Alright, folks, it’s time to dive right in! You’ve obviously heard of “iron.” To many, its an essential mineral that can be obtained through eating specific foods, and it also runs in our blood! Let’s forget the male body for a minute… Interestingly, sans the presence of iron, all forms of life would cease to exist. Plants, animals, and even bacteria entirely depend upon iron to sustain life.
However, another term that may be unfamiliar is “ferritin.” To put it as simply as possible, iron is stored in the human body, in the form of ferritin. This also implies that low levels of ferritin will lead to iron deficiency issues. Now that we’re acquainted with the importance of ferritin, let’s move on to its relationship with hair health. Speaking of this scenario, the linkages between the two are a little unconventional. While examining the health of a man’s hair, practitioners are concerned with ferritin, and not iron. Confused? Let’s break it down… Numerous patients have complained of hair loss, even though their iron levels are normal. Even adequate ferritin reserves in the body may not be sufficient for the optimum growth of hair. This could be attributed to 2 processes in the body. Firstly, the follicles of one’s hair, do not perennially support growth, but instead, follow a process of growing hair and then taking a break for a while.
Secondly, the wonder that is the human body borrows ferritin from hair follicles and other sources in the body, when faced with dropping iron levels in the body. Both these processes, especially faced together, may lead to detrimental problems in male hair health. Just to make sure you’re not suffering from low ferritin levels, here are some symptoms to be on the lookout for:
- dizziness and tiredness
- a pounding in the ears
- unusually brittle nails
- finding it hard to pay attention
- restlessness in the legs.
Upon positively determining that low levels of ferritin are causing hair loss, hair can become thin, weak, and easily breakable. It is also important to note that raising ferritin levels in the body does not guarantee an increase in hair growth; and that too much iron in the body can have dangerous side effects. But wait, there’s good news too! Restoration of iron levels can reverse the hair loss process in most cases.
As you can see, there is no fixed template as to how one must tackle this situation because every male has varying ferritin levels and hair growth tendencies. Although dietary and specialists suggest lifestyle alterations and medical treatments all around the globe.
Medically reviewed by Rishabh Verma, RP
