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Diabetes is a disease that can cause a variety of health conditions. One of the side effects of diabetes is hair loss. Patients often find themselves losing their hair due to the condition and while it may start out slow, the hair loss can be severe enough so that large patches on the scalp are missing hair.
Poor nutrition and hair loss are related to each other up to some extent. When you don’t get the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs from your diet it can cause hair loss as well.
However, not all hope is lost as the devastating side effect can be reserved if the blood sugar levels can be controlled and regulated. It is important to understand the link between diabetes and hair loss to prevent and reverse the effect.
How Does Diabetes Cause Hair Loss?
While it is not guaranteed, diabetes can often be the reason for hair fall in people who suffer from the condition. The reason for this is that high blood sugar can disturb the fat tissue, effectively disrupting the supply of nutrients to the hair.
Diabetes affects the body’s natural hair growth cycle in the following three stages:
- Inhibiting new hair growth
- Causing abnormal hair growth
- Hindering hair growth
Hair loss can be attributed to a few common causes which are a result of diabetes. Elevated blood sugar is detrimental to overall health, especially if it is untreated. The result can be a damaged blood vessels, tissues, and organs. When blood vessels are restricted or damaged, hair fall occurs as the hair follicles do not get the oxygen and nutrients they need to thrive.
Being diagnosed with diabetes can also cause physical and emotional stress. This can lead to hormonal fluctuations which are also a common cause of hair fall.
Diabetes can also cause Alopecia Areata, a condition where the immune system of the patient attacks the hair follicles. This happens due to an altered immune response, usually affecting patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes. The hair loss can be all over the body, not just the head.
Does Diabetic Medication Result In Hair Fall?
Treating diabetes is important as if the elevated blood sugar levels are not controlled, they can result in the body’s organs not functioning properly. Metformin hydrochloride is commonly prescribed to patients of type 2 diabetes as it controls how much sugar the liver produces while simultaneously making the muscles more sensitive to insulin.
Some cases have been reported where patients who were suffering from type 2 diabetes were prescribed this drug noticed hair fall, especially around their eyelashes and eyebrows.
How Can Hair Fall from Diabetes Be Treated?
Reversing the effects of hair fall as a result of diabetes is possible in some cases. However, this is dependent on what type of diabetes the individual has been diagnosed with and how severe the case is. The first step is to manage stress levels alongside the blood sugar levels.
Changes need to be made to the lifestyle such as following a healthy diet plan and exercising regularly. Counseling can also be beneficial in some cases. There are also medications to help battle hair fall, including Ayurvedic treatments such as moringa oil, hibiscus, curry leaves, and coconut oil.
Other medications are also available such as Propecia, which is also commonly referred to as Finasteride. Rogaine is also a popular medication alongside Biotin. It is difficult to prescribe one method of battling hair fall to anyone who is wondering how you prevent hair loss from diabetes.
Since diabetes can be of different types and affect patients in different ways, it is best to consult a doctor or physician to understand what effect diabetes has had on the individual and what the best method of treatment is.