Is it possible that you’ve lately been diagnosed with diabetes? Have you noticed that the number of hairs on your brush is increasing? Alternatively, even if you’ve had diabetes for a long time, it’s still worth evaluating if the condition is a contributing factor to your hair thinning.

In this blog, we’ve discussed the details of diabetes-related hair loss, including whether or not it happens, as well as any therapies that may be available if this occurs.

What Diabetes Can Do To Your Body

If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t generate enough insulin or doesn’t utilize it well, or you have both of these problems. Diabetes occurs when your body does not have enough insulin to transfer the sugar from your meal into your cells, where it may either be stored or utilized as energy.

When you don’t have enough insulin or when it isn’t being utilized properly, sugar may accumulate in your blood. Excess sugar may cause damage to organs throughout your body, including your eyes, nerves, and kidneys, among others. Additionally, it might cause harm to your blood vessels. These veins transport oxygen throughout your body, supplying it to organs and tissues. Damaged blood vessels may be unable to give enough oxygen to your hair follicles, resulting in thinning hair. Having insufficient oxygen might interfere with your natural hair growth cycle.

The Relationship Between The Hair Growth Cycle And Diabetes

Hair passes through three stages in most cases. In the active growth period, which lasts for two years or more, hairs develop at a pace of 1 to 2 cm each month, depending on the kind of hair. The hair then enters a resting period, which lasts around 100 days in total. A little amount of the resting hair comes out after this time period.

Diabetes may cause this process to be disrupted, resulting in a reduction in hair growth. Diabetes might also cause you to lose more hair than you would normally lose. That hair loss isn’t limited to your head either. You may also have hair loss on your arms, legs, and other body areas. When hair regrows, it does so at a slower pace than is usual for the individual.

Those who suffer from diabetes are more prone to develop a disorder known as alopecia areata. The immune system destroys the hair follicles in people who have alopecia areata, resulting in patches of hair loss on the head and other regions of their bodies.

Diabetes may cause hair loss in and of itself. As a side effect of living with a chronic condition, or as a result of the medications you need to manage your diabetes, you may have hair loss. People with diabetes are more likely to develop thyroid illness, which may cause hair loss in certain cases.

How Does Hair Loss Normally Happen?

Hair loss may be classified into three types: alopecia androgenetica, alopecia areata, and telogen effluvium.

Alopecia androgenetica is defined by male pattern baldness, and it may occur in both males and females as a result of hormonal fluctuations. An autoimmune disease known as alopecia areata happens when the immune system assaults hair follicles, while telogen effluvium is a kind of temporary hair loss that occurs as a reaction to stress.

Diabetes Often Occurs In Conjunction With Other Autoimmune Disorders

Another factor to consider is that diabetes can occur from an autoimmune disorder. The reason for this is that the immune system assaults the pancreatic cells responsible for the production of insulin, which is the cause of type 1 diabetes.

The unfortunate reality is that this form of diabetes is often accompanied by additional immunological disorders such as alopecia areata, an autoimmune illness that may cause your hair to fall out in patches that resemble a huge coin in appearance.

Minimize your exposure to pollutants, eat a nutritious diet that is low in sugar and trans fats, and search for strategies to lessen inflammation in your body if you want to reduce your autoimmune reactions.

In many cases, hair loss caused by autoimmune reactions may be effectively treated with corticosteroids injected directly into the affected region of the scalp.

Is It Possible To Reverse Hair Loss Caused By Diabetes? 

In certain instances, hair loss may be reversed. There are a variety of therapies available, some of which are different for males and females. Although hair loss treatments are helpful in the majority of cases, most of them are merely temporary remedies that only function while a person is undergoing the therapy. 

Some individuals may delay or even reverse the hair loss that occurs as a consequence of diabetes. The most efficient strategy to do this is to keep excellent control of blood sugar levels while also controlling stress. 

A person’s blood sugar may be controlled by doing the following: 

  • They should be frequently checking their blood sugar levels, 
  • They should be taking all medicines as prescribed by their doctor,
  • They should be eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet, 
  • They should be exercising on a regular basis. 

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How To Manage The Condition And Avoid Hair Loss

These are some of the strategies that may be used to assist someone with reducing and managing stress: 

  • Seeing a counselor or receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
  • Practicing awareness by engaging in relaxation methods such as meditation, yoga, and deep-breathing exercises.
  • Seeking the support of friends and family.
  • Utilizing medication that decreases blood glucose levels may increase the likelihood of hair loss in certain people. 
  • It is possible that metformin, one of the most commonly used prescriptions for blood sugar management, is indirectly responsible for hair loss by interfering with the absorption of vitamin B12 in the intestine. 
  • Talk to your provider about alternatives to metformin, or ask your doctor about dietary modifications that may allow you to take a reduced dosage of the medication. 
  • Follow a healthy diet. 

There may be other treatment choices accessible to you despite the fact that these are just some of the most frequent treatments. Reaching out to your doctor or one of our professionals may assist you in developing a treatment plan that is appropriate for your individual requirements.

Options For Hair Loss In New Jersey

When it comes to regrowing hair while living with diabetes, reducing problematic foods and increasing physical activity are the top priorities. By following these healthy habits, you will be able to maintain greater control over your blood sugar levels while using fewer amounts of medications. 

The fact that this strategy may prevent your hair loss from deteriorating does not rule out the possibility that your hair follicles will need a boost to become active again. 

For this reason, if you’ve looking to restore your hair, getting the help you need from professional hair loss experts is exactly what you need to get started. We have extensive expertise with many different types of hair restoration procedures such as medicines, topicals, low-laser therapy such as follicular unit extraction, platelet-rich plasma injections, and hair transplantation.

How To Get Started On Your Hair Restoration Treatment

Make an appointment with our doctor if you are experiencing any troublesome diabetic symptoms, including hair loss. In particular, hair loss from your arms and legs should be reported to your physician since it might be a symptom of impaired blood circulation. 

If you have diabetes and are experiencing hair loss, you may need to make changes to your food, lifestyle, or medication in order to gain a better grasp on your blood sugar. The decrease in hair loss should be seen after your diabetes is under control. You’ll lose fewer hairs and more of the ones you’ve already lost will regenerate as a result of this treatment. 

If you’re finding yourself not generating new hair over the course of a few months, meeting with one of our experts will help determine what the cause is and how we can treat it properly. 

Important Factors To Note About Diabetes And Hair Loss

Self-management is required on a regular basis, and it may be exhausting to deal with diabetes not only mentally but physically. Adding hair loss to your medical diagnosis may seem daunting, but rest assured that there are methods for slowing down hair loss, preventing it, and stimulating hair growth to help you feel better. 

You should consult with a licensed dietitian or a certified diabetes care and hair loss expert if you are having difficulty managing your diabetes and maintaining your blood sugars within the normal range. These specialists can assist you with education and also assist you in overcoming these concerns and difficulties. 

Even little modifications in food, physical health, and behavior, such as increasing physical activity, may have a significant impact on improving blood glucose management and optimizing nutritional requirements. Diabetic patients who maintain adequate blood glucose control may reduce their risk of developing diabetes complications and can enjoy a full, healthy, and energetic life. 

Certain nutrients may be beneficial in the treatment of hair loss and hair regeneration. If you have a true shortfall in one of these nutrients, you may need to take a supplement to compensate. However, most of the time, just increasing the amount of foods high in these nutrients may be good, not only for hair, but also for general health and well-being. 

Our experts who specialize in hair loss may be necessary if your hair loss seems to have occurred abruptly or severely, and you are unsure of the reason for the loss. Once they have determined the cause of your hair loss, they may create a treatment plan that is specific to your requirements.

Get In Touch With Our New Jersey Hair Loss Experts

The vast majority of the time, there are treatments available for hair loss. However, it is crucial to realize that you are not alone in this process and that our Nova Medical Hair Transplant team will be by your side every step of the way. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us and our experts will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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