Lifestyle, dietary habits can contribute to early hair loss
Researchers learned about condition, how body responds to inflammation during COVID-19 pandemic, says UCI Health dermatologist
IN THE NEWS: The exact causes of hair loss are not fully known, but some researchers say lifestyle and dietary habits can bring on early onset of genetic hair loss. UCI Health board certified dermatologist Dr. Natasha Mesinkovska spoke with MarketWatch about some of the reasons people experience it.
“We learned a lot about hair loss through the pandemic, and then it highlighted how our body responds to inflammation."
COVID-19 can also cause temporary hair shedding during and after infection.
Mesinkovska also says GLP-1s can trigger temporary hair loss due to rapid weight loss in people who don’t eat very much or very well while taking the medicines. In some cases, she encourages patients to slow down their weight loss by staying on a lower dose of the medicines.
Mesinkovska is a board-certified UCI Health dermatologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders, including skin cancer. Her research interests include alopecia and dermatitis and she is the author or co-author of many articles in peer-reviewed publications.
In addition, she is an investigator on several current clinical trials involving alopecia, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and skin laxity. She is also an associate professor of dermatology and the vice chair for clinical research in the Department of Dermatology at UC Irvine School of Medicine. Mesinkovska also serves as the director of integrative dermatology at the Beckman Laser Institute and the chief scientific officer of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.