If you’ve recently lost a lot of weight, you may be experiencing some degree of hair loss. But can dieting cause hair loss or is there something else that’s causing your problems?
How Dieting Affects Your Body
Most popular diets require you to reduce your calorie intake. As a result, your body might not be getting enough calories to convert into energy. This lack of energy may disrupt certain cell-based processes in your body.
Furthermore, some diets also exclude certain groups of food in favor of others. This could mean that you’re not getting certain nutrients that are essential to healthy hair growth. If you stay on the diet for a while, some nutritional deficiencies might occur.
As you’re losing weight, your hormone levels start to change, which can also have an effect on your body. If you go on to lose more than two or three pounds a week, it could cause temporary stress to the body.
How This Reflects on Your Hair
Let’s go back to our initial question – can dieting cause hair loss? Yes, it can, but not directly. Instead, the changes it causes to your body can sometimes impact your hair health.
For example, research shows that nutritional deficiencies can lead to temporary hair loss. Hormonal imbalances and stress can also play an important part in the process. All these things are common after a significant weight loss, which is why hair loss tends to occur.
As a rule, you won’t notice thinning hair for about three months after losing weight. This can go on for some time, but it usually resolves itself after a while. There is thus no need to seek treatment or use any hair loss products.
Final Word
If your hair problems persist after a few months, there may be something else that’s causing them. If so, you should visit a dermatologist. They’ll identify the cause and let you know what you can do to prevent further hair loss.
