Plastics in Blood from Food Packaging Linked To Hair Loss

It can sometimes seem that not a day goes by without scientists pointing to something new as a possible cause of hair loss: this week it is the turn of plastics, or, more specifically, plastics containing BPA (Bisphenol A) that are used in the food packaging industry.

According to the Times Of India, one of the first things that one Bangalore hair loss research clinic does when it sees a new patient is check their blood for signs of BPA, a synthetic compound found in many plastics.

In more than 92 per cent of cases, BPA was present in the blood.

BPA present in almost everyone

The data was gathered over the course of 12 months at the Hairline International Research And Treatment Centre in Bangalore and has led to a number of international headlines about plastics in the blood being linked to hair loss.

But while the figures seem alarmingly high, no one has yet conclusively proven that the presence of BPA in the blood is the cause of hair loss in fact in one USA study of 2517 random people it was found that BPA was present in 93 per cent of their urine samples.

BPA has been linked to a large number of medical conditions from cancer to heart problems, though governments have played down the possible risks and seem been in no rush to ban products such as plastic food tubs that contain it.

Avoiding plastic food containers

The idea of plastics in the blood is certainly unappealing whether it makes you lose your hair or not and experts recommend that anyone concerned about ingesting it should avoid using plastics in the microwave, and use glass and stainless steel for storage whenever possible.

Ditching plastic food vessels for those made from glass or organic materials is also something many holistic healthcare practitioners recommend for the same reasons. Advocates include the London-based alternative medicine specialist Dr. Nish Joshi, whose clients include Gwyneth Paltrow and Ralph Fiennes. He even recommends drinking tap water rather than bottled mineral water, telling the Daily Mail, "Bottling the water, particularly in plastic containers, provides bacteria with a fantastic breeding ground and when you think that this water can then sit on a supermarket shelf for anything up to two years, there's really no way of knowing just what kind of pollutants you are taking into your body".

Reasons behind hair loss

There are a number of reasons for excessive shedding, and it is highly likely that they caused by a genetic predisposition, or are the result of a known hair loss condition. The most likely culprits are Male Pattern Baldness, Female Pattern Hair Loss and Telogen Effluvium. The latter is generally triggered by dietary deficiencies, severe stress or as a side-effect of medication. This leads to an increase in the natural shedding of the hair for up to 12 months; stress can also play a part in sparking or exacerbating the aforementioned genetic hair loss in both men and women.

There are effective hair loss treatment solutions for all of these conditions, and a specialist hair loss clinic can offer a diagnosis and guidance, as well as recommending the best course of action. While it is unlikely that exposure to plastic alone is causing hair to fall out, particularly in cases of hereditary hair loss, it is important that experts get to the heart of the problem as early as possible to maximise clients’ chances of regrowth.