There are a ton of things that can impact the hair growth and your immune system is no different! An immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, organs, and the substances they make that helps the body fight infections and other diseases. The immune system includes white blood cells and organs and tissues of the lymph system, such as the thymus, spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes, lymph vessels, and bone marrow. Your immune system is your body’s first-line defense against invaders like germs. It helps protect you from getting sick and promotes healing when you’re unwell or injured. You can strengthen your immune system by eating nutritious foods, exercising and getting enough sleep. Your immune system works hard to keep you healthy. When your immune system is working properly it is able to tells the difference between cells that are yours and those that don’t belong in your body, activates and mobilizes to kill germs that may harm you, ends an attack once the threat is gone, learns about germs after you’ve had contact with them and develops antibodies against them, and sends out antibodies to destroy germs that try to enter your body in the future.

It does this by:

Invaders your immune system protects you against include:

Many different conditions can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to infection. An overactive immune system means your body can’t tell the difference between the good guys (healthy cells) and the bad guys. So, it overreacts, attacking and damaging healthy tissues by mistake. Abnormal immune systems can affect hair follicle homeostasis and regeneration. This leads to several skin disorders of hair growth, including alopecia that an autoimmune attack against hair follicles disrupts their normal growth cycle. Disruption of the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals can alter follicular immune privilege and cause hair loss eventually. In alopecia, particularly in forms like alopecia areata, immune cells play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hair loss. The condition is primarily characterized by an autoimmune response where T lymphocytes attack the hair follicles. This autoimmune assault is often initiated by cytotoxic T cells, which target and damage the hair follicles, leading to hair loss. Treg cells, typically responsible for suppressing immune responses and maintaining tolerance, are found in reduced numbers or are functionally impaired in alopecia areata. The imbalance between effector T cells and Tregs is a critical factor in the progression of this disease. Another key player in alopecia areata is the natural killer cells, which are considered to contribute to the inflammatory environment around the hair follicles. Dendritic cells also play a role; they present antigens from the hair follicles to T cells, further propagating the autoimmune response. The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by these immune cells exacerbates the condition, leading to the disruption of the hair growth cycle, have shown promise in reversing hair loss in alopecia areata. Understanding the exact mechanisms of immune cell involvement in alopecia is crucial for developing more effective and targeted approaches for this condition.

If your immune system is working overtime, you may have one or more of these symptoms:

Some of the best habits to address issues with your immune system and hair loss include: