Do I Need a Supplement for My Hair Loss?

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Hair loss is a fairly common concern across the globe and hair supplements are prevalent at pharmacies, health food stores, supermarkets, hair salons, and online retailers. 

Supplements aren’t going to help everyone, and this is exactly what I hear in my practice when patients come in: “I bought this hair supplement at the health food store a few months ago but it hasn’t helped”.

The thing is, the supplement’s only going to help if you needed what’s in the supplement. If there’s something else going on that’s causing the hair loss, then that supplement’s not going to help. 

Here are some of the most common causes of hair loss:

• Nutrient deficiencies (iron, B12, vitamin D, zinc etc.): These can be assessed via bloodwork and appropriate supplementation goes a lot way with correcting deficiencies

• Post-partum hormonal changes: This is a tough pill to swallow for most post-partum parents. Hormones during pregnancy stimulate hair growth and prevent hair loss, and when things change post-partum, your luscious locks can look very different. There will inevitably be hair loss that’s a bit more than your usual; however, post-partum thyroid changes and nutritional status can impact this as well. 

• High androgen levels: High testosterone and/or DHEA can show up as hair loss, and we commonly see this in PCOS. If your noticing hair loss along the hair line and top of the head, check in with your doctor about your androgen levels. 

• Infection or dermatological condition: Fungal infections and other skin conditions can lead to hair loss and can be treated topically and/or systemically

• Hair care: The products you use, frequency of heat and other styling apparatus, how you brush your hair all can contribute to hair loss. 

• Sleep & stress: A lack of sleep and unmanaged stress can definitely contribute to hair loss. It’s not just about the stress and sleep here, it’s also about how our habits change because of a lack of sleep or high amounts of unmanaged stress. 

• Thyroid issues: Hypothyroidism is a common contribute to hair loss and can be assessed via bloodwork. Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, lethargy, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, and feeling cold. 

• Medications: There are certain meds that can contribute to hair loss directly or indirectly. Read the description of your meds to see if this is a side-effect. Sometimes hair loss happens because your med might be depleting a vitamin or mineral that is needed for hair growth. 

• Inadequate protein intake: This one affects my hair the most and I see a lot of this in my practice. We don’t get a solid education when it comes to nutrition unfortunately even though it forms the foundation for our health. We need protein for hair growth and to keep our hair, so make sure you’re eating enough for you. 

Most of the time, my patients have a few of these issues concomitantly and progress can be slow. So, be patient! And remember, we all lose some hair on a daily basis and that’s natural because the hair on our scalp didn’t all grow at the same time and different hair follicles are on different growth schedules.