What vitamin deficiency causes hair loss?

Alopecia (loss of hair) is known to affect scalp hair or of your whole body. This condition is either a permanent thing or temporary. The reasons include aging, genetic factors, onset of diseases, hormone-related changes, etc. Of the many reasons, genetic factors emerge as a salient cause. Loss of hair can affect either sex but it is common in males. Baldness often denotes loss of scalp hair. Experts state that inadequate supply of vitamins is one of the major risks. So, what vitamin deficiency causes hair loss? It can be helpful to have more insights into it.

Loss of hair can show up in multiple ways. Such losses can occur either gradually or all of a sudden. Among males, hairline tends to recede on their forehead. There are instances wherein loss of hair occurs in patches or in circular spots. These spots can be on scalp, eyebrows or beard. Before it falls off, you tend to experience mild levels of pain or itchiness.

On an average, people may lose 75 – 90 hairs per day. This is considered a normal thing because such hair grows back. You are unlikely to see loss of hair when new hair replaces lost hair. But, if you are losing hair suddenly, it can be due to medical condition. It becomes essential to talk to a skin specialist or a qualified clinical practitioner upon experiencing such losses.

Your caregiver will seek details about heredity; this remains a leading factor that triggers loss of hair. But, changes in your immunity cells may cause loss of hair in some spots or as patches. One another cause is use of chemotherapy meds, drugs to treat gout and hypertension may make you lose hair as an adverse side effect.

In this light, people who used drugs to treat mood-based disorders, autoimmune conditions like arthritis, etc. also have observed onset of alopecia.

What vitamin deficiency causes hair loss?

The foods you take have a direct bearing on wellbeing of your hair. But, contrary to popular belief, loss of hair is not triggered by deficient supply of vitamins. In fact, taking too much vitamins can result in thinning of scalp hair. However, inadequate supply of iron and / or proteins is known to cause alopecia.

You need to be aware that excessive intake of vitamin A is likely to cause loss of scalp hair. Biotin – a form of vitamin B7 – enables conversion of foods to energies. This vitamin is also instrumental in cell-level communications. Loss of hair is a distinct sign of deficiency of biotin. Caveat: if you do not have deficiency of biotin, it will not help in stopping loss of hair.

On a related note, being deficient of vitamin D is known to cause loss of scalp hair. In such cases, it is helpful to take supplements to arrest further losses. Moreover, those who live with deficiency of essential minerals like iron may need to take vitamin C. A qualified dietitian may advise you to take foods like peppers, citrus fruits, potato, etc. to provide for needful C vitamin.

However, there is little evidence between vitamin E and alopecia. But, be careful with the quantum of iron; insufficient supply of iron may cause anemia. Blood disorders like anemia are closely linked to loss of scalp hair.

Intake of vitamins without proven deficiencies can be of limited use. In case of vitamin A, it may backfire to take excessive levels – say, more than 10,000 IU (i.e., international units) each day. In general, research on hair loss and vitamins is still underway; hence, insights available on this domain are also quite limited.

In order to understand more on what vitamin deficiency causes hair loss, talk to your caregiver or a dermatologist. It is very likely your doctor will offer treatment and diet plan that help restore needful balance of nutrients to stop loss of scalp hair.

Disclaimer

Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.