If daily hair loss is greater than about 100 hairs per day, gradual thinning may occur. This often becomes increasingly noticeable in later years, when hair growth slows.
Permanent hair loss can cause distress, but there are a number of natural treatments that have shown promising results in stimulating hair growth.
However, the NHS says people should be wary of miracle cure claims.
A review on hair loss and vitamin D, published in the National Library of Medicine, stated that vitamin D plays an important role in dermatology and skin treatments, due to its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, and the regulation of keratinocyte differentiation and proliferation.
It also affects the hair cycle, and its role in hair loss is under ongoing research.
A literature search was conducted in PubMed to review current relevant studies investigating the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of the disease, as a supplement and as a potential therapeutic method in hair loss.
She found that vitamin D is “intricately involved” in different signaling pathways for hair follicle growth and differentiation. However, there is a lack of conclusive studies to prove the benefit of vitamin D administration in correcting hair loss and managing these conditions.
Another study published in the Wiley Online Library says: “Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with several hair loss disorders, such as alopecia areata and female pattern hair loss. However, previous studies have not found an association between blood levels of vitamin D and the severity of hereditary alopecia.” .
The study states: “Our study showed a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of hereditary alopecia. This suggests that vitamin D may play a role in the premature onset of androgenetic alopecia. However, more studies are needed on A larger population size and the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the development of hereditary alopecia to validate the reported findings.”
The Cleveland Clinic says vitamin D deficiency can have a number of signs and symptoms that may include:
• Fatigue.
• Bone pain.
Muscle weakness.
• Mood changes, such as depression.