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Hair loss can happen in different ways. Your scalp can shed hair prematurely or hair growth rates can slow substantially. For some people, shedding and slow growth happen at the same time. While different factors can cause hair loss (aging, heredity, poor diet), hair loss from medication is typically a side effect of a drug you’re taking. Medications cause hair loss when their effects interfere with your scalp’s normal hair growth cycle. Along with continued hair growth, a normal, healthy scalp will shed anywhere from 100 to 150 hairs a day. A healthy hair growth cycle normally will move through three basic, repeating phases:

• Anagen phase - a three to five-year period in which active hair growth occurs
• Catagen phase - a two to a four-month resting period in which hair growth stops
• Telogen phase - a two to a five-month period in which hair sheds and new hairs start to grow

Different areas of your scalp go through different phases of the hair growth cycle. When medication side effects happen, certain areas of your scalp may be more susceptible to hair loss. The good news is there are steps you can take to reverse hair loss from medication.

Tips on How to Reverse Hair Loss From Medication

Talk With Your Doctor About Adjusting or Stopping the Medication

Medications known to cause hair loss include:

• Immunosuppressants
• Antibiotics
• Anti-clotting drugs
• Retinoid-derived acne medications
• Chemotherapy drugs

Hair loss from medication typically doesn’t become noticeable until around 90 days after you first start taking the drug. While it may not be possible to go off a prescribed medication, talking with your doctor about reducing your dosage levels or alternative treatment approaches may help stop or at least reduce hair loss.

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Healthy Eating

A healthy diet supplies your body with everything it needs to repair, rebuild, and function at its best. When nutrient deficiencies start to develop, it’s only a matter of time before problems arise. Likewise, the health of your hair relies on a steady supply of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Something else to keep in mind is that some medications can cause nutritional deficiencies, which can further exacerbate hair loss. Here are a handful of nutrients you’ll want to ensure are included in your daily diet for optimal hair health:

• Biotin - a B-vitamin that helps your body convert food into energy, which helps boost hair follicle cell activities
• Iron - a mineral that helps increase the hemoglobin levels in your blood, which carry needed oxygen supplies to cells
• Folic acid - boosts oxygen and nutrient supplies in the blood, which support the hair growth cycle
• Fatty acids - have anti-inflammatory properties that help open up your hair follicles, allowing the hair shafts to move through [word missing] easier
• Zinc - promotes tissue growth and repair and also keeps hair follicle oil glands healthy

Reduce Your Stress Levels

High-stress jobs, caring for children and a household, as well as money worries, can keep both the mind and body in a state of stress. With ongoing stress, your body produces high levels of cortisol, one of the body’s “multi-purpose” hormones. When cortisol levels run too high for too long, a range of physical problems starts to take shape, including:

• Increased blood pressure
• Blood sugar irregularities
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Weakened immune system

Not surprisingly, these types of developments caused by stress and anxiety could interfere with a healthy hair growth cycle. So, engaging in any activities or hobbies that help you relax can go a long way towards reversing hair loss from medication. Regular exercise and proper rest will also help bring down stress levels.

Laser Therapy…an Alternative Approach

Since the 1960s, laser therapy, also known as low-level light therapy or photobiomodulation (PBMT) has been used to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including chronic pain, wound healing, headaches, and hair loss, to name a few. Photobiomodulation is based on the natural, biological effects low-level, red laser light has on living tissue. Laser therapy supports hair follicle health on a cellular level, boosting cell metabolism and oxygenation processes. Here are a few ways PBMT helps promote hair growth:

• Improves the health of blood vessels in the scalp, which increases blood circulation to hair follicles
• Reduces shedding
• Stronger, more durable hair shafts
• Stimulates hair follicle, sebaceous gland activity, which enhances your hair’s luster and sheen

As mentioned before, the effects of aging, hereditary factors, and underlying health problems may all cause hair loss so medication side effects will only aggravate any preexisting conditions. When an underlying problem is the cause, taking steps to eat healthily, reduce your stress levels, and even stopping the medication may not bring about the results you want. If this is the case, it may be worth your while to supplement a healthy lifestyle with our laser hair growth therapy.