It’s a question every single friend or family member on a weight-loss medication has asked me in the last year. After the onset of “Ozempic Face,” the next problem GLP-1 users seem to have is the hair loss side effect. While these drugs are effective in helping individuals lose weight, there is concern about their potential impact on hair health. It’s essential to understand why this hair loss occurs, what the drugs are doing to the body, and how to ramp up hair regrowth after your follicles have taken a hit.
Featured Experts
- Dr. Jeffrey B. Wise is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon and hair restoration specialist in Wayne, NJ
- Dr. Tina Alster is a board-certified dermatologist based in Washington, D.C.
- Dr. Hardik Doshi is a hair restoration specialist and lead surgeon at Ample based in New York
- Dr. Jody Levine is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
Does Ozempic or Mounjaro make you lose hair?
“It’s critically important to understand that GLP-1 agonist drugs, in and of themselves, do not cause hair loss. Rather, hair loss can occur as a result of massive weight loss or fad dieting,” explains Wayne, NJ facial plastic surgeon and hair restoration specialist Jeffrey B. Wise, MD. He highlights that the significant weight loss experienced by individuals using these medications can lead to stress on the body and nutritional deficiencies, which may result in a condition known as telogen effluvium (TE). “Losing a substantial amount of weight can place stress on an individual’s body and lead to nutritional deficiencies, leading them to potentially develop a condition known as telogen effluvium,” says Dr. Wise.
Telogen effluvium is a temporary condition where hair follicles are pushed into the resting phase, causing increased hair shedding. Normally, about five percent of an individual’s hair is in the telogen phase, with an average daily loss of around 100 hairs. However, for someone experiencing TE, this can increase to approximately 300 hairs per day. “Although telogen effluvium is extremely distressing, for the majority of people it is temporary and resolves on its own within three to six months after the onset of hair loss,” says Dr. Wise.
Why is my hair thinning?
When the body undergoes rapid weight loss, it expends more energy than it consumes, potentially depriving hair follicles of necessary nutrients. New York hair restoration specialist and lead surgeon at Ample, Hardik Doshi, MD explains, “Hair loss or excessive shedding can result from rapid or considerable weight reduction, regardless of the reason, including medication-induced weight loss such as Ozempic. When the body expends more energy than it consumes, hair follicles may not receive the nutrients required for healthy growth.”
Will my hair grow the same way again?
The good news is that telogen effluvium is reversible. “Since this condition is reversible, people on these types of drugs are encouraged to make healthier lifestyle changes to mitigate the effects and shorten the duration of TE,” advises Dr. Wise. Just follow these steps to help stop hair loss in its tracks.
1. Tweak Your Diet
Ensuring a balanced diet is important for reversing hair loss. “People on these types of drugs are encouraged to make healthier lifestyle changes to mitigate the effects and shorten the duration of TE,” says Dr. Wise. “One of these changes is ensuring a balanced diet that contains protein, such as meat, eggs, and dairy, as well as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.”
2. Ramp Up Your Sleep Schedule
Dr. Wise underscores the critical role of sleep in maintaining overall health and mitigating hair loss. “A full seven to eight hours of sleep is required for the average adult,” he explains. Quality sleep is crucial because it helps reduce stress, which can otherwise exacerbate hair loss. Adequate rest allows the body to repair and regenerate, ensuring that hair follicles receive the necessary nutrients and oxygen. This restorative process is essential for maintaining healthy hair growth and preventing conditions like telogen effluvium.
3. Add Supplements
Not enough people are incorporating supplements into their routine says Dr. Doshi, and this is a crucial part of keeping your hair healthy during weight loss. “It’s important to address any deficiencies,” he advises, noting that key nutrients play a vital role in hair growth. He commonly recommends supplements that include biotin, iron, zinc, and vitamins D and B12. These essential vitamins and minerals support the hair-growth cycle by providing the necessary building blocks for healthy hair follicles. Addressing nutritional gaps with the right supplements can significantly enhance hair strength and resilience.
4. Try Minoxidil
Washington, D.C. dermatologist Tina Alster, MD says minoxidil is also a must. It’s a vasodilator, which increases blood flow to hair follicles, supplying them with additional oxygen and nutrients that promote hair growth. “When minoxidil is taken by mouth or applied to the skin, hair follicles are supplied with additional oxygen and nutrients,” she says.
4. Incorporate In-Office Treatments
To give your follicles a boost, Dr. Alster recommends Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) scalp injections to promote hair growth. “PRP is rich in proteins, or growth factors, which can stimulate hair follicles and prolong the hair growth phase,” she explains. PRP therapy involves drawing a small amount of the patient’s blood, processing it to concentrate the platelets, and then injecting this platelet-rich plasma directly into the scalp. These growth factors in PRP can enhance the activity of hair follicles and encourage the regeneration of healthy hair.
New York dermatologist Jody Levine, MD, elaborates on the procedure, noting that PRP injections are typically administered once a month for four to six sessions. She emphasizes that this monthly regimen helps to continuously stimulate hair follicles and improve hair density over time. “We generally follow a PRP protocol of four to six treatments, with each session spaced about a month apart. After the initial series, we usually wait a month, do another treatment, and then follow up again three months later,” she explains. Additionally, lasers may be used in conjunction with PRP injections to further stimulate hair growth.
Low-level laser therapy can also help increase blood flow to the scalp and improve the overall health of hair follicles, making it a complementary treatment to PRP for those seeking to maximize their hair restoration efforts. Dr. Doshi says his approach includes a combination of treatments such as topical minoxidil, oral Finasteride, LLLT, PRP treatments and in severe cases, hair transplants. “It’s worth mentioning that the success of these treatments may vary depending on the root cause of hair loss when treatment commences and individual patient characteristics. In situations possibly linked to medications, like Ozempic it is crucial to address any deficiencies and ensure balance in conjunction with these treatments.”
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