If you have recently been on a crash diet and now notice that your hair is falling out, you are not alone, and this is not an uncommon symptom.
Why is it happening? Well, one theory suggests that the human body is exceedingly sensitive to nutrient deficiencies, symptoms of stress, and hormonal changes. As you can guess, all of these and many more things happen when you suddenly lose weight.
However, why does this tend to happen to some people more than others? This article explores some of the core reasons why you may be losing your hair after you have lost weight in a bit more depth, and when to seek help from your doctor about it.
Dieting
OK, so to be clear, not all dieting is bad for you. However, if you are the type of person who engages in crash dieting now and again, then this is bad for your hair.
Why? Because the body needs calories for hair to grow, when you are on a calorie-restricted diet, your scalp isn’t getting what it needs. So, your hair becomes thin and can fall out. Yikes.
One way to reverse this is to start eating your normal caloric intake again for your age and gender. You can also give your hair growth a bit of a boost with medications that promote hair regrowth, such as those on the Chemist Click’s finasteride page.
Low Protein
If you are dieting, you may be focusing on reducing a specific food group.
If this is protein, then this is bad news for your hair. Meats and plant foods all have amino acids, which make up the building blocks of protein. When your protein needs aren’t met, you may experience issues with tissue regrowth and healing, digestion, and even hormone production. As hair is not as essential as these other areas for keeping you alive, it is one of the first things to suffer.
If you are noticing hair loss as a sign of a diet, then it may be best to resume your normal eating habits, after meeting with a doctor to check that there is not an underlying issue.
General Surgery and Accidents
Not all weight loss is due to dieting, however, and so, neither is all the associated hair loss.
Suppose that you have recently been in a serious accident. You are in hospital and are not enjoying the hospital food. You begin to lose weight and soon after, your hair starts falling out.
It is important when you are recovering from a serious accident or surgery to eat a high-calorie diet to promote healing. So, be sure to point out as soon as possible if the food is not to your taste.
Weight Loss Surgery
Here are the crossroads between surgery and losing weight. If you have undertaken weight loss surgery, such as a sleeve gastrectomy, then one study conducted in 2020 found you have a 72% chance of losing some of your hair.
This is because of the lower levels of vitamins being absorbed on the restricted diet that you will need to follow after surgery. So, aim to recover as quickly as you can to get those vitamin deficiencies sorted and your hair will likely grow back.
Be First to Comment