Gone are the days when people used to have little or no diseases at all. But with growing technology and stress levels, it has been common to suffer from the severe disease of diabetes. People of all ages seem to suffer from diabetes these days.
But with the disease, the question that arises is- does diabetes cause hair loss? It has always been an area of concern for most of the people who are suffering from diabetes and hair loss at the same time.
Since, beauty is associated with proper hair on the scalp, people are always stressed when hair fall takes place after diabetes.
It is to be known that whenever blood sugar levels goes up, it is all because the body has stopped producing insulin.
Diabetes is all about fluctuations in the blood sugar levels of a human being. Sometimes, sugar levels go so high that you may also opt for insulin. Having high blood sugar levels in the body can directly affect your health and damage your hair follicles which ultimately results in hair loss.
So, the answer to the question is YES. Yes, diabetes causes hair loss. Poor dieting, stress, lack of exercise also plays a major role in making you weak when you are already suffering from diabetes and thus lead to hair loss.
How Does Diabetes Cause Hair Loss?
Let us understand now how diabetes causes hair fall and affects your hair growth:
1. High Blood Sugar Levels
It is a very well-known fact that high blood sugar levels can damage all the organs in your body including your kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels as well when levels are too high.
These blood vessels assist in carrying oxygen-rich blood all throughout your body but damaged vessels are not able to do so, as a result, hair follicles are considerably affected, causing hair loss.
2. Thyroid
Patients suffering from diabetes 1 and diabetes 2 should get their thyroid levels checked at least once every year. Patients with diabetes 1 especially, must get their thyroid levels checked as it can cause considerable hair loss.
3. Stress and Hormonal changes
It has also been noticed that people who experience high-stress levels also are considerably affected along with diabetes which leads to hair fall. Along with stress levels, hormonal fluctuations in the body lead to hair fall as it affects the restoration process of follicles.
Hair loss due to diabetes is considered a hereditary and a genetic problem. It is often considered that the possibility is higher that a son can be diabetic if his father is diabetic. So, if the hair of the father falls, most probably it is assumed that the son’s hair will also start falling after diabetes.
Some other symptoms that make you aware that you may have diabetes
- Erectile dysfunction- a situation when a man cannot achieve an erection. So, if you come across with ED, there is a higher possibility of suffering from diabetes.
- Damage to the nervous system.
- Urinary infections.
- Less semen release in ejaculation.
How to treat hair loss from diabetes?
When it comes to talking about the treatments for hair loss due to diabetes, there are many including biotin, topical medication, and lifestyle changes as well.
1. Topical medications
The very first medication is, “Minoxidil,” which is a very common treatment for hair loss. Minoxidil can be easily applied to the areas of the body where hair loss has taken place.
This medication can be easily taken by both males and females. It is always advised to properly follow the instructions mentioned on the label to achieve the best results.
Yet another tablet namely, “Finasteride,” is a good alternative to treat your hair loss. This medication also has no side effects.
2. Biotin
You can consume biotin as a source of Vitamin B (Biotin) which is available in lots of foods. Otherwise, you can take Biotin supplements after consulting with your doctor. It has been seen that people suffering from diabetes have very low levels of biotin. Foods that are rich in Vitamin B include kidney, liver, egg yolks, salomon, avocado, cauliflower and sweet potato, etc.
Also Read- Minoxidil Vs Biotin- Effectiveness and Side Effects
3. Lifestyle changes
Exercise can help you recover your hair loss by maintaining good circulation of blood in your body.
It helps in increasing blood flow to all parts of the body including follicles as well.
Taking a good, balanced diet it is also an important factor for better management of diabetes. You need to consume fruits, vegetables and high fiber foods which are considered extremely beneficial for controlling your blood sugar levels.
Conclusion
So, now you know how diabetes causes hair loss in both men and women. These are some of the tips and medications that you can undoubtedly bring into occurrence when you start having hair loss after diabetes.
I’m Natalia, the mind behind HairLossCares.net. I was facing hair fall a few years back. I’m sharing my experience on this blog.