‘Can thyroid hair loss be reversed?’
‘How to prevent hair fall due to thyroid?’
‘Is hypothyroidism hair loss reversible?’
Yes, you read it correctly.
Most of us are familiar with the thyroid gland, as a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that is responsible for our metabolism and for regulating bodily functions.
But, how many of us know that this butterfly shaped gland is also deciding the quantum of hair strands on our heads?
Thyroid related issues could be contributing to and causing all the hair loss you’ve been witnessing through the months.
Living with thyroid issues can be challenging for those that suffer from hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Especially, when it comes to taking care of your precious locks.
To treat hair loss, it is important to understand the condition of thyroid itself.
What is thyroid?
Thyroid conditions occur when your thyroid gland either doesn’t produce enough or produces too much of certain hormones.
Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, can cause many symptoms, from weight gain, fatigue to even hair loss. Both conditions can cause dry, brittle hair or thinning hair on your scalp and body.
Also Read: 6 Superfoods For Hair Growth
What’s the connection between your thyroid and your hair?
Thyroid hormone accurately controls cellular metabolism and affects virtually every cell in the body, powerfully impacting multiple organ systems and precisely regulating metabolism and our Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR.
Thyroid abnormalities can therefore cause, or make worse, a multitude of health problems. Thyroid conditions can cause hair loss if they are severe and go untreated. Understanding how these conditions cause hair loss involves understanding how hair grows.
Hair follicles by nature are extremely fragile. The rapidly replicating cells, located in each hair follicle require an extraordinary amount of energy, nutrients and ideal conditions to function effectively. A minor change or disruption of these requirements of the ideal nutrients can have profoundly detrimental effects on the hair follicles.
Hair loss in thyroid can happen due to:
1. Overproduction/ Underproduction of certain hormones that are responsible for the growth and nutrition of hair follicles
2. The medication prescribed for thyroid patients can play a serious role in damaging the hair follicles and cause hair thinning.
Symptoms of thyroid-related hair loss. One of the most common signs of thyroid related hair loss is that hair comes out in handfuls.
It is usually most noticeable on the scalp, but can affect hair on any part of the body.
Natural ways and Home Remedies
Along with medication, there are different home remedies you may try to slow hair loss or regenerate hair growth.
The goal of natural remedies or alternative medicine is to fix the root cause of the thyroid problem. Thyroid problems sometimes start as the result of:
- Poor diet
- Stress
- Missing nutrients in your body
Thus, if the 3 causes of thyroid related problems are taken care of, hair loss can definitely be controlled.
Diet
Changing your diet and taking an herbal supplement are two ways you can help control thyroid symptoms for most people. These options have fewer side effects than taking thyroid medication. In general, eating a balanced diet can help to promote growth and improve the condition of hair.
A healthful and balanced diet is one that contains protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and a moderate amount of fat. Some of the foods that must be included for those suffering from thyroid are:
- Fish: Oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids that can help prevent a dry scalp.
- Dark green vegetables: Vegetables such as spinach have high levels of vitamins A and C. These vitamins can improve the condition of hair.
- Protein-rich foods: Eating foods rich in protein can help prevent weak and brittle hair. Dairy foods, legumes, nuts, and lean meats all contain high levels of protein. But it is important to have controlled portions of the same as they could lead to inflammation which could increase the risk of thyroid hormone secretion.
- Biotin-rich foods: 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. Biotin for thyroid hair loss has proven to be a very effective solution.
- Calcium-rich foods: Calcium is key to hair growth. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, such as milk and cheese.
- Selenium Rich foods- According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), selenium is a trace element that plays a part in thyroid hormone metabolism. It’s important to talk with your doctor about how much selenium may be right for you since every person is different.
Other Tips
- Watch your iodine intake as the body uses iodine to make thyroid hormone, so too much may of iodine could cause an imbalance.
- You can slow hair loss by treating your hair with care. Avoid pulling or tugging on your hair.
- Ayurveda also recommends use of herbs such as ashwagandha, bacopa, pippali, Guggu as these act as adaptogens, and have been used to restore equilibrium to the body.
Thyroid treatment in ayurveda has helped a lot of patients curb their otherwise aggressive symptoms.
- Use anti- inflammatory foods such as turmeric and ginger that help improve the function of the endocrine system that will help stabilise thyroid related issues.
- Researchers explain that thyroid issues can affect the body’s ferritin levels. Thus it is extremely important to boost the iron stores of the body to curb symptoms related to thyroid
Thyroid hair loss recovery time can vary person to person. Thyroid conditions generally don’t lead to hair loss until they are more severe.
With proper treatment and the right kind of diet and nutrients, you should see fuller hair within a few months.
