Vitamin B12 Hair Loss: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More

To keep hair follicles healthy, it is really essential for men and women to consume a well-balanced diet that's full of nutrients including vitamin B12. Not sure what it is? Well, dermatologists across the globe state that the deficiency of vitamin B12 can trigger hair loss in some men and women.

Still, a lot of people have no idea how vitamin B12 and hair loss are connected. This is also the reason why they don’t know what measures to take when facing symptoms of hair fall caused by its deficiency. If you are also one of them, keep reading!

In this blog, Lordhair - a leading supplier of hairpiece toupees - will tell you everything about vitamin B12 deficiency and hair loss. From connection to symptoms and causes to treatments, we will cover all crucial aspects.

Don’t have enough time to read a 10-minute blog? Don’t worry, we have prepared a FAQ version for you.

Here it is!

What Is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble nutrient that plays a crucial role in keeping hair strands healthy.

How Are Vitamin B12 and Hair Growth Connected?

Vitamin B12 reaches hair follicles with the help of bulbs located at the bottom of their surface and supplies blood and stores oxygen, promoting healthy hair growth.

What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency Hair Loss?

The following are symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency hair loss in men and women:

Brittle and coarse hair
Excessive hair fall
Weakness and fatigue
Pale skin
Numbness
Tingling in the hands
Irritability
Disturbed vision

What Are the Causes of Vitamin B12 Hair Loss?

The following are the causes of vitamin B12 hair loss in men and women:

Consumption of foods lacking vitamin B12
Pernicious anemia
Gastric surgeries
Intestinal problems

What Are Treatments for Vitamin B12 Deficiency Hair Loss?

Here are treatments for vitamin deficiency hair loss for men and women:

Vitamin B12-rich diet
Cyanocobalamin
Hair replacement systems

Now that we are done with the TL;DR version, let’s dig deeper into vitamin B12!

What Is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient involved in metabolism. Also known by the name cobalamin, it is one of the 8 essential vitamins that keep the human body’s blood cells healthy. A key player in the functioning and development of nerve and brain cells, it is recommended for the average adult to consume 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 regularly.

Although we can’t produce vitamin B12 naturally, we can surely absorb it. One can get his daily supply of this nutrient through foods like dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt), fish, meat, and poultry. Other than the aforementioned benefits, vitamin B12 also contributes to the growth of healthy hair.

b12 hair loss

How Are Vitamin B12 and Hair Growth Connected?

Human hair is made of a protein called keratin. It works by balancing the epithelial cells that overlap to form hair strands. Dermatologists are of the opinion that even though keratin protein is like a pillar that maintains the structure of hair strands, the substance is dead. This is also the reason why it doesn’t hurt when we trim our hair.

However, hair follicles which are located in the dermal layer of the scalp skin are pretty much alive. They need nutrition and oxygen in order to maintain the color of hair strands, their growth, and their texture. Although we can’t provide nutrition directly, we can supply them through blood.

Since vitamin B12 helps in producing red blood cells, having enough of it in our body can help with the hair growth process. Vitamin B12 reaches hair follicles with the help of bulbs located at the bottom of their surface. The base of bulbs, known as papilla, comprises blood vessels. They connect hair follicles to the human body’s blood supply and store oxygen and vitamin B12, thus, nourishing their health and boosting the growth of thick and shiny strands.

What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency Hair Loss?

As we said earlier, vitamin B12 is crucial in producing RBCs (red blood cells) that carry oxygen to their hair follicles. Men and women who are B12 deficient will notice their strands becoming brittle and coarse. Their scalp will produce fewer new hair and more strands will fall out than usual.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can also trigger symptoms of anemia, which is related to low iron levels, hair thinning, and hair fall. Other than these signs, men and women suffering from vitamin B12 hair loss will notice:

Weakness and fatigue
Pale skin
Numbness
Tingling in the hands
Weight loss
Irritability

Lordhair highly recommends men and women see a doctor if they notice any of the aforementioned symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency hair loss.

Everything about a bald spot on the crown of the head

What Are the Causes of Vitamin B12 Hair Loss?

Vitamin B12 deficiency hair loss mostly occurs if an individual consumes a lot of unhealthy foods and ignores foods rich in this nutrient. It also happens when the body is facing problems absorbing and processing these nutrients. But these aren’t the only causes of this type of hair fall.

Vitamin B12 hair loss can also be triggered by the following reasons:

#1 Pernicious anaemia

Pernicious anemia is a rare cause of vitamin B12 deficiency hair loss. It gets triggered when the immune system accidentally attacks cells in the stomach called intrinsic factors. For those who don’t know, these cells are essential for proper red blood cell production and function in the human body. Other than hair loss, men and women suffering from pernicious anemia will also face inflammation in the stomach and small intestines.

#2 Gastric surgeries

According to Healio, vitamin B12 deficiency and hair loss occur in 39.6% of people after a gastric bypass. Gastric acid and enzymes are needed for releasing protein-bound vitamin B12 from undigested food. Intrinsic factor, on the other hand, is required for intestinal consumption of vitamin B12.

Once the portion of the stomach or intestines gets surgically removed, the production of an intrinsic factor comes to halt and the total space available for the absorption of vitamin B12 shrinks. As a result, vitamin B12 deficiency occurs and hair fall takes place.

#3 Intestinal problems

Another known cause of vitamin B12 deficiency hair loss. Although there isn’t much evidence on the connection between intestinal issues and hair loss, some scientists claim that diseases like Crohn's disease and celiac disease affect the entire thickness of the intestinal wall and interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12.

vitamin b12 hair loss

What are Treatments for Vitamin B12 Deficiency Hair Loss?

The good news is that hair loss caused by Vitamin B12 is temporary! It can be reversed simply by addressing the deficiency of vitamin B12 in the body. There are some treatments that can help men and women confront this type of hair loss and stop it from getting worse.

Here are some of those:

#1 Vitamin B12 rich diet

The first and foremost thing to do to prevent hair fall is to switch to a healthy diet rich in vitamin B12. Switch to a healthy diet to provide hair follicles with adequate amounts of nutrients including vitamin B12 and restore blood supply and oxygen levels.

Men and women can acquire vitamin B12 naturally from these foods:

Soya products (miso and tempeh)
Meats
Boiled eggs
Dairy products (cold milk and cheddar cheese)
Fortified breakfast cereal
Fish (canned tuna, rainbow trout, and haddock)
Clams
Nutritional fortified yeast

#2 Cyanocobalamin

Our readers will be surprised to know that vitamin B12 can also be consumed in the form of tablets. Yes, you read it right! Cyanocobalamin is synthetic vitamin B12 used to prevent and treat deficiency of this nutrient. This restores the levels of RBCs in the body and helps the hair grow normally again.

Available in the form of tablets and liquid, cyanocobalamin can either be swallowed once a day with water or taken with the help of a syringe and needle. We highly suggest getting a prescription from a dermatologist before using this medication for B12 deficiency hair loss as it has its share of side effects.

However, here are known side effects of using cyanocobalamin:

Stomach pain
Bleeding from gums and nose
Blue lips and fingernails
Chest pain
Decreased urine output
Fast and heavy breathing
Cough

vitamin b12 and hair loss

#3 Hair replacement systems

While not really used for minimal B12 hair loss, a lot of men and women nowadays are choosing hair systems to overcome extreme hair loss. Unlike cyanocobalamin, this non-surgical hair recovery solution has no side effects. Also called modern-day wigs, hair replacement systems are designed using real human hair hand-woven onto a base made of premium skin-friendly materials.

Secured using glue, tape, or clips, they are made of 100% real human strands that provide men and women with an appearance of hair coming directly out of their scalp. And if our readers think that the benefits of using hair systems end here, they’re wrong!

There are many other benefits that make non-surgical hair replacement systems a better solution to hair loss caused by vitamin B12 deficiency:

Easily attached and secured
Highly cost-effective
Delivers quick hair results
Breathable, comfortable, durable, and long-lasting
Can be styled just like real scalp hair

As a leading hair unit manufacturer, Lordhair designs the best hair replacement systems for men and women so they can look their best. Check out how our hair replacement systems are changing lives globally:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Hair Loss: End Note

Although hair loss caused by B12 deficiency is temporary, we highly recommend addressing this hair fall condition as soon as possible. The sooner the hair loss is addressed, the more you can do to keep your hair from major damage.

That concludes our latest blog. We've now told you everything about vitamin B12 deficiency hair loss. Got any queries? Send them to support@lordhair.com and have them answered by our hair experts!