About a year ago I started losing my hair. I should have known that an extremely low fat diet was not good for anyone but alas.
It started out small. A few extra hairs here and there. then more hair then it started falling out in clumps. That's when I began to panic. I have always had long thick hair and now at the rate it was falling out I was going to look like this.
For those who don't know me I am very, very vain. I take hours to get ready to go on a simple trip to Wal-Mart. So having no hair was not an option.
At Wal-Mart I noticed Rogaine for women. Not willing to shell out 40 bucks for a shampoo that would take months to work, I called my Dr in a state of panic. I guess going bald is not a bona fide emergency because they set my appointment for two weeks.
“But in two weeks I will have NO HAIR LEFT!!” In reply the Dr assured me that no one goes bald that fast unless you are in chemotherapy. The next two weeks went by with me in a blind panic. I refused to wash my hair or brush it for fear of more falling out. You can imagine my friends reaction.
“When ARE you going to brush and wash your hair it looks horrible and it starting to STINK” And variations therefore.
So I arrived at the Dr’s office and he ran every test he could think off. My thyroid had mysteriously healed itself and everything was normal expect MY HAIR WAS FALLING OUT.
He recommended me to a dermatologist. First time I knew a skin Dr also handles hair. That is valuable knowledge. Anyways after looking at all my tests she asks me what are your eating habits like. I proudly stated my almost vegan low fat diet and remarked i had lost 80 pounds. Then here is something you don't hear every day, your hair needs fat to grow. And all this time I had been proud of my self but alas things change. I decided for the sake of my hair AND skin the South Beach diet would be better. It may not be good for my overall health but if I could die with a full head of hair so be it. And so I switched. And one month after I switched my hair stopped falling out and my acne cleared right up. Moral of the story If you want to die pretty go low carb. However if you want to live and you are not vain then stick with low fat.