A New Hairstyle for Summer

Finding Thinner And Thinner Hair At Each Salon Visit? Iron May Be The Culprit

11 October 2016

Bob Adams

If you are beginning to notice thinning hair—not just the normal daily shedding but actual thinning—you could blame that on age or hereditary patterns. However, you could also blame it on an iron deficiency. Not getting enough iron, even if you don't have full-blown iron-deficiency anemia, could make your hair start to thin out. Although your hair stylist can cut your hair to minimize the thinning look, it's better to find out and fix what's causing the thinning if possible. While there are many potential causes of hair loss, if you've been dealing with fatigue, spoon-shaped nails or brittle nails, pale skin, or brain fog along with the hair loss, those are signs iron may be the culprit.

How Iron Affects Hair Growth

If you're deficient in iron, your body's energy and dwindling iron stores can go toward just trying to protect your organs from damage, which can lead to hair loss as the hair follicles no longer receive the iron they need to grow. 

Why Your Doctor Needs to Test You

Fixing any iron intake problems starts with your diet and possibly a daily multivitamin, but you can't rely solely on these if you think iron intake is a problem. In fact, even if you evaluate your diet and find your iron intake meets minimum requirements, you may want to get tested if you still show the symptoms of an iron deficiency. It is possible for your body to just not be good at absorbing iron, meaning you could still be deficient overall. Your doctor is the only one who can investigate that.

Getting Daily Recommended Amounts

This doesn't mean you should run right out and grab the nearest iron supplement. The over-the-counter iron-specific supplements you find often have much more than the daily recommended amount of iron—a few times more, such as double or triple the normal amount. These supplements are meant for people who have been tested by their doctors and ordered to take high amounts.

Taking these higher amounts when you don't need to, medically, can result in symptoms ranging from stomach upset to a buildup of excess iron in body tissues that can lead to potential organ damage.

If you are merely concerned about getting the right amount of iron, or if you are still waiting for your appointment to see your doctor and want to start improving your intake, eat foods rich in iron like lentils and oats (and fortified foods, like cereals and breads), and maybe look into taking a daily, iron-containing multivitamin that is formulated for your age and gender, which are the biggest factors influencing how much iron you need daily. Be sure to let your doctor know what you're taking and when you started.

As you try to fix your iron intake, also enlist the help of a good salon. Stylists can help you choose a hair style that will minimize the look of thinning hair while you try to get your diet and health back on track.

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