Other Causes Of Hair Loss
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are many common causes associated with hair loss:
- Androgenetic alopecia: known hereditary hair loss or male/female pattern baldness. A 2017 study found a link between female pattern baldness and vitamin D deficiency.
- Age: hair growth naturally slows as you age.
- Alopecia areata: an autoimmune condition.
- Cancer treatment: such as chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
- Hormonal imbalance: can be caused by several reasons, such as polycystic ovary syndrome or starting/stopping birth control.
- Telogen effluvium: temporary hair loss that can occur after stress, shock, or a traumatic event. Although not considered the leading cause, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to telogen effluvium.
- Medication: there is a wide range of drugs that can contribute to hair loss, like certain acne medications, antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and more.
- Pregnancy/childbirth: often due to hormonal imbalance or stress levels.
- Certain illnesses: such as thyroid disease, skin infections, and conditions like psoriasis.
- Types of hair care and styles: using tight hairstyles or harsh chemicals on your hair.
- Essential vitamins and mineral deficiencies: such as vitamin D, iron, protein, and zinc.
As there are so many factors to consider, you should speak to your healthcare practitioner if you are worried about your hair loss. Since vitamin D has been linked to several hair loss causes, they might want to explore if you are deficient in vitamin D.
Does Vitamin D Help Hair Growth
Vitamin D is essential for many body functions, including hair growth. While more research is needed to determine exactly how vitamin D affects hair growth, there is some evidence that suggests it may play a role in maintaining the health of the hair follicle and keeping the hair growth cycle on track.
If you are experiencing hair loss, talk to your doctor about getting your vitamin D levels checked. Vitamin D deficiency is a treatable condition, and if it is the cause of your hair loss, increasing your levels can help stop or prevent further hair loss.
How Do You Know You Are Vitamin D Deficient
The most common symptom of vitamin D deficiency is fatigue. You may also experience other symptoms such as:
· Muscle weakness
· Bone loss
· Hair loss
If you think you may be vitamin D deficient, it’s important to see your doctor for a blood test. Vitamin D deficiency is treated with supplements and exposure to sunlight.
If you’re concerned about your hair loss, it’s important to see your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions. While vitamin D deficiency may be a cause of hair loss, there are many other potential causes as well. Don’t self-diagnose or self-treat, as this may delay proper diagnosis and treatment.
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How To Treat Vitamin D Deficiency
If youve been diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency, your healthcare provider will likely recommend the use of a vitamin D supplement.
They may also recommend making some changes to your diet and habits to increase the amount of vitamin D you consume via food or produce naturally.
You can get more vitamin D by:
You Need More Vitamin D So Does Your Hair
Vitamin D is a critical nutrient. It bolsters our immune system and wards off illness. It is vital for bone health. Some research suggests that insufficient amounts of vitamin D contribute to depression, heart disease, and cancer. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the strength and growth of hair, and a lack of this nutrient has been linked to alopecia, also known as spot baldness.
Our primary source of vitamin D is the sun . We can also get vitamin D from foods rich in the nutrient, such as fish, fish liver oil, eggs, and dairy, as well as through supplements.
New Study Suggests Global Vitamin D Problem
While we have known about the importance of vitamin D for a while, a new study is raising alarms about widespread vitamin D deficiency around the world. The Big Vitamin D Mistake, a paper by Finnish researchers, argues that current recommended levels of vitamin D are too low, and that actions are urgently needed to protect the global population from vitamin D deficiency.
The Vitamin D Council agrees and says that the current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are far too low to help the majority of individuals to reach healthy vitamin D levels. That is why we recommend supplementing with between 5,000-10,000 IU per day in order to achieve healthy vitamin D levels .
Vitamin D and Hair Loss
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Is Vitamin D Deficiency Hair Loss Reversible
Vitamin D supplements could help if a vitamin D deficiency is contributing to your hair loss. Vitamin D can come in a pill, or it can be applied to the skin through creams like calcipotriol, a psoriasis drug that has shown promise in treating hair loss.
âSupplementing vitamin D can often be helpful since most people are deficientâalong with other key nutrients, typically iron, vitamin C, and biotinâin restoring hair loss. It certainly helps thicken existing hair,â Levitan says. âThe amount to take varies on the individual’s needs, based on who they are, sun exposure, and other medical problems.â
Getting 10 to 30 minutes of sun exposure is a way to get vitamin D, but this could raise skin cancer risks. The amount of sun needed to form Vitamin D will vary depending on your skin type, how much skin is exposed, and where you live. According to Levitan, getting between 800 and 2,000 IUâor 20 to 50 microgramsâof vitamin D daily is usually enough, and âtoo much can cause toxicity.â Some people require 5,000 IU daily to maintain optimum blood levels and Vitamin D should be taken in the morning with Magnesium for maximum bioavailability.
Vitamin D Hair Loss: What To Do
If youve noticed your hair shedding or looking thin and think that it could be due to a vitamin D deficiency, talk to your healthcare provider.
They will be able to test you for a vitamin D deficiency and, if appropriate, may recommend using a vitamin D supplement.
You may also be able to increase your vitamin D levels by changing your diet to include more foods that contain vitamin D, or by spending 10 to 15 minutes outside during sunny weather a few times each week.
There are numerous reasons that you might lose hair. While a vitamin D deficiency could be a cause of your hair loss, it may also be due to male pattern baldness, stress, use of medication or many other factors.
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Does Taking Vitamin D Help With Hair Loss
There seems to be no shortage of hair loss remedies out there. We’ve all heard the stories about people who’ve tried everything and still haven’t found their miracle remedy. This can be frustrating when we see other people’s success stories and want the same things: full, healthy manes with little to no effort involved in maintaining them.
The truth is, hair loss is one of the biggest problems that men and women worldwide face. Products promising to stop or prevent hair loss seem to be everywhere. But do they really work? Are there alternative medicines? What about vitamin D?
The health benefits of vitamin D are vast, ranging from supporting your bone health to helping protect against certain cancers. Letâs look at how vitamin D may help those suffering from hair loss.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that we get from the sun, food, and supplements. It is essential for maintaining healthy bones and has been linked to supporting a healthy immune system.
Vitamin D plays a role in the production of certain hormones and plays a critical role in supporting calcium absorption. It can also bind to cells, which influences cellular growth and development.
Vitamin D is known to help prevent osteoporosis in women, but it also has many other benefits for men and women. It can also be helpful in supporting a healthy immune system, preventing cancer, helping to prevent heart disease, and even helping to prevent diabetes.
Minoxidil For Hair Loss
Spending Time Outdoors In Sunlight
Sun exposure is the main way to get vitamin D. When you are exposed to sunlight, your skin produces cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D. This vitamin is then transported to the liver where it is converted into calcifediol.
From the liver, calcifediol enters the bloodstream and is transported to the kidneys where it is turned into calcitriol. Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D and it is this form that is responsible for the many health benefits associated with vitamin D.
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Recommended Dosage Of Vitamin D
The recommended dosage of Vitamin D for adults is 600 to 800 IU/l . Serum levels below 30ng/ml show deficiency and anyone having levels below 30ng/ml will have symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency. For these individuals, the guidelines of the Endocrine Society recommends a daily intake of 1500-2000 IU of Vitamin D to restore optimum levels in the body.
How Can You Add Vitamin D To Your Hair Care Routine
Vitamin D for hair works the way petrol works for a vehicle. It helps promote stronger, healthier, and faster-growing hair. Several symptoms can occur when your body lacks the recommended amount of vitamin D. Hair loss is a major symptom. Often, only topical application of vitamin D is not enough for your hair health.You can, however, include it in your diet for better results.
Here’s how you can add vitamin D to your hair care routine:
Frequently Asked Questions
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Eating Foods Rich In Vitamin D
Eating foods that are rich in vitamin D can help to increase your levels of this vitamin. This is because the vitamin is absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream where it can be transported to the liver and other organs.
Foods that are rich in vitamin D include:
· Eggs
· Fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel
· Fortified milk
· Mushrooms
Female Pattern Hair Loss And Te
Data on vitamin D in female pattern hair loss and TE contradict data derived from studies indicating that women with FPHL or TE have lower levels of vitamin D than controls, and studies showing no correlation or even opposite results . To elucidate the role of vitamin D in FPHL and TE, additional large-scale trials are necessary .
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How Does Vitamin D Affect Hair
Vitamin D affects the health of many parts of the body, including the skin and hair.
Vitamin D plays a role in the creation of new hair follicles. Hair follicles are the tiny pores from which new hairs grow. New follicles may help hair maintain thickness and prevent existing hair from falling out prematurely.
Because of this link, getting adequate amounts of vitamin D can support hair growth and regrowth.
People with a vitamin D deficiency may have no symptoms, or their symptoms may be nonspecific and change over time.
Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency include:
- changes in mood, including depression or anxiety
- infertility
A lack of sunlight or not eating enough foods rich in vitamin D are the most common causes of a vitamin D deficiency.
However, some people may have vitamin D deficiencies because of another underlying condition, including Crohns disease or celiac disease, which prevent the body from fully absorbing nutrients.
People with an underlying medical condition will experience symptoms of the primary cause and symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency, as well.
Certain medications may also cause the body to break down vitamin D before it can be used. Medications that may cause a vitamin D deficiency include:
- antifungals
- medications for HIV
- anticonvulsants
If a medication is causing a vitamin D deficiency or hair loss, a person should speak to their doctor about alternatives.
- some fish, include salmon, trout, and sardines
- nuts
- cheese
Keep Up With Vitamins And Nutrients
While many companies promote vitamins or supplements for hair growth, they dont always directly affect hair length. But the body does require a lot of energy to make your hair grow. Missing out on balanced meals and nutrients can affect hair growth.
Its best to get your vitamins and nutrients from your diet, but supplements you may be interested in include:
| Vitamin or nutrient |
- ketoconazole shampoo
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Vitamin D3 Supplements For Hair Loss
The good news is that Vitamin D3 supplements, like Nina Ross Vitamin D3 Soft Gels, can help you take control of your Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D3 for hair loss has proven to be extremely useful in helping to regrow hair. If you are unsure of your Vitamin D3 levels, your doctor can order labs to evaluate your Vitamin D levels and get started on the necessary dose to boost those levels.
How Can I Stop My Hair Loss
There are a number of ways to stop hair loss, depending on the underlying cause.
If your hair loss is due to vitamin D deficiency, taking a supplement or increasing your exposure to sunlight can help. If your hair loss is due to an autoimmune disorder such as alopecia areata, corticosteroid injections may be effective.
Androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness, is a common form of hair loss that cannot be reversed. However, treatments such as minoxidil and finasteride can help to slow the progression of hair loss and improve the appearance of thinning hair.
No matter the cause of your hair loss, it’s important to see a doctor so that they can properly determine the best course of treatment. With the right care, you can stop your hair loss and improve the health and appearance of your scalp.
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