Hair loss after moving from a sunny country

Me and my girlfriend are experiencing a bit of hair loss.
My personal theory about it is that well, a normal blonde has less hairs than the average brunette. They don't need it either, since there's no sun in the places where you would usually find the most blondes
My girlfriend seems to think it's the water. Something about high mineralization?

It's more likely due to stress, change in diet, etc. due to the move. If it's fairly major hair loss, it could be a sign your body is under metabolic stress and something else is wrong. I had it when I figured out (myself) that I was diabetic.

Thanks for the input! I'm sort of living in paradise, having come from a poor(ish) country and a horribly disorganized and polluted city. We eat more or less the same food, since we usually cook it at home. But you know how it is, people have a biased view of their own situation, could be stress or whatever... we still haven't finished assembling the IKEA crap or unboxing our personal items...

I come from a sunny place and felt like my hair got thicker after moving to Germany. Thyroid problems can lead to hair loss...

Hormone imbalances will also cause hair loss. I won't tell you on a public forum how I experienced this, but I had the problem in the past.

I lost scary amounts of hair when I first moved here, I assumed it was due to stress. Fortunately, in the mean time it has grown back.

Of course it's the water! That's why Germans only drink beer

Seriously though, I wouldn't worry too much right now unless it is quite extreme. As already mentioned, changes in diet, stress etc. are the most likely causes. And no matter how happy you feel, it is still very stressful to move to another country both psychologically (red tape alone was getting me to pull my hair out!) and physically (unpacking and setting up a new place, running around getting stuff). Try to get enough sleep, watch your diet and wait a bit to see if it goes away.

It's a vicious cycle. You loose hair, you stress about it which makes you loose more hair

I made my peace with it a long time back.

Your hair is special.

I read somewhere (yes, I know, I'm a walking encyclopaedia of unsubstantiated knowledge) that blondes do in fact have more hairs on their head than brunettes.


I'm not an expert, but I would have thought more minerals in the water would be good for hair growth?

Anyway, if anyone knows of a cure for hair loss, I'll be glad to hear it. My hair has been getting thinner and thinner for years, and it's now getting to a stage where it looks like a disaster whatever I do with it. I'm assuming it's just a natural consequence of aging (I'm over 50 and it's all downhill from here), but it would be nice to be able to do something about it. Oddly enough, I have very strong, tough fingernails and toenails, so I guess I'm not lacking in minerals. Plenty of unwanted hair on my legs, too. How can I redirect it from my legs to my head?

I am not a doctor let alone a dermatologist, but unfortunately hair loss is not just a male problem. Women often start experience their hair becoming thinner after the age of 35. Yes, it has something to do with aging quite often (and the hormonal changes due to aging). Thyroid problems can cause hair loss, so can lack of Iron in your body and to little Zinc in your diet.

If you have been experiencing visibly thinning hair over a couple or more years and no bald spots but overall simply much thinner limp hair, it's likely "Telogen effluvium" (just Google it, there's plenty of information on the Internet).

The sad thing is, no one can really say for sure what the causes of hair loss are, so you might have to try different things. What in most cases stops the hair loss and also triggers regrowth is Minoxidil (sold under the brand of Regaine in Germany and Rogaine in NorthAmerica). It's expensive but has a very high success rate. The downside is that once the hairloss as stopped and new hair is growing and you stop using it, hair might fall out again. There are also generic versions of it which cost about 1/2.

(Oh, I am not working for a pharma company, this is solely from my own experience and related research with this problem, which *thank Godness* seems to be resolved for now.)

Good news: Google confirms your vague memories!
Things that simultaneously promote head hair loss and nail growth include testosterone and diabetes, IIRC.

Which is how you can really luck out and have a higher risk of diabetes and relatively high testosterone levels
Seriously though, if it continues for some time after you've settled in, get a check up from your doctor.

I didnt have to move to a sunny country to lose my hair!

Went through a generous bout of hair loss when I first moved here...from a sunny country yes.
Folks around told me that this was quite the norm...lasts for about a month or so. The hair stopped falling, but never got back to being as thick! Miss that

Thanks Torontochick, that sounds like me. I'll check it out.



Maybe it's time I went for my TÜV then.

Hi All,

Just reading through your different options on Hair Loss and wanted to add my advice. As someone working in the Hair Loss business, the commonly held view from the large variety of tests and research carried out worldwide is that hair loss is 90% is genetics caused by a hormone called DHT ( Dihydrotesterone) Over time, DHT shrinks the hair follicles ( pores / holes from which your hair grows), causing the hair follicles to disconnect from the blood circulation system. Blood circulation is important because blood supplies nutrients to hair and also removes waste. Disconnected from the blood circulation system, the hair follicles do not receive needed nutrients and excess sebum ( natural body grease) builds up and clogs ( blocks) the hair follicles. This results in thinning hair and hair loss.

The other reasons for hair loss - 10% can be stress, poor diet + poor health.

I have to say in my experience hair loss is not caused by diabetes, tyroid gland issues, shampooing / washing your hair too much, drinking too much coffee, wearing motor bike helmet etc and all the other reasons I have heard over the years.

If you want more information on hair loss or how to stop it , drop me a message or take a look at http://www.hair2centre.com

Have a nice day

You may also find the lack of sunlight contributing directly to the issue. UV-B therapy is used for Alopecia for example:

http://www.keratin.com/ad/ad031.shtml

Lack of sunlight will also have dropped your Vitamin D levels.

This happened to me too. I was pretty alarmed by it and has a battery of tests done, but nothing conclusive came of it. I've been here 4 years, and in the past 6 months it has come back quite well. I attribute that to eating a much healthier diet and losing some weight.

It could also be the unbelievably hard water here. When I go home I notice my hair looks fuller after I wash it, because the water is much softer there. Munich has water you could chip with an axe.

Berlin too. In this case, probably quite relevant.

Goddamnit take your dodgy hair products elsewhere and stop annoying me.

I found that when I lived in countries with lots of sun and high humidity, that my hair grew much thicker. I have absolutely no idea why.