American Academy of Dermatology: Unraveling the Mystery of Hair Loss: Dermatologists Can Help Provide Answers


SAN FRANCISCO, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Does it seem like lately when you brush your hair, more strands seem to collect on the bristles? Well, it may not be your imagination.  Each year, millions of men and women suffer from unexplained hair loss.  Oftentimes, this visible problem may be a sign of an internal medical problem that is even more serious than the hair loss itself. Fortunately, your dermatologist can help you get to the root of the problem.

Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2003 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, dermatologist Amy J. McMichael, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, discussed some of the serious internal diseases as well as drug side effects that are linked to hair disorders.

Eating Disorders 

While millions of Americans at any given time are on a quest to lose weight, some end up going to extremes to lose these extra pounds.  Anorexia and bulimia are two common eating disorders that can have devastating effects on a person's overall health and self-esteem -- and, as dermatologists point out, hair.

"People with serious eating disorders often try their best to hide their condition, but often it will affect aspects of their personal appearance that they can't hide, such as their hair," said Dr. McMichael.

People with eating disorders often develop calorie and/or protein malnutrition, which forces the body to save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase.  This shift causes shedding of the hair spread out over the entire scalp.  This type of hair loss, known as telogen effluvium, is slow and not noticeable until close to half the hair is lost.  There may also be increased loss when combing, brushing, and washing the hair.  Oftentimes, patients may experience an increase in the baby fine hairs known as lanugo hairs that grow on the face over the cheeks and forehead.

Once the underlying eating disorder is diagnosed and treated, the hair loss can be reversed and prevented as long as the patient maintains a proper nutritionally-sound diet.  Even individuals who are losing weight in a physician-monitored program may experience some hair loss three to six months after losing more than 15 pounds.  This hair loss is common and will return to normal.

"This same pattern of hair loss experienced in individuals with an eating disorder is nearly identical to people who are anemic or have an iron deficiency," added Dr. McMichael.  "Since there are at least 30 diseases that can cause permanent or long-term hair loss, such as thyroid disease or lupus erythematosus, it is crucial for anyone with unexplained hair loss to talk to their dermatologist for the correct diagnosis and treatment based on their condition.  Your dermatologist can also determine whether or not the hair loss is a specific type of hair condition including, for example, androgenetic alopecia, characterized by thinning hair, or alopecia areata, marked by patches of hair loss or complete hair loss on the scalp."

Thyroid Disease 

Hair loss can also be a sign of both hyperthyroidism, an overactive thyroid, and hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid.  In hyperthyroidism, scalp hair may become fine and soft with scattered hair loss.  In hypothyroidism, head and body hair can become dry and coarse with scattered partial hair loss, madarosis (or loss of the lateral one-third of the eyebrows), or an increased percentage of telogen hairs, or shedding hairs.

"Since laboratory tests are needed to diagnose a thyroid problem, it is important for patients who notice these types of changes in their hair to see a dermatologist," explained Dr. McMichael.  "In most cases, hair loss caused by thyroid disease can be reversed with the proper treatment."

Very interesting and informative.  Thanks for posting this.