Can weight loss lead to hair loss?

Losing weight is not an easy task. From healthy eating to working out regularly, one has to be consistent with some habits to lose weight. While it might feel like an accomplishment when you reach your desired weight, it can lead to some common side effects. One of them is hair loss.

In some cases, weight loss can lead to hair loss. This is because rapid weight loss can lead to nutrient deficiencies, stress and hormonal changes, causing hair loss. But not all people suffer from hair loss, post weight loss, here's why.

Hair loss while losing weight is commonly caused by nutrient deficiencies caused by rapid and sudden weight loss.

Restrictive diets have been linked with acute telogen effluvium (TE), which is the cause of widespread hair loss on the scalp.

This can happen three months after rapid weight loss and can last up to 6 months.

Causes of hair loss after weight loss

Even the oldest of researchers have found a link between crash dieting and hair loss. Just like your body, your hair needs adequate calories and nutrients to grow and stay healthy. So, when your body does not receive what it needs, hair loss can happen as a side effect.

Calorie restriction, nutrient deficiencies and psychological stress are common in people following crash diets, which is also linked with hair loss.

A study done on 180 women in the year 2015 found that the most common cause of hair loss in them was iron deficiency and psychological stress. In eight cases, crash diets were also the cause.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are essential for hair growth. Amino acids are required for the production of keratin, the main structural protein of hair.

When your body does not get enough protein, also called protein malnutrition, it can lead to hair loss. Thus, if your low-calorie diet does not contain enough protein, you can experience hair loss.

Weight loss surgeries mean rapid weight loss, which can cause common deficiencies like vitamins, protein and minerals, which can lead to hair loss.

In a 2018 study, which included 50 people who underwent sleeve gastrectomy, a surgical procedure, which removes a large portion of the stomach, 56 per cent of people observed hair loss and most of them were women. Most participants who lost hair had lower levels of zinc and vitamin B12 both before and after surgery.

Restrictive diets cut the entire food group and can cause hair loss as a result of nutrient deficiency and stress. Iron, zinc, protein, selenium and essential fatty acids all have been linked to hair loss.

As mentioned earlier, hair loss can be caused by severe nutritional deficiencies caused due to rapid weight loss. Thus, it's important for you to follow a healthy and sustainable diet, instead of crash and restrictive diet to lose weight.

Not just this, crash diets are also harmful to mental health and are associated with weight regain.

Choose a balanced diet over fad diets to avoid any nutritional deficiencies and hair loss.

If you are undergoing weight loss surgery, make sure to maintain the level of vitamin B12, iron and zinc as recommended by the doctor afterwards. This can help in preventing post-surgery hair loss.

If you are not losing weight and still experiencing hair loss, it can be due to various other reasons that you must figure out with your doctor.

Have a healthy diet along with supplements to facilitate hair growth. Meet a healthcare expert to find out the reason and follow the course of treatment, which can include medication, supplements or just having a healthy diet.