Hair loss is a normal component of the natural hair growth cycle. Hair growth occurs in three stages: the growth phase where the hair grows for around 2-7 years, the transition phase where the follicle starts to shrink and hair growth slows for around 2-3 weeks, and the resting phase where the hair falls out at the end of this phase at around 3- 4 months. The falling out of the hair strand is necessary so that a new strand can take its place, and the cycle can begin again. We can lose up to 100 hairs a day, however, when hair loss increases beyond this, it can become concerning for many individuals.
Medical hair loss, known as alopecia, doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to individuals regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. Although, it does seem to be more common in men of older age. It can happen for several reasons including genetic predisposition, cancer treatment, medicines, damage to hair, age, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal problems, stress, and ringworm of the scalp. Regardless of the cause, it can be quite distressing.
There are two major categories of alopecia: nonscarring and scarring. Nonscarring alopecia is when the hair follicle remains intact; therefore, hair loss may be reversible. Scarring alopecia on the other hand occurs when the hair follicle is irreversibly damaged, thereby causing permanent hair loss.
While many individuals with nonscarring alopecia may grow the hair back on their own, others may be recommended treatments to prevent further loss. There seems to be an endless variety of products in the ever-growing alopecia market. There are products ranging from topical treatments and oral medications to nutritional supplements and hair growth serums. Despite the wide variety of products claiming to promote hair growth, or at least prevent hair loss, the efficacy of many of these products remains to be properly verified. Currently, there are only three pharmaceutical treatments that are approved in Canada for alopecia. These are minoxidil, finasteride, and spironolactone, with the latter two requiring a prescription.
Recently, Nutraceutical Wellness released a hair loss supplement known as Nutrafol, which has become one of the fastest-growing supplements for healthy hair. The supplement has a slightly different composition based on which product you look at, but they are all composed of minerals, vitamins, and natural products. For example, the Nutrafol Women contains things such as ashwagandha, marine collagen, tocotrienol, curcumin, saw palmetto, kelp, resveratrol, horsetail, keratin, amino acids, black pepper, capsicum, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, biotin, zinc, selenium and hyaluronic acid. Phew. I couldn’t quite read all the ingredients with one breath.
The question is, does this extensive mix of ingredients work? A six-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo study found significant hair growth in the target area. Another study showed a significant increase in baseline hair growth, coverage, density, and volume at weeks 12 and 24 for all 98 participants. However, both studies were founded by Nutraceutical Wellness. While this does not invalidate the results, it does suggest that verification of the results with a larger sample size by an impartial third party would be beneficial. Furthermore, diet and nutrition are thought to play a large role in hair growth. In these studies, the participants' baseline nutritional status was not considered. Therefore, it is hard to generalize the results.
Furthermore, some individuals have reported symptoms such as nausea, bloating, and diarrhea. These are thought to be due to the large doses of vitamins found in Nutrafol. Others have found that Nutrafol may interact with other medications or medical conditions. It is important to speak to your healthcare provider to determine if Nutrafol is safe for you.
So while the preliminary results suggest Nutrafol may be able to help with hair loss, there is still a lot of testing and verification that is required before it can be considered a holy grail for hair growth.
@DanielaPadres
Daniela is a recent B.Sc. graduate from the program of Physiology at McGill.She is very passionate about understanding the human body and how we can all individually adapt our daily lifestyles to improve its functioning.
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