Can Diabetes Cause Hair Loss?

Most people don’t think of hair loss as a symptom of diabetes. But there are connections between diabetes and hair loss. Sometimes, high blood sugar can directly lead to hair loss. And diabetes may also increase your risk for other conditions that impact hair growth. 

If you’re dealing with hair loss from diabetes, there are things you can do to help hair regrow. Let’s look at how diabetes can cause hair loss and what you can do about it. 

How does diabetes cause hair loss?

There are a few reasons why diabetes can contribute to hair loss.

Poor blood flow to the scalp 

Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels in your body. This is why people with diabetes have a higher risk for developing heart disease and stroke. 

High blood sugar can also damage small blood vessels, like the ones in your scalp. Damaged blood vessels deliver less blood to your body, and less nutrients and oxygen to your hair follicles. This leads to hair follicle damage and damaged hair follicles can’t grow hair. 

Hormone changes 

People with Type 2 diabetes experience insulin resistance, which is when cells have trouble responding to insulin like they should. As a result, your body may start to overproduce insulin to try and send a stronger signal to your cells. 

Researchers believe that high insulin levels cause hormone changes that lead to hair loss. Studies have shown that people with insulin resistance are more likely to have patterned hair loss. 

Changes in the hair growth cycle

It’s not just high levels of insulin that seem to cause hair loss. Very low levels of insulin can interrupt the normal hair growth cycle. 

Research shows that without insulin hair follicles move more quickly into the resting phase. This alteration in the hair growth cycle reduces hair growth and can lead to hair thinning. This may be one reason people with Type 1 diabetes also have hair loss. 

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Physical stress

Some people aren’t diagnosed with diabetes until their blood sugar is very high and causes other health problems. 

A serious or sudden illness can lead to a form of hair loss called telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium, or stress related hair loss, develops when more hair follicles than usual enter the resting phase. This causes hair thinning and temporary hair loss. Hair follicles will switch back into a normal growth phase, but this can take weeks to months.

Other medical conditions

People with Type 1 diabetes are at higher risk for having other autoimmune conditions like alopecia areata, which results in patchy hair loss. They’re also at higher risk for developing autoimmune thyroiditis, which can cause hair loss if it’s not treated.

What does hair loss from diabetes look like?

Hair loss from diabetes can show up in a few different ways. People with diabetes may notice: 

• Patterned hair loss: Patterned hair loss is also called androgenic alopecia. It starts as thinning at the front and sides of the scalp in men. In women, it often shows up as thinning on the crown of the head.

• Patchy hair loss: This is when hair falls out in patches. You may develop patchy hair loss if you have another autoimmune condition along with diabetes that causes hair loss. 

• Hair thinning: Hair thinning develops all over the scalp. It’s more even and spread out compared to patterned or patchy hair loss.

Can hair loss from diabetes get better?

Yes, hair loss from diabetes can get better with treatment. One study found that treating insulin resistance with tirzepetide helped people grow their hair back. Another case report found that starting therapy with insulin helped reverse hair loss.

Tips for improving hair growth with diabetes

Hair loss can be very distressing. It’s normal to want to do everything you can to get your hair back. Here are some tips that can help you regrow your hair.

Start diabetes treatment

There are lots of reasons to work on lowering your blood sugar if you have diabetes. Better blood sugar control lowers your risk of serious complications like heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and peripheral neuropathy. Good blood sugar control may also help your hair grow back. 

Try hair loss treatments

You can use other proven hair loss medications to help regrow your hair:

• Minoxidil (Rogaine) is a topical over-the-counter (OTC) medication that is FDA approved for hair regrowth. 

• Finasteride (Propecia) is an oral prescription medication that may help reverse hair loss. 

Your healthcare team can help you find the right option. 

Choose the right shampoo

You can support hair regrowth by choosing products that keep your scalp healthy. Avoid shampoos with harsh ingredients like formaldehyde or DMDM hydantoin, which may cause more hair loss. 

Instead, consider using shampoos with pyrithione zinc or selenium sulfide. These ingredients have been shown to help reduce dandruff, which may also help with hair growth. 

Try natural remedies

Some people prefer to try natural remedies for hair regrowth. Although there’s less evidence that these treatments help hair grow back, they tend to be safe to try. For a natural remedy, try rosemary oil for hair growth, or products containing caffeine or melatonin. 

Get help

There are many reasons for hair loss. Talk with your healthcare team if you’re experiencing hair thinning or patchy hair loss. They can make sure you don’t have other medical conditions that might cause hair loss. They can also help you find the best treatment. 

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Written by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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