Is Your Thyroid Causing Scalp Hair Loss?

Scalp hair loss is a very common problem among women. We see several female patients with this condition each week at our clinics. You would be surprised how common it is; many women have learned to style their hair in a way as to hide the problem, or they wear hair extensions, or they actually wear a wig.

Losing hair from the scalp is one of the most devastating illnesses that a young woman can experience. It causes a great deal of emotional trauma, and this is very understandable. The good news is that in the vast majority of cases the hair does grow back.

The amount of hair you have on your scalp and the quality of your hair are good general indicators of your state of health. There is always an explanation for scalp hair loss; it just requires a bit of investigation.

Women with an underactive thyroid gland typically lose some scalp hair. The hair loss tends to occur evenly throughout the entire scalp. That means it does not come out in patches and it is not more noticeable at the front and sides of the scalp if it is purely due to an underactive thyroid. Restoring normal healthy levels of thyroid hormones usually helps to stop hair loss. Some women require prescription thyroxine or Armour thyroid, while other women only need a low dose of hormones, such as in Natural Thyroid Cream.

I have found that just about every patient who has a thyroid problem does not obtain sufficient levels of vitamin D, iodine, selenium or zinc. Deficiency of these nutrients is incredibly common and that does put a person at increased risk of developing a thyroid condition. These nutrients are all combined in Thyroid Health capsules.

Many of the patients we see are already taking thyroid hormone replacement and their thyroid hormones are in the normal range. Yet the patient is still experiencing scalp hair loss. Why is this? There are several other possible explanations for scalp hair loss, including:

• High blood levels of male hormones (androgens) in women. This is a common feature of polycystic ovarian syndrome and diabetes, but may also occur during menopause. A blood test called a Free Androgen Index (FAI) can detect your level of free male hormones. This hormone problem typically results in hair loss predominantly from the front and sides of the scalp. Weight loss and a lower carbohydrate diet can help to lower male hormones. Women with this problem are also typically deficient in progesterone, which further aggravates scalp hair loss. A natural progesterone cream can help to thicken the hair.
• Postpartum hair loss is not uncommon and usually resolves itself within six months. If you are breastfeeding make sure your diet is as nutritious as possible, because many nutrients are lost in breast milk. After giving birth, there is a steep drop in your blood level of the hormone progesterone. This can cause dramatic scalp hair loss, but it is usually only temporary. However, using a natural progesterone cream can help to mitigate this problem.
• Some autoimmune diseases can cause hair loss. Most cases of overactive and underactive thyroid gland are caused by autoimmune disease, and this aggravates the scalp hair loss. However, there are also other autoimmune diseases that can lead to loss of scalp hair, sometimes in patches. Overcoming autoimmune disease involves healing the gut lining (healing leaky gut), correcting nutrient deficiencies, and improving liver function. This can feel difficult and overwhelming, particularly for people who suffer from fatigue.
• Stress and nutritional deficiencies can lead to scalp hair loss. Deficiency of iron and B vitamins are most commonly at fault. Very low-calorie diets can also produce scalp hair loss. Most women lose some scalp hair if they lose weight very quickly, and this is only temporary.
• Some medications can produce hair loss as an unfortunate side effect. These include drugs for blood pressure and heart conditions, gout, arthritis, and some anti-depressants.

For more information about hair loss and the thyroid, see the book Your Thyroid Problems Solved.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.