Diet tips to manage telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a condition in which a person starts losing hair (which is temporary) because of stress, shock or a traumatic event. In other words telogen effluvium could be defined as an increase in shedding of hair. 

This is generally described as a temporary condition. This is a condition in which the loss of hair happens from the top of the person's scalp. As this is a temporary condition, the growth of hair starts again as soon as the causative factor of the condition is eliminated or managed well.

Telogen effluvium generally occurs in women. 

This condition leads to thinning of hair which is very significant and becomes very noticeable. This condition doesn't cause the hair to fall immediately and is considered as a long and slow process. This condition arises due to stress for a long period of time which can range between a few weeks to months of continued stress.

The condition should be checked as soon as possible to experience less difficulties in telogen effluvium. This problem can be easily reversed. And, you should closely observe your hair cycle and notice if there is any sudden and large amount of hair loss.

Diet Tips to manage Telogen Effluvium

Telogen effluvium could be brought under control by following and maintaining a very healthy and balanced diet. Following this you could also be able to stimulate your hair growth.

Increase in vitamin B supplements

Biotin could be regarded as the main vitamin which is responsible for the growth of hair. Biotin is very helpful in the production of a protein called keratin. Keratin is considered to be responsible for the growth of hair. Liver of chicken, fish and pork are great sources of Vitamin B6 for non vegetarian people. For vegetarian people, sources of Vitamin B6 are dried beans, bananas, and potatoes. Sources for Vitamin B12 could be eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish and milk.

Add zinc in your diet

For the growth of hair tissues and repairing of those tissues zinc plays an important role. Treatment of patients with telogen effluvium is greatly affected by zinc compounds. Adding food rich in zinc like oyster, beef and pumpkin seeds in the patient's diet could prove to be very helpful.

Food rich in lysine

This is an essential amino acid which our body cannot produce on its own. This means that we need to acquire lysine through our dietary sources. Lysine could be imparted to our body through different sources like nuts, eggs, cheese, poultry, sardines, pork and red meat. Lysine has proved to be very helpful in the absorption of iron and zinc in the hair follicles which in turn helps the hair to grow.

Food rich in iron

Metabolism of our body is greatly fueled by red blood cells. Iron in our blood helps in carrying oxygen which acts as fuel. This means that iron helps in metabolic efficiency which helps in growth and repair. When iron rich foods are added in our diet we could reduce our hair loss. Sources of iron rich food are red meat, liver, dark green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils. 

Vitamin C and D for hair growth

Deficiency of these vitamins increase the chance of telogen effluvium and make it very hard for the hair to fully grow back. You can help yourself by adding various food items in your diet which are rich in vitamin C and D. Some sources of Vitamin C are citrus fruits such as grapefruit, orange, kiwi, lemon, etc and sources of Vitamin D are soy milk, cod liver oil, salmon, etc.

Inclusion of spinach in our diet

Spinach contains folic acid, iron, Vitamins ( A and C) which promotes the growth of hair. Sebum production is helped by Vitamin A a lot. Sebum is an oily substance which is produced by the sebaceous gland in our skin. This sebum helps in the moisturization of the hair scalp which ultimately aids in the better growth of our hair.

Food rich in Vitamin E

Vitamin E is known for the protection of the skin near the scalp from any kind of stress and damage. As damaged skin on the scalp could result in lesser hair follicles and poor quality of hair. With the addition of Vitamin E in our diet the quality of our hair could be restored efficiently. Dietary sources of Vitamin E are avocados, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds etc. 

Beet root

This red ruby root is a great source of a natural chemical called the nitrates. When this chemical compound is broken down in our body this helps in the improvement of blood circulation and which brings oxygen and nutrients to your hair follicles which in turn nourishes the hair follicles.

Lentils

This is a great source of protein, iron, biotin and zinc. They are also very rich in folic acid.

Barley

This contains Vitamin E which is a very powerful antioxidant which helps in the absorption of damage causing UV light and protects the skin cells. This also prevents the scalp from getting damaged because of the sun, which in turns stops the hair from getting thin. Barley is a great source of tocotrienols ( a form of vitamin E) whose demand can not be completed thoroughly through our diet.

Bok Choy

It is found that dermatologists look for the levels of ferritin in our blood while treating hair loss because they can deduce the body's iron composition in our diet. Including bok choy in our diet could help us increase our iron levels which in turn increases our ferritin levels.

Telogen effluvium could affect our hair scalp and growth in a great way. Generally it is observed that the hair grows back within three to six months after the cause for the condition has been dealt with.

In some cases, the rate for the shedding of the hair slows down but does not stop completely. In maximum cases the loss of hair is not more than 50 percent. So, correcting the deficiency of any of these nutrients in our diet will surely help in hair loss as it promotes the growth of hair.

Don't Stress much, stay Chill and Healthy!