Health & Medicine

Functional Medicine & Hair Loss

By admin | April 1, 2026 0 Comments

By Dr. Cynthia Crosser

We ask . . . why is my hair thinning? Well, you could try hair extensions, which may cause more hair loss and a patchy look. I hear this from women of all ages. While we have 5 million hairs on our bodies, we shed 25-100 hairs per day, and hair does not actually serve any human physiological function in modern humans, it has a huge impact on our self-esteem. The impact on what people think of us is real and even impacts the workplace. Hair makes a loud statement that screams to others, “Look at all the available resources I have and look how healthy I am.” It is a difficult journey for the patient and the doctor because it takes time to treat it and see results, because hair only grows 6 inches per year.

We have three distinct hair growth cycles. The Anagen is the growth phase when the hair follicle is alive and there is a good blood supply. This is a 2-6 year growth phase. The Catagen is the transition phase which lasts 1-2 weeks and the hairs are shifting from the Anagen to the Telogen phase, which lasts 5-6 weeks and the hair is dead and sitting in the hair follicle waiting for a new Anagen phase. We also have different hair types such as the peach fuzz vs. the hair on our heads. For healthy hair we need a good blood supply and a lot of nutrients.

Hair follicles are some of the most metabolically active sites in the body, and nutritional deficiencies can affect the hair structure and growth. Some of these are protein, iron, zinc, selenium, Vitamins A, C, D, E, silicon and biotin. Unfortunately, supplements alone do not show solid data indicating improvement in hair growth and there is the risk of toxicity from over supplementation. Labs need to be run to include CBC, iron panel, Ferritin, Complete thyroid panel, Vitamin D, and hormones as this could be androgenically induced with increased testosterone or DHT.

We also may need to know if this is scarring non-scarring, or mixed. If the non-scarring type is caught early, hair regrowth is possible. The hair follicle is still intact. Even tight hairstyles such as pulling hair back tightly as athletes do can lead to the mixed type. Hair loss can also be associated with autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, or vitiligo.

So what is going wrong and how do we fix it? This is always going to involve inflammation and the inflammatory markers are determined by the offending substance or organism. If there is an imbalance in the gut microbiome, this will drive systemic inflammation and chronic dermatological disease. The history provides the clues. Have there been any infections, oral problems or gut issues? Even without gut symptoms, there may be the presence of organisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans or even mold creating the inflammation. We find these answers by doing a functional stool sample. In addition, there may be toxins that may be environmental, mycotoxins produced by mold or even toxins produced by bacteria. Or there may even be Candida and the treatment depends upon the species of Candida as well. Conventional therapy may include corticosteroid injections or even Minoxidil, which doesn’t correct the “why?” of this health condition.

Testing needs to be done to find out:

What toxins may be present
What organisms may be living in the gut
What the patient’s nutritional status is

The protocols are unique for each patient and their plan changes every 2-3 months. It is necessary to guide patients through eating an anti-inflammatory diet eliminating alcohol, dairy, gluten, packaged and high sugar foods. These all drive inflammation. The end result is to gather the data and turn down the inflammation when we see the immune system turning against the hair follicle. Hair regrowth is the goal and having the accurate data to know what to precisely treat, takes us there. Don’t despair – get the right testing done to get your answers and then you can put those hats back on the shelf!!! Please reach out to me if this sounds like you. Dr. Cynthia Crosser 302-994-1010.

Testimonial

“. . . Dr. Crosser is truly in my corner. I appreciate that she prepares for our appointments (she reviews my labs BEFORE our meeting . . . she never pulls them up for the first time as I’m sitting there). I am so grateful and appreciate the time she spends with me and for the help, support, and guidance she gives me . . .” ~ Tracey F.