Thyroid and Dermatology
Thyroid Changes in Skin, Hair, and Nails
January was Thyroid Awareness Month. Thyroid problems can often affect skin, hair, and nails. So, patients are often asking about thyroid problems, and it is frequently on my mind as a dermatologist. Today, we’ll review some basics about how thyroid problems are seen in the dermatology and review how thyroid testing works.
Let’s start with the skin. Patients with low thyroid levels often will have very dry skin. Versus those with elevated thyroid levels often will have clammy skin with excessive sweating. Most patients already know these things and are way ahead of me. Where I tend to see and detect unknown thyroid problems is with chronic itching and hives.
Tips for improving these symptoms:
- Moisturize dry skin with Cetaphil cream.
- For those with itching, I recommend Cerave Itch Relief cream.
- Gloves in a Bottle is great for hands!
As for nails, it’s the same way; patients are usually way ahead of me on this. I feel like it is common knowledge that low thyroid can cause brittle and frail nails.
Tips for improving your nails.
- A vitamin for skin hair and nails is often helpful. The active ingredient is Biotin.
- Remember that it takes six months for fingernails to grow out completely, and one year for toenails to grow out. So, it takes a long time to see improvement.
- For more immediate relief, I like Elon Nail conditioner.
Finally, hair loss, texture, and growth can all be impacted by both high and low thyroid levels. Generally, thyroid abnormalities lead to disruption of the hair cycle in a process called Telogen Effluvium. But thyroid malfunction can also cause the hair to be more dry and brittle.
Tips to get your hair growing again.
- Rogaine is the only product that will kick hair into the active growing phase and hold them there.
- Again, hair generally grows One centimeter a month, so it takes a while to see an improvement.
- A biotin vitamin will help the hair grow stronger and more resilient.
One quick reminder about thyroid testing: Usually, when we are doing a screening test to look for thyroid malfunction, we check a TSH level. TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. TSH is the hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormone. A high TSH level means that the pituitary gland is urging the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormone because it is under-functioning. In contrast, a low TSH level means the pituitary gland knows the thyroid hormone levels are high, so it turns off the signal to produce more. I find patients are often confused about this, and I understand why!
Thyroid malfunction can also cause changes in energy levels and much more. Treating thyroid malfunction can require a team of physicians, including a primary care physician and sometimes an endocrinologist. Your PCP is the best place to start if you think your thyroid is malfunctioning. If you know someone with thyroid problems, please share this article with them.
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