Hormones produced by the thyroid control essential body functions such as breathing, heart rate, body weight, body temperature, nervous system, and much more. Simply put, it’s necessary. Thyroid hormones are needed for the growth and maintenance of the hair follicle, which is why so many people with thyroid problems lose their hair.
The thyroid may sometimes produce too little or too much of that hormone, wreaking havoc on your system and affecting hair growth by affecting hair growth at the root. What’s the end result? Depending on how long your thyroid issues go undiagnosed and untreated, you can experience thinning or baldness.
Hair loss is a common side effect of autoimmune thyroid conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. To add insult to injury, the hair on other areas of the body, such as body hair and, yes, brows with thyrotoxicosis, can also be affected. This is known as diffuse hair loss, and it may be a sign of hypothyroidism or low thyroidism.
Dr. Joseph Feuerstein, Director of Integrated Medicine at Stamford Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, shares some insider information: