PCOS And Your Hair Growth
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex condition that nearly 1 in 10 women deal with in the U.S.
It gets its name from the fact that one of the most telling signs of PCOS is the occurrence of several cysts on a woman’s ovaries.
These cysts cause a plethora of issues, especially excessive hair growth where you don’t want it, hair loss where you do want. Other serious side effects include:
- Thyroid complications
- Weight gain, especially in the mid section
- Infertility
- Acne
- Insulin resistance
- pre-diabetes
- irregular menstrual cycles
The teal ribbon: official symbol for PCOS
I’ve dealt with PCOS symptoms, especially hirsutism (excessive hair growth), for most of my life and trust me when I tell you it affected my development as a woman. I was so affected about my struggle with hirsutism that I started a blog to help other women deal with it called The Hirsutism Hub.
But my heart really goes out to women who are contending with hair loss because of the wretches of PCOS.
Hair loss occurs when a woman’s estrogen levels fall and her testosterone levels increase. This is most common when women age but it can be genetic too.
This is why it’s of the upmost importance that women wearing natural hair do not pull or tighten their hair too often. Unnecessary friction with the hair only promotes more hair loss.
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS and/or hair loss, there are means to verse the condition and retain your hair again that include medications and holistic methods.
1. Minoxidil is the most common medication for female hair loss. It is a prescription liquid that females rub on their scalp to slow the rate of hair loss. It’s not a miracle worker but has a proven track record to reducing hair loss.
2. Heal from the inside out. The best way to try and reverse your hair loss is from the inside out. Hair is protein so increasing your intake of lean meats and fish will help your body get more of the vital mineral. Whole foods, organic fruits and vegetables are all necessary to only promote a reduction in hair loss, but to balance your hormones. Foods heavy in vitamins A,B,C,D, E, biotin and carotene are all beneficial for hair loss. Outside of fish and lean meat, try to consume more kelp, carrots and salmon.
3. Massage your scalp more. Massaging your thinning scalp with oils like coconut, primrose and flaxseed have all been toted as being helpful to promote hair growth, even in the event of hair loss. All of these promote moisture and strength to hair, which keeps the hair follicles more lubricated for growth. Cooking with flaxseed oil is also a good oil to consider in your PCOS diet plan.
4. Oil rinsing. Washing your hair will contending with hair loss too often is discourage. Reports say that washing your hair too many times will leave it too dry and brittle, making breakage unavoidable. But consider an oil rinse which can be explored here. It’s a simple task of massaging your scalp with oil and using it has a mild washing protocol as opposed to the typical shampoo.
For more information about hormonal imbalance, please visit my blog at The Hirsutism Hub anytime!
Visit these other great sites for information about PCOS too!
