“Maintaining a healthy head of hair is a multi billion pound industry, and concerns about thinning hair are common complaints in my surgery. Alopecia affects one in ten people at some point – no-one knows exactly why this should happen but illness, stress, diet and hormones can all trigger hair loss.
In fact we lose 50-100 hairs a day without really noticing, because hair follicles continue to produce new hairs that grow about 1cm a month for around 5 years. As we get older, some follicles stop producing new hairs, which can lead to thinning. Hair follicles produce up to 20 hairs in a lifetime and after that they simply stop, making us more prone to thinning hair as we age. Men often accept this as a natural part of ageing but for women it can be hugely distressing. The good news is that a little adjustment to lifestyle and in particular diet can make a big difference.
My top tips for improving the health & thickness of your hair:
- Take a look at your diet – Hair is made of a protein called keratin. If your dietary intake of protein is low, the body will use it for essential bodily functions first, nature doesn’t consider hair production to be one of those. Iron is also essential for the production of healthy hair cells. You can ask your GP to test your iron levels with a blood test. Normal is anything over 10 but if your hair is thinning you should aim for an iron level over 70. Increasing your intake of red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and nuts can make a real difference.
- Consider taking a supplement – Boosting your intake of the nutrients essential for healthy hair will help combat hair loss. Sulphur, found in MSM is good for keratin production the protein building blocks of hair, whilst B complex vitamins and biotin help minimise hair loss.
- Could it be the menopause? – In Japan where the diet is rich in soya (a source of plant oestrogen), there is no word for menopause! Lots of my patients have found that increasing soya in their diet has helped. It is also worth looking at your HRT – some forms promote healthy hair but others can increase hair loss. Your GP may be able to change the progestogen content of your HRT to improve your hair loss while still keeping menopausal symptoms at bay.
- Reduce your stress levels – Eight out of ten women experience some kind of menopausal symptoms, the commonest being hot flushes and a loss of confidence both of which can be stressful. Stress increases androgen levels – the male hormones which makes us more prone to hair loss. So take some time out for yourself and relax to help balance stress levels as it may too help re-build hair.
- Could there be a medical cause? – An underactive thyroid (more common in women) can cause thinning hair which responds to treatment with thyroid hormones”
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