Can Diabetes Cause Hair Loss?

The science is clear: diabetes can cause hair loss. Multiple studies have found strong connections between the chronic disease and alopecia. 

For example, a 2019 survey of 112 older women in Alor Setar, India, noted that 93.6% of women with diabetes had severe hair loss compared to only 6.5% of those without diabetes. 

But how exactly does diabetes cause hair loss? 

Most experts agree that it has to do with the impact the hormone insulin has on blood sugar levels — or rather, what happens when your body can’t produce or effectively use insulin. 

Your blood sugar levels spike, damaging vital organs and blood vessels. This also limits the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your hair follicles via the bloodstream.

Oxygen helps to grow and repair cells in your hair follicles, while certain vitamins and minerals are essential for hair growth and health. 

So when your hair follicles don’t get the oxygen and nutrients they need, it affects the hair growth cycle, pushing more follicles into a premature shedding phase and causing excess hair loss. 

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause hair loss from hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. But people with type 1 diabetes can also end up with an autoimmune hair loss condition called alopecia areata — more on that below. 

Diabetes can also produce a range of other factors that, in themselves, can cause hair loss, including: 

• Hair loss from stress as a result of managing a chronic condition
• Hair loss as a side effect of diabetes medication
• Hair loss from thyroid disease, which often co-exists in patients with diabetes

The link between diabetes and hair loss is so established that several studies have even suggested using early signs of hair loss as a warning sign for diabetes. 

For example, a study of men in 2000 found that early signs of balding could indicate insulin resistance, providing a clue that someone may be at a higher risk of developing diabetes. 

Going one step further, researchers in a 2017 study from the Peruvian CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases suggest that doctors could use hair follicle characteristics to spot people at risk for diabetes-related complications earlier.

Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes Hair Loss

The main culprit behind both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is prolonged high blood sugar levels, which leads to poor blood circulation. 

People with type 1 diabetes hair loss may have different symptoms from what those with type 2 diabetes experience. To understand why, we need to know the important difference between the two types of diabetes. 

• Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune condition where the pancreas can’t make any insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes (T2D) causes insulin resistance, where your body makes insulin but can’t use it properly.

These crucial differences can impact the way types of diabetes and hair loss interact. 

Let’s start with type 1 diabetes (T1D for short). 

Because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, people with T1D are predisposed to developing another autoimmune condition — which is why people with type 1 diabetes are more likely to develop alopecia areata than people without the condition. 

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune hair loss condition that causes patches of hair loss on the scalp and body. 

According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, alopecia areata is a common comorbid condition related to type 1 diabetes (meaning that they co-exist, rather than one condition causing the other). 

Now for type 2 diabetes, where there’s a connection between insulin resistance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes but, importantly, not type 1) and hair loss. 

In that 2017 Peruvian study, lead researcher Professor Jaime Miranda and his team suggest that hair follicle damage (particularly in the legs) serves as a red flag for diabetes-related health issues before a person is officially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, an earlier 2003 Finnish study of middle-aged women found that women with markers of insulin resistance have a much greater chance of developing androgenetic alopecia.

Signs of Diabetes Hair Loss

Diabetes-related hair loss can manifest in different ways, which can make it difficult to identify. Symptoms may include:

• Diffuse thinning across the scalp: Thinning from diabetes is often gradual, but the shedding may be more noticeable for some people. 
• Patchy hair loss: Some people with type 1 diabetes may experience bald patches associated with alopecia areata.
• Increased shedding: You may notice more hair shedding when you wash or brush your hair. 

• Thinning on the eyebrows and scalp: In particular, people with type 2 diabetes may experience hair loss on the legs caused by poor circulation. 

• Slower regrowth than normal: Your hair follicles may struggle to regrow hair, thanks to poor circulation and nutritional deficiencies. 
• Weaker hair: Hyperglycaemia (low blood sugar) from diabetes may also make your hair brittle and prone to breakage.

Diabetes Hair Loss Treatment: What Works?

Hair loss from diabetes is usually reversible, but to achieve long-lasting results, you’ll need to manage the underlying cause — those high blood sugar levels (also called blood glucose levels, or BGL). 

If you have diabetes, it’s important to work with a doctor to monitor your health and establish an effective treatment plan. You may find that as you get your blood glucose levels under control, your hair returns to normal. 

Aside from treating diabetes, you can also try to strengthen your hair follicles, minimise shedding, and improve regrowth through hair regrowth treatments. 

Finasteride and minoxidil are the most popular hair loss medications approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Both treatments are backed by many medical trials with proven results. 

The Hairy Pill® is another hair loss treatment that uses underlying technology invented by renowned dermatologist Professor Rodney Sinclair. Take our quiz to find out if it can help you today. 

Nutritional support and gentle haircare practices can also support your hair health and may help prevent diabetes hair loss. 

Preventing Hair Loss in People with Diabetes

While maintaining stable blood sugar levels is key to preventing diabetes-related hair loss, a nutrient-rich diet and gentle scalp care practices can help reduce the risk of hair loss and support long-term hair health. 

Eating a healthy diet of whole, unprocessed foods plays an important role in managing your diabetes by keeping your blood glucose levels in the target range. 

Diabetes Australia provides dietary recommendations for diabetes, including following a low GI diet and limiting glucose levels in your meals. 

To complement this diet, you may also consider adding the best foods for hair health to your diet to ensure your hair follicles are getting the specific nutrients they need, such as protein, biotin, and iron. Foods like eggs, nuts and seeds, and fatty fish are particularly good for the hair. 

Alongside a nutrient-rich diet, you can also reduce the risk of damaging your hair further with a few simple haircare changes:

• Avoid harsh chemical treatments like colouring and bleaching.
• Swap your regular shampoo for a mild, natural shampoo free from sulphates.
• Minimise the use of heat styling tools and let your hair dry naturally.
• Wait for your hair to dry before brushing with a wide-toothed comb.
• Avoid tight hairdos that can pull on your hair follicles.
• Regularly massage the top of your head to increase blood flow to the scalp.
• Add herbs that are good for the hair to your scalp massage.

Does Diabetes Medication Cause Hair Loss?

Some types of diabetes medication have been associated with hair loss, although the evidence is usually anecdotal. 

The diabetes medication of most concern is metformin, a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. While there have been some tenuous links between metformin and hair loss, hair loss is not officially listed as a side effect of the drug. 

A case study from 2017 reported that a 69-year-old man who was prescribed a combination of metformin and another diabetes medication (sitagliptin) suddenly lost hair in his eyebrows and eyelashes. Doctors concluded that the medication may have caused it. 

A year earlier, a 2016 study linked metformin to an increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which may in turn cause anaemia-related hair loss. 

One of the researchers, Dr Jill Crandall, Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, has suggested that metformin may limit the body’s ability to absorb B12. 

As with metformin, other medications for type 2 diabetes, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, don’t directly cause hair loss. But they can cause rapid weight loss, which may lead to a type of stress-based hair loss called telogen effluvium.   

If you’re concerned about your medication causing hair loss, it’s best to speak with your doctor. They may be able to adjust the medication to reduce any hair loss side effects.

When to See a Doctor?

If your hair loss worsens despite managing your diabetes, it may be a good idea to consult your doctor — especially if your hair loss coincides with other symptoms of poor circulation, such as slow wound healing. 

Hair loss may be genetic and a natural part of aging. But it can also be caused by an underlying condition, such as a thyroid disorder or autoimmune disease. 

That’s why we always recommend speaking to a doctor if your hair loss is excessive or persistent, even after improving your diabetes symptoms.

FAQs

1. Will hair loss from diabetes grow back?

Short answer: Yes. If you can stabilise your blood sugar levels and manage your diabetes effectively, you may be able to slow or even reverse hair loss from diabetes. It won’t happen overnight — your hair follicles need time to recover and begin to grow new, healthier hair. 

2. Does hair loss from diabetes happen suddenly or gradually over time?

It depends. Type 2 diabetes hair loss is typically gradual, which means it may take some time before you notice that you’ve lost any hair at all. Some people with type 1 diabetes may experience alopecia areata, which appears as sudden hair loss that can result in bald patches. 

3. Why do some people with diabetes experience hair loss while others do not?

Hair growth and hair loss are complex processes that are often influenced by more than one factor. Unstable blood glucose levels may be one cause. But other things can also contribute to hair loss, including genetics, age, hormonal imbalances, stress, and more. 

4. Does poor sleep affect hair loss in people with diabetes?

Studies have shown that poor sleep quality may exacerbate certain types of hair loss, but where it gets interesting is for people with type 1 diabetes, who are more at risk of alopecia areata. 

Two big studies, including a Korean retrospective study from 2018 and a Taiwanese study from 2020, have found correlations between alopecia areata and sleep disorders — which suggests there may be a link between the two. 

Poor sleep won’t directly affect hair loss from diabetes. But chronic sleep deprivation may elevate stress hormones (such as cortisol) that can disrupt the hair growth cycle and exacerbate hair loss. 

To learn more, read our article about the link between sleep deprivation and hair loss. 

5. Can caffeine or alcohol worsen diabetes-related hair thinning?

There’s no direct link between caffeine or alcohol and hair thinning from diabetes. But some studies suggest that caffeine may actually be good for your hair, while excess alcohol consumption may indirectly be bad for those follicles. 

Several articles, including a 2007 study published in the International Journal of Dermatology and a 2014 study from the British Journal of Dermatology, suggest that caffeine applied topically to the scalp may stimulate hair growth — perhaps because its stimulatory effect helps increase blood circulation. 

Unfortunately, the amount of caffeine you’d need for this to work means you won’t get such benefits from your morning cup of coffee. 

On the other hand, while alcohol doesn’t directly cause hair loss, excess drinking can contribute to a range of conditions that may impact your body’s ability to grow hair, including nutritional deficiencies, dehydration, stress, and hormonal imbalances.