Making the Connection Between Diabetes and Hair Loss

If you have diabetes and you start losing your hair, you may be experiencing diabetes related hair loss. Although the connection was long thought to have already been established, the link between diabetes and hair loss needs to be further studied. Looking however at the basic facts about diabetes and hair loss may help you understand why there might be a real connection.

Hair Basics

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.

The hair actually has a root and a hair follicle located in the scalp from which hair strands grow and are nourished. The best way to naturally nourish the hair is through the bloodstream which transports hair nourishing nutrients to the scalp. Insufficient intake of nutrients or poor blood circulation may therefore affect hair growth and health.

Basics of Hair Loss

There may be no immediate link between diabetes and hair loss in your specific case. There are many reasons why people lose their hair and it is important to first rule out other reasons for hair loss before concluding your diabetes and hair loss conditions.

One other factor of hair loss is through genetics and heredity. 95% of people suffering from hair loss have androgenetic alopecia. This is a hair loss condition brought about by genetic make-up and hormonal activities in the body. Because both conditions have their sources in genetics, it may be more difficult to identify which condition is causing your hair loss.

Hair Loss and Diabetes

The connection between diabetes and hair loss can be established best by looking at the nature of diabetes and what it does to the body. Diabetes is a condition in which people either cannot produce insulin or cannot respond properly to it. When this happens, glucose cannot always enter the body cells to provide energy. Since glucose has nowhere else to go, it will start collecting in the bloodstream. With high blood sugar levels, fat deposits may also begin to attach on blood vessel walls, effectively clogging blood passageways. This results in improper blood flow and poor circulation.

As previously explained, the hair's source of primary nutrition is the blood. Poor circulation may mean poor hair health. Poor blood flow can also result in infections and skin irritations among diabetics. The scalp is of course still a part of the skin which may be infected too and result in hair loss.

Diet Conditions

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.