Restrictive diets often lead to nutrient deficiency, which can have serious health effects. Some may experience changes in the condition of skin. Most commonly, malnutrition stops the hair growth and can lead to hair loss. Unfortunately, I have experienced this terrifying reality of hair loss caused by long period of restrictive eating habits. The hair loss I have experienced came as a shock and in this post I will talk about my experience and sources I have found regarding this topic.
Why did my hair fall?
Severe lack of nutrients, rapid weight loss, insufficient calories, and over exercising. I believe these are the main causes of my hair loss. However, it was only after I started eating more that my hair started falling. It felt terrifying. I also could not understand why it happened. I found various sources to explain this. To sum up my findings, when malnourished, the body focuses on taking care of the essential functions above all else. Hence, the hair that is made up of a protein called keratin, is not considered essential to functioning of the body. Consequently hair growth stops. On the other hand, hair loss is a side effect associated with severe cases of malnutrition. The possibility of hair loss is said to be less significant; however, it definitely is an eye-opening side effect. After two years of trying to grow my hair without results, this made sense. Those years my hair was ok, mainly dry and not growing, but it was fine. On the other hand, now I know hair loss was a side effect from rapid weight loss and insufficient calories that went on for several months.
Will my hair grow back after hair loss?
Yes. According to various experiences, hair will grow back but it will take time. Of course this depends on the person but the most common answer I found was 3 to 6 months. For me this is a journey that I’m only starting and it seems hopeless. I miss my healthy hair and I wish I would have known the consequence of my restrictive eating. However, the damage is done and I will start this journey and document how it is going. I won’t focus on fancy treatments because the main fix to this is to have a proper balanced diet.
Hopefully my hair journey will bring awareness and help people alike. If you have tips or wish to share your experience, please comment below! 🙂