Thyroid and skin: moisturization

It is known that the lack of thyroid hormones can cause skin dryness (1).

Underactive thyroid and your skin

When having an underactive thyroid, you may experience your skin being:

• rough and covered with fine scales (2)
• pale and cool (3)
• yellowish on the palms and soles and around the indentation lines on either side of the mouth
• covered in purple-colored spots — purpura — this occurs when small blood vessels burst, causing blood to pool under the skin. (4).

In the case of Hashimoto’s one might also experience (5):

• chronic hives — urticaria– lasting for more than six weeks and recur frequently over months or years
• rapid swelling — angioedema — the rapid swelling of the area beneath the skin. It is normally an allergic reaction, but it can also be hereditary. It tends to affect areas with loose areas of tissue, especially the face and throat, as well as the limbs and genitals.

What might help keeping the skin healthy looking?

Certain foods, different types of hydrating creams, and a gentle skin exfoliating routine might help.

Essential nutrients that might help:

• Omega 3 fatty acids — found in fatty fish (salmon or herring), coconut oil, avocado, flax or chia seeds helps with skin elasticity
• Vitamin E — almonds are rich sources of vitamin E, which protects the skin from the effects of sun exposure (6)
• Copper — kale, chard, arugula, copper helps with melanin production
• Zinc — although it is primarily connected to hair health, a deficiency in zinc causes prolonged wound healing
• Beta carotene — found in sweet potato, carrots and most orange coloured vegetables — helps with collagen production and skin elasticity (7).

Hydrating skin routine

1. Exfoliation — helps remov dead skin, prevents pore clogging and increases the blood flow to the skin.

One popular exfoliant might match needs of a dry skin caused by an underactive thyroid — AHA or Alpha-Hydroxy Acid. AHA is naturally present in some fruits and milk sugars, and cosmetic and dermatologic products usually have synthetic AHA (8).

AHAs can be used to easily peel dry skin with minimal risk. How effective will AHA be depends on the skin type, AHA concentration and how often it is used (9).

Using AHA requires caution, as there are several reported adverse effects (10):

• redness
• swelling
• burning
• itching
• higher risk of sunburning

There are a few different types of AHAs, with lactic acid being the mildest of all. Lactic acid helps to (11–13):

• keep the skin moisturized and feeling less dry
• maintain bacterial composition of the skin by balancing skin acidity

2. Moisturizing skin — done by emollients and moisturizing creams. The effectiveness depends on which skin layer the problem starts.

There are many different types of moisturizers which can affect different parts of the skin layer, and in order to have the best effect moisturizers should be tailored with respect to the skin problem (14). Besides finding the right type of moisturizer, the efficacy of the treatment will depend on how frequently it is applied, and the dosage of active components.

New generation of moisturizers, containing ceramides — lipid molecules that help keep moisture within the skin — are shown to be slightly better at keeping skin moist compared to older types of moisturizers (15).

Taking your thyroid medications on time can help with keeping your skin healthy. Track your medication in BOOST Thyroid, and have an easy reminder when you need to renew your thyroid prescription.

How we write: our information is based on the results of peer reviewed studies using the National Library of Medicine platform. It is written by scientists and reviewed by external experts. If you believe we might have overseen crucial scientific information, please contact us at hello@boostthyroid.com

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to mitigate, prevent, treat, cure or diagnose any disease or condition. If you want to change your treatment, lifestyle, your diet, include supplements in your diet or have concerns about your health, please consult your doctor before trying new approaches.

References:

1. Safer JD. Thyroid hormone action on skin, 2011
2. Heymann WR. Cutaneous manifestations of thyroid disease, 1992
3. Pazos-Moura CC, et al. Nailfold capillaroscopy in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism: blood flow velocity during rest and postocclusive reactive hyperemia, 1998
4. Christianson HB. Cutaneous manifestations of hypothyroidism including purpura and ecchymoses, 1976
5. Altrichter S, et al. IgE mediated autoallergy against thyroid peroxidase — a novel pathomechanism of chronic spontaneous urticaria, 2011
6. Keen MA, et al. Vitamin E in dermatology, 2016
7. Scarmo S, et al. Significant correlations of dermal total carotenoids and dermal lycopene with their respective plasma levels in healthy adults, 2010
8. Tang SC, et al. Dual Effects of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids on the Skin, 2018
9. Parker ET, et al. Quantitation of alpha-hydroxy acids in complex prebiotic mixtures via liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, 2016
10. Kaidbey K, et al. Topical glycolic acid enhances photodamage by ultraviolet light, 2003
11. Smith WP. Comparative effectiveness of alpha-hydroxy acids on skin properties, 1996
12. Gueniche A, et al. Bifidobacterium longum lysate, a new ingredient for reactive skin, 2010
13. Loden M. Role of topical emollients and moisturizers in the treatment of dry skin barrier disorders, 2003
14. Nolan K, et al. Moisturizers: reality and the skin benefits, 2012
15. Anderson PC, et al. Are the new moisturizers more effective, 2009

Foto: Unsplash; Design: VLM Health