Thyroid, iron deficiency, stress can lead to hair fall: Doctors

NAGPUR: Hair loss or alopecia is still considered a beauty-related problem and people prefer to use cosmetic solutions and alternative treatments provided by corporate clinics. However, alopecia needs to be treated medically by dermatologists as reasons behind it could defer — from iron deficiency to psychological stress.
On Sunday, Vidarbha Dermatological Society had organized a talk on alopecia. Experts from different medical streams discussed various aspects of hair loss during the event.

Dr Pradeep Sethi from AIIMS, New Delhi, said people should visit a dermatologist instead of going to corporate hair fall clinics and searching for online hair transplant options.
“These clinics and websites call themselves as trained practitioners of trichology. This is just a branch of dermatology concerned with hair and scalp. Dermatologists best understand the reasons behind hair loss and treat them accordingly,” he said.
Endocrinologist Parimal Tayade said diabetes, thyroid disease and androgen excess could be the reasons behind hair fall. “Sudden and excessive hair loss could be early signs of diabetes or thyroid. It’s always good to check blood sugar before starting treatment to stop hair fall,” Dr Tayade said.
Psychiatrist Vikas Bhute said life has become stressful which is one of the leading reasons behind hair fall.
“It’s very difficult to convince the people to attend counselling sessions with psychiatrists. However, we should understand that mind and body are not two different things. We can always seek psychological advice. Maybe, hair fall will stop without much medication,” Dr Bhute said.
Dietitian Meghna Kumre shared some important diet-related tips to avoid hair fall. “Iron deficiency could be the reason behind hair fall. People prefer to eat spinach when it comes to iron deficiency. But, wall nuts, cashews, rajma and black-eyed pea (chawli beans) are richer sources of iron than spinach,” she said.
Earlier, the office-bearers of newly constituted team of Vidarbha Dermatological Society took charge.
Dr Dhanraj Patel took over as president while Dr Bhushan Madke as honorary secretary. Dr Vaishali Shingade and Dr Vivek Jain took over as vice-presidents while Dr Shashank Bansod and Dr Pooja Balpande Dharmik as joint secretaries for the year 2019-20.