Medical Director Dr. Hans-Georg Dauer

May 20, 2022

Hair Loss: The Role of Iron Deficiency

• How does hair loss occur?

• What causes iron deficiency?

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding

• Growth Phase in Adolescents

• Competitive sport

• Heavy periods

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Operations

• Malnutrition

• How much iron should I consume each day?

• Iron deficiency - what to do?

• Preventing Hair Loss with Iron Tablets

• Iron deficiency and hair loss

• How to treat hair loss due to iron deficiency?

• PRP therapy - a natural growth turbo for hair loss due to iron deficiency

Whether it's on social media, in the latest blockbusters or in glossy magazines, we are constantly confronted with an age-old ideal of beauty - with strong, silky hair. But the reality is often different. It's not uncommon for our hair to look thin and lifeless. What could be the reason for this?

Let's start with the good news: this cosmetic blemish isn't always due to androgenetic alopecia, a rare autoimmune reaction, or a hormonal imbalance. Often, the culprit is simply a nutrient deficiency. Iron deficiency, in particular, can disrupt our scalp.

But what happens if there is an iron deficiency, what exactly is its effect on our hair and what can we do about it? Let's take a closer look.

How does hair loss occur?

Just the word hair loss hurts our ears. After all, who likes to lose some of their vitality? But don't panic: hair loss is not always pathological. To a certain extent, it is even completely natural. Indeed, would you have thought that we have to say goodbye to up to 100 hairs a day?

It is only when more than 100 hairs a day discreetly escape from our hair that the situation becomes critical. It is then at the latest that we officially speak of effluvium, the technical term used by dermatologists to refer to hair loss.

Finding the cause of effluvium is not always easy. Often, it lasts forever. This is because there is no single cause of hair loss. On the contrary, a wide variety of triggers are conceivable. How about a little overview? Here is a brief summary of the most common causes:

• Androgenetic alopecia: This is the most common cause of hair loss. About 80 percent of men and 40 percent of women have to deal with this diagnosis. The reason for this hereditary hair loss is hypersensitivity of the hair roots and follicles to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). They can't manage this hormone known as hair loss. In the more or less long term, contact between DHT and the hair roots leads to alopecia. As soon as they come into contact, the sensitive hair roots move from the growth phase (anagen phase) to the resting phase (telophase).

• Alopecia areata: We like to call this rare form of hair loss "circular alopecia". Its characteristic: Circular bald areas the size of a coin suddenly form on the scalp and are most likely due to an autoimmune reaction of the body.

• Diffuse hair loss: alopecia does not always follow a clear structure. Often, it evolves completely randomly. Sometimes you lose a clump here, sometimes there. As a result, the entire hair loses its volume and vitality. There are many triggers. From mental stress to hormonal fluctuations, infections or scalp diseases, everything can come into play. It is just as common for nutrient deficiency to be the cause of this problem, especially iron deficiency. Because without iron, there is no healthy hair growth.

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What causes iron deficiency?

Iron deficiency always occurs when the body's iron stores are depleted. Especially in exceptional physical and psychological situations, we deplete our iron reserves extremely quickly. If we don't manage to compensate for them in time, our body quickly finds itself in a situation of imbalance.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Every pregnancy is a challenge for our bodies. Both the development of the child in the womb and the production of the placenta and the feeding of the umbilical cord demand a lot from it. There is a reason why iron requirements are six times higher during pregnancy. It is therefore understandable that this extraordinary phase of life is considered one of the most common causes of iron deficiency.

The reason: Many pregnant women do not react quickly enough or strongly enough to the increased need for iron. Their usual diet does not allow them to sufficiently quench their thirst for iron. As a result, they feel tired, weak and dejected.

Not only during pregnancy, but also during breastfeeding, the body literally needs iron, especially in the initial phase. This is when the newborn needs the immune substances contained in breast milk the most. The risk of severe iron loss is therefore even higher in the first weeks after birth. And the more iron our bodies lose, the more likely they are to develop anemia.

Did you know? Anemia increases the risk of postnatal depression, better known as the baby blues.

Growth Phase in Adolescents

Who doesn't know this cliché? The tall, slim teenager comes home from school, completely exhausted. Study? Later, he needs a nap first. It's all laziness, isn't it? Not at all, the body is performing feats.

The growing body is indeed very demanding. It needs twice as many nutrients and iron as an adult's body. Above all, it needs a good dose of energy to supply the brain and muscles with oxygen. So it's no wonder he needs a little break after this long-term work.

Competitive sport

In top athletes, the body is working at full speed. So it's no wonder that the body demands a higher intake of iron. Above all, for intense muscle work and sweat production, he wants an extra portion of iron.

Iron stores are particularly low among elite athletes, who swear by a diet low in meat or without meat.

Avid runners are particularly affected. The constant jolts of running quickly cause microhemorrhages in the gastrointestinal tract. Clinically, they are not a cause for concern, but they do deplete iron stores.

Heavy periods

Heavy periods are one of the most common causes of iron deficiency in women. This is because if the amount of blood and therefore iron lost during menstruation is too great, the deficiency often cannot be compensated for quickly enough by diet. But what exactly does "heavy periods" mean? We did some research:

• Tampons alone can no longer control severe blood loss

• Per period, the woman uses more than 12 sanitary napkins

• The towel should be changed more than four times a day

• Blood clots (blood clots) are also removed

• menstruation lasts more than 7 days

• Chronic bleeding occurs

Inflammatory bowel disease

Many inflammatory bowel diseases also disrupt iron absorption. These include Chron's disease, ulcerative colitis, and gastric ulcers.

Admittedly, there are only micro-haemorrhages here. But in the long term, they can also lead to a significant loss of iron.

Operations

Operations on the hip, knee or rib cage, in particular, can cause significant blood loss. And this is often not without consequences. It is not uncommon for the patient to suffer from persistent anemia after the procedure, which significantly delays the regeneration phase. It has even been scientifically proven.

In the best-case scenario, the risk of anaemia is already examined in detail beforehand. In other words, before the operation is cleared, the laboratory checks the patient's ferritin level. If the examination reveals an iron deficiency, it can be treated in time. This is because the higher the ferritin level, the shorter the recovery time after the operation.

Malnutrition

Another possible cause of iron deficiency is malnutrition. Vegetarians and vegans, in particular, often consume too little iron. This is because meat is considered one of our most valuable sources of iron.

It is therefore necessary to be all the more careful when developing the menu. These little iron miracles are expressly desired:

• Wheat bran

• Pumpkin seeds

• Legumes: beans, peas, soybeans

• Sesame seeds

How much iron should I consume each day?

Iron intake is the subject of many myths. Trade magazines and online guides are literally full of well-intentioned advice - especially about the daily dose of iron? How much iron can and should you consume?

• For adults, doctors recommend a daily dose of 10 to 15 mg of iron.

• For children, doctors recommend a daily dose of 8 to 10 mg of iron.

Anything below the ideal values is considered too little iron and promotes iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency - what to do?

Good news: Iron deficiency can be treated: Most of the time, iron deficiency can be treated easily. The prerequisite for effective therapy: the cause must be known. After all, what is the point of a change in diet, for example, if it is not the menu that is the problem, but a chronic illness? It is not for nothing that experts always recommend a blood test if iron deficiency is suspected. It reliably determines the nutrient stores in the human body.

While iron deficiency can be clearly attributed to diet, it's worth reviewing the menu. Suppliers of iron such as beans, peas, meat, wheat bran and pumpkin seeds should not be missing under any circumstances.

If inflammatory bowel disease is responsible for the symptoms of iron deficiency, it is worth having a thorough discussion with an internal medicine specialist.

Sometimes the expert also recommends taking iron-based preparations - especially after exceptional situations such as childbirth or surgery. They are available in the form of tablets, capsules or drops.

Preventing hair loss with iron tablets: is it reasonable?

There is a persistent rumor that iron-based preparations are effective in preventing hair loss. But beware: iron capsules and the like are not the ultimate for everyone. This is because hair loss is an individual matter. It is not possible to generalize. Sometimes alopecia is genetic in nature, sometimes hormonal in nature. Other times, it's a strong autoimmune reaction of the body. So it's not worth taking iron supplements haphazardly. It may be that iron stores are well filled.

Our advice: For any form of alopecia, regardless of your initial suspicions, you should always have the exact cause examined by a doctor. A blood test will allow you to know for sure in record time: is it really an iron deficiency or is my hair loss due to a completely different cause?

Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss: What's the Connection?

Iron deficiency and hair loss are two close allies. Often, they come in duplicate. First of all, there is of course iron deficiency. Our bodies don't have enough iron in reserve. He then goes into survival mode. That is, it stores all the leftover iron for our key organs, for example, the lungs and heart. This allows him to continue to supply them in the event of an emergency.

Other organs, which are not essential for survival, unfortunately remain empty. Nails and hair are particularly affected. When it comes to the struggle for survival, they play only a secondary role. In an emergency, they receive even fewer trace elements such as iron, selenium and zinc.

Unfortunately, micronutrient deficiency is not without consequences. In the longer term, it manifests itself naturally in the nails and hair. Nails become thin, brittle and brittle. But brittle nails aren't the only evil.

Our hair also has a hard time swallowing the pill. Without iron, they quickly become thin and powerless. The worst-case scenario: iron deficiency is so strongly involved in the growth of our hair that we lose it. Sometimes we don't even notice this hair loss, but other times it leaves unsightly bald spots in our hair.

By the way, our hair follicles, the structures that surround the hair roots, have a particularly high need for iron. They are indeed avid cell dividers. This is because they are among the most dividing type of cells in the body. And since cell division makes you hungry, they need a lot of vitamins, nutrients and trace elements, whether it's vitamin C, folic acid, calcium or zinc.

How to treat hair loss due to iron deficiency?

Fortunately, iron deficiency can be treated well, for example by changing your diet. A simple blood test can already reveal the body's iron levels. In this way, it is possible to quickly and reliably identify a possible iron deficiency - as well as the potential causes of these worrying blood values.

PRP therapy - a natural growth turbo for hair loss due to iron deficiency

Let's face it: It can take several weeks or months for an iron deficiency to be detected and successfully treated. The body ultimately needs time. Unfortunately, he doesn't regain his balance overnight.

For some, the wait is easy, for others, it's hard. They feel uncomfortable with their damaged hair and want to get back to their former appearance as soon as possible. PRP therapy, the number one treatment for iron deficiency anemia, came at the right time.

This is an autologous blood treatment. The main actor is your blood. The HAIR & SKIN doctor will take a small amount of blood from you and prepare it carefully. And it is precisely thanks to this meticulous preparation that it gains access to your platelet-rich plasma, the precious plasma contained in your blood.

Did you know that this plasma is a real growth turbo for the hair roots? As soon as it is injected into the scalp, it emits a gas. It gently tickles tired roots and stimulates them to grow. This allows them to recover all the more quickly after hair loss due to iron deficiency. In a short time, they are back to the way they were before.

Good to know: Even after a hair transplant, PRP therapy works wonders. It reliably stimulates scalp regeneration, so that freshly transplanted grafts implant faster.

Sounds interesting? Then find out more about the possibilities available to you today at HAIR & SKIN, your Swiss specialist for incredibly abundant hair.