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**Iapetus999** · July 20, 2005, 12:17 AM

Re: Induction hair loss?

I still got all my hairs.
Maybe Atkins is turning my hair grey tho...

**Elizellen** · July 20, 2005, 02:33 AM

Re: Induction hair loss?

I think that often because we are on a different eating plan we start to attribute every change our bodies go through as being caused by it even if it is not.

Once I started Atkins I began to think I was losing hair too because of it but then my husband reminded me that every time I brushed my hair before that I would find many hairs caught round the brush, and that each time I showered previously I had to pull a bunch of hairs out of the plughole!

So my 'hairloss' was completely normal and had been happening for years!!

Now 2 years after starting Atkins I have just as much hair as I did have and less split ends too!!

**jadzia007** · July 20, 2005, 12:41 PM

Re: Induction hair loss?

When I started atkins...again....it was springtime. I was losing a bit of hair...more than normal...and was wondering what was going on. Well...turns out it was because of the ponytail things I was using. It was stretching and killing my poor little hair. So once again...another culprit was found. I use different hair things now...and no problem. Good luck

elle

**burtonator** · July 20, 2005, 01:43 PM

Re: Induction hair loss?

Yeah........ I have short hair. I think I have lost more actually. I'm going to try to take the supplements recommended. The only thing new really is that I've been on induction for a while.

It might be that I've just lost out on minerals/vitamins and am not taking all the supplements I need.

Kevin

**burtonator** · July 20, 2005, 03:02 PM

Re: Induction hair loss?

FYI. I'm def loosing hair. I woke up this morning and it was slightly worse.

I don't think it could be anything other than a vitamin defecit.

I did some reasearch and I increased my Vitamin C to 300mg and am now taking flaxseed oil, primrose oil, and biotin supplements.

Biotin especially was noted to help with hair loss and I don't think I'm getting enough since I'm eating less vegetables.

We'll see if this helps. I'm also going to vary the veges I eat to see if that helps at all.

**BreakfastSurreal** · July 20, 2005, 04:47 PM

Re: Induction hair loss?

I hope no one minds, I copied this from the women's forum as we had a similar discussion going on in there, maybe it will clear up some of your questions:
Check this out!!

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/newsle...3-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.

**burtonator** · July 20, 2005, 05:01 PM

Re: Induction hair loss?

Thanks for the feedback. The problem is that this isn't 3-4 months after. I've only been doing this for about a month or so.

Maybe thats what it is... I do hope its temporary though

**Elizellen** · July 21, 2005, 01:53 AM

Re: Induction hair loss?

Did you experience any changes in your life/stress etc 3-4 months earlier?

**tickletussler** · July 22, 2005, 11:19 AM

Re: Induction hair loss?

Clare, thanks for the article!!!
I was really really freaking out about my hairloss. 5-6 months after starting Atkins I noticed that I had to clear out the bath tub drain hole every 2-3 days instead of once a week. Every time I make just one brush stroke, about 10 hairs would fall out (yeah I counted) so imagine brushing my whole head - I lose at least a 100. So I've stopped brushing as often because I'm just so afraid I'd lose more hair! I can feel my hair has thinned considerably. I have done a search on the forum on hairloss and I am hoping HOPING that this hairloss is temporary and will stop soon. I'm taking my multivitamin twice daily and I've purchased biotin as suggested by some of the others. Plus it's winter time here, so I don't really need to lose any MORE hair. I was thinking of Elizellen's comment - 3-4 months prior, I was around 2 months into Atkins - that was the period of the best weightloss I've had on Atkins... so go figure.

so THANKS Burton for bringing up this subject again - it has been very helpful!

**Cinders76** · July 22, 2005, 12:29 PM

Re: Induction hair loss?

I went through diabetic ketoacidosis (thanks to a misdiagnosis/mistreatment) and ended up in a short coma a couple of years ago. My hair was falling out thanks to months of unknown stress on my body and organs. Some health store sell special hair formula vitamins and they really helped me. I can't remember the name of the brand I used. I also think B vitamins stress formula are helpful.

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