Does Wegovy cause hair loss?

Wegovy, a medicine that contains semaglutide, is one of the most popular medication weight solutions in the UK. When used alongside lifestyle changes like exercise and diet, it can help people lose significant amounts of weight.¹

But like any medicine, it has side effects. People have reported digestive problems as well as feelings of nausea and vomiting as problems.² But beyond the gut-related challenges, is there a direct link between Wegovy and hair loss?

To understand the issue, we spoke to Neil Raichura about how Wegovy works, and the link between weight loss and hair loss.

Wegovy contains the active ingredient semaglutide. It works by copying the behaviour of a naturally occurring hormone called GLP-1.

GLP-1 helps to control your appetite and can also contribute to lowering blood sugars. So when you take Wegovy, you are helping your brain better manage cravings.

When you eat, Wegovy sends signals to your brain so that you feel fuller for longer periods, so might not feel as though you need to snack or eat as much as you did previously.It’s already proving to be an effective weight loss treatment. Many people who have lived with obesity and now use it can achieve sustainable weight loss.

There are many reasons why a person might experience hair loss. Stress and a lack of nutrition are only two of them.

There are many stressors around us and in our lives that can lead to hair loss. If you’re having a difficult time emotionally, for example, you might experience hair loss. This is also true for eating in a calorie deficit or rapidly ramping up the amount of exercise you do. Your body has to quickly adjust to these types of changes which can be stressful. This can cause you to lose hair follicles. The condition is called telogen effluvium and is a form of temporary hair loss.³ Once, you have adjusted you should notice that your hair begins to regrow.

If you’ve changed your diet, you might also start to experience hair loss for a different reason. If you are not eating food of high nutritional value, you may be missing out on important vitamins and nutrients like zinc, magnesium and iron. Assess the foods you’re eating and see if you can add in nutrition-rich foods. This may help you to regain any hair you might have lost.⁴

Clinical trial data shows that only 3% of people who took Wegovy experienced hair loss. So, it’s not a common side effect of the medicine.⁵

Another point to note is that Wegovy doesn’t trigger rapid weight loss. Rather, people who use it gradually lose weight over several months. So, your body won’t have to react to a drastic change and therefore, the medicine probably isn’t a stressor.

But if you have noticed some hair loss since you started using it, talk to your pharmacist about it. They can help you understand your experience or refer you to a food specialist like a nutritionist so you can improve the quality of your diet.

They may also be able to help you navigate and manage some of the more stressful aspects of your life, if necessary.

Hair loss treatments like Regaine might also be suggested to you if you are eligible. The important thing is to talk about the problem so it can be addressed.

If you take steps to address your diet and any sources of stress in your life, you will probably notice that your hair begins to regrow. And as you get used to using Wegovy, the likelihood of you losing hair should decrease.

But as mentioned, if you're struggling to understand your hair loss or if it’s affecting your confidence, talk to a healthcare professional. They can you treat the problem and help you understand why it’s happening.

But since there’s no strong evidence to show a direct link between Wegovy and hair loss, you should not worry too much.