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Dealing with Postpartum Hair Loss
During pregnancy you may have been thrilled with your thick and lustrous mane of hair. Except for some dryness (which a little deep conditioning takes care of) you may have thought, wow, pregnancy has finally given my hair some life! But then once you have your baby -- poof! You're alarmed, even shocked, to find that your hair seems to be falling out.
No, you're not going bald. This is a temporary phase. In the normal cycle of hair growth, some hair is lost every day. But during pregnancy the increased levels of estrogen in your body freezes hair in the growing (or "resting") phase of the cycle. Hair that would normally fall out stays put, resulting in thicker hair. After you give birth and your estrogen levels decline, however, all that hair that was resting starts to fall out. This usually starts the third or fourth postpartum and ends by six months, says Joanne Stone, MD, an ob-gyn at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and coauthor of Pregnancy for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons). But some women say it can last for a year. This temporary hair loss doesn't mean you're deficient in nutrition or vitamins, says Dr. Stone. It's simply hormonal.
Sometimes hair falls out all over your head. Or clumps may come out when you brush it, or in the shower. However, often women just lose a lot around their hairline, so that their hair looks very fine in the front, or as if they're going bald, says Stephanie Scuoppo, a hairstylist at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon and Spa in New York City.
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I am a freelance writer on the subject of hairloss and have many people asking me about this issue, it is perfectly normal due to the changes in hormones in the body, and is completely temporary. The best solution I have read about and receieved feedback on is a 100% natual vitamin supplement call VIVISCAL. The main ingredient is a deep sea-marine based protein called Amino Mar C, so you should not take it if you are breastfeeding.for more info see http://www.viviscal.com.Best of luck, Kristie
8/1/2011 05:39:09 PM Report AbuseHELP! I had hair loss and regrowth when my son was about 6 mos old. Now he's 16 mos and it's happening again. My hair is SO thin and have a row of baby hairs on my hairline that are about an inch long. Why is it happening again??
9/16/2010 09:40:09 PM Report Abuse"thank god this is normal"agree!i wish i would have read this article a month ago, i was getting really stressed out.I also thought i was going bold i didn't even want to wash or brush my hair.I felt better after visiting the doctor.My doctor said it was normal and just to keep taking my vitamins.I'm not losing so much hair any more.I started loosing a lot of hair after i stop breast feeding at 5months.She's going to be 6months.So if ur losing ur hair i guess is normal don't stress, like i did..
6/14/2010 04:01:06 AM Report AbuseThank God this is normal. For the past month (my baby is about 4 months old) I've been losing so much hair I've been afraid I'm gonna go bald in the front! It's gotten really thin around my hairline. This article has helped ease my anxiety. Whew.
3/28/2010 07:11:18 PM Report AbuseHair loss among women after delivery is a great problem and your suggestions would really be helpful for them. Thanks for the info. -Ashley http://www.recedinghairline.org/
2/12/2010 02:58:07 AM Report Abuse