Hair loss

I not only have hair loss, but I get head sores with flares. VIEW IMAGE

It stinks but it's also common with the meds we take to control the symptoms. I have sewn my own extensions but have not ever worn them. I used to have bonded extensions to cover some of the thin areas, but I got older and decided I was ok to show my thin spots.

More than likely it is the meds and not just UC itself.

My GI promised me this morning that it would stop falling out and grow back he told me it's from the UC flare and all the trauma
Thanks for the support

I am anemic but my iron is ok- my blood cells are too small and odly shaped (i cant remember the name of that type of anemia)
thanks for the other tips
have you ever tried heating olive oil and massaging it in your scalp waiting a few hours and than washing- my cousin insists it makes her hair get more volume in just several weeks

Nothing you put on your scalp will influence the follicles to produce a hair faster or make your hair grow faster unless it's a medication geared toward that goal (such as minoxidil), but it's always good to stimulate the scalp at least once a day by brushing (gently, but enough to stimulate).

You're on many medications and still coming out of a flare...all will influence the growth cycle to some point....

Yes, have blood testing for B vitamins and D.

Eat a well balanced diet. What you eat now will not affect the hair that's already out of your scalp, but it will help to affect the hair that's about to grow).

Some hair products, oils included that are built up on the hair (overdoing many) can cause the hair to become brittle...so be careful.

Eventually things should level out.....it can take a while for that. If your hair is falling out at this point, it usually means that a new hair is pushing it out of its dormant stage. All this process takes time and growth is usually around a half inch a month, and it's normal to lose up to a hundred hair a day...scary looking if hair is long.

I wouldn't say it's rude for people to comment on how thin your hair is. That way you can comment on it as well. Denying the obvious just puts you in a more vulnerable situation.

What products are you using at this point?

Hang tough...this is a difficult time. I have a few clients that have and are going through this.
Extensions could put extra weight on vulnerable hair, and brushing through might be an issue.
Are you pulling your hair back or clipping it up?
How often do you wash?
Do you use a flat iron?

Wearing a wig once in a while is OK, but it's not so good for vulnerable hair that's growing during this phase you're going through.

Cutting it shorter would be helpful to make it look thicker, blunter. Some hair products can add bulk and strength to hair already grown.

Some hair colour can as well add bulk and have your hair looking thicker.

Some things to consider.

q

Are you still tapering the Medrol?

I wouldn't do a Brazilian blowout since the chemicals at this point could be a bit harsh if your hair isn't strong enough to withstand the process.

Do you section off your hair to flatiron? or do you just do large sections?

What products do you use on your hair?

Do you have coarse/slightly frizzy hair with body?
Sebastian Potion 9 would be a good product for you to use after shampoo, dry and then iron.

q

Me, I flared for over 2 decades, I lost a lot of hair but luckily it grew back so I never lost volume or thickness BUT since getting my IBD into remission with Humira, I'm not losing near as much as I was before, something I wasn't even expecting or thought about so I'm glad that unlike some meds used for IBD, biologics aren't causing me hair loss but instead cutting way down on it now.

Aw - sorry you are going through this, Dikid. I had a lot of hair loss with my first flare - I attributed it to the steroids, but I think a lot of it was also the shock of how sick I was on my body. Not absorbing food didn't help! Quincy has good advice.

It will come back. I remember when mine did - I had all these weird fluffy hairs growing along my hairline, like a weird baby hair halo. I was so tickled I didn't care. :)

It's the medications you're taking, plus your inflammation is probably preventing you from absorbing nutrition properly. Your hair will grow back once you get through the flare, reduce meds and your body takes on nutrition again.

Biggest factors in hair growth: protein, iron, B vitamins (especially B12 and B6), and folic acid.

Personally, I would not go taking a bunch of supplements during a flare as they tend to aggravate it.

I've given up and wear a hairpiece. It's goes over my existing thin hair and gives me huge volume. It's the pits but it is what it is. I've always thought it was the meds as I've been in remission for a few years. Wearing the hairpiece is just a new normal for me. I wish you the best.

I lost a lot of hair during the three months of my first flare. I was not on any MEDS I wasn't diagnosed. It took about three months to start recovering after MEDS finally kicked in. Hope you have the same experience.and it starts coming back

I lost about a third of my hair on 6-mp. It was so distressing, even though most people couldn't tell. I bought clip in extensions (Luxy Hair--expensive but beautiful), and it made me feel so much better. My hair is finally growing back after about 8 months--when I put it up in a bun I get all these shorter little fuzzies that don't reach yet.

I hope yours grows back soon!