Welcome back to another Health Stories! Sheryl, who’ll you will know from A Chronic Voice. shares her own, personal journey with hair loss.
I’ve always wondered, why is it when cancer patients lose their hair to chemotherapy, people stand in solidarity and shave their heads as well. But when someone with chronic illness starts losing their hair to either their disease or medications, we are told ‘it’s just hair’, or ‘there are more important things to worry about’?
I’ve tried many times to convince myself with these same statements, but not once have I succeeded in doing so. Perhaps I’m just vain, but I guess it’s also a little harder to cope as a young female. While it’s not the most important definition of me as a person, my hair is still a physical attribute that makes up the sum of my parts.
There is an emotional impact when we first start experiencing hair loss no matter who we are, and even if it’s from natural ageing causes. Otherwise, hair loss centres and programs would have run out of business a long time ago!
My Journey
My own journey has been ongoing, no thanks to various autoimmune conditions. The latest episode was due to some medications I had to take for epilepsy, as well as clinical depression and anxiety. The initial hair loss was alarming to say the least, as they fell out in chunks after every shower. Even a friend I was travelling with was shocked at the number of black hair strands littering the white hotel room floor we were staying in.
I tried all sorts of hair products in a desperate attempt to curb this loss, from more natural solutions such as apple cider vinegar hair rinses to pricier hair tonics, and hair treatment programs. I hunted all the professional hair clinics down for help and went for their trial sessions. But to my disappointment, I had to skip a lot of the steps within these treatment plans as they were potential triggers for Lupus flares, or would mess up my Antiphospholipid Syndrome (a blood clotting disorder) up.
I finally found a suitable scalp specialist, right next to one of my hospitals! I have many doctor appointments every month and arrange for hair treatments on the same day, thus saving myself precious time and energy. Their products derive from Chinese herbs, and I love the smell after every session. First, they analyse your scalp and hair quality, before recommending a plan of action.
What works for me
Right now, I’m on herbs that help to strengthen my hair roots, alternated with those that promote growth. They apply the herbal mask to my scalp and hair before steaming it, after which they give it a good wash and a relaxing head massage. It’s a pretty simple process compared to other hair clinics I’ve visited, but to my pleasant surprise, seemed to have a positive effect on my hair loss problem! I’ve been with them for a few years now since I’m still on that harmful yet helpful medication.
But it’s vital to care for my hair and scalp on a daily basis as well, or these booster sessions would just go to waste. I like to change all my products every now and then, both for pleasure and also to moderate any side effects. I’m currently using the scalp specialist’s in-house hair product, as well as Aveda Invati’s hair tonic, which I massage into my scalp twice a day. I also scrub my scalp with a cleansing shampoo meant for hair loss a few times a week. Some of the brands I use are John Master’s and once again, the Aveda Invati series which works well for me.
This has gone a long way in helping me to maintain my hair health, and I feel both happy and relieved to know that something out there works for me. Hair loss is a distressing problem that goes beyond the physical and can affect a person on an emotional and mental level as well. It should never be brushed aside as unimportant or superficial. In fact, no problem that results from illness or as a consequence of an event beyond your control should ever be mocked or ignored. I wish you well on your own hair loss journey. No matter what you do or do not find, know that you’re not alone and that there are others who understand fully how you feel….
Thank you Sheryl for sharing your journey! Do share your own experiences of hair loss and what has worked for you below!
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Fab post, Sheryl! I’ve have chronic hair loss myself for the past eight years and I know how much of an impact it can have.
I’m always reluctant to preach about any treatment that works for me as I know different things vary for everybody, but following the recommendation of a dermatologist I’ve been taking ‘Silicea’ supplements (I get mine from Amazon) for the past 4/5 months- and in the past month or so, I’ve noticed such a positive difference!
OH Sheryl! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! For months now I have been telling people there’s something WRONG because I’ve been doing an impression fPuff the Magic Dragon, only it’s my hair that is falling like rain instead of scales. Every time I get out of the shower – if fact, DURING the shower – I have to pull up a huge =, thick wad of hair that is clogging the drain and causing the water to back up and turn it into a bath. And then again when the shower is over I pull up another wad of hair out of politeness to the next user. And I rinse off whatever strand s of and clumps of hair are left on me before I get out. It’s VERY good thing that I am known for my very thick hair. But already the hairdresser that does my hair has noticed it’s thinner than it used to be.
She told my my hair loss was due to my using the same shampoo and conditioner all the time, as in a couple of years. She said if I switch them it should stop the hair loss. It’s been a few weeks and my hair is still falling. Yours is the first story I’ve heard about women having hair loss as a side effect to their chronic illnesses and medications. I ALSO take medication for epilepsy, and a number of different things.
Several months ago my kidneys tanked, numbers totally crashed and freaked the doc right out. It took seven or eight months to realize which medications were the culprits and stop taking them then flush my system out and bring the numbers back up to normal. It was around that time my hair started falling out, when the kidney numbers crashed, and now that they’re back up my hair is a bit better but still falling.
When I ask my doc why my hair is falling she says she can’t of any reason why it would. That was the end of the discussion. I’m on my own. I don’t even know where to START trying to fix my problem but my hair is the ONE thing I love on my body. Truly, it is. I’m that little girl who twirls her hair as she drinks her bottle and I’ve grown up still twirling my hair habitually. I always have my hands in my hair and so I would hate to lose it. Thank you SO MUCH for letting e know it’s not all in my mind AND that there are things I can do about it if…IF…I can find the people and places. here in Canada. Or to at least do something at home. We have Aveda Salons up here, so you know.
Hello
Hair Loss , Alopecia and other problems can be solve by a good health n i think there is a good connection between heath food and Hair problems ,