Biotin has been marketed and much-publicized as a “cure” for alopecia areata, female diffuse hair loss, as well as male pattern hair loss (also known as male pattern baldness); so it is a natural hair loss treatment for both men and women.

While biotin supplementation may offer some help with those conditions, it can only reverse them if biotin deficiency is the condition’s cause.

Biotin is needed to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and amino acids helping the body convert food into fuel through the production of energy. So it’s not just good for your hair, skin and nails but for the overall performance of the human body and nervous system. Seems like a side benefit of it is that you end up with nice hair, skin and nails.

In short: For hair growth, go ahead and take biotin, but do not expect it alone to do much in reversing your hair loss; Some have found much more success for hair and skin with Now Foods, Hyaluronic Acid, with MSM and, especially, with Now Foods, Silica Complex. However, there is some concern that silica is dangerous.   Others have reported Biotin and a B complex vitamin plus MSM yieids good results.

Biotin may also work well in combination with  Vitamin D-3,5000 and B-100. Some see better results when using all three. One persona said their hair is very fine and her Dermatologist suggested this combination would help my hair grow.

Biotin has some effect on carbohydrate metabolism. Some have said they lost weight using biotin, others said the gained weight like they would if they were carb bingeing. It likely depends on whether you tend towards low blood sugar or high blood sugar.  Apparently biotin can have a insulin-like effect at getting glucose into cells, which may have a positive effect for diabetics.

Biotin also deters and fights candida.

Some people report Biotin gives them a boost in energy. Some report it only helps nails grow, not so much hair. Still others say it helps hair grow faster, not necessarily fuller or thicker

The bottom line is every body is different. We all have different internal conditions or deficiencies which contribute to  hair loss or thin, unhealthy hair, that is why the same supplement will have different effects on different people. The only way to truly know what it will do for you is to try it.

Some doctors do recommend biotin to chemo patients for help in growing their hair back more quickly.

Some people get break outs when taking biotin. Drinking a lot of water will help prevent that. Some have said that taking with zinc will also help combat that problem.  Zinc and iron are also known to help thicken hair, if there is an underlying medical condition or hormonal imbalance, such as hypothyroidism that is depleting the levels of these minerals in the body.

 

Tell Somebody!