Expert: Leigh-Anne Persing, PA-C - 2/7/2007

Question
I've suffered with anorexia for about 9 mouths and have been in recovery since late August. During my suffering I started to notice more and more of my hair falling out. Growing up people have always made comments about how thick my hair was. It was so thick, that when I tried to flat-iron it my hair would never be completely flat. Anyway, I was just wanting to know if my hair would grow back to it's original thickness. Have thick hair used to annoy me because it was always puffy, but I never knew how much I really appreciated my thick hair until I lost it. It's amazing to me how the body reacts to situations such as anorexia.

                                                Sincerely,
                                                    Hil

Answer
This is completely normal and I can totally relate to it... my hair was the same way... naturally curly and very thick, couldn't even get a flat iron to tame it... as time went on in my ED it became more thin... but more manageable... sometimes I still long for that thick hair again though. It can grow back to some extent... but likely will never be the same... make sure you are getting enough hair healthy nutrients... protein, iron, etc.