Nutrition influences our hair in an extraordinary way. Our body needs to receive a series of basic nutrients for everything to function properly, including our hair. If there is a deficiency in obtaining these nutrients, our body is altered.
Hair is one of the elements that most easily suffer from nutrient deficiency alterations. An example can be found in a decrease in biotin and zinc. When this is given continuously, there is a risk of suffering from telogen effluvium.
In the same way, very strict hypocaloric diets can lead to metabolic alterations that cause an increase in the hormone 5 alpha-reductase (which causes miniaturization of the hair follicle, as occurs in Androgenetic Alopecia.
And what about iron? How does it affect the hair?
A lack of iron in the body can also lead to hair loss. Iron deficiency alopecia is a type of effluvium known as iron deficiency or iron deficiency alopecia. It is a more frequent type of alopecia in women than in men and is produced, as we say, by a decrease in iron in the body, either circulating through the blood (sideropenia) or in the reserves of cells (ferritin) .
To get an idea, we will say that a sideropenia of about 10 micrograms per liter causes the passage from the anagen phase to the telogen phase in an intense way, which leads to accelerated hair loss in the patient. This drop-in iron in the body is due in many cases to diets poor in iron and red meat, as well as excessive blood loss during menstruation and other types of bleeding.
As for the ferritin found in our scalp (in growing hair follicles), when the iron is lacking in our body, it is released into the serum in order to meet the needs of other more important organs. In this way, our follicles directly enter the telogen phase, producing hair loss.
What would then be the recommended ferritin level in our body to prevent hair loss? With a figure close to 70 ng/ml of ferritin, our body would have normal anagen phases without falling. If this figure is not reached, it would be advisable to take an iron supplement orally for at least 3 or 6 months. It will be your doctor who determines whether or not this supplement is necessary in your case.
Is the so-called postpartum alopecia also caused by a lack of iron?
Without a doubt, the lack of iron is one of the factors that can cause remarkable hair loss in women after childbirth, but it is not the only one. This type of alopecia is a type of telogen effluvium. The woman suffers from diffuse hair loss, caused by the premature and accelerated transition of her follicles from the anagen phase to the telogen phase.
What are the symptoms or warning signs of this type of alopecia? In the capillary examination that we perform in consultation, a noticeable fall is observed when running the fingers through the patient’s hair, with a positive traction sign. In some more severe cases, the patient may lose 50% of her hair.
What happens to the scalp after delivery? What changes occur that led to this decline? A large number of hair follicles that have remained in the anagen phase throughout pregnancy (due to the high level of female hormones in pregnancy) suddenly go into the telogen phase. In a period that goes from two to four months, the patient sees how her hair begins to fall precipitously, causing diffuse alopecia.
But there are other factors that also worsen the falling process, such as the stress that the woman may experience from childbirth or the decrease in iron reserves due to blood loss during childbirth.
The good news is that postpartum alopecia is temporary. The woman will be able to regain her hair approximately four months after she began to notice the loss.
If this is your case and you have noticed an abundant fall after delivery, our advice is that you always consult a hair specialist. In-depth hair analysis and the rest of the tests necessary for the diagnosis will determine if you are indeed suffering from this type of alopecia and if in your case it will be necessary to complete your diet with a vitamin complex with iron content to help you speed up the process. recovery of your hair.