Skip to main content

What Blood Tests Can Tell You About Hair Thinning

When you begin to notice excessive hair loss, there’s no reason to resign yourself to a lifetime of thinning hair. Effective treatments can restore health and thickness after identification of the reasons for hair loss. Blood tests are a key diagnostic tool. 

Jennifer A. Baron, MD, often turns to one of three specific blood tests to help diagnose your thinning hair condition since hair loss can result from things like hormone imbalances, mineral and vitamin deficiencies, or underlying medical conditions. 

Addressing the causes identified by blood testing may help you regain hair growth, particularly when combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) hair restoration treatments. Let’s take a look at the blood tests related to hair loss and what they can uncover. 

Hormone imbalance

Women with overall thin hair may be suffering from an excess of androgens, a class of hormones related to male characteristics that are present in both women and men. Often, as the primary female hormone of estrogen falls off around menopause, the ratio of androgens climbs. 

Baldness and hair loss are two signs of an androgen imbalance. You may also experience symptoms such as hair growth on the abdomen, chest, and face, as well as adult acne. 

Androgens can also cause irregular menstrual periods, and blood testing reveals high levels of these hormones, which include testosterone. 

Iron deficiency

A protein called ferritin reflects the amount of iron stored in your body and is easily checked through a routine blood test. Low iron levels, called anemia, can affect anyone, particularly menstruating women. 

 

The lack of iron in your bloodstream can contribute to hair loss and hair thinning. As well as treatment with Dr. Baron and her team, you may be able to aid the regrowth of hair by altering your diet. 

 

Adding foods like dark leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, and red meat typically boosts red blood cell health. We may also recommend iron supplements based on the results of your blood work. 

Thyroid disorders

Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism (overactivity and underactivity of the thyroid gland) can cause hair loss. This is also a hormonal condition, though thyroid hormones act to regulate your body’s metabolism. 

Thyroid issues may also cause changes in weight, fatigue, and muscle weakness. While the hair loss symptom isn’t fully understood, it’s believed that thyroid disease may damage hair follicles. 

Blood testing identifies a component called thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH. High or low levels of TSH indicate irregular thyroid activity. 

Don’t live with the effects of hair loss. Call Dr. Baron’s San Jose, California, office at 408-418-8780 to book a hair loss consultation today. 



You Might Also Enjoy...

Why Is My Face So Red?

Why Is My Face So Red?

Your skin faces many challenges from the elements and within your body. Facial redness has a wide range of unrelated causes. Identifying the reasons why your complexion is flushed is often the first step toward treatment.
4 Areas Fillers Can Treat Besides Wrinkles

4 Areas Fillers Can Treat Besides Wrinkles

Injectable dermal fillers are perhaps best known for filling voids in the skin’s middle layers, crevasses that result in fine lines and wrinkles. However, there are other ways that fillers can help you look your best. 
What Can I Expect During a Skin Care Consultation?

What Can I Expect During a Skin Care Consultation?

Feeling your best includes confidence in your appearance; your skin is a calling card. Over time, your skin changes, and the reliable regimens of years past face new challenges. A skincare consultation keeps you up to date.
Can Microneedling Scar Your Skin?

Can Microneedling Scar Your Skin?

Microneedling produces a controlled and even treatment field, assuring that your skin shows only positive results without signs of damage such as scarring. In fact, microneedling is an effective way to reduce the appearance of scars.
How Does Mohs Surgery Work?

How Does Mohs Surgery Work?

Mohs surgery precisely treats many skin cancers with very high success rates while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. A key to success is that Mohs procedures remove all cancerous cells from the skin lesion.