Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin Dha Softgel
While prenatal vitamins won’t thwart the hormonal changes that initially trigger postpartum hair loss, many are worth taking in the so-called fourth trimester as well since they deliver a good dose of iron, which can be particularly helpful if you lost a lot of blood during delivery. In order to absorb iron, however, your body needs vitamin C and, good news, this prenatal and postnatal vitamin also has plenty of it. But don’t stop there: Make sure you’re also filling up on vitamin C-rich foods such as red peppers, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and leafy greens.
Does Hair Loss After Birth Worsen With Subsequent Pregnancies
Technically subsequent pregnancies do not make hair loss after birth worse. However, if your pregnancies are close together, you might not be giving your hair enough time to regrow after birth and your hair might look thinner following the next pregnancy. Although you are experiencing the same amount of hair loss after birth, you are beginning the next pregnancy with less hair overall. This creates the illusion that postpartum hair loss gets worse with subsequent pregnancies.
Another thing to consider is age. Our hair naturally becomes more fine and thin as we get older its just part of the aging process! If youre spending several years in a cycle of postpartum hair loss and regrowth, you might find yourself at the end of this season of life with less hair overall. Thats perfectly natural and normal. However, if the postpartum hair loss seems extreme, it might be wise to speak to a doctor about other potential causes and treatments.
Hair Growth Formula Gummies
Dont Panic Postpartum Hair Loss Is Normal
It can be an alarming discovery. Youre going about your regular hair-care routine savoring those moments alone where you can tend to your own self-care. When all of a sudden you look down at your brush and find large clumps of your hair tangled in the bristles!
Dont panicpostpartum hair loss is normal. Learn more about what causes postpartum hair loss, how long it lasts, and some postpartum hair loss remedies to help treat it.
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Why Am I Losing So Much Hair Postpartum
Just like everything pregnancy and baby related, hormones are to blame for the handful of hair you just pulled out. Everyone loses some hair on a daily basis. It’s part of the normal hair growth cycle. Usually, each hair is on a little different time line, so you don’t really notice the shedding of old hairs. During pregnancy, the surge in hormones causes the hairs that would normally fall out to stay in place . Once you give birth and your hormone levels start to return to normal, all of those hairs that didn’t fall out during pregnancy shed at once, usually around 2-5 months postpartum. Rest assured, it is normal. If you want to get more in depth, Lily Nichols does a great job explaining the whole process.
Changing Up Your Diet
Changes in the diet include eating more protein-packed foods such as egg yolks, nuts and seeds, salmon, dairy, avocados, and sweet potatoes. These protein-packed foods are rich in biotin. While it is uncertain that an increase in biotin can actually help with hair growth, research does show that a lack of biotin can cause hair loss.
Another solution to be found in changing up your diet is eating more vitamin A-rich foods. Vitamin A is known to help with your vision, teeth, skin, and, therefore, scalp, promoting the growth of healthy hair. These foods are carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, kale, dairy, and eggs.
Not only are vitamin C and vitamin E essential for maintaining a healthy body, but these two also happen to help in the promotion of hair growth. Both are known to help increase the production of collagen levels within our hair follicles.
This is ideal for curbing the high amount of hair shed that will occur during postpartum hair loss. Some vitamin C and vitamin E foods include melons, citrus fruits, tropical fruits, berries, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, and of course, leafy green vegetables.
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When Should I See A Doctor
More good news about postpartum hair loss: it usually resolved on its own without any needed medical intervention. With that said, extreme or prolonged postpartum hair loss can be a sign that perhaps there are other issues at play and should be reason to seek out a healthcare provider.
If your hair does not regain its normal fullness after one year, you may want to see a dermatologist. Something else may be causing your hair to fall out. People lose hair for many reasons, and an accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment, advised Dr. Vergara-Wijangco.
If you’re concerned that your postpartum hair loss isn’t turning around, seek professional medical advice.
Postpartum Hair Treatments To Try
Its normal for your hair to thin out after pregnancy. If its not worrying you, you dont need to do anything to treat it. And, unfortunately, there is nothing that has been shown to prevent or slow postpartum hair loss. But if your hair loss is bothering you, there are treatments you can try to make your hair appear fuller and healthier.
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Can I Take Biotin While Breastfeeding
Yes, theoretically you can take biotin while breastfeeding, but it may not be a good or helpful addition to your diet. âBiotin itself is safe in pregnancy. However, supplements are often unregulated and taking unnecessary supplements that could be contaminated is really not a good idea,â Dr. Muneeb Shah, MD tells Romper. âBiotin has not been proven to promote hair growth in anyone unless you are truly biotin deficient, which is very unlikely!â Dr. Shah adds.
So biotin, when taken in the correct dosage, is likely safe⦠but it probably wonât help that much. âThere are some inherited or acquired biotin deficiency where supplementation might be helpful but there is little evidence that biotin helps hair growth in healthy individuals. Biotin is not very effective as a supplement,â Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, OB/GYN and founder of Mommy Matters tells Romper. So if you suspect you have a true biotin efficiency , itâs a good idea to consult with your doctor.
You may notice that biotin is in your pre or post-natal vitamin, but that shouldnât be cause for alarm as long as you clear it with your doctor. It’s not in your prenatal so your baby will have flowing hair, though. Rather, some studies show that pregnant women break down biotin at a more rapid rate, which could potentially cause a biotin deficiency in folks who are pregnant or lactating.
Why Am I Losing Hair
Explaining postpartum hair loss starts with pregnancy. High levels of estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy causes an increase in hair and nail growth. Maybe you noticed that your nails were suddenly on fleek and your hair was doing all the right things. Hey, amidst the hemorrhoids and heart burn, there has to be SOME perks in pregnancy, right?
Well, one study examined the growth phase of hair follicles during pregnancy and found that 85% of non-pregnant womans hair follicles were in the anagen phase , while in the second trimester, the hair growth phase increased to 95%.
Now, its time for the no fun part.
Those nine months of hair goals will likely come to an end as your pregnancy comes to a close as your hormone levels drop significantly and normalize. In the study I just mentioned, they found that three months post-pregnancy, the hair growth phase decreased significantly to 77%. BOO!
To give you a better idea, normal hair loss per day amounts to about 50-100 strands of hair. New mothers can shed up to 400. This is a huge chunk of hair, literally! But its basically your bodys natural attempt to catch up after nine months of very little hair shedding. After 6 months postpartum, most women describe the shedding as slowing down.
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How Your Hormones Change During Pregnancy And Postpartum
During pregnancy, your hormones change dramatically.
One of the first to spike is human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. Thats the hormone your pregnancy test measured and its rising levels indicated that you were pregnant. Pregnancy also causes several other hormone levels to rise, including estrogen, progesterone, oxytocin, and prolactin. Your blood volume also rose during pregnancy, to as much as 50 percent greater volume than normal by your due date.
Immediately after your baby is born, several of your hormone levels drop quickly, including estrogen and progesterone. Those hormones will be almost back to normal levels within 24 hours after birth, although prolactin will stay high as long as youre breast-feeding.
Your blood volume also decreases, but its drop is more gradual. It gets back to normal a few weeks after your baby arrives.
Managing Postpartum Hair Loss
Unfortunately, no single drug therapy has been found to reverse or prevent the occurrence of postpartum alopecia, and currently, management protocols only include education about hair cycles and reassurance to minimize anxiety.
Some recommendations to try to limit hair loss after pregnancy and try to return to a pre-pregnancy hair quicker, include:
Dietary changes. Essential vitamin supplements and high protein, fresh fruits, and vegetables in the diet can help combat hair loss postpartum. The recommended nutrients by the American Pregnancy Association include Vitamin B complex, biotin , Iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Zinc, etc. Regular gentle-moderate exercise. This can help to smoothen the physical transition of the body to its pre pregnancy state.Using gentle hair shampoo and conditioner formulas during this period can further lessen hair loss.Using a wide-toothed comb to ease detangling of hair without extra force and opting for looser hairstyles can also lessen traction on already weakened roots.Avoiding any chemical-based treatments such as concentrated dyes, highlights, perms, and straightening agents during this period.Gentle messaging of castor or almond oil can also stimulate healthy hair growth.Minimizing stress levels as much as possible. Increased stress levels elevate the cortisol, a steroid hormone that negatively impacts the hair cycle, further exacerbating the damage.
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Strategies To Manage Postpartum Hair Loss
Women experiencing hair loss often express anxiety and fear about going bald. I get it, its freaking me out too. Hair loss, postpartum or otherwise, is associated with low self-esteem, depression and social isolation. Women specifically often associate hair with their identity, femininity, attractiveness and sexuality.
While we cant prevent postpartum hair loss from happening, there are some things you can do to promote healthy hair growth and a healthy lifestyle post pregnancy.
Loral Magic Retouch Instant Root Concealer Spray
Not just for hiding greys, root touch ups are our secret weapon in hiding a lack of hair around your parting, hairline and temples. By adding extra colour to even teeny tiny baby hairs, itll look like there are more of them. For a natural look, so slow and use sparingly you can always add more.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Taking Biotin
Its really important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking anything new, especially if youre breastfeeding. As I learnt the hard way, there are fakes out there, and even the genuine article might not be good for you personally.
Also be careful if youre taking a multi vitamin blend that the other vitamins alongside biotin are OK while breastfeeding too.
Personally, I was really scared to take any supplements while nursing my baby, and held off for the first few months after Annabelle was born because I didnt understand what biotin was.
Biotin is safe to take during breastfeeding. The only side effect I understand is that taking a biotin supplement might change the taste of your milk. And if youre having any lab tests done, the biotin in your system could screw with the results.
Use An Invigorating Shampoo
The best shampoo for postpartum hair loss delivers a variety of boosting ingredients to the scalp to help encourage natural hair growth after giving birth.
The Watermans Grow Me Shampoo is formulated with Biotin and Argan Oil, two ingredients renowned for their hair-loving properties that help to maintain strong and healthy-looking strands. This shampoo also cares for your scalp, creating the optimal environment for natural postpartum hair loss regrowth.
Expert tip: Take time to massage the shampoo into the scalp. The motion of the massage is a great way to stimulate the hair follicles.
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Does Cutting Hair Help With Hair Loss
FALSE: Cutting your hair only affects the shaft, but not the follicle, which is the part responsible for growth and premature loss. Getting your hair cut may mean you feel like its falling out less as your split ends will have been removed and your hair will look healthier, but it has no impact on new growth or loss.
So All This Hair Loss Is Normal
Yes! Telogen effluvium is often a scary experience since it can feel like literally all your hair is falling out at once. Its a type of hair loss that hits hard and fast, before your body gets back to baseline and the hair growth cycles you had been accustomed to restart.
With TE and postpartum hair loss, its the major impact of childbirth on the body that triggers hair loss and it can take up to several months after birth for the hair shedding to happen. When it does, any hair follicle that moved into the telogen phase after birth is likely to shed its hair, even though hair doesnt typically fall out in the telogen phase. Since about 30% of the follicles on our head are in the telogen phase at any given time, this can mean a lot of hair loss in a hurry.
Once your postpartum hair loss happens, it can be quite overwhelming. While its unlikely that youll lose more hair than you would have done during the previous nine months, the sudden occurrence of this hair loss can make it feel like all of your hair is falling out, added Dr. Tang.
The takeaway? Even though it might feel like it, all your hair is NOT falling out. Phew!
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Modify Your Hair Care Routine
You may find that modifying your hair care routine can help stop further hair loss. Try using a postpartum hair loss shampoo that is fortified with biotin and silica and a deep-moisture conditioner.
Hair is more fragile when wet so brush gently after you wash your hair or wait for it to dry. Set your hairdryer to a cool setting and avoid using hot rollers or straightening irons to prevent further damage that can be caused by excessive heat.
Your hair may also benefit from other specialty products that a dermatologist can recommend, like scalp sprays and hair masks.