Ayesha Siddiqui Ayesha Siddiqui Asked 7 months ago

Can anorexia cause hair loss?

My cousin has been struggling with very disordered eating for a while, and her hair has become really thin and brittle. She's worried about hair loss. Is it true that health issues like anorexia can make your hair fall out?

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7 answers

Meera Chawla Meera Chawla Joined Feb 2026 7 months ago
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Yes, it absolutely does, I lost almost half my hair when I was barely eating. Your body redirects whatever tiny nutrition it gets to vital organs, so hair growth just stops. The only real cure is eating enough protein and fats; no expensive hair serum will work until you feed your body.

Savitri Devi Savitri Devi Joined Feb 2026 7 months ago

Beta, hair fall is a very common reaction when the body is weak and starved of nutrients. I have seen many young girls suffer from this, but once they start eating regular, balanced meals, the hair slowly starts growing back. Please take care of your health first, beauty will follow naturally.

Karan Johar Karan Johar Joined Apr 2026 7 months ago

Oh absolutely, if you don't feed the engine, the decorative parts like hair are the first to pack their bags and leave! Jokes apart, your hair needs protein to survive. Eat up and stop starving those poor follicles, they deserve better!

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Consult a dermatologist

Abhishek Rao Abhishek Rao Joined Jan 2026 7 months ago

Don't waste money buying random onion oils or biotin gummies online thinking they will cure this. Hair loss from severe calorie deficit is a systemic issue, not a scalp problem. Go see a qualified doctor or clinical nutritionist to fix the root cause.

Nisha Gupta Nisha Gupta Joined Jan 2026 7 months ago

I struggle with hormonal hair loss due to PCOS, and I know how painful it is to see hair falling out daily. Severe undereating can completely disrupt your hormones, which triggers even more shedding. Please be gentle with your body and get a full hormone and thyroid panel done to see what is happening.

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Varun Joshi Varun Joshi Joined Feb 2026 7 months ago

Bro, honestly, if you don't eat, your body just shuts down non-essential stuff like hair. I went on an extreme crash diet last year and my hair started thinning out crazy fast. Had to stop that nonsense and start eating properly again to fix it.

Lisha Thomas Lisha Thomas Joined Feb 2026 7 months ago

Medically, this is called telogen effluvium, where severe physical stress or lack of protein pushes hair into a shedding phase. No shampoo can fix this internal deficiency. You need to work on recovering your nutritional balance, and a doctor might suggest iron or multivitamin supplements to help.

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