Intact Thyroid Gland Ensures Healthy Skin and Hair

Falling hair, brittle nails or dry skin: if the thyroid gland is not working properly, beauty can also suffer.

Effects of a thyroid disorder

“Almost half of all women with a thyroid disorder complain of hair loss,” says private lecturer Dr. Reinhard Finke, a doctor of internal medicine and endocrinology. As the Berlin thyroid specialist reports for the Forum Schilddrüse e.V., an underfunction of this important organ can just as frequently be the cause of skin and hair problems as an overfunction.

The mini organ thyroid does not only control heart, circulation or body temperature, but also the largest organ of the human body, the skin. If the thyroid is out of balance, the skin and its “appendages” also change. Experts use this technical term for hair and nails, both of which grow “out of the skin.”

No more hold in the hairstyle

When hair becomes thinner and finer, women first notice that their hairstyle no longer holds as they are used to. These signs are often typical of an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). The excess of thyroid hormone in the blood accelerates many processes in the body to full speed.

In addition to the typical symptoms such as weight loss, nervousness, sweating, rapid pulse and sleep disturbances, the hair also grows faster. The negative effect for beauty: it also falls out faster, is just like the fingernails thinner, finer and sometimes more brittle. The skin is warmer than usual, can easily become damp or sweaty, itches faster in many, is irritated or reddened.

Therapy of hyperthyroidism

Anyone who observes such phenomena in themselves should have the thyroid gland examined, because in addition to cosmetic problems, hyperfunction can pose a serious risk to the whole organism, so the cause should be found and cured as soon as possible.

If hyperthyroidism is treated, some of the medications used may also occasionally cause hair loss; however, much more often the preceding thyroid disorder still causes the hair to fall out over a period of time. Therefore it is important to know: The more consistently the treatment is applied, the sooner the hair also grows again. Finke therefore gives all those affected the expert tip: “Patience is more sensible here than a hasty discontinuation of the drugs that are necessary in themselves.”

Dull hair, rough skin

In the case of hypothyroidism, hair loss is even at the top of the most common symptoms, according to Finke: “Every second patient observes this with concern.” Skin and hair are then often dry, rough and non-greasy. The nails can become brittle, as in hyperthyroidism, sometimes longitudinal or transverse grooves appear, or the nail plate flattens.

Since in hypothyroidism the body tends to “run on the back burner”, the body temperature also drops: the skin becomes cool and pale, and sometimes looks swollen, especially on the eyelids. Furthermore, constant fatigue, freezing, listlessness or unwanted weight gain with no change in diet can give the doctor important clues to thoroughly examine the thyroid gland.

Get it checked at the doctor’s office

However, the symptoms of hypothyroidism do not always appear clearly: this disorder in particular often develops insidiously and often remains undetected for a long time. Experts estimate that about one in ten people in the population is affected without knowing about it. Since women as a whole and people over the age of 45 are affected more frequently than others, thyroid function should therefore be examined occasionally by a doctor in these risk groups, even without a specific reason.