According to Kirsi Pietiläinen, rapid weight loss is more likely to lead to energy and nutrient deficiencies, which can lead to paralysis of hair follicles.
The hairdresser noticed that some clients’ thick hair had thinned significantly. The clients were united by significant weight loss through the use of diet pills.
The barber noticed noticeable thinning of hair in several of his clients.
In discussions, he attributed the hair changes to the use of the popular weight loss drug Ozempic.
The hairdresser wished to remain anonymous to protect the privacy of his clients.
MTV News investigated whether weight loss pills cause hair loss or whether the phenomenon is generally linked to weight loss.
“The clearest after bariatric surgery.”
Physician, obesity researcher and professor Kirsi Pietiläinen says the drug semaglutide contained in Ozempic does not itself cause hair loss, but rather is a consequence of overall weight loss.
– This phenomenon is most pronounced in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, in whom weight loss is rapid.
– Rapid weight loss is more likely to lead to energy and nutrient deficiencies, which can lead to paralysis of hair follicles, Pietilainen says.
Bad news for women
A recently published Canadian study examined the effects of two different products on hair.
The study involved 1,936 people taking drugs containing semaglutide, such as Ozempic or Vegovy, and 1,348 people taking drugs containing bupropion and naltrexone.
Semaglutide and bupropionaltrexone are chemically different types of drugs, both of which affect appetite and cause weight loss.
Patients taking semaglutide had a 26.5 in 1,000 chance of developing this condition, compared with 11.8 in 1,000 in the group taking the other drug.
In women, hair loss more than doubled while taking semaglutide compared with men, but the reason for the gender differences is not yet known.
The results of the study are consistent with the results of clinical trials of the drug Wegovy, in which the risk of hair loss was about the same.
Is it possible to avoid hair loss caused by weight loss?
The lead author of the Canadian study, researcher and emergency physician Mohit Sodhi of the University of British Columbia, believes that one of the causes of weight loss hair loss may be severe physiologic stress.
– The natural hair growth cycle is disrupted. Hair loss is more likely with medications containing semaglutide, probably because it causes more rapid weight loss than bupropion-naltrexone [the reference drug used in the study], which causes more physiologic stress to the body and therefore potentially more hair loss, Sodhi says.
Like Pietilainen, Sodhi believes that semaglutide users simply don’t eat enough and therefore suffer from malnutrition.
The drugs affect the satiety center in the brain and also slow gastric emptying, which makes the feeling of fullness last longer, resulting in less food intake.
According to Kirsi Pietiläinen, hair loss is particularly affected by protein and iron deficiency.
There can also be a deficiency of zinc and other micronutrients and vitamins.
– After correcting weight loss and nutrient deficiencies, new, healthy hair grows in place of the hair loss.
If you want to prevent hair loss as a result of drastic weight loss, you should pay special attention to the protein intake in your diet.
Family physician Brynna Connor recommends using biotin, or vitamin B7, in an interview to strengthen hair, skin and nails.
Connor also reminds us that there may be other causes of hair loss. At the very least, anemia and thyroid disease should be ruled out.
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