Diabetes & Hair Loss.

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Dr Vaibhav Shah

How Does Diabetes Affect My Hair Growth?

      Diabetes is a lifelong condition where the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. There are two types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2 – with different causes, symptoms, and treatment methods, but one symptom both types share is hair loss. Keep reading for answers to frequently asked questions about type 1 and type 2 diabetes, how the condition affects hair growth, and what can be done to fight hair loss.

What's The Difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?

       Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease diagnosed primarily in those under 40 – usually teenagers – where the pancreas gland does not produce any insulin. Insulin is the hormone that controls blood glucose levels, and without it, glucose levels can become too high or too low, which causes damage to the organs, blood vessels, and nerves in the body, resulting in a coma or even death. Though type 1 can be managed with insulin injections and close attention to blood sugar levels, it cannot be cured.

      Type 2 diabetes typically occurs later in life, when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to control glucose levels, or body cells become resistant to insulin. Unlike type 1, it can be triggered by obesity, when excess tummy fat releases chemicals that disrupt the body's metabolic and cardiovascular systems. 90% of all diabetes cases are type 2, and the condition is usually managed – and sometimes reversed – with a healthy diet and tablets; insulin injections are normally unnecessary.

How Does Diabetes Cause Hair Loss?

       Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease: abnormal functioning of the immune system causes it to produce white blood cells to attack the body's own tissues. When white blood cells attack growing cells in the hair follicles, the follicle cells become small and hair production slows. This can cause hair from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, and body hair to fall out, known as alopecia areata.

       There is ongoing debate about whether type 2 diabetes should be classified as an autoimmune disease. Nonetheless, enough cases of hair loss have been reported that alopecia is a symptom of type 2 diabetes, too.

Will My Hair Grow Back?

     Alopecia is an unpredictable condition, which only makes it more frustrating. While in extreme cases hair may fall out and never grow back, it is more common for those who suffer with alopecia to experience hair loss and regrowth in phases throughout their lives, because the stem cells which provide hair follicles with new cells are not affected by white blood cell attacks. In some instances, hair may fall out once and then regrow fully.

Is There a Treatment for Alopecia?

   There are medical and herbal treatment options available for hair loss, but these are aimed at stimulating the regrowth of hair rather than preventing hair loss in the first place. Research to discover a way of protecting the hair follicles from autoimmune attacks is underway, but as of yet, inconclusive.

     Diabetes is a condition that is difficult to deal with at the best of times, but hair loss is a source of stress that can make it even harder. Alopecia can seriously dent self-confidence; most people feel insecure and self-conscious as a result of hair loss, and although treatment options to stimulate regrowth are available, obviously these require patience. For those feeling uncomfortable with their appearance, cosmetic disguises, such as wigs, make-up to fill in missing eyebrows, scarves, or hats could help with regaining confidence.

--Dr.Vaibhav Shah