Alopecia in Crash Dieters

In 1976, a study was conducted on nine patients who experienced significant hair loss two to five months after starting a rigorous weight reduction program, which resulted in weight loss of 11.7 to 24.75 kg. The patients had telogen counts (a measure of hair shedding) of 25% to 50%. Hair regrowth occurred within several months. Three of the patients had experienced hair loss following a successful weight reduction program on multiple occasions. The study concluded that the cause of the hair loss was rigorous caloric restriction leading to an inadequate energy supply to the hair matrix, which precipitated the telogen effluvium (a form of temporary hair loss) in the crash dieters.