Hair Loss

Hair loss is a part

of weight loss.

When you lose weight, it is a stressor on your body, even if it’s overall making you healthier. Rapid, significant weight loss triggers a process in hair follicles called telogen effluvium, which leads to early hair follicle death and thus hair loss. This is the same process that causes dramatic hair loss after childbirth. The good news is, the hair regrows once your weight stabilizes, and if you have the correct nutrients, hair can grow in shinier and stronger.

What nutrients are important for hair regrowth? Contrary to popular belief, biotin is not the only nutrient required for hair regrowth. Not only are several vitamins and minerals key to healthy hair, but adequate nutrition in the form of calorie and protein intake is also extremely important. At Lifelong Weight Loss, we always advise you on a healthy eating plan during your weight loss journey and beyond.

An important note

about biotin.

Many hair supplements (including the beloved Nutrafol) contain mega-doses of biotin. This is completely unnecessary. Biotin is a water soluble vitamin, meaning you will excrete in your urine anything you don’t use. The daily intake of biotin required for most individuals is 30 mcg. Many hair supplements contain 2,000, 5,000, or 10,000 mcg of biotin! While there is no evidence that high intake of biotin can cause harm to humans, it can interfere with important laboratory testing.

Supplementation of biotin at doses greater than 1,000 mcg/day can lead to falsely low or falsely high test results. Notable tests that can be impacted by high levels of biotin consumption include thyroid tests, vitamin d levels, NT-proBNP (a test for heart failure), and troponin (a test for whether someone is having a heart attack). In 2017, the FDA issued a safety warning regarding biotin supplementation after a patient died due to a falsely low troponin test secondary to biotin interference with the lab test.

a hair supplement

created by a

dermatologist.

If you are experiencing hair loss during your weight loss journey with us, we will check several lab tests and treat accordingly. We also offer Hair+ MD, a hair supplement developed by a Houston dermatologist. Unlike other hair supplements, this can be taken together with your multivitamin, and it contains 100% (not more) of the daily value of the nutrients important in hair regrowth - vitamins b, c, d, e, biotin, and selenium. Importantly, it contains a proprietary blend that includes Saw Palmetto, which can slow down hair loss as it blocks the conversion of testosterone into DHT, one of the primary hormones linked to hair loss. It also contains curcumin, hydrolyzed collagen, hyaluronic acid, and L-Lysine, all critical for hair regrowth.

Because the exogen phase of the hair follicle cycle (shedding of the old hair) lasts about 2 to 5 months, hair regrowth and improved hair quality requires about 3-6 months of consistent use of Hair+ MD to be seen.

Rogaine (minoxidil) works,

both topical and oral.

Did you know you can take Rogaine by mouth? Many people have tried Rogaine administered topically on their scalp, but they may not have tried taking the active ingredient in Rogaine, called minoxidil, by mouth. Minoxidil was actually developed as a blood pressure lowering drug, but it was found to be more useful as a hair growth medication. It increases blood flow to hair follicles, helping to regrow hair.

If Hair+ MD alone does not help with hair regrowth, or if you want to be very aggressive with a hair regrowth regimen, we can prescribe minoxidil by mouth. We typically start with a low dose to avoid a drop in blood pressure.

Minoxidil can lead to unwanted hair growth in areas besides the scalp. Therefore, we usually recommend combining it with Hair+ MD, as the Saw Palmetto in Hair+ MD blocks the DHT (dihydrotestosterone) receptors that lead to hair growth on the face, chest, and extremities.