The ‘silent’ symptom of killer disease you can spot when you brush your hair

HAIR loss happens to everybody.

It’s part of a natural hair cycle to go through growing and shedding phases, but your tresses could look less full due to aging, iron deficiency, stress and even a change in season.

But if you’re noticing your hair is looking significantly thinner and more of it seems to be coming out in your hairbrush or when you run your fingers through it, it might be an indication of something more serious going on with your health.

Ahead of Diabetes Week coming up on June 12, Dr Greg Vida – a surgeon at the Harley Street Hair Clinic and a expert on hair loss – revealed that hair loss is a little known symptom of diabetes.

He said the condition – which is characterised by blood sugar levels that are too high – can cause you to lose your hair in some cases.

There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2: while the former is a lifelong condition where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin, many people can have type 2 diabetes for years without realising.

Type 2 is far more common in the UK, according to the NHS, with over 90 per cent of diabetes sufferers having this type.

For people with type 2, their body doesn’t provide enough insulin or their cells don’t react to insulin properly.

According to , since insulin moves the sugar from the foods we eat from our bloodstream into our cells to be stored or used as energy, a lack of it can cause excess sugar to build up in the blood.

These high sugar levels can damage the blood vessels.

This is relevant to hair growth, as blood vessels “carry oxygen around the body and damaged blood vessels may not be able to deliver enough oxygen to nourish the hair follicles”.

While our normal hair growth cycle usually goes through three phases – the active growth phase, the resting phase and the shedding phase – having diabetes can interrupt this normal process and slow down hair growth, according to the clinic.

“Due to the change in the hair growth cycle, those with diabetes can expect to lose more hair than usual,” it said.

Though high blood sugar levels won’t stop the growth cycle entirely, people with the condition might notice that they’re losing hair more quickly than they’re growing it, leading to thinning.

Some diabetes sufferers might also experience a condition called alopecia areata.

This is more common in people with type 1 diabetes, according to , and causes patchy hair loss on the head, arms, and other areas of the body.

For people with diabetes, their hair loss might not be directly related to the condition – it could be a side affect from the stress of living with it or medication they take, the Harley Street Hair Clinic said.

How do I manage diabetes-related hair loss?

You can work with your GP to manage your blood sugar levels.

“Once you’re at this stage, you can see the hair grow back,” the clinic said. However, it noted that growth might still be a little slower than it was previously.

If your hair still isn’t recovering despite getting your blood sugar in check, you can consider certain medications such as finasteride or minoxidil, which are usually used to treat male pattern baldness, according to the .

These medications don’t come without , according to the Harley Street Hair Clinic.

You can also consider a hair transplant.