Here’s Why Vitamin D Deficiency Could Be The Cause Of Your Hair Loss

By Runa Bhattacharya

Published on Aug 7, 2021

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Shedding more than just a few strands of hair lately? If you’re noticing more hair loss than normal when you peep at your shower drain, clean your hair brush, or sweep back your strands into a pony (spot those thinning sides?), you’re not alone. Forty percent of women have visible hair loss by the age 40, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. And get this—one in three women will notice some sort of hair thinning by their late 20s and early 30s. That’s a pretty big chunk of us.

While we can drive ourselves crazy, chalking it up to going H.A.M. with hot tools (remember when crimping made a comeback?), drastic color changes, overstyling, and excess product use, there are several causes of hair loss that don’t have anything to do with what we do to our hair. We’re talking about things like stress, hormonal changes, birth control, genetic factors, autoimmune disorders, and a major player, vitamin D deficiency (which we’re about to do a deep dive into).

Vitamin D plays a super important role in maintaining the health of our bones, teeth, muscles, hair, and skin. It's truly good for your bod, inside and out. The tricky part is, maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D in our bodies isn’t effortless for everyone. Turns out, if you work indoors all day (sitting next to a window doesn’t count), live far from the equator (like the northeast and Canada), work night shift, or have a darker skin tone, you're more likely to have low levels of vitamin D in your body. In fact, research shows that while people of color have more melanin which protects against sun damage, this in turn, means that it takes more work for their bodies to produce vitamin D.

“Vitamin D deficiency may be most common in the elderly, adolescents (ages 14-18) and obese children, but anyone can be vitamin D deficient,” says Audrey Kunin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and chief creator of DERMAdoctor.

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Deanne Robinson, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut.

Audrey Kunin, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Chief Creative Officer of DERMAdoctor.

So What Does Vitamin D Have To Do With Hair Loss?

“Vitamin D plays a role in stimulating new and old hair follicles. Low levels of Vitamin D are also linked to several types of non scarring (non permanent) hair loss, including diffuse thinning and Alopecia Areata (an autoimmune conditioner which causes hair to fall out in small patches),” says Deanne Robinson, MD, a dermatologist in Connecticut. Another study even showed that vitamin D deficiency was prevalent in women between the ages of 18-45 who were experiencing some form of hair loss. Vitamin D receptors have also shown to play an important part in the anagen phase of the hair cycle, where your hair does the most growing.

Besides a healthy diet, dermatologists recommend getting your daily dose of vitamin D from careful sun exposure (since that’s how our bodies make vitamin D). “All you need is 8-10 mins, and I still recommend using SPF despite claims that it impairs vitamin D absorption. In fact, an Australian study showed no difference in Vitamin D levels between adults assigned to use SPF one summer and those who used a placebo,” says Robinson.

You can also look to food and supplements to boost your vitamin D (the US Endocrine Society recommends 1,500 - 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day). “This can be achieved through supplements and healthier dietary choices like integrating salmon, tuna, egg yolks and wild-grown mushrooms into your diet,” says Robinson. Just be sure to have your vitamin D levels checked first, and check with your doc to make sure you don’t over do it.

How Do I Know If I Have Vitamin D Deficiency?

“Fatigue, a lowered immune system (if you’ve been sick more often than usual), impaired wound healing, bone and muscle aches, hair loss, and even depression,” are all telltale signs of low vitamin D levels, according to Robinson. So if you’re losing hair and haven’t been feeling your best physically (and mentally), it won’t hurt to get your vitamin D levels checked by your derm.

What Are Some Effective Treatments For vitamin D Related Hair Loss?

“Once your vitamin D levels and any other accompanying medical conditions are stabilized, PRP or PRFM are excellent ways to stimulate new hair follicle growth to fill in thinning areas,” suggests Robinson. Treatments like PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and PRFM (Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix) do this by directly delivering growth factors taken from your own plasma to sparse spots. Robinson often combines PRP and PRFM treatments with topicals like Minoxidil (Rogaine) and sometimes systemic Spironolactone (recommended for women only). Minoxidil helps boost blood flow to the area of hair loss while Spironolactone blocks androgens that are linked to hormonally triggered hair loss.

Dr. Kunin also recommends treatments like microneedling, injectable steroids, and red laser light treatments. “Microneedling (like PRP) creates multiple tiny wounds in the skin which in turn triggers platelets (the clotting and healing first responders of the blood) to swarm to the area and stimulate hair growth. Red or near-infrared laser light promotes tissue repair while injectable steroids reduce inflammation which can lead to damage or death of hair follicles,” says Kunin.

You know we’re going to ask about Biotin. Does it really work?

It’s not so straightforward. “There is lacking scientific evidence that biotin alone can have a dramatic effect on hair growth. What we do know is that it supports Keratin production and as Keratin is a key protein in the hair, skin and nails, it definitely will play a role in hair, skin, and nail health and strength (which may make strands last longer before they shed). But alone it will not stimulate new hair growth,” says Robinson.

And, as always, a wellness based approach is always a great approach. Robinson also recommends stress reducing activities like yoga and breath work to reduce cortisol levels which, if high over time, can also contribute to hair loss.

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