For anyone who has or had an overactive thyroid, how much of an impact did this take on your hair? Some may know that I'm underweight (6'1, 124lbs) and I just found from my doctor today that my blood tests for my thyroid and DHEA levels were high...not sure what DHEA means. But I'm definitely looking to adjust my thyroid so maybe I can gain some weight & not look so skinny.
Thyroid and Hair Loss
- Thread starter jasinfla
- Start date
I am a 28 year old male who's been slowly losing his hair since around my late teens/early 20's. I am a Norwood 2.5, but also a diffuse thinner.
The thing about it is, I am 6 ft. and 124 lbs. I cannot put on weight to save my life, and I also experience some other symptoms of having an overactive thyroid (sensitivity to heat, heart palpitations, anxiety, adult acne etc....)
I went to the Doctor in December '09 and was quickly diagnosed as having Androgenic Alopecia, "Classic" as he put it while he shined a light over top of my scalp. He did offer to take blood work though, and only took my basic TSH level which was in the "normal" range. I left with a prescription to Propecia, which I contemplated using, but decided against.
Fast forward to March '10, I was lead to a Holistic Healer which of course everybody frowns upon, but I was desperate and she claimed that she could treat hair loss. I figured "What do I have to lose?". Basically, through body testing, she overhauled my diet, discovered that my thyroid was in fact the main culprit, and that I also had parasites.
I'm not going to go too far into it, but after about 6 months of treatment, my hair shed was minimal, my scalp was no longer oily, and my texture was improving. Since then (I've been going for a year), ALL of my miniaturized hair is growing in long again, slowly getting thicker AND darker. I had a slight recession on the right side of my frontal hair line which is filling in simply because hair that was only 1/4 long (I have long hair) is growing long again. My facial hair also went from blondish/reddish to reddish/black, and my overall appearance has improved though I have not put on weight. Additionally, my bald spots in my temple regions are covered in vellus hair, even though it can only be seen certain lighting. Most of the hair on top of my head, especially in the frontal region still looks like cotton candy, but it IS improving.
I'm not here trying to promote anything, but just show you what an impact the thyroid can have on the hair, which in my finding (and is not a popular belief around here) CAN mimic male pattern baldness. I'm not here to start any wars, I'm just providing my story.
My improvements are slow but steady, so I'm waiting until there is a dramatic difference before I start posting photos around here.
The thing about it is, I am 6 ft. and 124 lbs. I cannot put on weight to save my life, and I also experience some other symptoms of having an overactive thyroid (sensitivity to heat, heart palpitations, anxiety, adult acne etc....)
I went to the Doctor in December '09 and was quickly diagnosed as having Androgenic Alopecia, "Classic" as he put it while he shined a light over top of my scalp. He did offer to take blood work though, and only took my basic TSH level which was in the "normal" range. I left with a prescription to Propecia, which I contemplated using, but decided against.
Fast forward to March '10, I was lead to a Holistic Healer which of course everybody frowns upon, but I was desperate and she claimed that she could treat hair loss. I figured "What do I have to lose?". Basically, through body testing, she overhauled my diet, discovered that my thyroid was in fact the main culprit, and that I also had parasites.
I'm not going to go too far into it, but after about 6 months of treatment, my hair shed was minimal, my scalp was no longer oily, and my texture was improving. Since then (I've been going for a year), ALL of my miniaturized hair is growing in long again, slowly getting thicker AND darker. I had a slight recession on the right side of my frontal hair line which is filling in simply because hair that was only 1/4 long (I have long hair) is growing long again. My facial hair also went from blondish/reddish to reddish/black, and my overall appearance has improved though I have not put on weight. Additionally, my bald spots in my temple regions are covered in vellus hair, even though it can only be seen certain lighting. Most of the hair on top of my head, especially in the frontal region still looks like cotton candy, but it IS improving.
I'm not here trying to promote anything, but just show you what an impact the thyroid can have on the hair, which in my finding (and is not a popular belief around here) CAN mimic male pattern baldness. I'm not here to start any wars, I'm just providing my story.
My improvements are slow but steady, so I'm waiting until there is a dramatic difference before I start posting photos around here.
I think that is awesome and wish you all the best of your improvements. I also believe that it can make quite an impact (was unsure & I'm sure it's probably different for each individual) but thanks for posting. When you do post pics, definitely be cool to see. Wish ya the best Jeremy!
Hoppi
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 61
Usually I point at the liver but in this case... DHEA is a significant suspect here. It's an androgen and probably can play a role in male pattern baldness. I'll bet it gets converted to DHT or something at some point along the line. DHEA is one of the reasons I suspect male pattern baldness may be tied to stress and cholesterol, although there are other possible factors as well.