Is My Thyroid Gland Causing My Hair Loss?
This question comes from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums:
I was diagnosed with androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) several years ago. I recently underwent routine lab work with my primary care doctor and was told I suffer from an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. I’m now wondering if my hair loss could be caused by my thyroid gland and not the androgenic alopecia?
Hypothyroidism – where the thyroid gland secretes too little thyroid hormone and, as a result, the pituitary gland in your brain secretes excessive thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) – is associated with alopecia.
However, hair loss in hypothyroidism is more commonly seen in female patients and likely wouldn’t resemble a patterned alopecia- like you would see in androgenic alopecia. If your hair loss resembles the characteristic “patterns” seen in male pattern hair loss, like vertex thinning and thinning in the frontal-temporal regions, then it is likely caused by androgenic alopecia and not the thyroid.
However, hair loss caused by thyroid problems is usually reversible and could be seen in men as well. If the hair loss is related to the thyroid, appropriately treating the thyroid problems by closely following your doctor’s recommendations could affect the alopecia as well. Make sure to discuss this thoroughly with both the doctor treating the thyroid and a hair loss expert.
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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning
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