Attitude and Practice Regarding the Use of Multivitamins for Hair Fall: Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

October 2018 in “ The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine ”

Shahad D. AlGhamdy, Bushra A. AlGarni, Faten Albukhari

multivitamins hair fall abdominal pain diarrhea constipation blood tests follow-up blood test

TLDR Many people in Saudi Arabia use multivitamins for hair loss, often without medical advice, and while some report improvements, more research is needed on their effectiveness and safe use.

In a cross-sectional study conducted in Saudi Arabia in 2018, 1015 participants (both males and females) were surveyed about their attitudes and practices regarding the use of multivitamins for hair fall treatment. The study found that 44% of the participants used multivitamins for hair fall, but only 37.4% recommended using them under medical supervision. The rest were influenced by social media (18.7%), friends and family (17.3%), self-decision (15%), and pharmacists (10.6%). Only 33.3% carried out blood tests before use and just 15.3% had a follow-up blood test. Side effects such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation were reported by 18.5% of the participants. However, 57.3% reported a noticeable improvement in hair fall, significantly associated with the use of multivitamins for more than 3 months. The study concluded that further research is needed to validate the benefits or downsides of multivitamins for hair fall, and that knowledge about the misuse of multivitamins is crucial to avoid unnecessary harm.

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