Hairloss
Is your hair falling out? Has a well-meaning friend told you to take Biotin? Listen up!
We all lose between 50-150 hairs a day, but if you’re losing more than that we want to understand why, as it is often a symptom of an underlying cause. Biotin may be supportive - but most likely you’re not suffering from a biotin deficiency.
So what are some possible causes?
Low iron levels - get your ferritin checked! We want to see it at least at 50 (ideally higher). We need a fair amount of iron for hair to grow. When iron is lacking hair growth is not a physiological priority!
Stress - in stressful periods hair follicles can switch to their ‘growth/anagen’ phase to the ‘resting/telogen’. This switch is called telogen effluvium and will cause the hair to fall out about 2-3 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.
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!
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 (months) to treat - but are definitely changeable and with many side-benefits!
Autoimmunity - autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac disease, lupus, or other autoimmune diseases can play a significant role.
Inadequate dietary protein - we need amino acids for 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! Don’t just take biotin - let’s get informed!