Located at the front of your neck, your thyroid  gland helps to regulate bodily functions like your metabolism, menstrual cycle, and even how quickly food passes through your digestive system.

THYROID HAIR LOSS

Is  there any connection between your hairloss  and your thyroid health??
our hair normally grows in a healthy cyclical pattern with most of the hair follicles growing while only a small number are “resting.” 
With a thyroid imbalance, this cycle can be thrown off, resulting in more hair follicles “resting” than growing — and more hair falling out. 
Hair falls out and may not be replaced by new growth, resulting in thinning across your scalp and Certain drugs used to treat thyroid conditions may also contribute to hair thinning. 
Carbimazole and propylthiouracil are antithyroid drugs that may, in rare cases, lead to hair loss.
It can also be hard to tell if the drug or your thyroid condition is causing your hair to thin due to hair’s long life cycle.
Pregnancy can sometimes lead to thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid issues in pregnancy are mostly caused by an autoimmune reaction. Autoimmune thyroid problems include conditions like Graves disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Postpartum thyroiditis is a condition occurring after pregnancy, causing inflammation of the thyroid gland. This issue can cause either high or low levels of thyroid hormones, which can contribute to hair loss.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own hair follicles as well as other tissues, leading to hair loss. 
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss. It’s also known as pattern baldness. It’s caused by an androgen called dihydrotestosterone [DHT] binding to hair folilicles . both alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia can be associated with thyroid issues.

 Consult Dr. Gupta 

THYROID HAIR THINNING 

Thyroid hair loss often looks like a general thinning across your scalp or eyebrows. Thyroid hair loss might develop slowly; patients with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism notice a gradual thinning of their hair rather than localized bald spots or missing patches. If you’re brushing through your hair and notice chunks of hair leaving with each stroke, it might be time to get tested for a thyroid condition.

THYROID HAIR LOSS EYEBROWS 

Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) often causes general hair loss as well as thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. We don’t know exactly why the eyebrow is targeted in thyroid disorders, but this is a good indicator that your thyroid hormones may be low. 
Interestingly, loss of the outer third of the eyebrows -- known as “lateral eyebrow loss” or “the Hertoghe sign” -- is considered a unique tell tale sign of hypothyroidism. In some cases, it’s the first clinical sign of hypothyroidism.

HYPOTHYROIDISM  VS HYPERTHYROIDISM  HAIR LOSS PATTERNS

Thyroid hormones help keep the hair follicle healthy and working properly. When hair follicles aren’t getting enough hormones, they can’t function as they should. This leads to hypothyroidism hair loss.
Hypothyroidism hari loss is a generalised hair thinning with loss of the outer third of the eyebrows .

An overactive thyroid can lead to processes being ‘sped up’ in the body. This can cause a range of symptoms including a thin skin, and fine brittle hair which is easily pluckable. 

 Call Anshul Gupta MD 

FEMALE PATTERN OF HAIR LOSS DUE TO THYROID ISSUES

Female Pattern Hair Loss is characterized as a nonscarring diffuse alopecia that evolves from the progressive miniaturization of hair follicles and subsequent reduction in the number of hairs, especially in the central, frontal, and parietal scalp regions.It occurs due to  imbalance between estrogen and androgens in the female.excess androgen causes hair loss and reduced estrogen means reduced stimulation of hair follicles.
This pattern should be differentiated form that of thyroid hair loss as the management differs.

The thyroid pattern of hair loss is due to something called telogen effluvium.
People with telogen effluvium often find that their hair comes out in handfuls. It is usually most noticeable on the scalp but can affect hair on any part of the body.When the body has too much or not enough thyroid hormone, it can “shock the system” into a state of telogen effluvium.
Telogen effluvium is a scalp disorder where the hair roots enter the resting stage of the hair cycle too early. This leads to no new folliclescausing hair loss.

 Book a call with Functional medicine Doctor

THYROID HAIR LOSS NATURAL REMEDIES 

MANAGE ASSOCIATED  NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES 

Researchers explain that thyroid issues can affect the body’s ferritin levels. .
Ferritin levels are associated with your iron stores. Low ferritin may contribute to patterned hair loss.Consider having your iron and ferritin tested 

If you eat foods rich in calcium and are being treated for hypothyroidism, try timing them at least four hours after your levothyroxine for the best absorption.

Biotin is a vitamin that is important for hair growth.biotin deficiency can lead to brittle hair or hair loss.
Sources of biotin include whole grains, liver, egg yolk, soy flour, and yeast. 
Biotin is also available in many over-the-counter (OTC) hair vitamins. However, biotin can affect the results of thyroid blood tests, so anyone having a blood test should stop using or consuming products containing biotin for a few days beforehand.

Trace elements including zinc, copper, and selenium are needed for healthy thyroid function. 
The thyroid also needs iodine to produce thyroid hormones. When the thyroid doesn’t have access to enough of these nutrients, it can’t produce enough hormones. This leads to hypothyroidism.

Thyroid hormones are needed to help the body absorb zinc, an essential mineral. Therefore, people with hypothyroidism can experience a zinc deficiency.

Eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa, may also lead to vitamin deficiencies and thinning hair. In particular, deficiencies thought to affect hair include those in zinc, amino acid L-lysine, B-6, and B-12 which cause suboptimal thyroid function.

Processed foods, such as sugars,fried foods etc  may cause an inflammatory response. Caffeine and alcohol may contribute as well. Inflammation may worsen your thyroid symptoms, including hair loss.

 Get a FREE 15 min Functional medicine Consultation 

GENTLE HAIR CARE

You can slow hair loss by treating your hair with care:
•    Avoid pulling hair into tight braids, buns, or ponytails.
•    Resist twisting or pulling your hair.
•    Use a wide-toothed comb versus harsher brushes when loosening knots.
•    acupuncture  work to relieve alopecia areata, possibly by reducing attacks on the hair follicle bulb, stimulating circulation.

ADD IN COLLAGEN PROTEIN

Collagen  is a protein that is packed with amino acids, including glutamine. It gives your hair its strength, your skin its elasticity, supports healthy bones and joints, and helps maintain gut health. Your body produces collagen on its own, however, your production of it decreases as you age and if you are chronically ill or stressed your ability to produce it is reduced.

LOW STOMACH ACID 

If you have a chronic illness such as thyroid dysfunction or an autoimmune condition, you may not be fully digesting and absorbing all of the nutrients that are vital for thyroid function and healthy hair. A primary reason for this is low stomach acid, which breaks down your food once it reaches your gut.

BALANCE BLOOD SUGAR 

Eating lots of carbohydrates and not enough quality proteins and healthy fats can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster. These dramatic swings in blood sugar encourage your body to convert more T4 to Reverse T3, an inactive form of thyroid hormone. This slows down all of your metabolic processes and can cause thyroid hair loss.
To avoid this, start off your day with a high-protein breakfast.

ADDRESS ADRENAL FATIGUE

Your adrenal glands for producing adrenaline and managing your fight or flight response, but as part of your endocrine system, they also produce hormones that impact your major metabolic processes, just like your thyroid.

The flooding and eventual plummeting of stress hormones has many negative impacts on the thyroid. It slows thyroid production, reduces your ability to convert thyroid hormones to their active form, and increases thyroid hormone resistance, causing hypothyroid symptoms, including thyroid hair loss.
While stress may be an unavoidable part of our modern lifestyles, there is much we can do to manage our stress levels and their impact on thyroid health, whether that’s taking a walk outside, practicing meditation, or taking a nice relaxing bath.

 Consult Dr. Gupta, Thyroid Functional Medicine Expert 

CAFFEINATED SHAMPOOS 

If you are thinking about using minoxidil then you should  also take a look at caffeinated shampoos as well. 
Caffeinated shampoos have been shown to work as well as minoxidil which means they can be quite effective. 
Caffeinated shampoo is exactly what you would expect:
Shampoo that contains the added ingredient of caffeine. 
It turns out that caffeine can easily be absorbed through the superficial layers of the skin in your scalp which can then impact your hair follicles. 
How caffeine works to promote hair growth is not well understood but we know that it stimulates hair follicles while simultaneously protecting the hair follicles from testosterone. 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GROW THE HAIR BACK ?

Growing your hair back takes time, on the order of 4-6 months.
While making changes it’s often better to assess how much hair loss you have, instead of how fast your hair is growing back.
You will notice less hair loss while making changes long before you notice your hair growing back.
So while evaluating changes you make, focus on how much hair you are losing instead of if it is growing back.

Suffering from a chronic disease like thyroid, gut problem, weight issues, autoimmune issues, etc... is not easy. Dr. Gupta is a certified Functional Medicine Physician and his personalized plans have helped thousands of people to reclaim their health back.

Now you can get virtual functional medicine consultation from anywhere in the country, especially if you live in Houston, Toledo, Northern Virginia, Los Angeles, NEW YORK & Miami.  Please click below to get started with a 15-minute free evaluation call with Dr. Gupta.

 Book your FREE Functional Medicine Evaluation Call