There are many reasons for hair loss
Hair loss is a big issue for almost everyone, man or woman, particularly as you age. Your hair isn’t as thick, your hairline recedes, your part is wider, your ponytail is thinner, you have a bald spot. Hair loss usually is not from just one factor. Some reasons for hair loss you cannot change- aging, genetics, menopause. But there are some issues which are medical or due to nutritional issues. These you can treat. You just need to know.
What are medical reasons for hair loss that we can test for?
- THYROID ISSUES. Both too much thyroid and too little thyroid can disrupt the hair growth cycle and cause diffuse hair thinning.
- HORMONE ISSUES. You see this in pregnancy, with the postpartum fluctuations, where sudden drops in estrogen cause hair shedding (telogen effluvium). Menopause causes lower estrogen and progesterone levels, which can thin hair and slow regrowth. PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) has elevated androgens, which leads to female pattern baldness.
- AUTOIMMUNE ISSUES like Alopecia Areata (which causes sudden hair loss patches), Lupus (thinning or scarring hair loss), and Hashimotos thyroiditis (which causes chronic inflammation and hypothyroid issues)
- BLOOD LEVEL ISSUES. Anemic? Blood flow is critical for hair. A simple CBC can let us know if your levels are low.
What are common vitamin deficiencies leading to hair loss?
Skillful nurse is doing blood test for man in clinic. Man in a medical mask.
It is great to know if you are deficient in many of the micronutrients (hence our micronutrient testing HERE), but there are common deficiencies which we test for. These are particularly good to test for if you eat any kind of restricted diet (like vegans, vegetarian), have inflammatory bowel issues or malabsorption issues, celiac, have had a gastric bypass, or other issues.
- Magnesium
- Vitamin D
- B12
- Folate
- Copper
- Ferritin
What does our Biohackr Health Hair Panel Include?
We include CBC, a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (which includes kidney and liver function), Ferritin (iron levels), DHT (hormone level), ANA Screen (for autoimmune/inflammation), Vitamins and Minerals – Copper, Mg, Vit D, B12, Folate, and a thyroid Panel including Thyroid and Thyroglobulin antibodies.
There are times in life where we expect hair thinning, like menopause. If you have had a recent diet change, thyroid issues, newly diagnosed autoimmune or inflammatory issue, or other medical problems, this could be contributing to your hair loss. It is good to fix, as these tend to have simple ways of correcting the issue. Again, for most people, hair thinning is a combination of many issues. You also must remember that correction, even when effective, can be slow. It takes 9 months to grow shoulder length hair back to the shoulder.
Come in to our clinic for an in depth Hair consultation.
Our team at Biohackr Health in Palo Alto and San Francisco treat hair loss frequently.
- We have an extensive intake form which helps us figure out what may be the key players in your hair loss.
- We have treatments running from supplements, to prescription pills or topicals, to cutting edge regenerative treatments like PRP/PRF injections or Microneedling with Minoxidil and Age Zero Exosomes.
- We are science based. For the scientific support behind our recommendations, please click HAIR BLOGS to read original studies in our blogs. Even with our healthy Bay Area lifestyle, hair loss is common.