Hair Loss

Question
Hello! I am a 17 year old girl, of South Asian origin. I have noticed that in the last two months my hair has begun to fall rapidly and now i have a "bald spot" - where my considerably long hair falls apart to reveal scalp that my friends joke about. They only do it in jest but i do get embarrassed! I haven't done anything out of the ordinary recently, i have always stayed up late to finish homework and projects, always been a poor eater, but its only now that my hair has begun to fall so much.
My weight varies between 38 and 42 kgs, and my diet on a usual day is as follows:
Breakfast: bowl of milk and cornflakes
Lunch: A handful of rice and curry OR one roti and some vegetable.
Snack: An omelette,a glass of milk,and sometimes biscuits
Dinner: Roti and nutella (chocolate spread) or vegetable.
...
What could be the reason for balding? My late nights, lack of exercise, or poor diet - or maybe extensive use of hair products? i only use shampoo and conditioner, twice a week. I rarely use any other product on my hair. So i dont think that's the reason.
Do you have any suggestions for how i can improve my nutrition? What helps hair growth?
Any help would be much appreciated!

Answer
Hello Usha,

If the balding areas are localized, just spots of smooth skin, then it may indicate a condition called alopecia areata, which is a condition where the immune system attacks the  hair follicle.A dermatologist will be able to diagnose if this is the issue. Generally, this is a self limiting condition that resolves itself within a year or so. A dermatologist could inject a steroid into the balding area and that may speed the growth. If it is alopecia areata, it can be triggered by stress.

Nutritional factors that may come into play include, insufficient protein, lack of minerals, and/or lack of B-vitamins. Try adding some additional protein to dinner and lunch - eggs and beans may be good vegetarian sources of protein.

You may also want to take a b-vitamin that contains biotin, as this can help the hair to grow thicker. I would like to see you eat more non-starchy vegetables in order to get more minerals.

Omega-3 fatty acids also play an important role and you may be deficient in this important fat. I might recommend consuming some cold-water fish, if this is not an option, try consuming nuts, ground flax seed, chia seeds, or supplement with Fish oil or algae-sourced DHA.

I hope that this is not too confusing. Let me know if you have questions!

Yours in good health,
Ray Hinish, Pharm.D., CPT, LWMC  

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