Multiple factors are involved in women’s hair loss. Some of the common causes are nutritional, hormonal, beauty parlour related activities.
Nutrition and Hair Loss in Women
Nowadays, we forget the thali system, which once upon a time used to be a complete source of all nutrition. Due to our present work culture and JUNK food eating habits, we all made ourselves deprived of much important nutrition.
Role of iron in hair loss of women
Iron is an essential element required for the synthesis of haemoglobin. And haemoglobin is the most crucial transport protein in our body, as it delivers oxygen and nutrition to all parts of our body. As iron is an essential part of haemoglobin and hence deficiency of it leads to anaemia.
A person who is anaemic is non-efficient in carrying oxygen, so there is a high chance that hair will receive less amount of oxygen and nutrition.
Most of the time, iron deficiency occurs slowly and remains for a long period; hence the effect on hair loss due to iron deficiency also insidious or slow to happen and, at the same time, sluggish to recover too.
A person, especially women who have a deficiency for a longer duration, do have pale skin, brittle nail, tingling in body, weakness, or fatigue on simple activities.
Who are at risk of iron deficiency?
1. Females
2. Hardcore veggies
3. People with poor absorption of iron
Which are the rich sources of iron?
1. Jaggery
2. Green leafy vegetables
3. Non-vegetarian food
Role of zinc in hair fall
Zinc is an essential mineral required by hundreds of enzymes and multiple transcription factors that regulate gene expression. Zinc is a vital element needed for the single pathways of hair follicle growth. Zinc deficiency is common in both men and women, especially in Indian scenario as many vegetables, whole grains, legumes contain phytates which inhibit absorption zinc and iron both.
The deficiency of zinc causes hair loss in both males and females; in males, it aggravates androgenic or male-patterned alopecia.
The inhibitory effect of phytates on the absorption of zinc can be minimised by simple food processing methods such as soaking, heating, sprouting, fermenting, and leavening.
Other significant nutrients that have a direct or indirect impact on hair fall in women are biotin, vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium, and niacin.
Let me give a few examples of foods which carry great nutritional value-
EGG
SPROUTS
DRY FRUITS -ALMOND, CASHEW, DATES, FIGS
CURD
Salad of roots-beetroot, carrots, radish
A combination of these food items will undoubtedly provide almost all essential elements required for a healthy life and hair too.
Being woman and hair loss
Being a woman is not an easy task. In her life, she has to face conditions from menstruation to pregnancy, delivery of baby to lactation. During this journey, if she remains nutritionally deficient, then all these factors add tremendously to her hair health.
After 3-4 months of delivery of baby, women face very intense hair fall. This condition we call as telogen effluvium. The majority of hair which falls do regrow, but it depends on the health of women.
Role of hormones in hair loss in women
Women’s sex hormones, their interpersonal relations and their impact on hair health is a complex phenomenon.
Estrogen is a crucial hormone of femininity. It keeps hair in the growing phase for a longer duration.
It causes hair to grow in number and thickness, but hyper estrogenic state imparts precisely the opposite effect and causes an increase in hair shedding and thinning.
Progesterone is a natural androgen for women. It blocks DHT & testosterone and prevents female pattern baldness or female androgenic alopecia.
The ratio of estrogen and progesterone is very crucial in the health of hair. When ratio increases as in hyper estrogenic condition, hair fall also increases as hair lose their protective covering of progesterone.
Women who are on oral contraceptive pills, women who have a polycystic ovarian syndrome, or those who have stress or deficiency of magnesium produce less progesterone. All these conditions lead to an increase in estrogen and decrease in progesterone, and hence all these women are more susceptible to hair loss, hair thinning, and for a female pattern of hair fall.
Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for sugar metabolism. To understand the impact of insulin over hair, one should first understand insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance, in simple words, is the inability of cells to utilise glucose for its normal functioning at a regular level of insulin in our body. For overcoming this, the body starts producing more amount of insulin, and this hyperinsulinemia (increase in insulin level) leads to many unwanted consequences.
Insulin resistance shifts the hormonal balance towards estrogen, so in insulin resistance, estrogen increases, and progesterone decreases. Low progesterone levels increase the craving for sugary junk foods, which leads to weight gain, and the same cycle gets repeated.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance are many times associated with each other and a significant factor in hair loss of women.
Thyroid Hormone
The thyroid is the second most important endocrine gland of our body. It has a role in every cell of our body. Any condition which leads to hypothyroid (decrease in hormone) or hyperthyroid (increase in hormone) state leads to hair fall in women and men both. Hair associated with thyroid dysfunction responds poorly to treatment and patient needs long term course of treatment.
Cortisol Hormone and Stress
Any stress, whether it is physical or mental, is terrible for us. Stress always shifts us into survival mode (fight or flight) from the living mode. Survival mode turns the supply of nutrients to essential organs, and hence skin, hair, and nail get less amount of nutrition. And let it be honest, our body does not regard hair as an important organ.
Cortisol is our anti-stress hormone; during stress, this hormone focuses on essential organs and not on rudimentary parts, so an increase in cortisol also leads to hair fall.
The role of hard water in hair fall in women
Hard water is water that contains higher amounts of minerals. Bathing with hard water makes hair greasier, less manageable and does increase in hair fall.
Use of shampoo containing natural chelating agents such as phytic acid, apple cider vinegar decreases hair damage from hard water.