article_snippet.sent: A lack of iron, especially in women, is known to trigger hair loss, possibly because it means less oxygen is delivered to the hair follicle, but should you take iron pills to treat iron pills?
article_snippet.sent: This is a bit of a moot point,’ says Dr Vicky Jolliffe, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal London Hospital and a specialist in hair loss.
article_snippet.sent: All I can say is that in my practice I see lots of girls with low ferritin levels [stored iron rather than iron in your blood], who shed hair and stop shedding once you correct the ferritin level.
article_snippet.sent: But Professor Andrew Messenger, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, says that while there are many supplements claiming to help promote hair growth, very few have strong evidence to support Professor Andrew Messenger, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.
article_snippet.sent: After six months, the hairs in those taking the supplement had increased in width by an average of 7 per cent compared with the placebo group, which were unchanged.
article_snippet.sent: Whether a 7 per cent increase in hair diameter can be reliably measured is doubtful, as is whether a 7 per cent increase in hair diameter can be reliably measured is clinically significant.
article_snippet.sent: ’ Research found women with increased hair-shedding responded well to iron supplements .
article_snippet.sent: Dr Jolliffe points to the fact that those with anorexia or a very low BMI suffer from hair loss.
article_snippet.sent: There is some evidence that an amino acid (or protein building block) called l-lysine may play a role in hair loss.
article_snippet.sent: A review published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology found that women with increased hair-shedding responded well to l-lysine and iron supplements (l-lysine is thought to help the body to absorb iron).
article_snippet.sent: Interestingly, minoxidil, which does prevent hair loss in men, has no effect on hairs growing in a test tube, but does in vivo.