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Can hair loss due to thyroid problems cause a tingling, itching or painful scalp?
I recently received correspondence from someone who was fairly certain that her hair loss and hair thinning was due to an underlying thyroid problem. However, in addition to the hair loss, she also had problems with her scalp. Most of the time it was tight and tingly. But sometimes she also had pain and itching. She had read about the symptoms of thyroid problems related to hair, and although she learned that hair loss was common, she couldn't find anything about the corresponding scalp problems. She wanted to know if the scalp problems could be related to the thyroid problems or if they were separate...
Can hair loss due to thyroid problems cause a tingling, itching or painful scalp?
I recently received correspondence from someone who was fairly certain that her hair loss and hair thinning was due to an underlying thyroid problem. However, in addition to the hair loss, she also had problems with her scalp. Most of the time it was tight and tingly. But sometimes she also had pain and itching. She had read about the symptoms of thyroid problems related to hair, and although she learned that hair loss was common, she couldn't find anything about the corresponding scalp problems. She wanted to know if the scalp problems could be related to the thyroid problems or if they were separate things. I will explain this in more detail in the following article.
Thyroid problems can lead to telogen effluvium (TE), which in turn can affect your scalp:Scalp problems are not often discussed as a symptom of thyroid problems, although this is often the case with hair loss. But that doesn't mean that one has nothing to do with the other. Often, hormonal fluctuations, disruptions, or inadequacies (such as hyper- or hypo-thyroid) can lead to a condition called telogen effluvium, in which your hair follicles go from growing to resting and shedding in large numbers.
Because so many follicles are affected at once, inflammation can certainly occur, which in turn leads to the pain, itching, and tingling that I often get asked about. Thyroid problems do not directly cause these problems. The TE is what is causing this, but the hormonal issues caused the TE. In this sense, they are certainly indirectly related. You will often hear this condition referred to as “burning scalp syndrome.”
Androgens and hair regrowth are other problems that can cause tingling, itching or pain on the scalp:There are some other things related to this cycle that can also cause scalp problems. Sometimes when you are at the back end of the TE you grow back a large amount of hair. As these follicles become active again and grow back, you may feel it in your scalp.
Sometimes there is also an underlying androgen problem or a growing sensitivity to the androgens that exacerbates or exposes the hormonal problem. Sensitivity to androgens is probably the most common cause (besides TE) of scalp problems and discomfort. Therefore, it is a good idea to consider this possibility as well if you have not already ruled it out.
How can you make your problem scalp feel better?:The first step to getting relief is to figure out why this is happening. If this is due to androgens, there are ways to reduce your sensitivity. It may make sense to try topical topics before resorting to medications or herbs. If the scalp problems are due to hormonal telogen effluvium, the initial TE usually has to run its course. (You can usually try to prevent future shedding by managing the thyroid problem.)
In the meantime, you can and should treat the inflammation. There are many topics that can soothe and heal your scalp as well as stimulate regrowth. However, be careful not to choose an anti-inflammatory that could clog the follicles you are trying to stimulate. Both tea tree oil and emu oil work well, but often need to be diluted and combined with other things to minimize this risk.
Inspired by Ava Alderman