Hair Loss due to Anemia: How Does Iron Deficiency Affect Your Follicles?

Anemia is one of the conditions that affects hair, skin, and nail health the most. In today’s post, we will talk about hair loss caused by anemia, shedding light on its symptoms and providing suggestions to prevent it. 

First of all, it is important to note that anemia is caused by a decrease in red blood cells, which contain hemoglobin (a type of protein rich in iron). Red blood cells are the ones responsible for carrying oxygen to all of the tissues in your body. 

Anemia is caused by one or more of three factors: insufficient red blood cell production; increased destruction of red blood cells; or hemorrhage. 

Common symptoms

Someone who is living with anemia will experience constant fatigue and will usually have a pale complexion and brittle nails. They will also experience some difficulty breathing due to decreased oxygen levels in their body. 

Hair loss caused by anemia

Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. This condition can result in hair loss, since low hemoglobin levels do not allow blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues on the scalp. As a result, hair follicles stop receiving the nutrients they need, and, inevitably, hair falls out. 

How to avoid anemia-induced hair loss

If you discover any of the aforementioned symptoms, it is very important that you talk to a specialist and get a check-up to see how your hemoglobin and iron levels are doing. Anemia has been proven to result in hair loss, but it can also affect many other parts of your body.

If your doctor discovers that the levels of hemoglobin and ferritin in your blood are low, they will probably recommend that you start taking iron supplements. However, the experts at Kaloni also recommend that you incorporate iron-rich foods into your diet, such as meat, eggs, liver, and dark leafy greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard.

It has been scientifically proven that combining iron supplements with foods rich in vitamin C is beneficial, since it helps your body absorb iron more efficiently. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, kiwis, and bell peppers, among others.

Although having a healthy diet is fundamental to nourishing your hair follicles, there is another alternative: a biostimulation procedure performed as part of the anemia recovery process. The vasodilating procedure will activate blood flow, allowing for optimal nutrition flow to the hair follicles.