Can Biotin Supplements Speed Up Hair Loss Treatment Results?'

Name: Sam

Question: Can taking biotin supplements speed up results from using hair loss treatment?

Answer: Hi, Sam. The short answer to your question is 'no' - not usually.

Taking biotin supplements - or having a good biotin intake via your diet - will not make hair regrowth from hair loss treatment appear faster. This is, of course, unless the cause of your hair loss is a biotin deficiency.

What biotin can do, however, is support the hair growth function and contribute to normal, healthy hair. In short, it can benefit the condition of the hair, but not treat a hair loss condition.

That said, a recent clinical trial in Egypt did find that biotin and zinc may be beneficial to people with Male Pattern Baldness - this study was very small, however, with just 60 participants, and far more research is needed before this link could be properly established.

In some cases, changing your diet may cause changes to your hair. As an example, if you have thinning hair and also follow an unbalanced diet that is lacking in certain nutrients, then adjust your daily menu to include more vitamins, minerals, biotin, etc - or start taking a food supplement or multivitamin that contains elements known to contribute to the maintenance of the hair growth cycle, such as selenium and zinc - you could find that your hair starts to look healthier.

Whilst this may give the appearance of slightly thicker hair, it is not actually treating the cause of the hair loss. This is particularly true in the case of Male or Female Pattern Hair Loss as these genetic conditions are both permanent and progressive, meaning that, without the intervention of clinically-proven treatments, the hair will get gradually thinner, weaker and baldness may develop in the affected areas.

You don't say what type of hair loss you are enquiring about or being treated for but, in many cases, Belgravia patients take a one-a-day food supplement - Hair Vitalics - as part of their personalised hair treatment plan.

This highly-targeted product comes in specially-formulated Men's and Women's options, each of which feature key vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanical extracts, including biotin, zinc and selenium to support healthy hair growth.

These are available to non-clients around the world, as well as our patients to whom they are recommended, and can be purchased in-person at Belgravia's London hair loss clinic locations, or via the dedicated website hairvitalics.com.

Hair Vitalics supplements are part of a range of hair growth supporting products which can be used alongside the established, clinically-proven hair loss treatments. This category also includes FDA-cleared devices - such as the HairMax LaserComb and LaserBands - which use low level laser therapy (LLLT) to promote hair growth and increased hair quality.

If you are already using hair loss treatments but are not seeing the results you were expecting, firstly, consider how long you have been following your course. Depending on how extensive the shedding is when you first start treatment, it can take roughly three to six months - or even up to 12 months in some instances - for noticeable results to become apparent.

Also, check that you have been using each product in your routine diligently and exactly as directed; missing doses or applications here and there may not seem like a big problem - and when it really is just once in a while it may not be - but if these occurrences build up or become frequent, they can interfere with the treatment's efficacy. This is a common reason for people not seeing what they consider to be 'good enough' or 'quick enough' results from hair loss treatment.

If you are confident that none of these issues are a problem for you, you may want to consider including some of the add-in elements mentioned above to your hair regimen.

We note that you are not currently a Belgravia patient so, if you are interested in finding out more about the number of options open to you, to ensure you are on the optimum treatment course, with the best hair loss solutions - in terms of both primary medications and adjunctive hair growth products and therapies - a consultation with a specialist should be helpful.

This can be done in person or online and is a convenient way to provide you with bespoke recommendations for consideration, all based on personal factors such as your hair loss condition, pattern and level of shedding and your medical profile, and to answer any further queries you may have.