I Lost Hair When I Lost Weight — And I Have More Weight to Lose

Hi. I’m a 20 year old female. I have always had quite thin hair and recently have started shedding a lot of hair due to weight loss. I have lost weight in a healthy way but my doctor says sometimes the shock to the body pushes the hair into the resting phase prematurely, and then causes it to drop it? Because my problem isn’t genetic, I’m unsure what to do. I know my hair will eventually grow back but I have more weight to lose and want to try and hold onto as much of it as I can and encourage new growth. What would you recommend I do, both as a further preventative and as encouragement for new hair growth? Thank you.

Rapid, significant weight loss is a known cause of hair loss. It is particularly significant in women who have genetic hair loss in family lines, and these women may not regrow it after the weight loss is stable. If you have no history in the female side of your family of genetic hair loss, then you might have a better chance to grow it back when your weight becomes stable.