Hi, a few days ago I posted my story on this forum.
Today I would like to focus on one problem in particular, eye brow hair loss.
I always had rather thin and far from perfect eye brows, but since I had my surgery it got much worse. I feel very bad and embarrassed about it 😞
I understand that losing the outer part of your eye brows is a sign of hypothyroidism, but my TSH value was in range when I noticed the first signs. There is also no improvement now that I am on levo (>2 years)?!
Anybody who is familiar with this?
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Balou23
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Im sorry to read and know you will get best advice here. I understand about eyebrows totally and just to mention i was delighted to have them 'filled in ' you cant tell and they look better than ever, Its worth a go i think. Mind not tatoo. Just a long lasting henna paint
Can you let your eyebrows be filled in with henna without them looking like powder brows? I mean as thin and natural as possible since I am ash blond and not that young?
Hi Balou. I have suffered from thin/sparse eyebrows, particularly the outer third, for many years, and always needed to shade them in with an eyebrow pencil. (I have only in last couple of months been diagnosed hypothyroid, so I presume that has been the underlying cause all these years). Anyway, there is a product available in the US called Latisse which is sold for eyelash and eyebrow growth. It is actually a glaucoma medicine called Bimatoprost (under brand name Lumigan in uk), which users noticed had the side effect of increased lash growth. It is not licensed for that use in the UK, except under private prescription, and is obtainable from some private cosmetic clinics. I used it on my brows with good success but you need to persevere with application (once per day) and it takes 4-6 months to see the growth. I still need to do some pencil shading, but it looks so much better with there being more hairs there. I appreciate it might not work for everyone, but perhaps worth looking into.
Thanks. I tried some eye brow growth serum once, but I don’t like to walk around or even sleep without my eyebrows to be covered with powder Which makes it hard to persevere with application.
The lumigan is water-like consistency. I just dab it on with a very fine applicator once a day before bed, and let it dry in for 10 minutes. I would think you can then continue to apply whatever powder you want on top. It works by extending the life-cycle of individual hairs, so they aren’t falling out as soon as they normally would. For me, I found having some real hairs to shade in gave a much more natural effect than just using a pencil. Best of luck with however you decide to proceed.
my TSH value was in range when I noticed the first signs
Yes, but it's the range that is wrong. A euthyroid (i.e. no thyroid problems) TSH is around 1, never over 2, and when it reaches 3 you are hypo. In some countries, you would be treated at that level, but the NHS likes it to get a lot higher than that before they will treat. So, you can be hypo even though your TSH is still in-range. And many people have hypos symptoms when their TSH is as low as 2, because it's not the TSH that causes the symptoms. It's the FT3, which isn't even tested most of the time! The TSH doesn't always accurately reflect the level of T3.
There is also no improvement now that I am on levo (>2 years)?!
First of all, 2 years is not long in thyroid terms. It can take a lot longer than that to find the right dose. Because just taking levo in itself doesn't get rid of symptoms like lose of eyebrows, It's taking the right dose that does it.
But, I have to warn you that even on the right dose some people never regrow their eyebrows. I never have.
Hair loss and regrowth is also dependant on iron/ferritin levels. Have you had your ferritin tested?
Hi, my ferritine levels are very low. I will discuss with my GP next time.
I read a story about a woman who was taking levothyroxine, first 25/50 mcg, then 100 mcg. It wasn’t until 100mcg that she started to loose the middle part of her eye brows, I find this so confusing.
I have burning, dry eyes during night, trouble vision and under eye bags in the morning, Hairloss and eye brow hair loss and premenstrual syndrome. All can be caused by as well hypothyroidism as hyperthyroidism.
All my lab results are in mid range except for rT3 which is rather high. High rT3 can mean bad conversation to T3 or T4 to high?!
my ferritine levels are very low. I will discuss with my GP next time
If your ferritin levels are very low, ask your GP for a full iron panel. Ferritin is stored iron, but even with low stored iron, serum iron can be high, and you need to know that before you start taking anything. Iron is a very complecated subject - way beyond my comprehension - and I doubt if your GP will know much about it. So, if you have any more blood test results, I would post them on here for help, if I were you.
It wasn’t until 100mcg that she started to loose the middle part of her eye brows, I find this so confusing.
Where hormones and nutrients are concerned, nothing happens instantly. Your eyebrows don't drop out the instant your thyroid hormone levels drop, it takes time for it all to take effect. And, they won't start growing again the instant you increase your dose. Levo is T4, basically a storage hormone that doesn't do much until it is converted into the active hormone, T3. That takes time. The T3 will then travel round the body in the blood for a while before it latches onto a receptor, enters the cell and starts doing anything. Meanwhile, within the cells, thing continue to deteriorate. So, it doesn't surprise me at all that she lost her eyebrows when she increased to 100 mcg. It wasn't because she increased to 100, it was just that it happened to be at that point that the lack of hormone finally took effect.
All can be caused by as well hypothyroidism as hyperthyroidism.
True, the symptoms of both can be much the same. But, if your FT4/3 are around mid-range, you'r not going to be 'hyper' - over-medicated. Mid-range is on the low-side for most hypos, they need it more like 75% through the range.
except for rT3 which is rather high. High rT3 can mean bad conversation to T3 or T4 to high?!
That's the simplistic explanation but it's a lot more complicated than that. Excess rT3 can be caused by many, many things, only one of which has anything to do with thyroid. And that is when you have high FT4 and low FT3. But if yours are both around mid-range then you do not have a conversion problem. And your high rT3 has nothing to do with your thyroid.
I certainly sympathise. I lost the outer edges of my eyebrows long before I was diagnosed hypo, 13 years ago, and they never grew back. Bit by bit I lost them entirely, and my eyelashes also became very patchy and thin.
My best solutions are:
Eyebrows - I tried microblading, which was OK, but now I have semi-permanent eyebrow make-up applied. It lasts at least 12 months and is a big improvement. Quite expensive - about £300 each time.
Eyelashes - I use Latisse/Lumigen as mentioned above and this allows me at least to keep a semblance of having some eyelashes. Also expensive - maybe £150 per year. It does nothing for my eyebrow growth
I hope this helps, sorry but solutions are expensive. For something less costly for brows you could look at Wunderbrow, available on Amazon. I found that quite good in the days before I completely lost mine.
It involves implanting pigment into the upper layers of the skin giving the illusion of hairs and colour. I have mine done at a local beauty salon. It's not painful, but there is a sensation as it's carried out. This link might help you - thebeautyestablishment.co.u...
Not sure - it's not the same as microblading, which I tried first. The semi permanent make-up for me is a better solution - the microblading is a bit harsher.
Hi, I was wondering if you might have had the impression that female hormones were also involved in losing eyebrows completely overtime?
I was on oral contraceptive pill with progestagen for 3 weeks when a lot of eyebrow hair fell out at once. Same as when I was on T3 for 3 weeks!? I also lost some lashes. TSH and free T4 were within range.
I changed to contraceptive pill with estrogen and progestagen a week ago, but I still notice them falling out. I will wait a bit longer and get blood tested again to check on free T4.
It didn't occur to me that female hormones might be part of the problem - I was well into menopause before I started having hypothyroid symptoms, and I only took the contraceptive pill for a few years back in my 20s.
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