Heredity, nutritional deficiencies, environmental pollution, hormonal abnormalities – there is more than one factor responsible for hair loss. But have you ever checked your blood sugar to find out if this is related to your severe hair loss? Shocked? Well, if hair loss has proven to be your biggest concern, it is strong that you have developed diabetes. According to the latest national report on diabetes statistics, nearly twenty-four percent of diabetics do not know their conditions, which is enough to understand why the disease has not been widely recognized as a cause of hair loss. Let’s light up: Read more How Is Your Diabetes Affecting Your Hair Growth?
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Know About Diabetes
Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder in which the levels of sugar in our bloodstream go very high. It is a state of health throughout life and nearly 371 million people in the world are affected. Diabetes can mainly be of the following two types:
Type-1 Diabetes:
Mostly seen in people under the age of 40 (young adults and even children), type 1 diabetes (also called “insulin-dependent diabetes” / “juvenile diabetes”) is an autoimmune disease that can be managed by follow-up Blood glucose and insulin Injections rather than hardening completely. In this condition, the patient’s immune system itself destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, thus preventing the functions of the natural system of regulating sugar in the body’s blood.
Type-2 Diabetes:
Unlike the previous one, type 2 diabetes usually occurs after 40 years, when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly administer blood sugar, or the body’s cells are totally resistant to the hormone, Or even abdominal fat deposits interfere with the body’s metabolic and cardiovascular functioning by releasing certain chemicals. However, this condition can be prevented, managed and sometimes even reversed by following a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight.
As stated above, the insulin hormone is the key to the proper metabolism of glucose in our body. When this does not work effectively or is not sufficiently produced, we develop diabetes that can trigger temporary hair loss.
How Does Diabetes Affect Hair Growth?
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause thinning of the hair, resulting in severe hair loss over time. Even though the reasons and ways in which it affects our hair growth are complicated and scientists are still working on it, we have listed a summary of all the potential factors that link diabetes to hair loss:
Diabetes disrupts our blood circulation and causes poor blood circulation to the scalp. High levels of glucose in the blood stream modify protein hemoglobin in red blood cells to glycosylated hemoglobin by a chemical reaction. This helps prevent red blood cells from entering the blood capillaries, causing the death of hair follicles without the addition of oxygen and nutrients.
Despite diabetes, high levels of blood sugars can interrupt the normal activities of our endocrine system. As a result, androgenic hormones can not function properly in our body, making our capillary follicles inactive. It also affects the performance of the testosterone derivative called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is also related to the prevalent hair loss.
The natural immune system of our body is affected by diabetes because the blood sugar levels increase considerably. This causes us infections and our body becomes incapable of fighting it. This also causes various autoimmune disorders in which the immune system does not recognize the insulin-producing tissues in the pancreas as healthy tissue and eventually attacks them accidentally. As a result, insulin production decreases and ankles begin to fall.
Our body goes through severe physical and emotional stress during diabetes, which can disrupt our natural hair growth cycle and trigger hair loss.
While following a healthy diet chart and a daily workout routine during diabetes, you are at risk of having rapid weight loss. This sometimes results in temporary hair loss.
There are also some diabetes medications that are known to bring down your hair.
What steps can be taken?
Now, as you know how diabetes can affect the health and growth of your hair, it is time to learn how all these unwanted effects can be avoided. Here is a list of the preventive measures that should be taken to keep your hair long and strong even by suffering from diabetes:
- Consult your doctor to confirm that all your hair problems are actually related to diabetes.
- Make sure your diet array includes many hair foods.
- Strive well, as this will keep your blood sugar normal and increase the amount of oxygen as well as the nutrients in your hair follicles.
- Try to keep your mental and emotional stress under control.
- Begin using biotin supplements or minoxidil under the supervision of your doctor.
Last but not least; Do not lose your self-confidence even if the situation becomes extremely stressful to deal with. Hair loss or stubborn hair growth related to diabetes is a temporary problem and you will definitely emerge over time.