Hair Loss Vitamins. You wake up in the morning and found some extra hair on your pillow. You notice your receding hairline, and you notice the bald area emerging on the crown area of your head. Needless to say you are panicked and want to arrest this hair loss and see new hair regrowth where you lost it.

What do experts say about Hair Loss Vitamins?

The next step is you start researching different hair loss treatments, and came across hair loss vitamins (yes google is full of these advertisements). Your interest is valid. If this actually works, it would be the simplest solution. All you have to do every day is to swallow one pill every day and the expectation is that your luscious hair will be in a matter of few weeks.

There is one big problem in above analysis. The fact remains that there’s no permanent cure for hair loss caused by male pattern baldness, except for a hair transplant surgery. There are some non-surgical hair loss treatments such as PRP Hair Treatment, Hair Mesotherapy and Laser Hair Therapy. Apart from this, there are two FDA-approved medications — Finasteride and Minoxidil — that are clinically proven to help stop hair loss.

So now you see why we are a bit sceptical about “hair loss vitamins”. After all, if one small pill can address all your hair loss worries, why isn’t everyone suffering from male pattern baldness taking it?

To get to the bottom of this, we spoke to our Trichologist and Surgical Director, Paul M Green.

“Hair loss vitamins just don’t work. If a patient has deficiency in a particular vitamin, then that vitamin must be taken,” Paul says. “But, if deficiency does not exist, I don’t recommend taking them.”

Moreover, “hair vitamins frequently contain vitamin A — which actually might lead to hair loss—and biotin, which could alter the results of laboratory tests.”

But what about Hair Loss Shampoos and Conditioners that contain vitamins?

This might sound like a paradox, but using a hair product like a natural hair loss shampoo or thickening conditioner that contains certain nutrients, can actually benefit you even if taking a vitamin would not. That’s because the way your body processes nutrients is extremely different depending on whether you consume or apply it to your skin.

When a vitamin is taken in, the nutrients you have consumed travel through your bloodstream to various parts of your body. They go to the vital organs such as the heart and brain first — yes, the skin and hair are low on your body’s priority list! However, when you apply such a nutrient-enriched product on your scalp, your hair gets all the benefits without competing with your vital organs.

It is also worthwhile to note that Biotin, when applied topically, won’t have a significant impact on laboratory results, but you should still let your doctor know before taking any such tests.

So, what is the Bottom line with hair loss vitamins?

While some supplements can alleviate the side effects associated with any nutritional deficiencies, hair loss vitamins cannot treat male pattern baldness. If you’re experiencing high levels of shedding, for example, a blood test is recommended to check your vitamin and nutrient levels. By ingesting certain vitamins, you could curb that extra hair shedding if levels in the body are low. But at the end of the day, you will still suffer hair loss if you have male pattern baldness, no matter how many vitamins you take.

So what’s the solution? Hair transplant is the only permanent solution to hair loss. You could take hair loss treatments (PRP, Mesotherapy, Laser Hair Therapy) and/ or medications such as Finasteride and Minoxidil to slow down hair loss and promote hair regrowth. Of course, you should consult with your hair loss specialist first. And yes, hair loss shampoos and conditioners are effective.