Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common problem, affecting millions of men and women. It can significantly impact patients’ confidence.

Common Causes

Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal issues often undergird hair loss.

Especially in men, problems with the hormone testosterone are a major cause of hair loss. The enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which is present in the hair follicles, converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the most potent androgen. It promotes androgenetic alopecia, the common pattern of male baldness or premature hair loss.

In women, also, hormonal imbalances may contribute to hair loss, and those imbalances can be related to physiological changes in the body that affect hormones, such as menopause and pregnancy.

Thyroid dysfunction is another common cause of sudden hair loss in women. When the thyroid gland is over- or underactive, the hair may fall out because the follicles are particularly sensitive to concentrations of hormones derived from the thyroid gland. These hormones have a large influence on the cellular metabolism of scalp proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and minerals.

Diet & Lifestyle

Nutrition has an impact on hair follicles and takes on many forms of over or under absorbed nutrients. 

Americans’ high-fat, high-animal protein and high-salt diet can damage the kidneys and create acidic blood, thereby leading to hair loss. Also, the typical American diet is low in vitamins and the individual can either under or over absorb these nutrients.  Suboptimal appetite, digestion, and absorption are also experienced by adults with zinc deficiency or those who take excessive amounts of vitamins such as vitamin A over long periods, which can be toxic to the body. 

Some people who take up crash diets to achieve rapid weight loss can experience malnutrition from eating meals which are low in protein, vitamins, and minerals. When the body does not consume or absorb adequate nutrients, it will naturally try to economize by shifting growing hairs into resting phase.

Since hair is made up of keratin, a form of protein, and it requires several minerals and proteins to make the hair, inadequate protein and amino acid intake can push hair fibers into a resting phase, and hair shedding occurs after a period of time.

Stress can also cause hair loss.

Finally, hair care methods can cause hair loss. Traction alopecia may occur the hair fibers are pulled out from the hair follicle by a hairstyle that pulls on the roots of the hair fibers. Sometimes the strong chemicals that are used in hair treatments are kept on the hair for a longer period than they should be, and these can damage hair as well.

Illness

Illnesses can cause hair loss. 

High fever, severe infection, colonization with intestinal parasites, and flu may cause hair follicles to enter a resting phase.

Some chemotherapy treatments for cancer can also cause hair loss. An estimated 65% of patients undergoing chemotherapy experience hair loss, and almost 60% of patients report hair loss as being chemotherapy’s most distressing side effect (Saraswat et al, 2019).

Other medical conditions that cause hair loss include fungal infections, gastrointestinal problems, dermatological disorders, and autoimmune disorders.

Takeaway

It is important to take swift action on hair loss before the hair follicles are too damaged to regrow.

Taking a patient’s medical history and lifestyle into account, Dr. Roberts uses a multifaceted approach. Her services include customized medical nutrition, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments with microneedling (learn more here), light treatments, topical prescriptions, high-quality topicals, prescription serums, hormone and thyroid optimization, and more. These solutions are intended to be used in tandem to optimize the chance of success.

References

Saraswat, N., Chopra, A., Sood, A., Kamboj, P., & Kumar, S. (2019). A Descriptive Study to Analyze Chemotherapy-Induced Hair Loss and its Psychosocial Impact in Adults: Our Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital. Indian dermatology online journal, 10(4), 426–430. https://doi.org/10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_471_18

Disclaimer: These testimonials do not represent a guarantee of medical improvement, and results may vary depending on the patient.