Juvenile Diabetes

Hair loss with insulin

Forum: The Juvenile Diabetes Forum
Topic: Other - Type 1 Diabetes issues

From	To	Post
ttrue0724 2/24/2005	.	I was recently put on insulin and have to take 4 shots a day now, I have noticed that when I wash my hair that I am losing my hair, my hair has become alot thinner and this worries me, I have heard that this can happen to people who use insulin is this normal?
JDRF-Team-cd 2/24/2005	ttrue0724	I have never heard of insulin causing hair loss. A number of other things may though. Hair loss can be related to the stress of an illness for example and would just be temporary. Do you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes? Some diabetes related conditions can cause hair loss like thyroid disease or PCOS. Some medications for high blood pressure may also. I also understand that some folks with a chronic illness may shed hair indefinitely. But I personally have never heard of insulin being the cause. Maybe someone else out there knows more and will post a comment. CD

JDRF-Team-LRS 2/24/2005 C2	.	Sometimes hair loss is a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes. Give yourself a chance to adjust to your new routine of insulin, diet and exercise and see if the condition doesn't improve. Stress can certainly cause it, too, and new diabetics -- or those who undergo a treatment change -- often feel pretty stressed about it all. Wish I had more info to offer than "wait & see." Do check with your endocrinologist since thyroid issues can be an underlying cause, too. Many of us diabetics also have thyroid issues.
WAK 2/26/2005 C3	.	I am not a physician but the mom of a type one and the daughter of a type 2. I would suggest you ask your doctor to run a blood test on your thyroid. Some diabetics also have problems with there thyroid. I know as I have thyroid problems and when I was diagnosis I was loosing my hair. Once the problem was found and I started synchronic the loss of hair stopped. Good luck.
berno 3/26/2005 C4	.	I am a 22yr old female who has had type 1 diabetes for 11 years. For the first 6 or 7 yrs my bs levels were tightly controlled and then for various reasons... becoming of ages, moving out of home, attending college, moving overseas etc etc my sugars are no longer well controlled. In regards to hair loss - myself and my family & friends have noticed a severe change in my hair - it is now very, very thin and lacking the natural healthy shine that it once had. The only thing i can suggest is that it is closly related with poor contol. I am making every effort to improve this... and crossing my fingers i can repair ths damage and see a result with my hair. This is just my assumption and if anyone else has any suggestions i'd appreciate them. I empathise - it is quite embarressing. Good Luck to you.
d_gal 4/16/2005 C5	.	Hi, I am 24 years old and i have been a diabetic since 21 years of my life. I have never had any problems with hair loss due to bad sugar controls. In fact, i hv long, nourished, and silky hair, touch wood. Many a times, my sugar level is high... but I don't see any difference in my hair. I would suggest that it depends on the type of shampoo that you use. Some ingrediants in a shampoo brand may not suit a diabetic's body as compared to others. Take an opinion from your health practitioner on the type of shampoo that you should use so as to get rid of this problem ASAP. Could you revert back with the solution you get and if at all your hair loss problem reduces or revereses completely? Thanks. Good luck! Hope all works well for you. Take care.
micolz 6/12/2005 C6	.	Hi there, I can relate to the 22 year old female with losing hair. I am a 23 female who recently moved across the country, stressd out to the max, and am losing my hair. I wash it and it comes out, I brush it and its all over the floor and my bathroom counter. I used to have long gorgeous hair, now its thin and I cant even pull it back because it looks like i have none! I also have type 1 and am on insulin shots. I also agree that i think its from having poor control for awhile that its having an affect on my hair. Ive started a new insulin and am hoping that after some time my hair will come back if i keep myself under good control. Feel free to email me hun!! theschaaks@yahoo.com
[Thread closed to new comments]

If you or a loved one is newly diagnosed or you have other concerns and would like to communicate privately with a JDRF volunteer, you can connect directly to the JDRF Online Diabetes Support Team by clicking here. To find the JDRF Chapter nearest you click here .

MedHelp.org subscribes to the HONCode principles of the Health On the Net Foundation. Verify here.

Juvenile Diabetes

Hair loss with insulin

Forum: The Juvenile Diabetes Forum Topic: Other - Type 1 Diabetes issues

Forum: The Juvenile Diabetes Forum
Topic: Other - Type 1 Diabetes issues