Lifestyle, dietary habits can contribute to early hair loss
Researchers learned about condition, how body responds to inflammation during COVID-19 pandemic, says UCI Health dermatologist
IN THE NEWS: The exact causes of hair loss are not fully known, but some researchers say lifestyle and dietary habits can bring on early onset of genetic hair loss. UCI Health board certified dermatologist Dr. Natasha Mesinkovska spoke with MarketWatch about some of the reasons people experience it.
“We learned a lot about hair loss through the pandemic, and then it highlighted how our body responds to inflammation.”
COVID-19 can also cause temporary hair shedding during and after infection.
Mesinkovska also says GLP-1s can trigger temporary hair loss due to rapid weight loss in people who don’t eat very much or very well while taking the medicines. In some cases, she encourages patients to slow down their weight loss by staying on a lower dose of the medicines.
Mesinkovska is a board-certified UCI Health dermatologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders, including skin cancer. Her research interests include alopecia and dermatitis and she is the author or co-author of many articles in peer-reviewed publications.
In addition, she is an investigator on several current clinical trials involving alopecia, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and skin laxity. She is also an associate professor of dermatology and the vice chair for clinical research in the Department of Dermatology at UC Irvine School of Medicine. Mesinkovska also serves as the director of integrative dermatology at the Beckman Laser Institute and the chief scientific officer of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
Click here or visit https://www.ucihealth.org/about-us/news/2026/04/hair-loss to full UCI Health news article.
Author: Gabrielle Comfort
