Do hair supplements work?
That is a question I ask myself. I do not want to sell snake oil to my patients. So when there is a plethora of stuff out there which says it helps make hair better, how do you know what is real and what is hype?
Nutrafol is a popular supplement saying it helps with hair loss. They made a menopause formula because if you aren’t there yet, let me warn you- your hair will thin. (And here I make a plea to remember EVERY starlet and real housewife you see in Hollywood has extensions, so don’t compare yourself to them.) Nutrafol says it uses “phytoactives” to improve growth and quality of hair.
What was the study?
This was a study of 70 women around menopause.
- Randomized, double blind
- placebo control
- 6 months
Findings?
They looked at the terminal and vellus hairs. They did phototrichogram (a detailed photo of hair to see the follicles)
- Daily intake caused a progressive and significant increase in terminal and total hair counts on day 90 and 180 compared to placebo
- Vellus hair significantly increased for active treatment group, while significantly decreasing for placebo group
- Hair shedding progressive and significantly decreased, ending with a 32.41% reduction in shedding by day 180
- ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04048031 J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(1):55-61. d
My thoughts?
This is not a huge trial, but I really appreciate the science they brought to it. Double blind, placebo controlled, photos to give more actual data (not a photo of “your part looks narrower” or “it feels thicker”).
Nutrafol isn’t terribly expensive. It didn’t have any bad side effects in the study (though it does contain collagen, so for those of you adding collagen to your coffee in the morning, be aware you may be multi-dosing).
Minoxidil (topical or oral- more to come on the oral version to discuss pros/cons) is the gold standard in my eyes for helping with hair thickness. Read my blogs on minoxidil. Other things like PRP may help, but I found PRP expensive, painful, and only good for a small area.
But Nutrafol is another tool in the toolbox. When your hair thins, you want to throw ALL the tools at it. A lot of the ingredients in the Nutrafol are anti inflammation, and it is geared for menopausal women. Who knows if it is helping in other areas of the oh-so-lovely menopause changes.
I do think there are other exciting treatments out there. I will keep blogging to keep you updated.