Hair Care

10 Reasons Your Hair Is Thinning

Watching your hair go down the drain -- literally? Find out what's normal, what's not, and what you can do about it

by Erica Smith | 8 COMMENTS

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Suspect #2: Anemia If, in addition to a breeze overhead, you're also feeling weak and tired all of the time, you could be suffering from low iron -- otherwise known as iron-deficiency anemia. There's a laundry list of things that can put you at risk, and unfortunately, just being a woman is at the top of it. Heavy periods (yes, yet another reason to love Aunt Flo), increased blood supply demands during pregnancy, and a diet lacking in meat and other iron-rich foods all make the fairer sex particularly prone to low iron levels. When you don't have enough red blood cells delivering oxygen throughout the body, it shows through extreme fatigue, weakness, pale skin, and hair loss. Researchers believe low iron levels inhibit an essential enzyme that is tied to how much hair you hold onto.

Solve It:
Have your doc test your blood levels to see if you truly are deficient in iron, then he or she can prescribe the proper dosage of iron supplements to get your red blood cell count where it needs to be. To help nourish the cells in your hair follicles in the meantime, Dr. Elizabeth Trattner of Miami Beach, FL, recommends working iron-rich foods into your daily diet: Look for black beans, red and orange fruits and vegetables, and greens like kale and spinach the next time you're shopping for groceries. But don't expect your hair to start sprouting the next morning -- you should start to see a change in a few months once your iron levels begin to build.

SEE NEXT PAGE: Suspect #3: Stress

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