Yet another question from me

[SheilaW]

Is hair loss a common side effect of dialysis?  The past month or so I've been losing alarming amounts of hair.  It's finally starting to slow down (I think) but it's still coming out in large amounts.  Ugh!

[jbeany]

I don't know how common it is, but I know mine is thinner.  That's the lack of iron in my system.  It gets thicker again whenever I get a dose of iron.  Hair loss is also a common sign of malnutrition, so if you've been throwing up a lot in the last few months, the hair loss may be in part because of that.

[paris]

My hair started thinning also.  Could be all the meds, not eating well, low iron; I don't know, but it seems like alot of people with renal failure have the same problem.  Mine has slowed down.  It is just one thing after another!!

[okarol]

So sorry for you. It is awful, to lose that much hair. Jenna has really thick hair and it started falling out after she began dialysis.
Here's a related thread http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=352.0 - the Nioxin shampoo and other hair products seemed to help. They have a website http://www.nioxin.com/go/en/product-information/product-categories/scalp-and-hair-care/ and it will tell you where the products are available if you need help.

[Romona]

I had lost alot of hair before and after my transplant. I think it is med related!

[Adam_W]

I can't exactly say if my dialysis causes hair loss, because I don't really have hair at all. Well, except for facial hair, and I haven't noticed any change in that since I started dialysis.

Adam

[Ang]

i  actually  lost  most  of  the  hair  on  top  years  before  dialysis,  but  4  the  last  2  years  i've  lost  hair  off  my  calf muscles  and  no  body  can  tell me  why

[goofynina]

Mine is thinner too, but i'd like to add, if you think of using the Nioxin shampoo (which can be costly)  you have to continue to use it always, once you stop using it, the hair will start falling out again 

[kitkatz]

I was losing hair four years ago due to too much medication being on board.  Due to being on Minoxidil for the past two years, the hair grows everywhere now.

[Rerun]

I think it is stress.  My hair was falling out so much when I had to start dialysis again and losing my job etc... but now it is thick.  The color went from blond to brown but I can fix that.

                     

[charee]

I've been doing dialysis for 7 months and my hair is alot thinner now , i was told stress , starting dialysis and weight loss  all contributed to it.

[Bajanne]

Haven't had any hair problems.  In fact, as a birthday gift in 2006, my daughter started me off with dreadlocks and my hair is now longer and thicker than it has ever been. 
I must say I have been lucky in that area.  I went through chemo for breast cancer in 93 and never had one strand of hair fall out because of it.

I think it is stress.  My hair was falling out so much when I had to start dialysis again and losing my job etc... but now it is thick.  The color went from blond to brown but I can fix that.

                     

[okarol]

Mine is thinner too, but i'd like to add, if you think of using the Nioxin shampoo (which can be costly)  you have to continue to use it always, once you stop using it, the hair will start falling out again 

I have never heard that before. Jenna used it for about a year and never lost any more hair when she quit. Did that happen to you?

[boxman55]

I was losing hair four years ago due to too much medication being on board.  Due to being on Minoxidil for the past two years, the hair grows everywhere now.

I take the Minoxidil also for the heart.. I have noticed for what it is worth a slight and I do mean slight, improvement of hair growth on top of my head but a lot every where else...Boxman

[Stacy Without An E]

It's kind of a Catch 22 when it comes to hair loss for ESRD patients.  When you have a transplant and they place you on all the immunosupressive steroids, your hair falls out.  When you have too much protein in your system while on Dialysis, you lose hair as well.  I'm on Minoxidil for high blood pressure and have been using Nioxin for two years now.  It helps, but I imagine after my next transplant I'll lose the remainder of my hair.  I'm not the kind of guy that will look good bald, so it does add stress to my life worrying about my hair. 

And then I realize, "You're an idiot.  It's just hair.  You're a survivor, just deal."

I'm thinking of starting to where black skull caps with the Steelers logo on them. 

[goofynina]

Mine is thinner too, but i'd like to add, if you think of using the Nioxin shampoo (which can be costly)  you have to continue to use it always, once you stop using it, the hair will start falling out again 

I have never heard that before. Jenna used it for about a year and never lost any more hair when she quit. Did that happen to you?

It was told to me by my hairdresser after i had been using it for awhile, after hearing that, i just stopped buying it 

I was losing hair four years ago due to too much medication being on board.  Due to being on Minoxidil for the past two years, the hair grows everywhere now.

I take the Minoxidil also for the heart.. I have noticed for what it is worth a slight and I do mean slight, improvement of hair growth on top of my head but a lot every where else...Boxman

I took Minoxidil too and i got more hair growth on my face than anywhere else    needless to say, got a new drug and got my face waxed and never looked back, lol 

[Sunny]

I've been having big time hair loss the last nine months and I'm pre-dialysis. The doctor thinks maybe it's my high blood pressure medicine (Catapres) which I'm currently trying to switch to see if it helps. I already lost most of my hair during chemo to treat Goodpastures disease and luckily most grew back. Having already been there, I don't think I can handle hair loss again.