In its simplest form, hair loss is a natural part of a hair cells life cycle and as it reaches the end of the cycle, it will fall out and be replaced by a new hair that typically grows out of the same hair follicle. Sometimes though, new hairs do not form and grow and when this happens in large areas on the scalp, the hair loss can become very noticeable. A lot of things can affect hair growth like stress, hormone levels, blood sugar and underlying blood and medical conditions such as diabetes, but how exactly does diabetes affect the hair and how can it cause your hair to fall out?
Diabetes is well known to be the cause of a wide range of health problems and bad symptoms and this includes hair loss, however being able to control your blood sugar levels may actually help in being able to fight the effects. In addition to causing hair to be thinner and the loss of hair, it can also have the following effects on the growth cycle of your hair;
- Impairment of hair growth
- Actually causing the hair to grow more than it usually would
- Stopping new hair cells from forming
On the opposite end of the spectrum to this, diabetes also has a number of factors that can cause someone suffering with it to lose their hair and some of the more common ones are seen below.
High blood sugar
Diabetes that has been uncontrolled or untreated can often result in the blood sugar levels of the person becoming too high and blood sugar levels that remain high can lead to damage within the various tissues and organs found within the body, as well as having an adverse effect on your blood vessels.
It’s the damage to the blood vessels that is the problem here as it can result in the hair cells within the scalp to receive less oxygen and nutrients than they need to grow and this deficiency will cause the hair to stop growing and if left untreated will result in hair loss.
Hormones and stress levels
Diabetes can also cause a great deal of physical and emotional stress on a persons body, which causes fluctuations in the hormone levels within the body which will once again affect your hair loss.
Is it reversible?
In some cases, yes, hair loss that is associated with diabetes can be reversible, however it depends entirely on how early it is diagnosed and whether or not the surgeon and consultant feel like hair restoration treatments will work for you. Whether you are male or female, if you suffer with diabetes and are experiencing any form of hair loss, we recommend contacting your GP as a matter of urgency before contacting ourselves. It is important that before we choose the right treatment for you that all underlying medical conditions that could have an effect on any future hair loss can be ruled out, however once we know the extent of the effects, we can look to help you get back to your normal self again.