4 Reasons Why Hair Loss is linked to Hypertension

Hypertension is a widespread problem nowadays. It triggers plenty of physical complications, and hair loss is one of them.

Before deep diving into the topic, let’s define hypertension first. High blood pressure or hypertension causes due to anxiety, stress, and other physical concerns. The continuous pressure of blood supply against the artery walls could cause heart failure and other medical conditions.

The blood pressure level will be determined by the quantity of blood your heart pumps, as well as the degree of resistance blood flow faces through your arteries. The more difficult it is for your heart to work to pump blood around narrow arteries, the more likely you are to be suffering from elevated blood pressure.

Blood is pumped throughout our body to provide oxygen and nutrients to our organs and tissues. The blood is returned to the lungs and heart to swap carbon dioxide with oxygen for a fresh supply. To allow the blood of the heart to get to the most distant parts of our bodies (like the toes), it travels through our arteries at sufficient pressure to get there.

What Is The Correlation Between Blood Pressure And Hair Loss?

Numerous studies have found a link between hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and hair loss in recent years, however, the results aren’t conclusive, especially for women.

In 2013 Japanese researchers discovered that those who suffered from loss of crown-top hair (also known as vertex baldness) had a 52% higher risk of heart disease than those who have hair on their crown section. Researchers found that there was a risk increase of 22% for men who have a receding hairline.

Let’s look at the four leading causes of hair loss hypertension, anxiety, and stress

The High Testosterone Level in the Blood Causes Extensive Hair Loss

Testosterone, a very important bodily hormone, regulates plenty of functions. However, it has its own adverse desired effects that can occur when the hormone transforms to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). An increased level of DHT is responsible for pattern baldness. Additionally, it can adversely impact the heart because the cardiac cells contain receptors that connect to male hormones. It was confirmed in animals treated with testosterone and then experienced heart expansion. Athletes who use testosterone and other androgenic steroids for performance boosters are at risk of hypertension, heart attacks, and stroke. There is a link between hair loss and hypertension since the same hormone is responsible for both of these processes.

High Blood Pressure Reduces Blood Flow in the Hair Follicles

Another reason can be the fact that increased blood pressure may cause damage to your arteries, making them less flexible. In reality, hypertension is linked with health issues like prediabetes, high cholesterol levels, and abdominal obesity, the cluster of risk factors for the cardiovascular disease known as Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Mets increase the damage to arterial vessels, decreasing blood flow to organs, which could lead to severe or fatal complications.

Of course, hypertension reduces blood circulation to hair follicles. The theory is that high blood pressure hinders blood flow to hair follicles. Therefore, follicles don’t get enough nutrients and thereby causing hair loss.

Beta-Blocking Agents Can Have Negative Consequences on Hair

High blood pressure medications like beta-blockers (e.g., atenolol metoprolol) and ACES inhibitors (e.g., lisinopril and perindopril) are known to affect the normal hair growth cycle, resulting in what’s known as drug-induced Alopecia. The loss of hair is evident only after having taken the medication for a period of about 2 to 3 months. People affected experience a loss of 30% to 70 percent more than the normal 60-100 hairs per day.

But, the chance of experiencing hair loss due to drugs depends on the kind of medication used and the response to it. Certain medications are highly associated with hair loss, whereas other medications can cause hair loss for certain patients but not for others.

If the results of blood pressure medication lead you to lose more hair, you should seek medical advice to take care of it. It is not advisable to stop the medication you are prescribed by yourself; instead, you should consult with your physician. The medication you are taking could be altered or discontinued, while you consider the degree of hypertension.

Loss of Hair Caused By Minoxidil

Another major cause of hair loss is Minoxidil treatment. Pattern baldness can be treated using Minoxidil, the drug initially designed to act as an antihypertensive. Its capacity to increase hair growth is an effect that is known as hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth), especially in the areas that it is used however the mechanism by which Minoxidil promotes hair growth remains a mystery. But research has shown that application of Minoxidil for an extended period causes hair loss.

If you are worried about extensive hair loss, over-the-counter medicines may not work. In this case, the doctor may prescribe a hair transplant. A hair transplant is an aesthetic cosmetic procedure that a reputed clinic should do. For that, a hair transplant in Gurgaon can be a good choice for you.