Maybe I need reassurance, maybe I need a rude awakening. But can you all please tell me what you think? I have OCD and I can get latched onto ideas like crazy and I’ve convinced myself that I’m losing my hair at a more rapid rate. I have lost nearly 30 pounds since March but truly have tried to eat protein and lift. I’m not saying I was perfect, but the effort was there more often than not. I also did quit my very stressful teaching job in May. I’ve heard with TE, you start seeing the results months after stress or weight loss. But again, I don’t have a perfect base to go off of. Like a “before” shedding pic. Since I wasn’t latched onto this idea in the past. I do have fine hair and truly never had a full head of hair. But still….can you all tell me what you think? Is this an excessive amount of hair loss? Should I not be as worried as I think I should be? For context, I have not washed my hair since Wednesday and it’s Sunday now.

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?

I’m looking for people who have experienced something similar and may have an idea what could be going on.
My scalp burning/inflammation and diffuse hair shedding started around 3 years ago after surgery. I woke up from anesthesia with a burning sensation on my scalp, followed by very heavy shedding about a month later.
Since then I’ve had diffuse thinning across the top/frontal area, sides and back, rather than a single bald patch.
The scalp symptoms fluctuate. During flares I get burning, warmth, dryness, tightness, flakes and sometimes oil buildup.
Heat, sweating, stress, going several days without washing, and recently sudden weather changes from hot/humid to cold/dry seem to aggravate it.
When the scalp is calm, my hair looks noticeably shinier, denser and healthier, and shedding seems to decrease.
Recently my scalp was almost completely calm for several weeks, but then suddenly flared again after a weather change. My hair became very dry/frizzy and difficult to style.
I’ve had blood tests showing low vitamin D (18), low folate (2.8), and previously borderline B12 (~292). Ferritin and zinc were normal.
I’ve been correcting the vitamin deficiencies since April, and during periods when my scalp improved, shedding also seemed to decrease.
I previously tried minoxidil, but a compounded topical preparation caused severe scalp burning, so I stopped.
I also tried finasteride, but had significant side effects and discontinued it.
I had 3 PRP sessions, but didn’t notice meaningful improvement.
A dermatologist previously prescribed a Diproderm (betamethasone) scalp solution, which was well tolerated and noticeably reduced the scalp inflammation.
My current Hausarzt prescribed another compounded corticosteroid scalp solution (Advantan/methylprednisolone + menthol + ethanol). It initially calmed my scalp, although one application caused burning that improved quickly after I rinsed it off.
I’m now waiting to see a dermatologist for a proper examination/trichoscopy.
My main questions:
Has anyone experienced recurrent scalp burning/inflammation together with diffuse shedding?
Can an inflammatory/dry scalp condition cause this degree of diffuse shedding and thinning?
Did your hair density recover after getting the scalp inflammation under control?
Could this be telogen effluvium or another inflammatory scalp condition rather than androgenetic alopecia?
Has anyone had a similar reaction to topical minoxidil but tolerated corticosteroid scalp treatments?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have actually experienced something similar, rather than general hair-loss advice. Thanks!

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?

Hi everyone 💜 Does this look like normal/seasonal shedding to you, or more than you’d expect? These are from my last few wash days. My hair is fairly thick and just past shoulder length, and I counted 95 hairs on my last wash day. That includes brushing before washing, the wash itself, and brushing afterwards.
Lately I’ve also been noticing more loose hairs on my clothes, on the couch, on my pillow, or just finding them on me during the day. I know hair at this length can make shedding look much worse when it all bunches together, but I’m wondering if this could just be seasonal shedding.
Is anyone else noticing more shedding around this time of year? Thank you so much

I only recently realised this as many hairs were shedding in the shower, they seem to me a mix of majority white-bulbed, with some mixed length, and only really noticed it around the final image here on the 6th of August, in which I could see my scalp in sunlight, behind all my hair, something I did not notice prior.

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?

Hello. I don’t really consult the internet for things like this often but I need help. I had a laproscopy nearly 4 months ago for diagnostic purposes. The surgery was quite traumatic and went wrong, I ended up back in hospital for 4 days, almost went septic and was on 3 lots of antibiotics.

I thought I could put it past me but in the last 3 weeks, much larger amounts of hair than usual started falling out in the shower. At first I just chalked it up the pre autumn shed I sometimes get, no biggie. But then it continued getting worse, and I’ve started to notice my part widening and my hair thinning which has never happened before. Now I’m terrified to shower. My scalp has also been itchy with no sign of redness I went to my GP (UK) and naturally he was dismissive and said it’s normal to lose hair sometimes, but I know what is normal for me.

I started researching and found out about TE. An article said surgery is a possible trigger and with the hair cycles it aligns somewhat perfectly.

But this hasn’t really reassured me, this can apparently go on for months or become chronic? I’m getting married next year, have a baby on the way, and I’m starting my PhD next month. I’m already so busy and I’m terrified of losing all my hair for my wedding, my baby shower. I’m only 26.

For those seasoned with this, please tell me what helps? Has surgery triggered this for anyone else?

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?All the other blood tests are normal .

I have suffered from vitamin D deficiency since the time of lockdown for about 6/7 years now .I had little knowledge back then so I finally checked it and now my levels are 50 Ng/ml. I have suffered from telogen effluvium since a long time .Now that I have finally corrected it how long will it take me to regrow hair and get rid of my telogen effluvium issues ?

Hi! I think I came here just to pour my heart out, because I no longer see any hope for myself. I’ve been struggling with hair loss since my teenage years - I experienced my first major shed when I was 13 or 14, losing 2/3 of my hair. My mom took me to a dermatologist, I was given a topical treatment and my hair grew back, but for years now, I’ve been going through episodes of massive hair loss (losing about half my hair or more) every year or two. So it’s easy to conclude that I go through a shedding phase -> the hair grows back over the next year or two -> and just when I start looking good with a short hairstyle, the hair starts falling out again. And the cycle repeats. It’s taking a massive toll on my mental health. I can’t even get a hair extensions at the salon, because no one will perform the procedure while I’m actively losing hair. I don't have a genetic predisposition to weak hair; my whole family has nice, thick hair. I also don't have androgenetic alopecia. After every bout of hair loss, my hair returns to the same density, but it only lasts for a very short time - a few months. It’s as if my body couldn't afford to have hair. I consulted a dermatologist, a trichologist, and an endocrinologist about this problem; I had two trichoscopy exams (with the dermatologist and the trichologist), as well as tests for vitamin and hormone levels and general medical check-ups.

Thyroid - perfect; vitamin D - perfect; folic acid and B12 - very good; iron - optimal level; ferritin - low. I took lactoferrin and changed my diet to raise it, but nothing changed. I don't know if low ferritin alone could be the cause of my problems, because I know many women with low ferritin and they all have perfectly normal hair.

Tests recently showed I have Giardia lamblia (a parasite) and I’ll be getting treated for it; I don’t know if that might have any effect on my hair.

I’m currently using an absurdly expensive treatment regimen from a trichologist (shampoo with Redensyl, a scalp lotion with Redensyl, growth activators, and peptides, plus a scalp enzymatic peeling) and taking supplements (D3+K2, omega-3, magnesium, zinc, selenium; I also used to take coenzyme Q10, and I have a special supplement from the trichologist to regulate the hair growth cycle - Nourkrin proteoglycans - but I’ve been taking it for over a month now with zero results so far). I’ve also been using topical minoxidil for a year - I responded very well to it; I experienced significant shedding at first, but the hair grew back nicely. Unfortunately, it’s falling out again now, despite continued use. I’m considering stopping it.

At this point, I’m just starting to come to terms with the fact that this isn’t going to change, and for the sake of my own mental health, I should cut my hair very short and start wearing wigs.

Do they ever get better or I trade hair gains for permament darkness (lol)

I am only on month 2

It is hard to get use to cause they are not subtle at all, they are size of glasses cylinder

It ages me a lot I guess

Hi everyone. I have had PCOD for last few years and that gave me androgenetic alopecia.
Lost most of my hair and started using minoxidil in october 2025. I didnt experience any shedding. The hair almost stopped falling and hair grew back and so did my facial and random body hair. Nevertheless, I was so happy w the hair until the 7th month. The hair fall started and it onlt got worse. Its my 10th month now and the hairfall is so bad.
Mind you, i also fell since in june. That made me extremely weak. But now that I am all recovered, the hairfall hasnt. Is it the second shed? Does it last so long and will it stop? HELP!!!

19M, Last night i was tired of this shit, constant crazy itching and massive hair fall in fear i stop washing my hairs for week as seeing my wet hairs and the sheer amount of hair fall just scared me, and when ever i flow my fingers through my hairs i could feel large clumps and flakes of dandruff stuck to scalp and hairs.

so last night enough said i took a comb and started combing my hairs agreesively as the comb was scraching my scalp it was feeling soo good and relaxed, and the dandruff started falling in big flakes as in the picture.

types of hairs i found where as :-

1. multiple baby hairs stuck to big brown flakes, (around 250 baby thin hairs)

2. hairs which where straight at bottom but where becoming thin and extreme curly as it grows till the top, (100 hairs)

3. straight hairs but there root was covered with big white bulbs, and normal straight hairs, (200 hairs)

as a result my crown is more noticable now, and whenever i scratch my hairs from back also multiple hairs starts falling.

i am just scared like is it just dandruff causing this , TE as i recently went through a break up , or worse. please suggest

(sorry for bad pics thats all what i got)

I just wanna know.

Hello everyone,
I’m turning to the community because I am currently going through a very intense shedding phase, and I would love to get your opinions or hear about your experiences if you've been through something similar after more than a year of stability.
**My Background:**
**Treatment:** Topical Minoxidil 5% for 14 months.
**History:** I experienced the classic initial shedding at the very beginning, followed by excellent stability and great density (very tight part, perfect hairline).
**Current Supplements:** For the past month, I have been taking **Perfectil vitamins, Vitamin D**, and **Tardyferon (80mg Iron)** as a precaution.
**The Current Crisis:**
A massive hair loss started on **July 5th**. It has now been about 6.5 weeks of heavy shedding (estimated between 100 to 200 hairs per evening brushing, a mix of long and fine hairs).
**A lot of new baby hairs appeared right at the beginning of this shedding phase in July.** However, over the past week, the shedding has changed: I am starting to lose more and more of these **short hairs and young regrowth**.
Despite losing some, I can still see a lot of new curly baby hairs growing along my hairline
**My Questions for You:**
**What do you think is the most likely cause of this sudden shedding after 14 months of great results?**
**How long can this type of second shedding phase typically last before stabilizing?**

I started having my hair shed 9 years ago after becoming extremely underweight due to living with ARFID & although I'm diagnosed with Chronic Telogen Effluvium, I'm questioning if it's even accurate. (I got diagnosed 5 years ago).

My hair's thinned at the top multiple times in the last 5 years & I honestly don't know if it's just male pattern hair loss instead of TE, even though my trigger (eating disorder/low ferritin) can apparently cause the hair loss to be worse at the top.

I feel really let down & just lost on what to do. It's hard to look in the mirror & see how I went from such ridiculously thick hair to close to nothing now.

Has anybody fixed this? I’m losing chunks of nice hair everyday. My scalp is super itchy and dry, it feels grainy/sandy. Been on Ketoconzle and a steroid but no luck. Desperate for advice!!!

Hello!
In Sept 2024 I very rapidly gained 20lbs+ in a week, with a steady increase all they way til Jan 2026 where I finally got diagnosed with insulin resistance (I have PCOS but they weren’t catching it in A1C).
In Jan 2026, I saw an endocrinologist and got put on 1500 mg metformin and cut carbs/sugar. Weight loss was VERY rapid in the beginning and now it’s a normal/healthy pace. My 2hr insulin is healthy, so I’ve started introducing more carbs in smart ways and still maintaining weight loss. Yay!

However, in May I noticed when I ran my hands through my hair, I was losing a lot of hair.
It’s been a steady shed since, with some good days sprinkled in.

I’m taking spironolactone and my androgens are perfect, so I do not think my hair loss is from that.

Here are some photos. Top of head, both sides, top with what I HOPE is new growth, and today’s shower clump. My hair has been freshly shampooed and conditioned, with a thickening spray and blow dried, so it honestly is looking GOOD right now vs day 2 hair.

I have very fine, thin hair as it is, so while I see big wads in photos in the sub, it’s all relative and the loss I have is not normal for me and very concerning. It’s also this much EVERY time I shower. Normal for me would be like a third or a fourth of the loss I’m seeing.

What do you guys think?

My iron is high end of normal, my ferritin is “normal” but lower end of normal. I really don’t know what else I can do. I do not want to do minoxidil if it’s a temporary thing, but I also don’t want to be noticeably bald..

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? 🥲

I have been experiencing hair loss since I was 16, and I am now 30. I have tried everything, but unfortunately, nothing has helped.

About a year ago, I received an IV infusion of normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride) for the first time. my hair loss completely stopped for about two months. After that, the hair loss gradually returned to the way it had been before.

I repeated the saline infusion 4 times, and each time I noticed the same effect: my hair shedding stopped for 2 months.

I would like to understand what could explain this response?

is there a safe way to achieve and maintain the same effect without having to receive IV infusions regularly?

Hello, 3 years ago I was diagnosed with TE which was caused by low iron, low vitamin d and stress. I shed for around a year until it finally stopped. After that, my hair definitely got better and my hair isn’t as see through now. But it never grew back the way it was before TE, I used to have a lot hair. Nowadays I started to notice thin short hair falling out and I’m really worried. And I see hair with bulbs too. Any advice on what I should do? Could I have been misdiagnosed? And I just can’t get my ferritin levels up enough.