How To Reduce Diabetic Hair Loss
When it is diagnosed at an early stage, diabetes can be treated easily. Living with diabetes is all about being discipline with taking the medication and maintaining a healthy lifestyle including diet. In fact, for some people, having been diagnosed with diabetes was the turning point in their life to be healthier and happier.
If you suffer with hair loss due to diabetes or any other reason, use hair loss products that have been specially developed to increase blood flow to hair follicles. As a scientist who used to suffer from hereditary hair loss, I developed Hair Growth Serum and Scalp Stimulator to deal with my own hair loss condition. I have been using them exclusively to strengthen and restore my hair.
Scalp Stimulator has been formulated with menthol, rosemary, thyme, lavender and cedarwood essential oils to balance the scalp and increase the blood flow to hair follicles. Gently massage to the affected area of the scalp. Leave for 20 to 30 minutes then shampoo it off. For best results, use it once a day.
In the morning and at night, I apply Hair Growth Serum to the crown and front scalp to boost hair growth. Formulated with caffeine, niacinamide, panthenol and salicylic acid Hair Growth Serum increases hair density and prolongs the growth phase of hair.
Formulated with caffeine, niacinamide, menthol, thyme and rosemary essential oil to help reverse the effects of DHT on hair follicles and optimise hair growth learn more > > >
How To Prevent Hair Loss From Diabetes
As previously mentioned, a few main keys to preventing hair loss caused by diabetes may be stress relief and taking medications for infections. There are other things that may need to be done in order to prevent hair loss caused by diabetes, however. Keeping yourself healthy in general is very important if you want to prevent hair loss. A healthy diet that follows diabetic guidelines, exercise and keeping insulin at a normal level is not only a great way to feel better, but it is also a great way to prevent hair loss that may be related to this condition.
The Link Between Diabetes And Hair Loss
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According to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 30 million people in the United States are diabetic.
There are two types of diabetes and the second one is much more prevalent than the first. Type 1 diabetes occurs when a persons immune system destroys the cells in their pancreas that make insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when a person has insulin resistance, meaning their bodies make insulin, but their cells cant use it as well as they should. Insulin is a hormone that helps balance your blood glucose levels and it enables your body to absorb glucose and use it for energy. When your body doesnt use insulin optimally, or when your body doesnt make enough insulin, diabetes occurs.
HOW DOES DIABETES AFFECT MY HAIR GROWTH?
High levels of blood sugar can damage organs all over your body, including your kidneys, eyes, nerves, and even your blood vessels. These vessels carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body to feed your tissues and organs. Damaged blood vessels may not be able to deliver enough oxygen to nourish your hair follicles, interrupting your hairs growth cycle and slowing it down.
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MY HAIR LOSS?
Managing diabetes is stressful enough without having to deal with hair loss on top of it. The good news is you dont have to live with hair loss. Talk to your doctor about any diabetes questions you have and make an appointment with one of our hair loss experts to find out how we can help you get your hair back.
Also Check: How To Tell If Hair Is Thinning
Injections Of Immunosuppressive Drugs Or Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids and immunosuppressant drugs, such as methotrexate and cyclosporine, are sometimes used to treat alopecia areata . These medications are directly injected into the balding or thinning area to stop inflammation, which, in turn, may promote hair regrowth. The injections may need to be administered every 4 to 8 weeks or more often.
Arimidex And Hair Loss: A Surprising Side Effect
by Patient Expert
Arimidex is the most common hormone therapy drug taken by post-menopausal breast cancer survivors. We’re warned about sore and aching bones and joints, the danger of osteoporosis” but no one ever seems to mention the drug’s affect on your hair, and for many of us, it’s the most irritating side effect of all.
Side effects.
When you go through breast cancer treatment, you quickly learn the meaning of those two simple words. And you find out that each treatment you undergo has its very own list of side effects.
For chemotherapy, which has the most prolific array of accompanying side effects , challenges can range from commonplace to possible to rare .
For radiation, side effects are fewer, and generally less serious although painful burns and extreme fatigue are tough to deal with, they’re not fatal.
Long-term hormone therapy drugs, given to women whose cancer is hormone-receptive , carry side effects that, like those from radiation, are almost never fatal. The weight gain, menopausal symptoms, and possible endometrial cancer from tamoxifen are well-known.
And aromatase inhibitors can cause joint and bone pain so severe that women stop taking them, more willing to risk a cancer recurrence than endure daily debilitating pain.
However, one little-known side effect of hormone therapy is seldom mentioned by doctors. It’s not particularly dangerous nor is it painful, at least in the physical sense.
Crowning glory? Forget about it.
Noticeably “thinner” hair.
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Hair Loss & Diabetes: How Are They Related
Diabetes is a condition that plagues our modern society due to frequent stress, sedentary lifestyles, and poor diets. But is this disease linked to hair loss?
People who have type 2 diabetes often have issues with the blood vessels, the organs of the body, and the circulatory system. This can prevent sufficient amounts of oxygen and nutrients from reaching the extremities of the body, including the scalp. If this is the case, it is possible for there to be issues with hair growth.
Summary
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The circulation issues, as well as the hormonal issues that often come along with this condition, can result in hair loss and balding. Because diabetes damages blood cells, regenerating hair follicles becomes a much slower and much less reliable process.
Consequences Of The Hypothesis
If hair characteristics were demonstrated to have a solid link with early phases of hyperglycemia as well as early damage, we would be able to develop various tools to support primary prevention strategies for DM2 and its related complications. This approach could complement an ongoing array of behavioral activities recommended for DM2 such as calorie restriction, diet, weight loss, and regular exercise.
Operationalizing this hypothesis could yield a simple, non-invasive, low-cost technique that can be self-performed without the need of standardized laboratory tests. In addition, if this tool is based on skin photographs, it opens the possibility of the implementation of a teledermatology system that analyzes the photographs or sends them to a specialist. This approach is especially important in geographically or economically disadvantaged populations with limited access to health services.
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Other Reasons For Hair Loss In Diabetes
Stress:
Diabetes increases stress on the body. This disrupts your normal hair growth cycles thus causing hair fall.
Hormonal imbalances:
Diabetes is guilty of causing certain hormonal fluctuations. This is another reason for hair loss in diabetes.
Thyroid disorders:
Though this is not a straight connection, people with diabetes are prone to thyroid disorders and thyroid disorders do cause significant hair loss.
Compromised immunity:
Diabetes compromises your immunity with high blood sugar levels. You become more susceptible to get skin and scalp infections. Scalp infections lead to hair loss.
Vitamin deficiency:
Alopecia areata is an embarrassing skin condition where there is damage to hair-bearing skin and the hair follicles. Though hair might grow back, there is likelihood of hair fall again. So, if you have type 1 diabetes or any other autoimmune disease and observe patches of hair loss, consult your doctor immediately.
The Hair Growth Cycle And Diabetes
Hair usually goes through three phases. During the active growing phase, which lasts for two years or more, hairs grow at a rate of 1 to 2 cm per month. Hair then goes into a resting phase, which lasts for about 100 days. After this phase, some of the resting hair falls out.
Diabetes can interrupt this process, slowing down your hair growth. Having diabetes can also cause you to lose more hair than usual. That hair loss isnt only on your head. You can lose hairs on your arms, legs, and other body parts, too. When hair regrows, it does so at a slower-than-normal rate.
People with diabetes are more likely to have a condition called alopecia areata. With alopecia, the immune system attacks the hair follicles, leading to patches of hair loss on the head and on other parts of the body.
Diabetes itself can lead to hair loss. You may also lose hair as a side effect of stress from living with a chronic illness, or from medicines you take to treat your diabetes. Some people with diabetes also have thyroid disease, which can contribute to hair loss.
Also Check: What To Do If Hair Is Thinning Female
Can Diabetes Affect Your Hair
Did you recently get diagnosed with diabetes? Have you noticed more and more hairs on your brush? Or perhaps youve been living with diabetes for a long time, but its still worth considering whether the disease could be contributing to your hair loss.
Hair loss falls into three categories: alopecia androgenetica, alopecia areata, and telogen effluvium.
Alopecia androgenetica is characterized by male pattern baldness, and it can happen to box sexes due to hormone changes. Alopecia areata develops when the immune system attacks the hair follicles, and telogen effluvium is hair loss that occurs as a response to stress.
We asked our board-certified hair transplant specialist, , to explain how Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can influence your hair, and what treatments are available for diabetes-induced hair loss.
Can High Insulin Levels Cause Hair Loss
People who have high insulin levels may experience hair loss due to insulin resistance associated with diabetes. This means that the body has excessively high levels of insulin in the pancreas.
If this has been going on for years, the cells in the body will begin to ignore it. Thus the insulin will become less effective at getting glucose inside your cells so that you can burn energy, resulting in hair loss.
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How Can Losing Hair Been Affected In Diabetics
You should know that every time there is a hair loss, your body can replace the old and lost hair with a new one through the re-growth process. Everyday you may lose hair, but due to this process you dont face hair lost problems.
When diabetes is present, due to unbalanced blood sugar levels, there can be some problems in blood circulation. Several bodies areas have a bad blood circulation. Thus, even tiny wounds, or bruises and skin infections have difficulties in healing.
But when these infections occur in hairy areas, the hair begins to fall in those areas. And your body retards in healing and re-growth of the lost hair. This results in a visibly hair loss.
Another cause of hair lost during diabetes can be stress.
As for all diseases, even in diabetes, there exists a stress situation caused by high blood sugar levels, and maybe from you.
And this leads to hair thinning. And with the passing of time, this thinner hair, begins to fall until hair lost.
All the above happens when you dont really know that youve diabetes. What you can do is, once you notice these hair problems for a long time, as any other diabetes symptoms and signs, then immediately contact your doctor for further treatment. Its possible for you to cure the hair lost in time.
But when youve diabetes, and are taking some medications to beat diabetes, then these medications can be a possible cause for your hair lost. They have some undeliverable side effects for your hair.
How To Prevent Hair Loss
If you are suffering from diabetic-related hair loss, EXHALE. Your hair loss is probably a temporary problem that can be fixed with a combination of reducing stress and keeping your blood sugars manageable!
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Your A1c And Blood Sugar Management
First and foremost, improving your blood sugar levels is critical. Following the American Diabetes Associations recommendations of an HbA1c at or below 7 percent will improve the health of your entire body and prevent further development of any diabetes complications, including hair loss.
For patients able to be more aggressive about blood sugar management, an A1c under 6.5 percent is going to have an even greater impact on preventing damage to small and large blood vessels.
An A1c of 7 percent is an average blood sugar level of 154 mg/dL.
Each patient should consider with their healthcare team what is a realistically appropriate goal for them. Patients with hypoglycemia unawareness, for example, may find that aiming for an A1c under 6.5 percent increases their risk of low blood sugars too much, and isnt sustainable or safe.
Patients who struggle to stay in their goal blood sugar range without frequent low blood sugars would have a good reason to keep their A1c closer to 7 percent rather than 6.5 for the sake of safety.
Remember, improving your blood sugar levels and A1c isnt just about correcting high blood sugars more often, but on preventing them first through a combination of increasing medication doses, reducing the processed food in your diet, getting more exercise, and increasing the amount of whole, real food in your diet.
- For tips on improving your nutrition, read DiabetesStrongs No-Carb, Low-Carb, or Moderate Carb: Which is Best for Diabetes?
In It For The Long Haul
If your diabetes is under control and youre still losing more hair than usual, it could be that youre experiencing pattern baldness. This condition is a result of genetics, and is not caused by diabetes, and as such it cannot be cured, and requires treatment to prevent increased hair loss. It might be that diabetes related hair loss has masked the onset of pattern hair loss, and what began as temporary hair loss has become something more permanent.
If your diabetes related hair loss has failed to regrow after a number of months, or if you believe youre experiencing the onset of pattern hair loss, The Belgravia Centre is happy to diagnose the issue during a free consultation. Youre not obliged to begin the tailored treatment plan which we suggest, but if you do, theres every chance that a combination of clinically proven hair loss medication and our treatment boosters will successfully halt the hair loss and regrow the thinning hair.
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