Some people with diabetes experience hair loss. Because the same condition have been observed among several diabetes patients, it is therefore not surprising to question if diabetes has any connection with hair loss. Indeed, studies and research have shown that it has. A look at the because facts about diabetes and hair loss would help us understand how these two are connected.

Hair Facts

Before we look into the diabetes and hair loss link, it is important to first understand both diabetes and hair loss basics. Head hair may seem to have no functional use other than as an appearance enhancer. Nonetheless, it is still very much a part of the human body. Your hair will therefore stand to benefit or suffer from whatever you put in your body and whatever is going on in your body in general.

Hair grows from a root and follicle located underneath the human scalp. The hair grows and is nourished by through the bloodstream which transports nutrients from the body to the hair roots and follicles. If there your body does not have sufficient nutrients or does not have proper blood circulation, hair growth and health is also affected.

Hair Loss

Not all cases of hair loss in diabetic persons may be attributed to diabetes alone. It is only a possibility. It is therefore important to seek out the real cause of hair loss in your condition through the process of eliminating other possible causes before tagging diabetes as its cause.

Another factor of hair loss is through heredity and genetics. An estimated 95% of people suffering from hair loss have androgenetic alopecia, a hair loss condition brought about by hormonal activities in the body as well as by the individual’s genetic make-up. Since both androgenetic alopecia and diabetes are hereditary, it may be harder to pinpoint which is causing your hair loss. A look at balding relatives who are also diabetic may point to the direction that it is the diabetic condition that is causing the hair loss and not the androgenetic alopecia condition.

Diabetes and Hair Loss

The link between hair loss and diabetes may be best identified by examining the nature of diabetes and what it does to the body. Diabetes is the body’s condition in which people either cannot produce the insulin that our body needs or cannot respond properly to it. When a person has a diabetes condition, glucose cannot always enter the body cells to provide it with the energy it need. Since there is an excess of unused glucose, it will start accumulating in the bloodstream. Along with high blood sugar levels, fat deposits may now also begin to attach on blood vessel walls, ultimately clogging blood passageways. When blood passageways are clogged, improper blood flow and poor circulation circulation ensue.

As explained, the hair’s main source of nutrition is in the bloodstream. Poor blood circulation means unhealthy hair condition. Furthermore, poor blood flow can also result to infections and skin irritations among diabetics. And since scalp is part of the skin on our head, it is also gravely affected with hair loss as possible effect.

The Diet

If your hair loss is caused by diabetes, you may have harder time dealing with it than an ordinary hair loss condition. This is because in an ordinary hair loss, the condition may be treated with nutritional supplements and proper diet. However, if your hair loss is caused by diabetes, you will have to consider following a diet that is more proper as a diabetic rather than a person suffering from a hair loss. In such case, you will have to consult your doctor for a proper dietary plan before tackling your hair loss condition.

Understand more about the possible complications of diabetes? Find out more diabetes care faqs from Andy Rowde.

Tags: connection between hair loss and diabetes, Diabetes, diabetes care, diet, hair loss and diabetes, health and fitness, health diabetes, Medicine, Wellness