Monday, February 26, 2018

Hair Loss

1.  Vitamin D Deficiency and Hair Loss? 

2.  Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss 

 3.  Hair Loss and Testosterone?

4.  Does Stress Cause Hair Loss?

Overview
Vitamin D is an important nutrient that is essential to our health. It boosts immunity, keeps bones strong and skin healthy, stimulates cell growth, and helps create new hair follicles. You absorb vitamin D through sun exposure primarily, but you can take dietary supplements and eat certain foods to up your intake of the nutrient.

Does vitamin D deficiency cause hair loss?

 Shows that a lack of vitamin D in your body can lead to hair loss. One role vitamin D plays is stimulating new and old hair follicles. When there isn’t enough vitamin D in your system, new hair growth can be stunted.
Vitamin D deficiency has been to alopecia, the autoimmune condition that causes bald patches on the scalp and other areas of the body. Both men and women can experience alopecia. Another resrch found that women 18 to 45 years old who experienced alopecia or other types of hair loss had low levels of vitamin D.
Reasons for insufficient vitamin D levels include spending more time indoors, wearing a lot of sunscreen, and not eating foods packed with the nutrient.

Forms of vitamin D
Vitamin D supplements
Multivitamins typically include only 400 IU of vitamin D, which is below the recommended daily allowance. You should also receive some vitamin D in your diet. Your doctor can check blood levels of vitamin D and decide the dose of supplementation. If levels are very low, high prescription doses might be recommended by your doctor. Make sure to take the supplement during mealtime so your body can absorb the fat-soluble vitamin properly. Receive their nutrients through their mother’s milk. If a breast-feeding mother doesn’t have an adequate amount of vitamin D in her diet, her baby will likely need a vitamin D supplement.

Sun exposure

Most people get the bulk of their vitamin D from basking in the sun. Not spending enough time in the sun or using too much sunblock limits your exposure, which can lead to a deficit of vitamin D. If you can, take a 15-minute tour of your neighborhood on a sunny day. There is a fine balance between protecting our skin from sun exposure and absorbing vitamin D. If you can’t stay in the sun for long, try to spend some extra time near a window where sunlight is shining through.

Foods with vitamin D

Eating a healthy diet of foods naturally containing or fortified with vitamin D can improve your levels. Some foods are naturally rich with the nutrient. Salmon, mackerel and other fatty fish, fish liver oils, and animal fats are great sources. In fact, one tablespoon of cod liver oil provides. But you can also eat food products fortified with vitamin D, such as certain cereals, milk, and orange juice. Vegan and vegetarian diets, though, tend to lack enough vitamin D, so supplements may be needed if you follow that lifestyle.

Outlook
Studies shows that vitamin D receptors, rather than the nutrient itself, can help produce new hair follicles and restore hair growth. A 2014 study published in Molecular Endocrinology found that hair regrew in mice two weeks after introducing vitamin D receptors in the VDR null rodents. But scientific research is scarce on how long it will take for hair to grow back — and if there is a significant amount of hair regrowth — after upping your vitamin D intake and improving your levels.
2.  Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss?

Why does iron deficiency cause hair loss?
Hair loss has many causes, and it can affect adults and children of all genders. Hair loss isn’t only caused by . It can also be caused by a lack of nutrients. When you don’t have enough iron, your body can’t produce the hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin carries oxygen for the growth and repair of cells in your body, including the cells that stimulate hair growth.

What does it look like?
Iron deficiency hair loss can look like traditional male- and female-pattern hair loss. A published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science found that iron may not only play a role in hair loss, but it may cause hair to fall out in a fashion similar to that of genetic male- and female-pattern baldness.

How do you treat iron deficiency and hair loss?
Most hair loss related to iron deficiency is not permanent. The best way to treat hair loss is to address the underlying cause of the problem. If you think your hair loss is related to an iron deficiency, consult a doctor to measure your iron levels. Your doctor will most likely order a, which measures the levels of a protein called ferritin that helps store iron.

How do you treat iron deficiency and hair loss?
Most hair loss related to iron deficiency is not permanent. The best way to treat hair loss is to address the underlying cause of the problem. If you think your hair loss is related to an iron deficiency, consult a doctor to measure your iron levels. Your doctor will most likely order a, which measures the levels of a protein called ferritin that helps store iron.

   3.  Hair Loss and Testosterone?

Complex weave
The relationship between testosterone and hair loss is complicated. A popular belief is that bald men have high levels of testosterone, but is this really true?

Different forms of testosterone

Testosterone exists in your body in different forms. There’s “free” testosterone that isn’t bound to proteins in your body. This is the form of testosterone most available to act within the body.
Testosterone can also be bound to albumin, a protein in the blood. Most testosterone is bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) protein and isn’t active. If you have a low level of SHBG, you may have a high level of free testosterone in your bloodstream.

Shape of baldness
Male pattern baldness (MPB) has a distinctive shape. The front hairline recedes, especially at the sides, forming an M shape. This is frontal baldness. The crown of the head, also known as the vertex, becomes bald as well. Eventually the two areas join into a “U” shape. MPB can even extend to chest hair, which can thin as you age. Oddly enough, hair in different locations on the body can react differently to hormonal changes. For instance, facial hair growth can improve while other areas become bald.
4. Does Stress Cause Hair Loss?

DHT: The hormone behind hair loss
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is made from testosterone by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. It can also be made from DHEA, a hormone more common in women. DHT is found in skin, hair follicles, and the prostate. The actions of DHT and the sensitivity of hair follicles to DHT is what causes hair loss.

DHT and other conditions
There is some evidence of a link between baldness and prostate cancer and other diseases.Reports that men with vertex baldness have 1.5 times more of a risk of developing prostate cancer than men without bald spots. The risk of coronary artery disease is also more than 23 percent higher in men with vertex bald spots. Investigations are ongoing as to whether there is a link between DHT levels and metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and other health conditions.

It’s your genes
It’s not the amount of testosterone or DHT that causes baldness; it’s the sensitivity of your hair follicles. That sensitivity is determined by genetics. The AR gene makes the receptor on hair follicles that interact with testosterone and DHT. If your receptors are particularly sensitive, they are more easily triggered by even small amounts of DHT, and hair loss occurs more easily as a result. Other genes may also play a part.

Hair loss in women
Women may also experience hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia. Although women have much lower levels of testosterone than men do, there is enough to potentially cause androgenetic hair loss.Women experience a different pattern of hair loss. Thinning occurs over the top of the scalp in a “Christmas tree” pattern, but the front hairline doesn’t recede. Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is also due to the actions of DHT on hair follicles.

Treatments for hair loss
Several methods of treating MPB and FPHL involve interfering with testosterone and DHT’s actions. (Propecia) is a drug that inhibits the 5-alpha reductase enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. It’s dangerous to use in women who may become pregnant, and there may be sexual side effects of this drug on both men and women.

Is it possible?
Hair loss is clinically known as alopecia. Both men and women may experience hair loss in their lifetime. If you’re experiencing hair loss, it may be caused by stress.Keep reading to learn how stress can affect your hair health, whether its effects are permanent, and what you can do to help encourage regrowth.

Types of stress-related hair loss
Not all hair loss is caused by stress. There are three types of hair loss that are high stress levels:
Telogen effluvium
 Occurs when there’s a change to the number of hair follicles that are actually growing hair. If this change occurs during the telogen — or resting — phase of hair growth, it can result in shedding.This thinning may not occur all over the head. It’s often seen in patches, especially toward the center of the scalp. People affected by TE  lose all of their scalp hair.In more extreme cases, you may experience thinning hair on other parts of the body. This includes the eyebrows or the genital area.

What you can do

Diet and nutrition
Eating a balanced, nutritious diet of whole foods is necessary for the health of your body — and your hair.

While it’s important to include all of the essential vitamins in a healthy diet, there are some that may be vital to hair growth:
Vitamin C. This vitamin is essential for building collagen, the skin’s connective tissue that is found in hair follicles. Foods that contain vitamin C include citrus fruits, broccoli, bell peppers, and strawberries.
Vitamin B. This complex of many vitamins promotes a healthy metabolism, as well as healthy skin and hair. B vitamins can be found in foods like dark leafy greens, beans, nuts, and avocados.
Vitamin E. This vitamin contains , which can contribute to a healthy scalp. Foods rich in vitamin E include sunflower seeds, spinach, olive oil, broccoli, and shrimp.
If you aren’t getting enough of these nutrients in your diet, talk to your doctor about supplements. They can discuss your options and recommend the best dosage for you. 

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