hair loss,dry skin

Chris Graham · #1 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 11:15 AM

I was dx as a T1 about 3 months ago. i'm using small doses of novolog and lantus. I've noticed some hair loss/thinning...is this related to D or to the insulin? Also, my skin is really dry...chapped lips, etc. I'm worried how much worse this will get in the winter. Thoughts/advice?

Lex4153 · #2 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 11:19 AM

Dry skin was a huge problem for me when I had high blood sugars. Use lots of lotion and chapstick until your blood sugars come down. Not sure about much else. Hopefully Deus will reply. He's a science wizard!

duck · #3 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 11:34 AM

Chris, next time you go to your doc/endo, have them run a complete Thyroid panel. At least the hair loss/dry skin sounds like a classic thyroid issue to me ("hypothyroid", or not enough thyroid). I don't want to add another ailment to your list of woes, but thyroid issues are very common with T1. I was diagnosed as hypothyroid with similar symptoms four years before developing T1.

Or, it could be you have hard water in your home.

Anyway, get it checked out, just in case.

Chris Graham · #4 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 12:50 PM

I am hypothyroid...was dx at the same time. I am taking a sythnoid. I just had my levels checked a few weeks ago and they were back in the normal range. Should these symptoms get better or am I going bald??? Eck...I'm a chick!

lgvincent · #5 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 12:58 PM

I've had problems with dry skin as far back as I can remember. I'm sure diabetes contributes to it but it seems like it was a problem before I developed the disease. I've never had any problems with hair loss although I keep hoping it will fall out so I won't have to mess with it any more.

duck · #6 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Graham

I am hypothyroid...was dx at the same time. I am taking a sythnoid. I just had my levels checked a few weeks ago and they were back in the normal range. Should these symptoms get better or am I going bald??? Eck...I'm a chick!

Hmmmm...As long as levels test correct by the clinical definition, you should be okay on that end (if you search duck's posts that have "thyroid" in them, you'll see I don't completely believe what I am saying). If you feel otherwise well, and your sugars are good, maybe you should ask the doc about it. Many, many things can make your hair fall out.

May I ask how long you have been hypothyroid?

Cyborg · #7 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 02:03 PM

I get dry skin and I think it's related to the diabetes.

Penny · #8 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 02:13 PM

I get very dry skin, but also get dehydrated very easily. I take a bunch of pills, and my doctor said some ofthe dehydration, thus dry skin, is caused by medication and Diabetes. I have a patch on my wrist that looks like a dark bruise, it is really dry skin. The Doc thougt psoriasis,(sp?) but I am not willing to go to yet another doctor to find out. The thing that works best to help with the dry skin, besides drinking lots of water, is soaking my skin and and putting lotion on while it is damp.

SueM · #9 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 02:33 PM

Were your iron levels checked too?
Hair loss and dry skin can be caused by aneamia.

Chris Graham · #10 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 02:51 PM

I was dx with type 1 and hypothroid almost 4 months ago. I've been so focused on the big D and getting my BG lowered that I haven't give the hypothroid much thought. My endo's office checked my thyroid level at 8 wks post dx and said I was on the right dose of synthroid. In the last week or so the hair loss has become more noticeable. I see the nurse practioner on Wed. Any other questions I should ask?

Thanks eveyone for your responses.

notme · #11 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 03:13 PM

chris....I had a huge issue with hair loss when I was diagnosed with type one. It was so frightening, I like you, was sure I would go bald before I could figure it out. Nobody ever gave me a clear cut answer, but I have never regained much of the hair that I lost, although I did regain some and the thinning finally stopped. I was fortunate that I started out with a whopping thick head of hair or I am sure I would have been bald. As I gained control of my blood sugar and this was over years, I finally stopped having such a hard time. VERY frustrating.

Jaclyn · #12 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny

I get very dry skin, but also get dehydrated very easily. I take a bunch of pills, and my doctor said some ofthe dehydration, thus dry skin, is caused by medication and Diabetes. I have a patch on my wrist that looks like a dark bruise, it is really dry skin. The Doc thougt psoriasis,(sp?) but I am not willing to go to yet another doctor to find out. The thing that works best to help with the dry skin, besides drinking lots of water, is soaking my skin and and putting lotion on while it is damp.

I have a patch on my elbow, looks like a burse, I thought it was excema. Before I was dxd I had the dry skin also, I bought baby oil to shower with and and soap with baby oil in it, of course at the time I thought it was just dry skin from the hot sun.

duck · #13 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Graham

I was dx with type 1 and hypothroid almost 4 months ago. I've been so focused on the big D and getting my BG lowered that I haven't give the hypothroid much thought. My endo's office checked my thyroid level at 8 wks post dx and said I was on the right dose of synthroid. In the last week or so the hair loss has become more noticeable. I see the nurse practioner on Wed. Any other questions I should ask?

Thanks eveyone for your responses.

Did you actually get a copy of the lab results? If it were me, I would demand those as there is some debate about what constitutes "hypothyroid". And you need a full panel done, so your team can evaluate whether complete thyroid functionality is restored (clinically). Some people can show TSH in the normal range and yet still not have the proper levels of T4/T3, or vice versa.

Again, the hair loss and dry skin can be any number of things, but on the heels of your diagnosis, if it were me, I'd want to rule out any sort of thyroid issues that are ongoing. I've said it here before, thyroid problems aren't necessarily life threatening like uncontrolled diabetes, but they are probably harder to diagnose and correct.

JasonJayhawk · #14 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duck

Did you actually get a copy of the lab results? If it were me, I would demand those as there is some debate about what constitutes "hypothyroid".

I totally repeat this statement. My PCP reported that my thyroid levels were normal, and I obtained a copy of the results and could clearly see that they were even in the "Abnormal" range (though close to normal). My endocrinologist disagreed with the PCP, and took good care of me... but I'm sure that any doctor would write off values that are almost normal as being normal.

I sure know I didn't "feel" normal.

duck · #15 (**permalink**) 07-25-2006, 08:38 AM

Yeah, I hate to sound like I bash the medical profession or doctors in general, but we, as patients, need to be informed and knowledgeable about our care. Part of that is knowing what lab results are when you are tested. I know there is a growing backlash in the medical profession against patients who are using the WWW to justify changes in treatment...indeed, that can be dangerous (since we are not all trained professionals). But, it is GOOD to be knowledgeable. And if there is a symptom that lingers, although labs come back clinically acceptable, something is amiss, right?

Chris, it may be something not related to your endocrine system: stress, something in the diet, etc. And it could be natural, hair loss is more common among women than we are lead to believe. But, as long as it is a typical symptom of low thyroid, then you can't yet rule it out unless you have exhausted that route.