Are you experiencing hair loss? Read this.

Hair loss is a common concern for women, especially with aging. Unfortunately, we DO expect to see hair thinning with age, and we all lose between 50-150 hairs daily, but if this is coming up for you, it’s important to assess. There are a number of underlying reasons why you may be experiencing hair loss, or why your hair loss may be worsening. And for most people it’s actually not a biotin deficiency 🙂

So what are some possible causes?

1. Nutrient deficiencies:
   
   Your hair follicles are very sensitive to iron and vitamin D deficiency. When these nutrients are low we will see more hair shedding as your body prioritizes sending resources to other symptoms. We want these levels (especially iron) to be great, not just bare minimum normal for hair health. 
   

2. Stress:
   
   In stressful periods hair follicles can switch from their ‘growth/anagen’ phase to the  ‘resting/telogen’. This switch is called telogen effluvium and will cause the hair to fall out about 1-3 months after the stressor.
   
   Examples of factors that may cause this include: childbirth, dietary restrictions (fasting, undereating, no carbs, etc.), medications, physical stressors like surgery, or major psychological stressors. Telogen effluvium is why many women lose a lot of hair postpartum (although that postpartum shedding can also be exacerbated by low iron, thyroid dysfunction, and inadequate protein - so always good to see a doctor!). Chronic stress can also play a role in hair loss.
   

3. Thyroid Dysfunction:
   
   Both low and high function, as well as autoimmune thyroid disease can cause hair loss. Labwork can tell us if this is a factor for you! It’s important not only to look at the thyroid function (TSH), but also the thyroid antibodies!
   

4. High Androgens:
   
   This can cause female-pattern hair loss - thinning of the crown and hairline. Androgens (such as testosterone) can rise due to PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), insulin resistance, perimenopause, or other hormonal pictures.
   
   These can take time ( sometimes months) to treat - but are important to address for many reasons! Labwork here sometimes gives insight but we also need to look at the overall symptom picture.  

5. Autoimmunity:
   
   Autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac disease, lupus, or other autoimmune diseases can play a significant role.
   

6. Inadequate Nutrition:
   
   We’ll see hair loss with caloric restriction, we’ll also see correlations with inadequate protein. We need fuel, including amino acids from protein to support repair and growth! 

There are certainly other dermatological, structural, and immunological reasons hair can thin, but these are a good place to start in terms of investigation!

Not only will treating the root cause of your hair loss support your hair, it’s also important for your overall health as all of these factors have other implications as well!

If you’re experiencing hair loss and are unsure why or where to go from here, click the button below to book a consultation.