I am beginning to notice a trend of accelerated hair loss during certain times of the year, particularly in the winter months. I’m from western Pennsylvania and as such we experience all four seasons, with winters fluctuating from brutal to mild all in the same season. I’ve noticed that my hair looks much more thicker and darker during the summer months , but has the months turn colder I begin to notice distinct hair loss on the the sides and top of my head. The density of my hair in these areas is noticeably less, as you can see bits and pieces of my scalp through my hair, especially on the sides of my head. My guess for the cause of this rapid hair loss during the winter month is due to the lack of sun that provide vitamin D and being pent up in the house resulting in minimal exercise. Another thing I noticed is during the last stretch of winter, is that my mood is quite negative (seasonal depression); perhaps resulting in even more hair loss.
Has anyone else noticed a similar pattern during the winter months? And if so, how did you deal with this issue? I have began taking fin (4 months in with the fin) and vitamin D3 supplements as well as doing my best to watch my diet and exercise outside despite the freezing cold. I’m wondering if there anything else I can add to routine to lessen the affects of this kind of hair loss?
Humans have asynchronous hair cycling while other furry animals have synchronous hair cycling that is tied to seasonal changes. Certainly vitamin D deficiencies will cause hair loss and we get good doses in summer if you are out in the sun, but we usually don’t fluctuate on our Vitamin D levels by the month unless you live in very norther climates where there is no or minimal daylight in the winters. We know that people who live in norther Scandinavia, for example, develop Vitatmin D deficiencies not infrequently and this may impact their hair. Taking oral Vitamin D may solve this problem for this population of men and women.