Various diseases can cause hair to become brittle and thin over time and ultimately fall out. Hair loss can be caused by Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease. The loss of hair is usually an enormous psychological burden for the people affected.
How can hair loss from Graves’ disease occur?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune thyroid disease. The thyroid gland is the most important hormone gland and is located on the neck. Graves’ disease is characterized by an excessive production of thyroid hormones and is often accompanied by an overactive and enlarged thyroid.
The autoimmune disease is characterized by the fact that the body’s defense attacks its own thyroid tissue. The disease can lead to cardiac arrhythmias, hot flashes, high blood pressure and rapid heartbeat, which is why the body is constantly running at full speed.
This causes the hair to grow much too quickly and only reach a short length because it falls into the resting phase far too early. This makes the hair thinner and finer. The hair can no longer grow properly and will fall out over time. But also the medication, which often has to be taken due to the autoimmune disease, mess up the entire metabolism of the body, which can also promote the loss of hair.
How can hair loss from Graves’ disease be treated?
You should first have a competent doctor determine whether the disease from Graves’ disease is responsible for the loss of your hair. This can be determined by a lab test. The autoimmune disease is then treated with medication.
The complaints that arise from the enlargement of the thyroid gland may also require medication therapy. First of all, the autoimmune disease and not the hair loss must be treated first. Drug therapy ensures that the hormonal balance is regulated again, which often improves hair loss.
However, therapy with mostly sulfur-containing thyroid drugs has side effects such as itching or hair loss. In addition to the disease itself, drug treatment can further increase hair loss, which is why many sufferers find themselves in a vicious cycle.
Is the hair loss reversible?
The good news is that hair loss caused by Graves’ disease is reversible in most cases. In most affected people, hair loss recurs as soon as hormones are regulated. However, there are also cases where hair growth cannot be restored.
It is not possible for new hair growth to emerge if the roots of the hair are so badly damaged that they eventually die completely. Dead hair roots are no longer able to produce new hair, so the bald spots on the scalp are permanent.
Is a hair transplant suitable for hair loss caused by Graves’ disease?
If you find that your hair roots are permanently damaged, which prevents hair loss from regenerating on its own, a hair transplant is recommended. The own hair transplant enables new and healthy hair to grow again in completely bald areas.
During hair implantation, follicular units are removed from a suitable donor area on your scalp. In the laboratory, the grafts are placed in a special nutrient solution and processed. Then they are ready for transplantation and are individually and precisely implanted in the scalp. Due to the latest techniques and procedures, the procedure is very painless and only tiny scars remain that are barely visible.
After the hair transplant, the healing process begins. It is completely natural that most of the hair will fall out after a few weeks because it will go into a resting phase because it has been separated from the important nutrient and oxygen supply for a longer period of time.
A few months after the surgery, the hair begins to grow again and the final result can be seen around a year later. In people who suffer from raves’ disease, however, there is always a risk that the newly transplanted hair roots will be attacked by the body’s defense system and fall out again.
The synthetic hair transplant
To avoid this risk, a synthetic hair transplant might be the better choice. Here, not their own follicular units are transplanted, but biosynthetic synthetic hair. The length and color of the so-called biofibre can be chosen freely. The advantage of such a synthetic hair transplant is that they are socially acceptable again immediately afterwards.
The transplant can be reversed at any time if desired. This form of hair implantation is also suitable if there are not enough follicular units of your own to completely cover all bald spots.
Conclusion
People with Graves’ disease often struggle with hair loss. The autoimmune disease, which targets the thyroid tissue, often results in an overactive thyroid. The excess hormone caused by this causes the hair to grow much faster than usual and thereby fall early into the resting phase, which means that it stays much shorter.
In addition, numerous medications that must be taken to keep Graves’ disease at bay also cause hair to fall out. Hair loss caused by Graves’ disease is usually reversible and gets better once the appropriate medication has been found.
In some cases, however, the roots of the hair are irreversibly damaged, so that the loss of the hair is permanent. A hair transplant or a synthetic hair transplant ensure that you can enjoy having a full head of hair again.
