Hair loss and Thyroid Disease

If you ever wondered if there is something that can predict Graves’ Disease or Hyperthyroidism, it happens that there is. 

And it may sound funny- but this is a premature hair graying. I personally started to get gray hair when I was only 18. Of course there was no way to connect that with my Graves’ Disease 15 years later.

A group of scientists and researchers found that:

Premature hair graying may predict reduced bone mineral density in Graves’ disease – A study of 44 women with Graves’ disease and 133 women without it showed that premature gray hair (>50% gray by 40 years old) was associated with lower bone density (more brittle bones) in the women with Graves’ disease. (Premature gray hair had no connection with bone density in women without the disease.)(6) 

Leary, A.C., Greely, G., Higgins, T.M., Buckley, N., Barry, D.G., & Ferriss, J.B. (2001). 6. Premature hair graying may  predict reduced bone mineral density in Graves’ disease. Ir  J Med Sci 170(2), 117-119.

So if you have premature hair graying you may also check your bone density, just in case.

 Understanding Thyroid Hair Loss

   Most people who are suffering from hair loss should immediately make sure that they are not suffering from thyroid hair loss. Whenever your body requires extra energy, which might be due to stress or other illness, the hair cells get shut down automatically to redirect the energy elsewhere. The common condition where hair loss can occur are poor diet and nutritional deficiencies, hormonal changes, surgery, and many medications, but noticeably, thyroid disease hair loss.

Before starting the treatment plan for your thyroid hair loss, the following key points should be taken into consideration such as evaluation by a dermatologist, to find out if there is are nutritional deficiencies, making sure that it may not be of the side effect of the thyroid drug, adherent to alternative therapies and last but not least rule out the possibility of thyroid drug side effect.

Although there are three types of hair loss such as thyroid disease hair loss, autoimmune alopecia, and male pattern hair loss, thyroid hair loss can occur both in hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. When suffering from thyroid hair loss, you’ll often find more hair in the shower, in drains and in hairbrushes with absence of specific hair less patches. Thyroid hair loss is noticeable among some people even after starting the treatment especially in Synthroid medication (medication for treating hypothyroidism).

However, I know about a lot of cases, where the underlying condition is actually hyperthyroidism and even though it is not very typical symptom, some of the patients that I know feel really helpless about this and suffer a lot.

Alternative therapy such as evening primrose oil is found to be highly useful in correcting thyroid hair loss. Aromatherapy is also found to be extremely effective. Essential oils of thyme, cedar wood oil, lavender, and rosemary mixed altogether and applied on the hair will help to stimulate hair growth. These essential oils can also tremendously help your Graves’ Disease as well.

Here is a hair mask I have used and I want to share with you:

Hair mask- to help your hair from outside, if I can say that. I generally use folk medicine, no fancy and expensive stuff, usually you can find every ingredient in your refrigerator:

1 yolk

1 table spoon olive oil

1 table spoon yogurt (regular, no fat- free, no fruits)

1/2 t spoon fresh lemon juice, (I mean fresh)

1 table spoon honey

3-4 drops rubbing alcohol, or any alcohol, the purpose is to heat up the roots of your hair and allow the ingredients to get in faster).

Apply, stay with it at least an hour and wash as usual.

You need to help your hair somehow internally and externally…I would suggest taking Vitamin A and Vitamin E, and I know a product that’s 100% natural, no preservatives, and contains also Selenium (proven to help your eye as well, if you have Thyroid Eye Disease). I’ve been using it for quite some time and my hair feels great. I am sending you the link, you can order if you want to- if not, go to any store and buy them over the counter.

https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Product.do?code=054

(You can use my sponsor ID: 001002401252, but not mandatory. That company has offices world wide and they’ll ship from your own country). Check their other products, they are all great.)

The thyroid hair loss can also be corrected by using Ayurveda medicines such as Bhingaraj oil or brahmi oil. Both oils should be applied to the scalp without disruption for at least 3 months for hair growth stimulation. In addition to this the ayurvedic herbs amla and ashwagandha will also help stimulating hair growth.

The final treatment for thyroid hair loss is hair transplantation if there is serious illness. Small plugs of hair are removed from the back or side of the scalp and implanted to areas of the scalp with little or no hair.  The effect can be seen after several months. Tissue expansion is another procedure that helps to treat thyroid hair loss. In this type, a small empty sac is slot into the skin. The sac is filled up with saline water for a course of time. Automatically, the skin begins to rejuvenate to give bulging appearance. This new skin with hair follicles is placed over the adjacent bald patches. 

I believe that once your symptoms are under control and your test are in normal range your eyes will start to improve. So besides treating the symptoms I would recommend treating the cause of Graves’ Disease as well.

To read more about how stress and hair loss are considered twin brothers, click here:

Reasons for Thyroid Hair Loss 

by Svetla Bankova

Thyroid hair loss is one of the most terrible symptoms of Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism. For centuries, men, women and even children have had to endure the embarrassment and emotional pain caused by hair loss. There are number for reasons for hair loss. Some people experience higher level of hair loss after illness or some weeks after surgery. The other reasons for hair loss are chemotherapy regimens used in cancer therapy and anticoagulants. The hair will return to normal once the medication has been stopped, or if your thyroid levels become normal again.

Other reasons for hair loss include too much vitamin A and anti-depressant therapy. The physical reasons for hair loss are over or under-active thyroids, certain fungal infections and hormonal imbalances. Even underlying problems such as lupus or diabetes may result in excessive hair loss.

The common reasons for hair loss in an individual varies from genetics, pregnancy, diet, improper hair care, cancer treatment and illness. Male pattern baldness is noticeable among many men, which is marked by thinning hair near the forehead and at the crown. If it has not stopped by using suitable medications, it can eventually remove all the hair on opt of the head. Hair loss can be inherited from their mother, their father, or from both parents.

   The other essential reasons for hair loss are as follows:

· Toxic substances

· Severe radiation

· Illness and infectious diseases

· Heredity factors

· Ageing

· Hormonal Imbalance

· Injury and impairment

· Nervous disorders 

Pregnant women may notice hair loss problems within a period of about 3 months after delivery. This is also attributed as a reason for hair loss. During pregnancy, high levels of particular hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal growth and loss cycle starts again.

Improper hair care can also be one of the causes for hair loss. Excessive combing or brushing, hair styles such a ponytails or braids, which pulls at the hair, and last but not least the over usage of chemicals such as bleaches and dyes. Although these are the reasons for hair loss due to improper hair maintenance, physiological imbalances such excess production of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

An excessive level of  DHT influences the growth cycle of a hair by preventing the availability of the nutrients to the hair thereby causing excessive hair falling.

Deficiency in Protein and Iron is found to be the major reasons for hair loss. The hair falling is noticed extensively only after the body recognizes the deficiency. This happens after about three months of deficiency. This can easily be achieved by the dietary inclusion of proteins and Iron.

Medications prescribed for blood pressure, arthritis, depression, and birth control pills are also among the reasons of hair loss. Stopping the medicine and select another type of medicine and contraceptive is the best way to treat this condition. However, don’t do that without your doctor’s supervision.

The Role of Nutrition in Thyroid Hair Loss Prevention 

Healthy diet maintenance is one of the best things for hair loss prevention, especially when we are talking about Graves’ Disease or Hyperthyroidism. Though there are certain factors influencing the hair loss, maintaining regular exercise and healthy diet will definitely bring fruitful results if you are suffering from hair loss. 

The common dietary nutrients which help in hair loss prevention are copper, iron, zinc, iodine, protein, silica, vitamin-A, Vitamin-B complex (vitamins B—6 and B-12), biotin, water and folic acid. In addition to this one must know about certain food, which may cause hair loss. 

Maintaining a healthy mineral and vitamin intake doesn’t mean that you should buy a lot of over-the-counter vitamin supplements and fill your cabinet with hair loss prevention supplements. You should be aware that most vitamin supplements available at drugstores or pharmacies are not able to get absorbed by the body, since they are chemically processed. Sometimes over dosage of these vitamins might cause adverse reactions and toxicity. Hair loss prevention can be achieved best by getting the mass of your vitamin needs from food itself.

The first and foremost dietary component that helps best is Vitamin-A. One of the key components of hair is vitamin A. It prevents clogging and drying of the sebaceous glands, which is an essential for hair follicle lubrication. Thus it helps to prevent hair loss. The main source of dietary vitamin A is fish oil, fortified milk, eggs, liver, and orange vegetables. Dark green leafy vegetables are a good source of vitamin A.

Vitamin B is essential for red blood cell metabolism.Your body needs Vitamin B to make hemoglobin. The function of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues including hair. For hair loss prevention, it is always advisable to have high hemoglobin level in the blood. The vitamin B complex can be obtained through chicken, pork, kidney, liver, fish, and soybeans. In general, daily inclusion of any one of these items might help in hair loss prevention. Folic acid will get assimilated in the body via cereals, nuts, whole grains, orange juice, wheat gram and liver. Folic acid also plays an important role in hair loss prevention. Another important nutrient that causes hair loss prevention is Biotin. One should be aware that a serious intestinal disorder or malnutrition might affect the absorption of biotin, since biotin is produced by living bacteria in the healthy gut.

It is obvious that Asians consume exactly the food that is enriched with these nutrients that are an important part in hair loss prevention. Particularly rice is an important part of Asian diets and that’s why Asians tend to have strongest and healthiest hair. Although maintaining a healthy diet is the best way for hair loss prevention, consuming these diets in correct form is essential. Moreover the green vegetables and foods should be eaten uncooked, as they may lose trace minerals once they are cooked extensively.