Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that is vital to our overall health. It boosts immunity, stimulates cell growth, maintains healthy skin and bones, and aids in creating new hair follicles. The sun is the primary source of vitamin D, and you can absorb a lot of it simply by standing in the sun for a few minutes. But in the absence of this vital nutrient, one can suffer vitamin D deficiency hair loss. One can also suffer from multiple vitamin deficiencies that cause hair loss.
Vitamin D deficiency links to several scalp and hair-related problems. In adults, vitamin D deficiency can cause low bone density, heart disease, and cancer. Besides, a deficit of nutrients also causes skeletal deformities in infants and weaker bone structure. Your body needs vitamin D for a smooth functioning and healthy hair life. If you see too much hair loss and other scalp-related problems, you are probably suffering from vitamin D deficiency hair loss. Let's first understand what is vitamin D hair loss.
Can Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Hair Loss?
Let's look at how vitamin D and hair loss are linked. Research has shown specific evidence that lack of vitamin D deficiency can cause hair loss. A person suffering from vitamin D hair loss will notice hair loss or bald patches on several head areas. This condition is called alopecia and affects both men and women. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that results in excessive hair loss. It appears as hair loss in small patches for some people, while it can be extreme for some. All these hair-related issues arise and are associated with vitamin D deficiency hair loss.
Vitamin D and hair loss links together and happens in women who have been suffering from prolonged hair loss and have been lacking vitamin D2 in their blood. Vitamin D deficiency hair loss is more common in women than men. A type of cell called keratinocytes metabolizes vitamin D in the body—these skin cells process keratin, which is of great importance for healthy hair and nails. Vitamin D also works for the renewal of defective stem cells.
When your body doesn't have enough vitamin D, your hair follicles have trouble regulating hair growth. Vitamin D deficiency hair loss is also related to female pattern hair loss. There is a noticeable thinning of hair in the temple area and the frontal of the forehead. In some cases, it is similar to PCOS hair loss. In other instances, clumps of hair fall out while brushing or washing. A 2019 study in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal has found that vitamin D deficiency hair loss can worsen over time.
To understand the concept better, let's first consider the causes of vitamin D deficiency hair loss:
- Loss of hair follicle cycle and defective stem cell renewal. Vitamin D promotes hair follicles and their regulations.
- It also leads to chronic Telogen Effluvium - a temporary hair loss caused due to excessive shedding of hair due to some shock to the system. In this condition, the hair gets prematurely pushed to the resting phase before falling out.
Effects of Vitamin D On Hair
Now that you know how vitamin D deficiency cause hair loss let us first take a look at the role of vitamin D that helps to prevent vitamin D hair loss-
- Vitamin D is responsible for the production of keratin. It is a protein that makes up your hair, skin, and nails.
- Vitamin D promotes hair growth and regulated shedding.
- Vitamin D receptors, or VDR, is essential for maintaining the hair life cycle.
- Vitamin D3 for hair is essential to delay hair loss and ageing.
Vitamin D deficiency hair loss can affect your entire hair life cycle. Vitamin D affects your hair life cycle in three stages-
- Anagen - an active growth phase, the VDR separates the nearby cells to produce new hair fibres.
- Catagen - a short transitional phase of the hair growth cycle that lasts between 10-20 days, where the hair follicle regresses. Vitamin D assists in regenerating hair follicles.
- Telogen - It is the resting phase for the hair, and it lasts approximately 100 days before the hair starts growing again.
Vitamin D deficiency hair loss can occur when any one of these stages in the hair growth cycle is disturbed or affected. Vitamin D affects the health of many parts of the body, including your hair and skin. It supports the generation of new hair follicles - the tiny pores from which new hair grows. These new hair follicles may help in preventing vitamin D hair loss and maintain the thickness of the hair.
How to Treat Hair Loss Due to Vitamin D Deficiency?
According to research, when a person is suffering from Vitamin D deficiency hair loss, Vitamin D capsules for hair are usually prescribed by doctors. These vitamin D tablets for hair are to be taken with meals or as recommended by the doctor. These supplements come in different varieties, and only doctors prescribe them after the blood test. However, in this section, we shall also see the other ways to treat Vitamin D deficiency hair loss problems.
- Good diet
There's nothing like receiving the goodness of vitamin D through a good diet. Food that has vitamin D for hair is of great importance, especially for women with a lot of body mass - leptin produced by the fat lowers the vitamin D level, leading to hair loss. Foods such as olive, peanut, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, and almonds are good sources of vitamin D. Vitamin D3 for hair is also essential. Food such as fatty fish, egg yolks, poultry, full-fat dairy, etc.
- Sun exposure
You cannot replace sun exposure with anything else as it is the most natural form of vitamin D. It is one of the easiest ways to get vitamin D and combat vitamin D deficiency hair loss. When your scalp absorbs sunlight, hair follicles produce melanin which prevents premature greying of hair. Sunrise and sunset are the best times of the day to get vitamin D and prevent vitamin D hair loss. A person with light skin colour should get 15-30 minutes of sun exposure, and one with dark skin colour should get 1-2 hours of sun exposure.
Besides, you should also be careful about how to wash your hair and the kind of products you use for your hair keeping in mind the hair fall.
Vitamin D Benefits for Hair
Here are some of the vitamin D benefits for hair you should know-
1. It supports the generation of new hair follicles
2. Prevents premature greying of hair
3. Prevents hair loss and pattern baldness
4. It curbs the effects of alopecia
5. It aids the thickness of hair and prevents existing hair from falling out
Foods with Vitamin D
Did you know that the body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight when you are outside? There are many foods with vitamin D in them, which fight against vitamin D deficiency hair loss and even prevents vitamin D hair loss. If you are deficit in vitamin D, consider adding these foods to your diet-
- Liver
- Red meat
- Egg yolks
- Fatty fish such as sardines, salmon, or herring
- Certain veggies such as spinach, white beans, okra, collards
- Oatmeal and breakfast cereals
Vitamin D deficiency hair loss is a common hair problem, but it is curable with the right supplements, few minutes of sun exposure and a proper diet. At Traya, we focus on the wellbeing of your hair health. We offer a wide variety of hair vitamins and hair serums that stimulates hair growth and regenerates hair follicles. The brand also offers solutions that might help you solve issues such as the oily scalp, head lice, or effects of PCOS hair loss.
