Many people are familiar with the classic symptoms of diabetes: excessive thirst, frequent trips to the bathroom and fatigue. However, fewer people are familiar with diabetic hair loss and thinning, another common symptom of diabetes. For diabetics, dealing with hair loss can be embarrassing and frustrating; however, hair loss may be reduced or prevented by addressing its causes.

Often, the culprit behind diabetic hair loss is poor blood circulation, an effect of diabetes. Hair growth follows a natural cycle; new strands of hair form in the follicle, pushing out the old strands when they die. Poor blood circulation can prevent new hair from forming in the follicle, leaving nothing to replace the old hair when it falls out and leading to thinning of the hair.

Diabetics also have a harder time recovering from bruises and skin conditions. When small cuts or infections occur on the scalp, they can disrupt normal …