Vitamin deficiencies can cause hair loss.
Hair loss happens to men and women, especially with age. There is no one thing that will fix it and making it better will not happen quickly. But there are vitamin deficiencies which can lead to hair loss.
- Vitamin D: Vital for the hair follicle growth cycle and immune support; deficiency is associated with increased hair shedding and conditions like alopecia areata.
- Iron: Essential for oxygen transport to hair follicles; iron deficiency anemia is a known cause of hair thinning and shedding, especially in women
- Biotin (Vitamin B7): Supports keratin production, which strengthens hair structure. Though true biotin deficiency is rare, it can cause brittle hair and hair loss
- Vitamin B12: Important for red blood cell formation and oxygen delivery to hair follicles. Deficiency can cause hair thinning and is common among vegans and vegetarians
- Zinc: Supports cell repair and regulates scalp oil production; zinc deficiency may cause scalp dryness and hair shedding
What can you do for hair loss with supplements?
This information comes from MDLinx and JAMA Dermatology, using studies and fact checked information. There is a lot of bad information out there, so we really like these medically vetted summaries.
- Effective supplements: fish origin collagen, taurine, cysteine, methionine, iron, and selenium enhanced the efficacy of anti hair loss treatments with androgen alopecia or telogen effluvium.
- JAMA Dermatology found in this systematic review of 30 studies of nutritional interventions, the highest-quality evidence suggested the potential effectiveness of Viviscal, Nourkrin, Nutrafol, Lamdapil, Pantogar, Capsaicin and isoflavone, omega 3 and 6 with antioxidants, apple nutraceutical, total glucosides of paeony and compound glycyrrhizin tablets, zinc, tocotrienol, and pumpkin seed oil.
Biohackr Health- Hair Growth Options
Hair loss is a common issue we address in our clinics in San Francisco and Palo Alto. There are levels of treatment with respect to how often and cost. We do believe hair supplements help. We developed our own proprietary supplement which includes many of the ingredients above among others, and our patients see the results. With hair thinning and loss, it is important to start early.
If you want to do more for hair health, there are more options beyond just supplements:
- Micronutrient testing. Before adding supplements, see if you are deficient. Simple test, and will give you a lot of actionable information. How deficient? What micronutrients? Micronutrient Testing
- Thyroid testing. This is part of our hair loss panel and general Biohackr baseline panel, as thyroid issues can cause hair issues.
- Minoxidil. This can be oral or topical vasodilator, the gold standard still of medicine for hair loss. This is a prescription which can be done after a telehealth visit with our clinician.
- Finasteride. This is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor which blocks the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Elevated DHT levels bind to hair follicles, causing them to shrink and eventually stop producing healthy hair, leading to male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). This also can be given orally or topically and requires a prescription.
- PRP/PRF injections. This is using platelet rich plasma or fibrin injections, using regenerative medicine techniques of your own tissue to stimulate hair growth. This is a treatment done infrequently (a series of 3, followed by 1-2 x year) with good science support.
- Microneedling. Microneedling in itself has been shown to increase hair follicle number and thickness. When paired with minoxidil, PRP, or exosomes, the statistically significant improvement is even more. This is also a treatment done infrequently, with a typical treatment being a series of 3, followed by 1-2 x/year).
- Exosomes. We use Age Zero exosomes which have been shown in studies to improve hair count, caliber, and even color after 1-2 treatments when applied using microneedling.
As with all things, the treatments vary with what you need. How old are you? How bad is your hair thinning? Is it diffusely or on in one spot? See our page on HAIR treatments and our HAIR BLOGS