# hypothyroidism/hair loss



## misha28 (May 10, 2011)

By far the most difficult consequence of my hypothyroidism has been losing my hair. I've been at "normal" thyroid levels since I started treatment 11 months ago, but my hair hasn't improved, and is still getting worse, in fact. I'm losing it (it grows back thinner and thinner), and is dry, coarse, and easily tangled (I think because it's so thin). At the same time that I started losing my hair, my dandruff became really extreme (I had mild dandruff before that all my life). Does anyone know why hypothyroidism causes hair loss/changes, I mean the mechanism behind it? Do other people have this same experience? Do most peoples hair improve after treatment? Do most people with hypothyroidism even have hair changes? ( also I'm a woman, I mention that since hormones can obviously be an issue). Thanks for any input.


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## HashiMess (May 14, 2011)

Man have I been battling the hair issue! I have Hashi's and ever since I've gone in and out of stages where my hair comes out in handfulls, filling the drain cover in the shower every day or two. I used to have tons of very fine, very healthy and silky hair but now I feel it's down by a third at least and it's very dry and coarse (looks fried). I've gone through several deep conditioning type treatments but I also try to stay away from gluten so it limits hair products. I finally found one called Shea Moisture and I am loving the difference in the way my hair feels, even though it doesn't necessarily effect the growth. I don't know exactly why this seems to happen with thyroid people, but I feel your pain. A bad hair day can definitely wreak havoc on your day! I wish you luck, and if anyone else knows why this happens, please help and give any tips you've found helpful!


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## nojash (Jun 24, 2011)

Hi, I am new here and have hypo. I also have hair loss. My Dr. said it was Alopecia Areata (you can look it up). It is also an autoimmune disease like thyroid and a lot of people with thyroid problems get it, though nobody knows why we get it. I got bald spots almost two years ago and my hair thinned to a third of what I had. I wore wigs and hats to hide it, it was an awful time, but I had to deal with it. I wouldn't go for any treatments because of the side effects and no guarantee that the treatments would work. The Dr. said it could also grow back on its own, which it did, thank goodness. I just about look normal again, but you never know if it will return, so I will just enjoy the moment. If I can give you any more information on this, please let me know. I did a lot of research. There is so much on the web about it. Hope this has helped.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

nojash said:


> Hi, I am new here and have hypo. I also have hair loss. My Dr. said it was Alopecia Areata (you can look it up). It is also an autoimmune disease like thyroid and a lot of people with thyroid problems get it, though nobody knows why we get it. I got bald spots almost two years ago and my hair thinned to a third of what I had. I wore wigs and hats to hide it, it was an awful time, but I had to deal with it. I wouldn't go for any treatments because of the side effects and no guarantee that the treatments would work. The Dr. said it could also grow back on its own, which it did, thank goodness. I just about look normal again, but you never know if it will return, so I will just enjoy the moment. If I can give you any more information on this, please let me know. I did a lot of research. There is so much on the web about it. Hope this has helped.


Hello and welcome! Are you hypothyroid? Are you on thyroxine replacement? So glad to hear that your hair grew back. My eyebrows never have.


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