Podcasts Health Crushing PCOS EP 24: Why PCOS Causes Hair Loss with Dr. Minni Malhotra

EP 24: Why PCOS Causes Hair Loss with Dr. Minni Malhotra

Published: Aug. 19, 2020, 7 a.m.

In this episode, Dr. Malhotra explains why PCOS causes hair loss, giving listeners an explanation of how an excess of androgen—a male hormone—can result in this problem. While there may be other causes of hair loss, androgenic alopecia might present differently on the scalp with the hairline remaining intact. Dr. Malhotra advises on what normal hair loss looks like and provides haircare tips, from shampooing and drying to using accessories in a way that does not damage the hair. She also offers suggestions for conventional medical treatments while advocating for a functional medicine approach that deals with PCOS and its symptoms holistically. 


Key Points From This Episode:

  • Androgen excess is one of the leading causes of hair loss in women with PCOS. 
  • The hormone changes caused by menopause and thyroid disease can also lead to hair loss.
  • What androgenic hair loss typically looks like on the scalp. 
  • The prevalence of androgenic alopecia in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. 
  • Genetics factors and other disorders that could be the cause. 
  • The normal range of daily hair loss and when a woman might start to notice it. 
  • Haircare guidelines from Philip Kingsley’s Hair: An Owner’s Handbook. 
  • Insights into the use and limitations of medical treatments for androgen and genetic alopecia. 
  • The role that nutrition and lifestyle play in managing PCOS and the symptom of hair loss. 
  • Suggestions for the kind of exercises that will help to reduce insulin resistance. 


Tweetables:

“The incidence of androgenic alopecia and polycystic ovarian syndrome is not clearly defined but several reports have shown a prevalence of about 40 to 70%.” — Dr. Minni Malhotra [0:02:30]

“Medical management of hair loss is much more difficult because the drugs and the options are most successful in slowing the progression of androgenic alopecia but doesn’t actually reverse it.” — Dr. Minni Malhotra [0:07:02]


Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Philip Kingsley 

Hair: An Owner’s Handbook

Anchor Wellness

Dr. Minni Malhotra Email