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Why does low thyroid cause hair loss in women?

Aug 09, 2006 by not the real me | Posted in Women's Health

Why hasn't thyroid replacement treatment stopped hair loss? Any treatment suggestions?

It may not have anything to do with low thyroid.We tend to think of it as a guy thing. But some experts believe that dramatically thinning hair--the fallout (literally) from stress, poor nutrition, an underlying medical condition, harsh hair treatments, or heredity, among other causes--is as common in women as it is in men.

Roughly half of all women over age 40 experience excessive hair loss. And one study estimates that it occurs in 75 percent of women over age 65.

Perhaps you've noticed a few extra hairs in the sink after a combing. Or maybe your scalp appears a little more visible when you emerge from the shower. If you fear that your hair may be thinning significantly, read on to learn more about hair loss in women--what causes it, what it looks like, and what you can do about it.

What's Causing My Hair Loss?
The most common type of hair loss from the scalp (as opposed to hair loss all over the body) is androgenetic alopecia (AA), or pattern baldness. When it occurs in men, it's called male-pattern baldness; in women, it's female-pattern baldness. AA accounts for 95 percent of all cases of head-only hair loss and it results when, for reasons science hasn't identified, hair follicles become sensitive to the hormone androgen.

Who Gets It?
AA is hereditary. A history of the condition in men or women on either side of your family (not just your mom's side, as most people believe) increases your risk of developing it and also influences the age at which your hair loss begins, the speed with which it occurs, and its pattern and extent. But a family history isn't always a factor: About 12 percent of people with AA have no trace of it in their family trees.

What Does It Look Like?
Alopecia means baldness. But women with AA rarely go completely bald, as some men do. Most often a woman's hair simply thins gradually and diffusely on the top of or all over her head. In both men and women, AA is permanent and continues with aging.
What Can I Do?
Be sure to consult an expert who can help determine why your hair is thinning so you can treat the problem correctly. To find a physician in your area who specializes in diseases of the skin and hair, check out the American Academy of Dermatology Web site. Click on Find a Dermatologist to search by state, city, area code, zip code, or last name.

In the meantime, however:

Don't Be Afraid to Wash Your Hair
It won't lead to hair loss.

Avoid Brushing or Teasing
Both can lead to hair loss. Use a wide-toothed comb instead.

Try a New 'Do
A style with layers will help your hair look fuller. You can even perm or color your hair; medically, there's no reason not to. Just avoid a weave or any other style that can put prolonged tension on your hair or cause it to break, which can lead to further hair loss.

Am I Losing It?
The truth is, you are--everyone is. Most of us shed 50 to 150 hairs a day. Once a hair is shed, a new hair from the same follicle replaces the lost strand--unless you have AA. AA occurs when the rate of hair shedding exceeds the rate of hair regrowth, or when the new hair shafts that grow in are thinner than the previous ones, making your mane look progressively less thick.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
You can experience temporary hair loss, and unlike androgenetic alopecia, it's not gradual. Here are two for-women-only causes of temporary hair loss.

Giving Birth
During pregnancy, the rise in hormones sends hair into its resting phase, so hair that would naturally fall out doesn't. Several months after delivery, hormones return to normal, and some women experience an increase in hair loss (all over the head, not just at the top). This can last between 1 and 6 months; then, it usually corrects itself.

Starting the Pill
Some women lose hair while taking birth control pills. The reasons: shifting hormone levels (caused by the Pill) and heredity. If this happens to you, talk to your gynecologist about switching to a different Pill or birth control method.
If you've been checked out by the dermatologist and determined to have thyroid-related hair loss, you may have to settle in and be a bit patient. It's likely that for most, the hair loss will slow down, and eventually stop, once hormone levels are stabilized and in the normal range. This may take a few months, however. But rest assured, I've had many thousands of emails from people, and have yet to hear from anyone who lost most of his or her hair, or became bald, due to thyroid disease. But people -- including myself -- have experienced significant loss of hair volume. In my case, I'd guess at one point, I lost almost half my hair. I had long, thick hair, and it got much thinner at various times. But now, with my thyroid fairly regulated, a T4/T3 drug, and use of EPO, it is at about 85-90% of where it used to beI still have short periods when it seems to be shedding a bit more than usual, but they are quite infrequent. (I used to think I was going to able to stuff pillows with all the hair I was losing!)
Look at Other Alternatives

In one study, Dr. Hugh Rushton, a professor at Portsmouth University, also found that 90 percent of women with thinning hair were deficient in iron and the amino acid lysine. Lysine is the most difficult amino acid to get enough of via diet. Lysine helps transport iron, which is the most important element in the body and essential for many metabolic processes. When lysine and iron levels are low, the body probably switches some hair follicles off to increase levels elsewhere. Meat, fish and eggs are the only food sources of lysine. There are also supplements that contain lysine.

Some other natural ways to deal with hair loss include:


Arginine
Cysteine
Green Tea
Polysorbate 80
Progesterone
Saw Palmetto
Trichosaccaride
Vitamin B6 Zinc
Consult a Doctor for a Prescription Treatment
In some cases, your dermatologist may recommend that you try drug treatments. The two popular drugs for hair loss -- Rogaine and Propecia -- both interfere with DHT's ability to destroy hair follicles. Neither drug is safe to use during pregnancy, however, and so they are not as commonly used in women of child-bearing age. Rogaine, the brand name for minoxidil, is available without a prescription. Women typically use a 2% minoxidil solution applied to the scalp twice a day, and men use a 5% solution. Improvements with minoxidil are slow - it may take months to see any improvement, and a year or more for any dramatic change in hair loss and regrowth. To maintain improvements, minoxidil needs to be continued daily. Propecia, the brand name for finasteride, is a prescription drug taken in pill form. It is not to be used by women in child-bearing years because of its ability to cause serious birth defects, but it has been shown to help some women. Propecia does not, however, appear to be any more effective than minoxidil, and like minoxidil, it can take a year to see results, and must be taken for life to maintain regrowth.

Consider Other Options

Ultimately, if thyroid treatment, drugs, and supplements do not resolve your hair loss, and it is a debilitating problem, you may want to consider other options, including:


Hair-transplant surgery. In this treatment, donor hair follicles are taken from an area of your head that is not thinning. Tiny grafts of just a few hair follicles are implanted in your thinning areas. When successful, the transplanted follicles begin to regrow hair in the sparser areas. Several treatments may be necessary, and visible regrowth may take a year. This approach is better for patches of hair loss, rather than general thinning.

A hair weave, which adds artificial hair to existing hair.

Hairpieces and falls (that can be attached under natural hair, or via combs) for additional fullness and styling options, or wigs.

Could You Have Alopecia?
Hope this helps.