Understanding your hair loss
Have you noticed a pattern of losing more hair than usual? While it can be scary and embarrassing, hair loss is a common symptom for both men and women. And by understanding why your hair loss has developed, you can take action to rebalance it and restore your hair to health.
What type of hair loss are you experiencing?
There is more than one form of hair loss. So in order for you to manage yours, you need to know which type you’re dealing with.
The 3 major forms of hair loss are:
Androgenetic alopecia – this is the most common form of hair loss. You may hear it referred to as male/female pattern hair loss, as each sex experiences a different pattern.
For males, it involves the hairline receding into an ‘M’ shape, as well as thinning on top that can lead to complete baldness. For females, the hair on top thins and the part widens. However, it rarely leads to complete baldness or a receding hairline.
Alopecia areata – this is an autoimmune form of hair loss. The immune system creates antibodies that attacks the hair follicle. As a result, patchy hair loss is experienced all over the scalp.
Telogen effluvium – this is the most common form of hair loss in thyroid disease. It involves diffuse thinning of the hair over the entire scalp, as well as brittle, dry hair that breaks easily.
What can cause hair loss?
Like any health concern, there are many factors that can contribute to hair loss. Even within the specific types of hair loss, there can be multiple factors working together to cause the problem!
With that in mind, here are some of the most common drivers behind hair loss:
Prolonged thyroid conditions – I had to start with this one, as I see it so frequently! Both high and low thyroid hormone levels can affect hair at the root level, slow growth and cause dry, brittle hair. If this is a factor for you, make sure you grab a copy of the Guide further down.
Anti-thyroid medications – PTU and carbimazole are linked to hair loss, which means a double-whammy for those with an overactive thyroid!
Autoimmunity – many other autoimmune conditions can lead to hair loss including lupus, psoriasis and IBD.
Stress – chronic stress can impair your hair follicle stem cells, as well as pushing your hair follicles into a ‘resting’ phase. As a result, hair growth slows while hair fall and thinning increases.
Androgen excess – we see this in conditions such as PCOS in women. In men, an excess of DHT can also drive male-pattern hair loss.
Impaired gut health – this will be covered in more detail in a future article! But in short, an unhealthy gut can mean reduced absorption of key nutrients, higher risk of immune dysfunction, and increased inflammation.
Low nutrient levels – this includes low protein, iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin B12 and essential fatty acids. If you don’t get enough of the building blocks needed for your hair and the mechanisms that support growth, hair loss will result!
Blood sugar dysregulation – an imbalance in blood sugar levels can affect your insulin and thyroid hormones. As both of these can affect hair growth, a chronically imbalanced blood sugar can result in hair loss.
Certain infections – as autoimmunity can be driven by infections, it’s not a big surprise to know that infections could be a cause behind hair loss. Recent studies have found a massive increase in alopecia areata may be driven by Covid 19 infection. Previous research has also seen hair loss in other infections such as Epstein Barr and cytomegalovirus.
Is there anything you can do about hair loss?
Absolutely there is! You’re not doomed to thinning, brittle hair or chunks falling out every time you shower forever. While we can’t control every single driver behind hair loss, we can influence many of them through our daily choices.
Managing hair loss holistically is about taking a two-pronged approach. Firstly, you need to nourish the hair from the inside out. And secondly, you need to choose products with active ingredients that will support your hair growth, while also avoiding damaging ingredients.
Stay tuned for upcoming articles for more tips on what’s driving your hair loss, as well as what steps you can take to nurture your hair back to health.
Noticed thinning hair, breakage or hair loss due to your thyroid struggles?
This can be an incredibly stressful group of symptoms and significantly impact your self-esteem & mental wellbeing.
But there are steps you can take to improve your hair health. That's why I've created a new FREE resource for you: Thyroid Hair Loss!