers. Never had the problem with hair on that diet. With all the protein on Atkins, I don't understand. :sadblinky

[Momof3greatgirls]

From what I understand hair loss is a way your body deal with big changes in nutrition. and what you do today that will stress your hair, will not make your hair fall out for several month later. It should stop soon.
Hang in there. I lost hair everytime I had a baby, by the handfulls, but I was the only to know noone else could tell.

Amy

[fancypantstomatch]

This is posted in the woman's forum, which I understand you may not be a member of. I've been losing hand fulls of hair lately, and according to the following it is a natural thing.

Check this out!!

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/newsletter/lclnewsvol03-no06-pg7.html

Here's the article:

Dear Donna,

What you describe is called "Telogen Effluvium". The good news is, it's normal in about 10-15% of dieters. The better news is, it's temporary.

Telogen effluvium is when a stress (such as dieting/weight change) causes noticeable shedding of hair after the stressful event. The hair loss is always delayed, usually 3�4 months after the "stressful event".

The event can be a physical stress such as an illness (especially with a fever), sudden weight changes (the most common), or a major surgical procedure. Sudden severe emotional stress can also trigger telogen effluvium, including the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a job termination.

It's all about something called "Transition to Resting Phase". In telogen effluvium, the stressful event causes a high proportion of hair follicles to halt their growth phase prematurely, and to begin a transition to the resting phase at the same time. 3�4 months after the stressful event, a high proportion of follicles shed their hairs all at about the same time, as they prepare for a new cycle of growth.

The confusion comes in here �� What triggers the hair loss begins 3�4 months before the loss of the hair actually occurs. Usually, the person losing hair has recovered from the event (or stabilized from the weight change or dietary change), and then they start shedding their hair in clumps! The condition is almost always temporary, and new hairs soon grow back in. Within a few more months the normal random cycle of hair follicle growth and rest resumes.

Usually telogen effluvium results in random hair loss from all over the scalp. Often the effect is not noticeable to others, although seeing the increased quantities of shed hairs is disturbing to their owner. Treatment for telogen effluvium includes waiting for the new hairs to grow in, and styling to give a fuller look in the meantime.

Rest assured this phenomenon is not restricted to low-carbing, and in fact because our diet is high in protein, we often recover more quickly. Make sure your diet is TRULY TOTALLY sugar free. Sugar greatly exacerbates the condition. It also helps to do the following:
Up your protein by 15% each day over whatever levels you've been eating.
Make SURE you are taking in at least 1500 calories per day.
Drink LOTS of water. 64 ounces is a minimum per day.
Take your supplements! At a minimum, you should be taking:
A good multivitamin with NO iron
CoEnzyme Q10 � 75-150 mg per day.
Acetyl L-Carnitine � 1000 mg per day
A good Essential Fatty Acids supplement if you don't
eat some form of salmon, tuna, or olive oil every day.
Hope all of this is of some help, Donna. I know it feels scary, but it's not as abnormal as it may seem. I've seen people go off their diets because of it and then attest that after going off and eating "normally" their hair came back. Of course it would have come back anyway, but because these cycles are delayed, they draw the wrong conclusion. You'll find posts all over the web about how this or that diet caused their hair to fall out so the diet is DANGEROUS. They scare a lot of people with misinformation. I appreciate that you took the time to come to me and ask.


YIPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

[thornbirdskkk]

Thanks so much, you have eased my mind greatly.. I will move forward with Atkins and look forward to chatting with all you informative people. It is so nice to have such a support system behind you!! I am so glad I stumbled upon this site. :joy

[Dawn]

Yes I had it for about a month after I moved into our house and my stall broke. I didn't go bald, but I did lose a lot of hair which is now growing in once again!

Hair loss can also be contributed to the Thyroid gland so if it continues, go to your doctor.

Dawn

[thornbirdskkk]

Yeah, I have a hyperactive thyroid that I am being treated with medication for that. But I have the thyroid problem off and on for several years. I can't wait until they get in under control. I do not want the radioactive pill to kill it if I can help it. I know someone who had it done and gained so much weight. It was horrible for her.

[fr1endly2]

happened to me!!!!
My hair thinned out alot to the point i was very
upset about it...
I am one that always has hair just so...
and it got real bad at one point.

NOW its back, but i have also devated off atkins.
GO figure...

[MotherNature]

I lost 89 pounds in my first year on Atkins. I also lost hair to the point that I thought I was going bald. It was the shock to my system of losing so much weight so quickly. It is growing back and I have about 4 inches of new growth so it will come back eventually.

Cathy

[thornbirdskkk]

THANKS, CATHY. It is very upsetting to say the least. Is there anything that will lessen it? It seems to be mostly on the top.

[CherTLC4u]

There are many things that cause hair loss.

Stress
Heredity
Change in diet
Dirty scalp (clogs the pores)


In your scalp there are blood vessels. Larger ones go around the sides and back of your head, smaller ones on the top of your head (thus you see men balding with still having hair on sides and back but none on top). All of the above cause our blood to go a little wacky and stops pumping blood to the smaller blood vessels. THIS IS TEMPORARY!!! (except in cases of heredity hair loss).

I have hereditary hair loss and I wear a hair piece. (Being that I'm a hairdresser, I want to my hair to look its best) I do alot of research on this topic.

Hope this helps!

[Kent]

I back up with what CherTLC4u is saying. My hair started to thin out awhile ago after losing a bunch of weight on Atkins. I got pretty concerned when my wife noticed and mentioned it as well. Fortunately it was just temporary, and the hair has come back in as well as ever. There are additional vitamins that can be added to rejuvenate the hair, Biotin.

[lostandfound]

My Dr. suggested a cup of Green tea a day to help reduce cholesterol. I started reading everything I could to find out about the benefits of green tea. There are studies now in progress that seem to show that green tea is also beneficial for hair growth stimulation.

I also take 1000 mcg's of Biotin daily. I can really tell the difference. My hair feels thicker and not as dry. They also sell a shampoo that has biotin in it, but I haven't tried it. If you are taking any other medications, check with your Dr. before taking Biotin. It can cause problems with certain medications.


Hugs,Tammy