Can zinc supplements help with hair health related to alopecia areata?

Question

Hello, Hairloss experts. Can taking zinc supplements help for good hair health? Especially immune related hair loss such as alopecia areata. Let say kenalog grew back the hair and you want to maintain a good immune health by adding a zinc supplement. Since there are so many zinc types, which one is good? And what are usual dosages for males? I know overall zinc is health for hair skin and nails. Can adding it to a diet in supplement form help? Thank you

Kulakarn Amonpattana, MD · Answer

Hello I'm Dr. Wipawan Vathananai, a co-worker of Dr. Kulakarn Amonpattana, from BHI Clinic, Bangkok, Thailand. It is quite rare for a person to be deficient in zinc except the person has an extreme diet or malabsorption. If you don't have zinc deficiency, taking zinc supplementation wouldn't help with the hair.

Matt Tahsini, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. To my knowledge, there is no evidence that zinc helps with alopecia areata flare-ups. Taking zinc supplements should be discussed with your physician. Best of luck to you,

Dr. T

Dr. T

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

This is rarely a good strategy. If zinc is found to be low, then absolutely taking zinc is valuable. But taking zinc to prevent further episodes of alopecia areata is not a current recommendation among experts. There is no evidence that zinc supplements reduce future flares. If one feels compelled to take zinc, then one may wish to monitor levels and also monitor copper levels. Excessive zinc supplementation reduces copper levels which itself can create a whole new set of health issues. If you have concerns about zinc levels or your dietary sources of zinc, be sure to review with your health care team.

Can zinc supplements help with hair health related to alopecia areata?

Answers (3)