Does High Blood Sugar Cause Hair Loss?

Androgenetic alopecia or common male pattern baldness (MPB) is a problem that plagues men and is the main reason behind hair loss in men. For women, hair loss is also hereditary and as common as it is in men. But, it often goes unnoticed. Severe hair loss causes loss of self-esteem as one begins to feel unattractive and chooses to avert the public eye. Hair loss is one of the most common problems that plague young and old people alike.

The main path to treating hair loss is by diagnosing the problem behind it. If the problem is known, it becomes easier to diagnose and a solution is easier to arrive at. Hair therapy, pills, treatments and products are only surface level treatments that do not delve deeper into the problem. The real problem lies much deeper and could be due to health factors.

One of the chief causes of hair loss is unbalanced diabetes. Most diabetologists consider this to be only a cosmetic symptom of diabetes, but it is actually a very real problem. High blood sugar does cause hair loss as diabetes is directly linked to the growth and repair of the body.

This article is meant for those with blood sugar and hair loss.

Does High Blood Sugar Cause Hair Loss?

Symptoms: The hair starts thinning out. Then it shows signs of progressive weakening. The growth gets stunted and the hair starts to fall more than usual. Telogen effluvium is different from this, as in telogen effluvium, the hair loss is diffused and spread evenly throughout the head. The intensity of hair loss can vary from person to person. While some lose strands, others may lose hair in a bunch or in patches.

The best method of diagnosing whether the hair loss is due to diabetes is through elimination and differential diagnosis. Hair fall can be hereditary, due to lack of nutrition, as a side effect of medicine etc. The process of elimination will enable us to know for certain whether the cause behind hair loss is diabetes.

Most cases of hair loss are due to androgenetic alopecia. This affects almost 95% men and over 80% women. Another cause can be thyroid. Thyroid complications are often linked with high sugar and diabetes. This can be diagnosed effectively with a blood test. Unbalanced thyroid levels have been known to cause major hair loss in adults and children alike

The connection between high blood sugar and hair loss: What, when and why?

Blood sugar level: The chief and most obvious cause that links diabetes to hair loss is the blood sugar level. Blood circulation deficiency can explain how diabetes can causehair loss. The blood of a diabetic person does not have a balanced sugar level, so the blood does not reach the hair follicles or the roots of the hair. Therefore, the pores of the hair are severely under-nourished. It does not receive the nutrients it requires which are brought by the natural blood flow. The roots get weaker and hair stops growing. It cannot develop and renew itself, and this is the case in hyperglycemia.

Stress: Diabetes and the lifestyle it brings along with it can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. This might lead to depression and anxiety attacks. These are fatal for the nerves, and since stress is already a major factor behind hair loss, this worsens it.

Hair is the most noticeable feature of humans. Losing hair is a source of embarrassment for many. It causes a loss of self-esteem. As a result, the stress that causes hair loss gets worsened and this loss in morale adds to greater stress. Hence, the problem remains unsolved and it is a vicious circle.