Hair cells are some of the fastest growing in the body, so your hair is a fairly accurate barometer of your health. If you are under a lot of stress, hair cells can actually shut down and redirect their energy elsewhere to places where it is needed in your body. There are numerous physical situations that can cause hair loss such as hormonal changes, medications, nutritional deficiencies, surgery, and many other types of medical conditions and in particular, a malfunctioning thyroid. Under these types of circumstances, hair regrowth may become difficult. According to the American Academy of dermatology, nearly half of all the adults in the US will experience thinning hair by the age of 40.
Hair, as a rule, grows for about three years at a rate of 1/2" per month. Hair goes into a resting period and one in 10 hairs is resting at any one time. After three months, a new hair pushes the old out, commonly referred to as hair regrowth. Hair loss occurs when this balance becomes disrupted and more hairs go into resting or the conversion process speeds up.
Some people that have a severe thyroid problem complain of rapid hair loss and thinning hair. The hair usually falls out in large amounts in the shower or sink, and is often accompanied by changing hair texture, which is usually coarse, dry and easily tangled. Some people, interestingly enough, find that their thyroid problem has been found initially by their hairdresser! Called hypothyroidism, this thyroid disease frequently causes general hair loss on the head and you can also have hair loss on the outer edge of the eyebrows. If you are losing body hair from parts of your body, other than the head, this could also be a sign of thyroid disease and you are advised to visit your doctor.
