Can A Thyroid Dysfunction Cause Hair Loss? What Are The Symptoms And Signs?

There are many factors that contribute towards hair loss: hormonal changes, diet and nutritional deficiency, stress and poor health. A major cause of severe hair loss is developing a thyroid problem. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are responsible for causing severe early onset of hair loss in both men and women of all ages. Everyone seems to believe that these problems will never happen to them and that a thyroid dysfunction is something that happens to old people. This is far from the truth. We see male and female patients from all age groups. Ask your GP for a blood test immediately if you have a suspicion and consult one of our trichologists early on for advice. Early trichological treatment can prevent severe hair loss from this condition and its associated prescription drugs. Hair growth has a three phase growth cycle: anagen, catagen and telogen dormant phase. When a person suffers from hypothyroidism or hypothyroidism, the general mechanism of the hair growth process shuts down and loses balance. Thyroid malfunctions can force hair follicles to remain in the dormant phase for a longer period of time than normal. This leads to stalled hair growth and eventually to hair loss. 

The thyroid is an endocrine gland, which is located on both sides of the trachea. It secretes the thyroid hormone, known as thyroxin, which regulates the rate of the metabolism. Any disruption in the mechanism can have great impact on overall metabolic activities. Once the metabolism is disturbed, it has been found to cause a series of abnormalities, one major factor being hair loss. Hypothyroidism has often been seen in women. It is often characterized by problems such as lethargy, menstrual imbalance and deceleration of metabolic rate. All of these factors contribute to hair loss. On the other hand, highly excessive functional activities of the thyroid gland can also cause hair loss.

Hormonal dysfunction within the body has a massive effect on hair loss. Hair loss occurs when dihydrotestosterone (DHT) shrinks the hair follicles and eventually causes them to disappear completely. The problem of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism both encourage the conversion process of testosterone into DHT which accelerates hair loss in both men and women of all ages.

Hair loss induced by hormonal abnormalities is serious. This requires immediate action. We suggest that if you are in any doubt then simply feel free to call one of our trichologists for advice.

For further information: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=204

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 at 10:59 am and is filed under FEMALE HAIR LOSS trichologist, HAIR LOSS: TRICHOLOGIST AT WORK by Gary Heron, MALE HAIR LOSS trichologist, TRICHOTALK by Gary Heron Trichologist. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.