Can Psoriasis Cause Hair Loss?
Yesterday, I received a question on my blog where I was asked if psoriasis can be the cause of hair loss, thinning, or shedding. The reader did not often find this condition listed as one that caused hair loss, but felt that the timing between the two was too coincidental to ignore. I’ll tell you what I told her in the following article.
Psoriasis Is An Autoimmune Condition: Many people mistakenly think that psoriasis is very similar to dandruff or other conditions that involve excess sebum or androgens. In fact, this is an autoimmune condition in which excess skin production causes scaly patches that sometimes take on a silvery white appearance. You’ll often see areas like the elbows and knees affected, but the scalp is not at all off limits.
It’s pretty well known that there are many autoimmune conditions that cause hair loss including alopecia areata, lupus, and Hashimoto thyroiditis. Many doctors are reluctant to place psoriasis in this category, but I personally think that you can make this argument as the timing between the two will often suggest a connection. The treatment for these conditions vary. But in terms of hair loss, there is a European study that has shown promise using and rotating specific essential oils rubbed into the scalp.
Other Theories On Hair Loss, Hair Thinning, Or Shedding Along With Psoriasis: Many doctors will tell you that when this condition occurs on the scalp, the plaque and scales can choke out the hair follicles and keep healthy hair from growing (only while there is a flare in place.) Often, this doesn’t not occur over the entire scalp. There will more often be patches that you can clearly see being affected and that is where you’ll see the hair being compromised or thinning. (This process is pretty hard to miss and is pretty obvious upon close inspection.) However, typically when the area heals, the hair will become normal again.
The other possibility is that a flare has placed stress upon the body. The body in turn will often shut down some functions to conserve. One of these function is the hair growth cycle and what you will get as the result is a condition called TE (or telogen effluvium.) This happens when a large number of hairs move from the growth cycle to the rest cycle. This is followed by a shedding of the hair. What you’ll see is a lot of hair falling out at one time all of a sudden. This is the same thing that happens to women after they give birth. Typically, the shedding will stop in a few weeks or months and as long as their are not scales or patches on the scalp, regrowth should be fine.
Stopping Hair Loss Related To This Condition: Obviously the best course of action to stop the loss is to effectively treat the condition. Often this happens with trial and error with your doctor. Some doctors use medications and some use a laser or alternative therapies. However, some folks find that treating the symptoms isn’t doing anything for the hair. In these cases, you may want to look at lessening the inflammation on and in stimulating your scalp to produce healthy regrowth. Sometimes, you will have diffuse thinning that doesn’t really present like TE shedding and / or doesn’t occur in the effected areas. In these cases, you may want to look at other possibilities. It’s not inconceivable that the hair situation does not relate to the psoriasis in some cases.
Can Psoriasis Cause Hair Loss? by Ava Alderman
