Thyroid Disease and Hair Loss

Does Thyroid disease affect hair?

Before I write something about the topic, let me explain what thyroid disease is.

Thyroid is nothing but a gland which produces and stores the hormones that help in regulating the heart rate, blood pressure, the metabolism rate and also the body temperature. These hormones play an important role in the growth and development of children.

The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland located in the lower part of the neck.

Picture courtesy: ABC Health & Well Being
When this gland doesn’t produce the required amount of hormones that are needed by the body, thyroid disease occurs.
  • If the thyroid gland releases too many hormones into the bloodstream it is considered as overactive and it results in hyperthyroidism.
  • If it releases very little amount of hormones, it is considered as underactive and it results in hypothyroidism.
These thyroid diseases can be treated with hormone replacement pills that can restore normal levels of thyroid hormones in the blood. But it requires doctor visits once or twice a year for examination and blood tests as needed.

So how this affects hair?

Having talked about the thyroid gland and thyroid disease now let me talk about its effects on the hair health.

Like I wrote before, hair needs proper diet and nutrition, but there are so many other things that affect hair loss. Hormonal changes, some medicines, a surgery and many medical conditions also affect hair loss. Thyroid disease is one of those.

The overproduction and the underproduction of thyroid hormones cause rapid hair loss. This is the main symptom of thyroid disease that can be easily identified. Due to this hair loss, thinning of hair occurs.

So, if anybody has severe hair loss without any reason, and suspect that they might have a thyroid disease should consult a physician immediately and seek advice. If the thyroid disease is treated properly with regular doses of thyroid hormones, hair loss can become less.

There are many other reasons like hormonal changes/ dietary habits/ mental and physical stress that affect hair loss. But, there is a pretty connection between hair loss and thyroid problems.

It can be rectified if proper medication is taken under a physician’s guidance. Please keep in mind that, THYROID DISEASE IS NOT DANGEROUS and CAN BE TREATED EASILY. It’s a common disease in many people and I read somewhere that it is hereditary.

On a Happy Note:
Recently, I came to know that certain yoga postures can cure thyroid disease permanently by balancing the thyroid hormones. Check out the following links for more information on yoga for thyroid disease.

12 comments:

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

hey, this is very informative.. you have opened up a new idea of doing yoga for thyroid. i am having thyroid.. since 5 yrs and even medication doesn't seem to help me now. i will consider doing yoga.. keep up the good work of posting very useful articles Uma.

Unknown said...

yeh such a nice post uma iam also having thyroid since 15 years medicine tesu kuntunnanu kani anta prayojanam ledu every 6months iwill go for a check in one stage it is dangerous uma okko sari baga kallu tirugutayi appudu yeme cheyyalenu avunu n hair chala chala poyindii am doing yoga also hummm na prob.chala cheppanu,bore kottanu sorry

Anonymous said...

Besides thyroid problems, women can suffer other things that can cause hair loss, such as poor diet or stress. You can learn more about hair loss by reading http://www.newrinkles.com/index.php/archive/help-for-women-with-hair-loss/

amna said...

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 3 years back and have bee taking meds since then. hair fall was there initially but regulated now. i even did chemical treatments to my hair :) touch wood!

Anonymous said...

My daughter was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about six years ago. As it turns out, it is actually hypothroidism. Along with a list of thyroid symptoms, she had lost a fair amount of her hair. I had read on so many sites that you should use a satin pillowcase because it doesn't cause friction like cotton pillowcases do. I found her the softest, most beautiful satin pillowcase at
A Touch Of Satin. You might want to goggle them and see their selections. My daughter loved it so much that I would up getting one for myself. I guess if you're going to have your head on a pillowcase for six to eight hours a night, you might as well make it a pretty one that's also good for you. My daughter has noticed a big difference in her hair and so have I.

Anonymous said...

Can thyroid be the main hair loss diseases in women ? What are the other complications of thyroid disease for women?

rhinoplasty beverly hills said...

Thanks for discussing this.Since thyroid is not such a common problem and the symptoms are so diverse that it is hard to identify the disease at go.Hair loss is definitely a problem along with fatigue and tiredness of the body.

Unknown said...

Your research is complete enough that he can trace endocrine problems back to other areas of the body that I have never seen related to each other in literature before. Slow Metabolism San Antonio, TX

Norma said...

Hypothyroidism is a tricky disease. I have thyroid disease, too and I've been taking bovine thyroid ever since.I'm afraid that this disease might trigger other forms of sickness, that's why I always take good care of my health.

Anonymous said...

@ anonymous:

Please advice me, i also have fibromyalgia and hairloss. And my thyroid results are normal. Please suggest me the treatment which your daughter is taking. Email:my email is kilroystreet@rediffmail.com

Thanks

Jasmine said...

If you purchase desiccated bovine capsule supplements or other types of hypothyroidism cure, there's something you need to remember: no hypothyroidism remedy works if you don't live a healthy and balanced life-style.

Felix Williams said...

Thyroid disease is one of the most neglected conditions, maybe that's why most people suffer a lot because they ignore it. Taking proper thyroid medications is essential before serious complications happen.