Can thyroid cause hair loss?

by Dr Jaspreet Sarna August 19, 2021

You never give up on your hair. Isn’t it? Yet you experience a significant amount of hair loss. Is this the scenario you are facing? Never mind, Traya is here with their natural and effortless hair loss treatments you can look into. Hair loss can happen due to many reasons and the first step would be to understand the cause of hair loss. But again, here is a twist, understand that first, you losing only a few strands of hair while combing or washing your hair is not hair loss, that’s a normal process that comes within the hair growth cycle. The dead hair follicles fall out and make way for the growth of new hairs. Each day losing around a hundred strands of your hair is something very normal. But that doesn’t mean you can start neglecting your hair. Hair loss can occur due to many reasons like heredity, age, health issues, improper blood circulation, and many more. Thyroid for hair loss can also be a reason. While many of you may know a lot of ways to control hair loss and ways to grow hair, the treatments, and remedies of thyroid for hair loss might not be known to many. Here in this article, we will read about hair fall due to thyroid and the treatments and natural ways for hair loss due to thyroid.

Does Thyroid Cause Hair Loss

If you are experiencing fatigue, weight gain, cold, anxiety, or sweaty, mood swings besides hair loss means your thyroid gland needs some extra attention and special care. This thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland that is situated in the front part of a human neck. The two most common problems are hypothyroidism which means there is insufficiency in the production of the thyroid hormones and hyperthyroidism which means the production of the thyroid hormones has significantly increased. These underactive and overactive problems in thyroid glands lead to hair loss problems. Yes, thyroid for hair loss has a huge role to play. The thyroid is linked with hair loss problems as the thyroid gland has a role to play in developing and maintaining your hair follicles. Hence, when there is an imbalance in the functioning of the thyroid gland hair starts to fall out. People suffering from alopecia or pattern baldness have surely had some thyroid hitches. Hair thinning due to thyroid also takes place due to the intake of certain drugs that are being suggested as the treatment for thyroid. Hair fall treatment for women becomes extremely necessary during the time of menopause. Moreover, thyroid disorder and menopause can together lead to hair fall, whereas sometimes only one among the two is the culprit of hair loss.

How to Identify Hair Loss due to Thyroid

Hair loss itself is a symptom of abnormality in the thyroid glands. Thyroid hair loss can be identified mostly when the functioning of T3 and T4 hormones gets disturbed. These hormones are responsible for the development of the hair follicles from the roots of the hair, Thus an imbalance in these hormones can cause an imbalance in the development of the hairs from the roots. Hair slowly starts falling in small patches and does not get replaced. Hair thinning due to thyroid also happens due to the disordered T3 and T4 hormones. Alopecia, a common hair problem, is also related to thyroid hair loss. Autoimmune alopecia tends to discrete circular patches of hair. Thyroid problems for hair loss can cause diseases like polycystic ovary syndrome and lupus erythematosus which are also related to thyroid hair loss. It is advisable to consult a doctor when you notice some very common symptoms like mood swings, sudden weight gain, irritation among a few, and give a quick check to your thyroid gland, which if not treated on time can lead to several other problems including severe hair loss.

Treatments for Hair Loss due to Thyroid

Doing a check-up from a reputed doctor is advisable for treating thyroid problems. As severe thyroid problems would lead to thinning of your hair and a decrease in the regrowth cycle of hair, consulting a doctor and going through certain medications will keep the thyroid gland problems under check and will help in maintaining thicker hair. Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS hair loss can also lead to hair troubles for women. But the sigh of relief being thyroid hair loss can very well be a temporary problem. All you need to do is diagnose the thyroid hormone disease correctly and find the right dose for your thyroid hormonal disorder. Healthy thyroid hormone levels mean healthy growth of hair. Among the medications, a specialized doctor would suggest levothyroxine sodium. This is a synthetic hormone also known as Levothroid, Levoxyl, or Synthroid. This treatment is suggested for underactive thyroid problems or hypothyroidism. Treatments for hyperthyroidism can vary. Some medications include antithyroid drugs like methimazole and propylthiouracil. Sometimes radioactive therapies are also prescribed that can reduce and control the production of thyroid hormones. Surgery is also prescribed in some conditions.

Home Remedies for Thyroid Hair Loss

Besides some treatments, thyroid hair loss can also be treated naturally with the inclusion of practices like exercise for hair growth, yoga for hair growth as well as the inclusion of fruits for hair growth. Here are some home remedies for hair loss due to thyroid:

Use essential oils and keep your everyday stress level under check, stress can lead to some serious hair fall problems.
Increase in the level of iron intake. Ferritin is a blood protein that is linked with hair growth. It is also associated with the levels of iron. Thus, low ferritin means low levels of iron and hence hair loss. Thyroid problems are also related to lower levels of ferritin. The solution is to boost the level of iron intake to keep both ferritin and thyroid levels under check.
Eat a balanced diet that includes foods rich in calcium as well as treats your nutritional deficiencies. Include foods rich in Vitamin B 7 or biotin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A, iron, copper, and zinc.
Proteins act as your hair's building blocks so include foods that are rich in proteins in your diet.
Thyroid disorders can be caused due to improper functioning of the endocrine system as thyroid is a part of it. Hence, the inclusion of anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric and ginger will be great for the improvement of endocrine functions. Green tea for hair also plays a great role in keeping your hair game perfect.

How to Deal with Thyroid Hair Loss?

Thyroid hormones can cause various problems in different body functioning. While thyroid hair loss is also a problem among many, the good news is, in most cases hair problems due to thyroid are temporary. Here are a few quick tips on how you can deal with thyroid hair loss:

Involve in activities like yoga and exercise.
Be gentle with your hair. Wash and groom your hair using the correct products suitable for your hair type.
Avoid complicated hairstyles and do not pull your hair by making tight braids, buns, or tight ponytails.
Avoid using heat styling products like hair straighteners and hair dryers and instead, involve in natural ways of styling.
Be cautious regarding your iodine intake. An excessive amount of iodine can result in autoimmune thyroid diseases.
Gently comb your hair using a wide-tooth comb.
Lastly, you need to be patient in case of thyroid hair loss. Although it might be temporary, you might see recovery after several months. So, don’t get exasperated and have endurance.

Thyroid hair loss does not take place unless extremely severe. It is always safe to consult a doctor before starting any medications for treating the thyroid. Once your thyroid hormone Is under control, thyroid hair loss will eventually resolve on its own. Do not panic as this might be a time taking procedure. The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology says that control in hair loss can be noticed after almost eight months from the beginning of the treatment. Keep calm, have patience and continue to serve your hair correctly with Traya being always there as your haircare partner.