Fantasia Salon / Spa and Wig Specialists

Your crowning glory, your hair. We tend to forget that the practical purpose of having hair is to protect our skull. More than anything else, it’s tied in with our personalities and self esteem.

We know that hair loss is a common phenomenon among men and women and that it is more prevalent among men.

The most common form of hair loss in men is called androgenic alopecia. Hair loss which results in baldness can also result in the deterioration of a person; their self esteem, dignity and confidence.

As we have discussed, for women hair loss can be absolutely traumatic. Hair loss is sometimes a symptom of an underlying disease. Although there are many reasons which contribute to hair loss, the largest of these would be hormonal imbalance. It is well known that hormone secretion should be balanced in the proportion which in turn regulates various body functions.

One such hormone is thyroxine, secreted by the thyroid gland and some male and female hormones like estrogen and androgens are responsible for hair loss in the case of imbalance. Thyroid disease frequently causes general hair loss from hair on the head, but what is not commonly known is that a unique and characteristic symptom of hypothyroidism is loss of hair on the outer edge of the eyebrows.

Another factor we have discussed is long-term illness or surgery. Both of these create frustration and stress, which creates a hormone imbalance in our bodies.

Certain medicines and drugs for diseases, such as chemotherapy for cancer, drugs for depression, contraceptive drugs (which contain anti-coagulants) cause thinning of the hair.

So, how do we avoid hair loss? Try to use natural remedies or medicines as opposed to drugs. Avoid stress whenever possible. Consume foods with good protein which is needed for both your hair and nails.

If you suspect you are losing more hair than normal, consult a dermatologist. A good dermatologist experienced in hair loss will do a complete workup in order to access the various causes of hair loss and run tests that may identify other autoimmune conditions besides thyroid that may cause hair loss.

If you are taking levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid, Levonthroid) and still losing hair, you may need to take other actions. Prolonged or escessive hair loss IS a side effect of some of these drugs for some people. You should note that many doctors are unaware of this even though it is a stated side effect in the patient literature put out by the drug company. So, don’t be shocked if your doctor is surprised by this. There are natural thyroid medications available, perhaps you will need to educate your doctor.