Hypothyroid Hair LossThe questions below were raised by visitors to the STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) website in the AskST section of the website. eMenders doctors provided the answers to the questions raised as a public health education project. The information provided below is of a general nature and should not be treated as a replacement for medical advice. You should seek consultation from a medical or healthcare professional about your specific medical condition.
Question:
How do we cure hypothyroid hair loss? I read that thyroxine causes hair loss in some patients. Is this true?
Answer:
Hair in hypothyroid patients is often dry, brittle and coarse in texture. Hair is part of the skin, the latter being generally pale with yellow discoloration, the result of elevation of serum and tissue carotene levels, anaemia and decreased blood flow. The skin is often cool and dry, a reflection of the decrease in sweat and oil secretion. Alopecia (hair loss) commonly occurs on the scalp and the lateral eyebrows.
All these skin and hair-related problems are reversible with correction of the under active thyroid gland (hypothyroid state) with thyroxine (a thyroid hormone) supplements. Thyroxine, when given as treatment for hypothyroidism, reverses hair loss.
DR ALEX FOK is a Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Center.