Both online and offline, many people believe that supplements help them overcome hair loss. TikTok is full of videos of people saying their hair is thicker, healthier, and shinier thanks to brands like Nutrafol and Viviscal.
So, are these hair growth supplements really effective?
Such supplements often contain vitamins (such as biotin, vitamins A, C, and D), minerals (such as zinc, selenium), and extracts from plants such as turmeric and horsetail. It may also contain collagen, shark cartilage, and oyster extract powder.
In some cases, it may help regrow lost or thinning hair. But they haven’t been well studied and may not be as effective as prescription treatments like minoxidil (also sold over-the-counter as Rogaine) and oral finasteride, says MedStar in Chevy Chase, Maryland. said Dr. Melanie Tawfik, a dermatologist at Health.
They also have some drawbacks, says Dr. Ajay Kailash, a dermatologist at Chicago’s Derm Institute. People taking Nutrafol are instructed to take four capsules a day, and a month’s supply costs about $90.
“This is a huge problem for many of my patients,” he says.
science
Very little peer-reviewed research has been conducted on these supplements. Although academic researchers study some of the individual ingredients, the major studies analyzing the effectiveness of popular hair loss supplements are funded by the companies that sell them. In some cases, the researchers involved also worked for the company.
“It’s always implicit bias, and we don’t want to see it,” Dr. Tawfik says.
For example, in a clinical trial published in 2021, researchers, some of whom worked for the company that makes Nutrafol, looked at 40 women between the ages of 40 and 65 who self-reported thinning hair. tested the effects of supplements. The results showed that over a six-month period, those who took Nutrafol experienced a greater increase in hair growth than those who took a placebo. In a follow-up study published in 2022, a similar research team followed the same women for an additional six months and reported continued improvements in hair growth, quality, and hair loss.
A 2015 clinical trial of 36 women, funded by Viviscal’s then-parent company, found that women with self-reported hair loss who took Viviscal lost 3% more hair than women who did not use hair growth products. More hair growth was seen after 1 month and 6 months, the researchers reported.
But Dr. Angela Lamb, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Dermatology in New York City, said it’s unclear whether taking a simple multivitamin supplement would be just as effective.
When a male or female patient complains of hair loss, a dermatologist typically tests for vitamin D, iron, and zinc deficiencies that can cause hair loss. Dr. Lam says they also test thyroid function, which can affect hair growth. Deficiencies may be treated with vitamin and mineral supplements, while thyroid problems are often treated with prescription medications.
Because Nutrafol and Viviscal contain zinc, and Nutrafol contains vitamin D, it is possible that some or all of the women in these trials were deficient, and by far Dr. Lam said she would have experienced the same effect if she had taken inexpensive vitamin and mineral supplements.
More than vitamins?
Dr. Kailash said he has seen hair regrow in patients who took hair loss supplements like Nutrafol, even if they were not deficient in the vitamin. He himself uses Nutrafol.
Still, Dr. Tawfik said many of the ingredients in hair growth supplements are “understudied” and their workings are not well understood.
Nutrafol contains saw palmetto, a botanical extract that, according to limited evidence, may aid in hair regrowth. In one 2020 review of nine studies, researchers found that topical or oral versions of saw palmetto were effective for patients with androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium, two common forms of hair loss. reported that it may be an effective treatment option for patients. Kailash says the substance is thought to work by preventing the hormone testosterone from converting to DHT, which can cause hair loss.
It also often contains collagen, a protein thought to support hair growth, but little research has been done on its effects on hair. Many hair supplements also contain biotin, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on hair growth, Dr. Kailash said. “That’s a big superstition.”
Dr. Tawfik also pointed out that Nutrafol and other hair supplements do not improve cicatricial hair loss, such as cicatricial alopecia, where the immune system destroys the hair follicles.
conclusion
Nutrafol, Viviscal and other hair growth supplements are not strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Tawfik said. They are not FDA-approved to treat any medical conditions and have not undergone the same safety and effectiveness testing as pharmaceutical drugs, she said.
But that doesn’t mean you should avoid them completely. Although expensive hair loss supplements are not Dr. Tawfik’s “go-to” treatment option, she said she often mentions them to patients as an alternative to prescription drugs. They have not been found to be dangerous and there is at least “some evidence that they may work,” she said.
So for some people, it might be worth a try.
