Vitamins And Minerals That Cause Hair Loss When Consumed In Excess
Whilst cases involving toxic levels of vitamins or minerals being found in the bloodstream are still rare, seeing what Dr. Katz describes as higher than optimal levels is more likely now.
The following four vitamins and minerals are examples of those that are good for hair and scalp health when taken in moderation. However, if your intake increases and you are regularly consuming more than your daily allowance, they can all lead to hair loss by triggering a condition called Telogen Effluvium. Please note all RDA amounts mentioned below are based on the daily requirements for the average adult leading a normal lifestyle.
Selenium RDA 55 micrograms
In America, the The National Institutes of Health reported that too much selenium in the blood can cause hair loss. Whilst some foodstuffs, including eggs and vitamin drinks, are available in selenium-enriched formulas, it is actually brazil nuts pack the biggest punch here. These festive favourites are loaded with the nutrient and as just one or two brazil nuts contain the full recommended allowance, these snacks can easily tip you over the limit.
Vitamin A RDA 800 micrograms
Zinc RDA 10 milligrams
Vitamin E RDA 3 milligrams 4 milligrams
You’re Getting Too Much Vitamin A
Overdoing vitamin A-containing supplements or medications can trigger hair loss, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Just FYI: The Daily Value for vitamin A is 5,000 International Units per day for adults and kids over age 4 supplements can contain 2,500 to 10,000 IU. So any more than that and you could risk some strands falling out.
The good news: This is also a reversible cause of hair loss, and once the excess vitamin A is halted, hair should start growing normally again.
Male Pattern Hair Loss
In men, hair loss can begin any time after puberty and progress over the course of years or decades. It starts above the temples and continues around the perimeter and the top of the head, often leaving a ring of hair along the bottom of the scalp. Many men with male pattern hair loss eventually become bald.
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Skin Conditions Of The Scalp
The symptoms: Seborrheic dermatitis causes the scalp to shed its skin, so you’ll notice greasy, yellowish scales on your shoulders or in your hair. It may be the result of yeast called Malassezia, hormonal changes, or excess oil in the skin. Psoriasis, an autoimmune condition that causes excessive skin cell turnover, produces a very thick white scale on the scalp that can bleed if pulled off. With ringworm, a fungus you contract by touching an infected person or animal, you’ll notice red patches on your scalp, which may be diffuse, Jakubowicz says.
The tests: A physical exam of the scalp will help determine which condition you have. A fungal culture and possibly a biopsy of the scalp may pinpoint ringworm.
What you can do: Each condition usually requires a prescription: a medicated shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis, medications or light therapy for psoriasis, and oral antifungals for ringworm.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks hair follicles. It affects about 4.7 million people in the United States and occurs equally in men and women. The cause is unknown, but it may be triggered by stress or illness.
The tests: Observing the pattern of hair loss can usually determine if you have alopecia areata, and blood tests for iron stores, ANAs. and hormones are usually done to rule out underlying conditions that may cause hair loss.
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Autoimmune Diseases That Might Cause Hair Loss
Autoimmune diseases are a family of more than 80 conditions that can impact health and hair in a variety of ways. They affect over 24 million Americans, and nearly 80% of these patients are women.
Keep reading to uncover which of these diseases are most often associated with hair loss, the connection between autoimmune diseases and hair loss and what you can do right now to help support thicker, fuller, healthier hair.
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Dealing With Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss
In order to combat hair loss caused by having an excess of certain nutrients in your blood, the first thing to address is your diet.
Examine your intake of food, drinks, supplements and medicines to make sure you understand how these imbalances came about in order to rectify your habits. Keeping a food diary can help you to identify where the excess may be creeping in and keep you on track afterwards.
Telogen Effluvium is the most common cause of hair loss from nutritional deficiencies and medication side-effects. It is temporary and causes thinning all over the scalp.
Once you have addressed the root cause, it should clear up in no longer than six months time. The hair will generally regrow on its own, however, treatment for Telogen Effluvium can help to speed up the regrowth process. This generally involves daily, topical applications of high strength minoxidil to help stimulate the affected areas.
Telogen Effluvium can exacerbate or trigger hereditary hair loss in both men and women with a genetic predisposition. So if you have any concerns regarding unusual levels of shedding, it is always best to get professional advice from a hair loss specialist.
All information correct as at May 2015
Connection Between Aspartame And Hair Loss: How Does Aspartame Cause Hair Loss
At this time, experts are not certain exactly how aspartame affects the follicles and causes hair to fall out.
According to Janet Star Hull who counsels victims of aspartame toxicity believes that methanol is the factor which leads to hair loss.
According to It is quite possible that the formaldehyde which results from methanol breakdown creates a form of stress which causes follicles to enter the telogen resting phase.
On her websites forum section, many of Dr. Hulls users have reported experiences such as:
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Pcos Can Be A Trigger
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition in women in which the body manufactures more androgens, or male hormones, than it normally should. It is a potential cause of hormonal hair loss in women. Women who suffer from this condition may grow facial hair and extra body hair. One of the other symptoms of this condition is thinning of hair on the head. Women affected with PCOS may also experience weight gain, acne, menstrual irregularities, ovulation problems, depression, and infertility. Hair thinning may be the only outward sign that a woman is suffering from this condition.
Can Keto Diet Cause Hair Thinning
Some people think that the keto diet leads to nutritional deficiency and causes hair loss. It is beneficial to lose bodyweight effectively, but it can cause some issues with your skin, nails, and hair. Ir may cause hair thinning and make them fragile.
Keto Diet is much effective in reducing hypertension and diabetes-related health conditions and symptoms but the most common issue is hair loss on keto. It is beneficial but has side effects as it may cause muscle spasms, changes in lifestyle, digestive system issues, respiratory problems, and bad energy.
So make some changes with your keto diet and hair regrowth will occur for sure. Making some changes reduces the keto diet side effects.
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Thinning Hair Following Pregnancy
Other hormonal imbalances can also lead to hair loss, especially the wildly fluctuating hormones that occur following pregnancy and childbirth. It takes time after pregnancy for hormone levels to return to normal, so it’s not at all uncommon for post-partum moms to notice thinning hair or even patches of baldness. This often occurs about three months after babys arrival. Don’t worry as the rest of your body recovers, so will your hair follicles. The hair loss is only temporary your hair will grow back.
Cancer Treatment Is A Trigger
Radiation and chemotherapy used to treat cancer are some of the common causes of hair loss in women. Both therapies harm hair follicles in addition to killing cancer cells. People undergoing cancer treatment often experience dramatic hair loss as a result of these therapies. They may wake up with clumps of hair on their pillow or they may lose large amounts of hair in the shower. Rapid hair loss in women often starts within 2 weeks of beginning treatment. It may be worst between 1 to 2 months into therapy. The scalp may be extra sensitive during this time. It may be irritating to wash, brush, and comb hair. The good news is that once cancer treatment is over, hair tends to grow back.
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Treatment For Hair Loss Is Out There
Most cases of increased shedding will gradually resolve on their own without treatment, Dr. Schlosser says. But if your hair doesn’t return to its normal fullness within nine months, see a doctor for an evaluation to find out whether something else is going on. And if you have other worrying symptoms, like itching, pain, burning, flaking, or redness, you should seek help sooner.
See your primary care provider or go directly to a dermatologist who specializes in treating hair loss. They can determine what type it is and what the right treatment approach is for you based on which therapies are currently available for your specific issue.
In addition to changes in products and hairstyling habits, your doctor may prescribe topical treatments to treat hair loss, like minoxidil, or direct you to an over-the-counter version, like Rogaine . They might also recommend treatments like platelet-rich plasma injections , which can be helpful for some patients, SELF explained previously. If youre curious about your options, check in with your doctor or dermatologist.
All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Causes Of Hair Loss And Baldness
A variety of factors from illness to poor nutrition to hormonal imbalances to major stress can contribute to hair loss. If you’re experiencing thinning hair or baldness, you need to get to the root of the problem to determine the best treatment.
Hair loss whether baldness or noticeably thinning hair can occur for a number of different reasons. Sometimes hair loss is a side effect of a health problem that needs to be addressed and will remedy itself when the health problem is properly treated. When hair loss is due to a condition involving the hair itself, as in the case of alopecia, the hair loss can be permanent.
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What Are The Different Types Of Female Hair Loss
Engelman explains how the hair cycle is a four phase process: Anagen , Catagen , Telogen , and Exogen . Each hair follicle goes through this process at different times, otherwise we would lose all of our hair at the same time before it started to grow again. There is no exact normal number of hairs shed per dayit depends on the individual. But if your normal seems to have changed, and youre finding extra hairs on your pillows, clothing, and even falling into your food, it could mean your hair growth cycle has been disrupted.
According to Joshua Zeichner MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, female pattern hair loss, or FPHL, is polygenic, meaning that its likely caused by a combination of genetic factors from both your mom and your dad, though other factors can contribute to hair loss. It is important to understand whether hair loss is caused by genetics alone or whether there are contributing medical factors involved, Zeichner adds. Medical factors might include hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause, menopause and post-partum, as well as stress, illness, weight loss, and even gut health.
Stress can play a big role in female hair thinning and loss. The Mayo clinic describes
Different Types Of Alopecia
Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and there are two main types: alopecia areata and androgenic alopecia. Alopecia may cause hair loss only on the scalp or all over the body. It may result in thinning hair, patches of hair loss, some balding, or total baldness, and it may be permanent or temporary. There are numerous causes, including genetics. Talk to your doctor about possible treatments.
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Autoimmune Diseases That Affect Hair
Alopecia areata is often associated with an autoimmune disease, so it’s thought that some forms of hair loss can be caused by one of these medical conditions or is at least somehow related to it. Diabetes and lupus are two autoimmune diseases that can result in hair loss. This type of hair loss may not always be reversible it may sometimes be permanent. But medications and hair restoration surgeries may help compensate for any hair loss.
Is Hair Loss Normal
We all lose hair. Some hair loss is perfectly normal, as hair falls out after it completes the 2 to 6 year growth phase. You may notice loose hairs that have fallen out on your clothes or in your comb or hairbrush. The average person loses about 50 to 100 hairs per day. This is normal. What is not normal? Excessive hair loss in women may be apparent by the following: If your hair starts to fall out in clumps, especially when you brush or comb it or are in the shower, you should see your doctor. If you notice that you can see larger areas of your scalp or that your hair is thinning, see your dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment of your hair loss condition.
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Medications To Treat Hair Loss
Treatment depends on the underlying cause, says Dr. Scott. Sometimes simply addressing a medical condition prompting hair loss will be enough for the hair to regrow. In other instances, a woman might consider a medication like minoxidil , which helps with certain types of hair loss, or another treatment to replace or regrow lost hair.
A newer option being used to treat hair loss is platelet-rich plasma injections. For this treatment, the doctor draws your blood, divides it into its separate components, recombines the blood fluid with a high concentration of platelets , and introduces the resulting preparation back into the scalp.
The science on this isnt totally worked out. We still dont completely understand the mechanism behind PRP, but growth factors contained in platelets can stimulate regeneration of hair follicles and other tissues as well, says Dr. Scott.
In addition, low-level LED laser lights have been found to be helpful in regrowing hair in some cases. Its likely that even more treatments will be developed in the near future.