“MOMMMMMMY! Itchy!” I cried as my mother whipped me up in her arms and carried me to a bathroom sink filled with warm water and epsom salts. I was 3. Or at least that is the earliest memory I have of the eczema that would devastate my skin (oh the oozing, itchy, angry red eczema on my feet were some of the worst moments) every winter of my life.
Dermatologist after dermatologist gave my mother cream after cream to apply until I was old enough to continue the hated tradition on my own. Those creams did nothing to help me. I learned to live with it. I would hide my oozing, red hands in my pockets or behind my back or in gloves. I figured this was just who I was and I had to live with it. Or at least that was what my dermatologists had me believe.
Then an incredible thing happened. One winter my eczema didn’t appear. No eczema. This can’t be possible? After practically life-long eczema it seemed unlikely that it had disappeared all on its own. It was that same year that I had had enough with hypothyroidism. I wasn’t going to let this disease define me and I got into the best health of my life, digging through the scientific literature on hypothyroidism and reading anything and everything on hypothyroidism. Finding a fabulous doctor who really listened to me and I was feeling the best I had in years. And guess what? That eczema that I had endured for almost 40 years disappeared and it hasn’t reappeared for nearly 8 years now. If you’ve been following Hypothyroid Mom for any length of time, you know that I’ve mentioned that I suspect now that I had undiagnosed hypothyroidism since I was a wee child, for as long as I can remember having that eczema too. Do you see the connection?
Written by Jennifer Fugo, MS, CHC
If you’re suffering from dry, itchy, flaky skin or have psoriasis or eczema, it’s likely you’re not thinking about your thyroid. Why would you? When you’re dealing with something as conspicuous and painful as a rash, it’s difficult to think about anything other than getting rid of it on the surface.
Believe me, I know. Before I went gluten-free and healed my gut, I suffered from chronic eczema and other skin issues. I would have done almost anything to get rid of the embarrassing rashes and visible inflammation.
Now I know that eczema, psoriasis, and other skin rashes are never just skin deep.
Your skin is more like a signal of what’s going on inside of you … a signal that everyone can (unfortunately) see.
And for the estimated 20 million people in the US who suffer from thyroid disease, the prevalence of skin rashes is even higher.
Let’s dig into some of the ways your thyroid, your gut, and your skin are related, and where to start on your healing journey if you suffer from thyroid skin rashes.
What Does Your Thyroid Have to Do With Eczema and Psoriasis?
Your thyroid is well known for regulating your body temperature and metabolism. But there’s way more behind the scenes at play. Thyroid hormones have receptor sites in every cell in your body; meaning an underactive thyroid has the potential to disrupt cell metabolism and detox throughout your body.
There are two major ways your thyroid and skin health are related.
- Low thyroid function affects your gut. And your gut impacts your skin.
You simply cannot have healthy gut function with a poorly functioning thyroid.
Among other things, thyroid hormones (TH) contribute to keeping tight junctions in the stomach and skin tight, so they stay sealed and don’t let stray molecules in or out. TH also helps intestinal mucosa cells get to full maturity. When intestinal mucosa aren’t fully developed and tight junctions begin to loosen, you’ll begin to see symptoms like:
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- Decrease in hydrochloric acid (gastric acid) production
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- Leaky gut syndrome
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- Food sensitivities
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- Gut symptoms (ie. gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea)
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- Slow motility (that can lead to Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO))
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- Fungal overgrowth
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- Bacterial overgrowth
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- Gut pathogens
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- Brain fog
All of these symptoms make it tough for your body to process and excrete toxins. The more your body holds onto toxins, the more we begin to see the physical ramifications of this in the form of rashes and other skin issues.
Leaky gut and SIBO wreak havoc on your gut lining and can even trigger autoimmune diseases that includes dermatitis herpetiformis, vitiligo, psoriasis, dermatomyositis, lupus, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and even eczema.
- Low thyroid function reduces blood flow to your skin.
Hypothyroidism reduces blood flow to your skin.
This is bad news.
While your skin is an organ, it also happens to be of the lowest priority. And reduced blood flow to the lowest priority organ (your skin) means a couple of things.
First, nutrients and oxygen can’t properly flow to the skin cells to aid in detox, repair, and regeneration. As a result, the environment around your skin cells can become rather toxic and unhealthy. That certainly makes it difficult for healthy cellular turnover.
And the cells themselves don’t have enough nutrients vital for healthy turnover (which happens about every 28 to 40 days). When you can’t make healthy new cells, that’s how you end up with unending skin rashes.
Second, when you have hypothyroidism, there are also less thyroid hormones in general to aid in cellular metabolism, which prevents the skin from releasing toxins properly.
When #1 (gut dysbiosis and a higher toxic burden on the inside) and #2 (decrease in blood flow inhibiting the skin’s natural detox capabilities) combine, it’s a perfect storm for a massive buildup of waste, which can trigger a myriad of skin issues, eczema and psoriasis just being two of them. There’s a reason that dry, itchy, brittle skin, hair, and nails are some of the first physical symptoms of hypothyroidism.
This is also the reason why slathering yourself in lotions and steroid creams rarely work. When you can’t shed old skin cells or excrete toxins properly, your body can’t create new, healthy skin cells either. Most lotions are just adding to the problem, making it harder to shed the old and let the new flourish.
How to Heal Your Thyroid Skin Rashes
If the underlying cause of your skin rash is related to a thyroid disorder, it’s important that you look at your healing with a holistic lens. Your thyroid regulates nearly every metabolic pathway in your body, affecting everything from your brain to your digestion to your skin.
No amount of steroid creams or topical potions will, for instance, heal the lining of your gut or reduce systemic inflammation.
To help get you started, here are some steps to healing from the inside-out.
Optimize Thyroid Function
I often tell clients that you can’t outsmart or out-work your thyroid. If your levels are not optimal (or close to there), it’s difficult to get your skin back on track since so much of its healthy function is tied to your thyroid.
As always, request a full thyroid panel that includes:
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- TSH
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- Free T3
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- Free T4
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- Reverse T3
- Thyroid antibodies
From there, you have the opportunity to work with your doctor to address if medication is necessary or if your dosage needs adjustment. And sometimes you may need to shift away from a T4 replacement drug to a T3/T4 combo like Armour in order to start seeing improvement.
This piece is critical because I’ve found with clients that dialing in your thyroid medication will allow for faster improvements. You’ll no longer be fighting against the current to get your thyroid skin rashes to resolve while working on the other pieces of your skin rash puzzle.
Identify Your Food Triggers
The first line of defense when it comes to healing skin rashes is to identify your food triggers. Eliminating inflammatory and triggering foods will not only help short-term inflammation and flares, but will help heal your gut long-term as well.
Triggering foods can increase inflammation of your gut lining making it really hard to digest and assimilate nutrients from your food.
To be fair, eczema specifically has more potential food triggers than those which are typically recommended for addressing Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune diseases.
There are more common food triggers like gluten, dairy, and eggs. Unfortunately, many integrative practitioners agree that while no clinical data exists, eggs are often problematic for those with eczema.
The potential eczema food triggers you probably haven’t heard of include:
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- Histamine-rich or producing foods
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- Nitrates
- FODMAPs
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- Salicylates
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- Histamines
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- Nightshades
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- Sulfites
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- Amine-rich foods
By no means should you attempt taking out all of these foods at the same time. Each of these triggers contain a lot of different common foods. Doing so will be utterly overwhelming without any guarantee that you’ll actually feel better.
You can test out each one at a time for a week or two, but ultimately this should be coupled with checking out gut function and identifying any potential gut infections or dysbiosis. Removing food triggers alone will not resolve your eczema skin rashes if there are underlying gut issues that must also be addressed. Repairing the gut lining is easily one of the most important things you can do for your skin.
Manage Stress to Banish Thyroid Skin Rashes
Besides sugary and processed foods, stress is enemy number one when it comes to healing thyroid function and skin rashes in general.
You are probably familiar with cortisol, a stress hormone created by your adrenal glands in response to any sort of stress. Cortisol gets a bit of a bad rap because we usually associate it with excessive stress and burnout. But you need cortisol to function, so it’s not all bad.
I like to approach cortisol management as more of a balancing act, rather than blatantly trying to inhibit output. We need cortisol in order to thrive, but we certainly don’t want too much as it can lead to extreme fatigue over time. Adaptogenic herbs are helpful including blends of Rhodiola, Holy Basil, and Ashwagandha.
And high cortisol levels over time make it harder to rebalance your thyroid!
One very common complaint of people with skin rashes is the non-stop itching (especially at night). It appears that there is a connection between stress, cortisol levels, and how itchy your skin is.
Elevations of cortisol appear to rise as itchiness increases. This is a pattern often seen in those with disruptions in circadian rhythm where cortisol becomes elevated at night when it should be much lower.
That’s why it’s so important to manage your stress and get your overall circadian rhythm back on track.
- Breathing exercises (practiced even just 2 minutes per day)
- Reducing sugar (even natural sugar)
- Light exercise or movement
- Getting outside or going for a walk
- Putting your phone on airplane mode or shutting off digital notifications
- Taking a digital detox
For breathing exercise recommendations, I often share these with clients:
Remember, stress doesn’t always have to be a huge life event or even something bad.
It could be something as seemingly harmless as reading the news every day or sitting in traffic for an hour. Work or a new baby or planning a wedding all sound positive enough, but even happy planning can get in the way of valuable self care. Take some time for yourself, even in small ways throughout your day and notice the difference.
Ditch Endocrine-Disrupting Products
Your skin is one of the largest organs and it also has the capacity to absorb what’s placed on it.
Hormone-disrupting lotions, cleansers, and beauty products line the shelves of every drug store and beauty counter. Even some of the most expensive brands on the market contain chemicals that can alter your body’s natural hormonal pathways and really screw up your thyroid.
Even many that promise dry skin relief for those with eczema and psoriasis are often loaded with this type of chemical junk. So don’t be fooled by the marketing claims made on products like this that they are necessarily good for your skin and body.
Research on long-term, low-level exposure to a vast array of toxic chemicals is still lacking in humans, but we do know that the following have thyroid-disrupting effects:
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- PCBs
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- Phthalates
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- Bisphenol A (BPA)
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- Brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals
Screen your personal care products for endocrine-disrupting chemicals via the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. It’s an excellent resource that will help you figure out what’s safe and what’s not.
From there, start clearing out your cabinets. Start with skincare and body care products, then replace candles, perfumes, other sprays, soaps, and cleaning supplies.
Banish Your Thyroid-Related Skin Rashes For Good
Since I’ve personally been around the block when it comes to debilitating skin rashes that just won’t go away, do not despair! There certainly is hope.
Just keep in mind that most people have 3 to 4 different skin rashes triggers (your thyroid function is one of them). It’s imperative to be comprehensive on your quest so that you identify all of the root causes and efficiently address them.
The first place to start is looking at your diet and thyroid function.
About Jennifer Fugo, MS, CHC
Jennifer Fugo, founder of Skinterrupt [dot] com, is a clinical nutritionist with a Master’s in Human Nutrition as well as a trained wellness coach and yoga instructor. Jennifer is a sought-after expert about healthy, gluten-free living as well as a speaker who has been featured on Doctor Oz, Yahoo! News, eHow, CNN, and Huffington Post.
READ NEXT: A Dermatologist Shares The Skin Signs of Thyroid Disease
I’ve dealt with some eczema for years, and constipation the last 2 years. A functional med dr prescribed me disicated thyroid T4/T3. My TSH is normal. My Free T-3 was 2.8. Only taken it 3 days. But, my skin is very itchy and I got bad eczema last night. Is there a normal adjustment period? Or, I’d this a sign of the meds actually causing worse hypothyroid symptoms?
Hi David, Tell your doctor that you are still symptomatic. The best approach to finding the right dosage is gradual increases over time and hopefully that will be the strategy that your doctor uses. I personally feel my best when my Free T3 is in the top quarter of the normal range. Here is my article about this: https://hypothyroidmom.com/the-thyroid-worlds-queen-t3/
I’ve been having the worst experience with eczema. This rash appeared in October first, and my GP didn’t know what it was. I got a cream that made it go away. It came back a month later, and I went to a dermatologist. They gave me a new cream that cleared it up. A month or two later, the rash was back, and they gave me a new cream and took a biopsy. It’s February now, and this rash is all over. The biopsy came back at nummular eczema. I have Hashimoto’s, and am gluten free. I can’t help but wonder if there’s something diet related that I need to cut out. Any suggestions?
Hi Amanda, There are many potential underlying reasons for eczema including hypothyroidism. I know for myself that it was a combination of getting my thyroid well treated with a combination of T4 & T3 thyroid medication plus ordering a lab panel to identify my food sensitivities that made the difference for my eczema. In addition to gluten, there are many other possible foods that we can be sensitive to and it is very individual which is why I ran this food inflammatory panel for myself. I was surprised to discover that I was sensitive to foods that I never imagined including eggs, corn, and even turkey. I ran the 176 panel so that I would test as many foods as possible but there are lab kits with less foods as well: https://hypothyroidmom.fdnstores.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=food+inflammation
As for thyroid medication, if you are on a T4 levothyroxine medication like Synthroid, read this article about the alternative medicines: https://hypothyroidmom.com/which-is-the-best-thyroid-drug-for-hypothyroidism/
Good to have you at Hypothyroid Mom.
Would a flare up of eczema cause my Thyroid Peroxidase (TBO) to spike? In October of 2021 it was 71. In May 2022 it was 174. This is my first episode of eczema, I thought I had poison ivy!
This article was very helpful reading, I had no idea the connection between Hashimoto’s and eczema.
Thank you!
Maria Rose,
I’ve had exczema my entire life. Went through tons of hydrocortisone lotions, steroids for severe flair ups, just about any part of my body at one time or another had exczema. Had a thyroidectomy in 2019 and the exczema is worse than ever. I now have food allergies I never had before. Allergic to apples which I love and food dye. First time this happened after the thyroidectomy I had huge red welts all over my neck, chest and arms. Endo. Dr. said it wasn’t related to my thyroidectomy. Begged for allergy tests at my worst and had to wait close to 3 months before I could get an appt. They showed nothing even though I ate foods containing dye or apples and took pictures of the rashes. Ditched the endo. Dr. and kept personal notes and studies of what I ate. That’s how I found out about the apples and food dye. Even had to change all my meds. to white. On my second endo. Dr. and his views are the same as the first one. I’m tired of trying to figure this out by myself and no dr. to listen to me. What do I do now? I do go for yearly thyroid blood work for my levels to be watched.
Have you considered seeing a naturopath? Anything eczema related with traditional doctors will just direct you to same old Same old hydrocortisone creams , however a naturapath doctor can really look at the problem on a person al level. My own brother who is a doctor even says that eczema is one of the hardest things to deal with as a doctor because it evades all understanding.
I have a round rash near navel. Red outside circle with white cottage cheese cells inside circle. No one knows what it is. 4 doctors, three creams, and steroids did nothing. 4 months later still here. Texture is scaley and raised. I have hypothyroidism. Take synthetic .137.
Come to think of it, I had eczema for years and since getting dx’ed and on a good thyroid dose, I haven’t had a single recurrence. My knuckles used to crack and bleed.
I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid about 26 yrs ago. It has been an up and down fight ever since. My highest dose of Synthroid was 350 mcg. Usually it settled at 300 mcg. But doctors never liked that and would always lower it. A few years ago I was switched from Synthroid to Tirosint. Since then I have yet to feel normal. I have no idea why b/c from what I have read chemically they are the same, Tirosint is a gel tab. One of the things that happened besides the usually extreme fatigue, hair loss, etc. was a skin problem. Itchy skin, painful pimple like bumps that felt like I had a tiny piece of glass under my skin. I am very careful about shampoos, soaps, detergents, etc. This article has helped me so much! Someone mentions scent/smell sensitivity…me too!! I never knew why! Fortunately it is not all the time…but I have these days where smells seem really strong. I have been following your page for some time now. I just am so thankful for you and the information you provide. And for the community of people who share their stories. I am just sorry I don’t read more success stories among the readers…in this day and age it would seem the medical world would be able to better address this…it’s so devastating. I am currently trying to get a referral to a different endocrinologist…but my primary doctor wants some other tests done first. Unfortunately appointments for these tests take three months to get scheduled. Thank you everyone!!
Hi Gina, I can totally relate to your story. My husband suggested I try bio identical hormone therapy so I did. I’m 52 and about 60 pounds overweight (another fight I can’t win), within 2 weeks on the T3/T4 I noticed a huge difference. I woke up one morning and my hair looked and felt full of body and bounce; it was incredible!! I was also on stuff for my premenopausal sweats and mood swings. I noticed a difference in a day or 2. My kids really saw a difference. Unfortunately, my husband got injured and so I stopped the therapy for a while due to cost as all of it is out of pocket except labs. My condition became so out of of control and my hands were so bad, peeling in sheets and cracking, very painful. Needless to say, I had to bite the bullet and go back on it. The terrible ingredients on hormones we rely on are made with things like horse urine and other disgusting things! So I’m happily back on track and my hand condition and overall side effects of having hypothyroidism is back on track. My Dr wrote a book about how it all works. My husband read it before I did. It’s a great read. You can buy on Amazon I believe. I don’t remember the name of it but his name is Brantley Kerr. He’s changed my life!
Hi Racheal, I tried finding the author Brantley Kerr you mentioned, but there’s nothing by this name on Amazon, or online. Would you be able to find the name of the book, or the correct name of the doctor? Thanks!
I couldn’t find the book either ,but I believe it’s dr. Bartley kerr
I had non hotchkins lymphoma about five years ago. I had chemo therapy and a stem cell transplant. When I left the hospital (Sloane Kettering) I was prescribed a very low dose of synthroid I was tired but thought nothing of it. When I recently asked my medical dr. If I needed it. (He was renewing this prescription from MSK for all these years and never knew why I needed it). A while back he said to come off it and see what happens. I am beyond tired, Ian exhausted, I have eczema, forgetfulness, brittle nails, my hair is awful and I am constipated. He did a blood test and I am waiting for the results but feel I need to see an endocrinologist
I’m surprised you were taken off of them without the test results coming back first. I hope he put you back on them since. Thyroid issues are not something to take lightly. The thyroid helps in thousands of bodily functions and you can slowly die without the medication aiding it properly. Hope you feel better.
I have the red, itchy skin.. hands/wrist, back of neck, and random patches have begun to show up. They itch like wild fire… then of course burn and hurt because of scratching and breaking the skin. Doctors and dermatologist have called it contact dermatitis; however, it comes an goes like a monthly cycle (never really healing between). HELP!!!!! WHERE DO I BEGIN???!!!
Hi there,
Did you ever find out? I got pregnant 2 years ago, never had skin issues and now everyday is a living hell. Everything you’ve described in having at the moment. I’ve had a blood test done and looking further and found all your comments. Please let you know if you’ve had a diagnoses. X
I randomly started having this as well and yes it seems to be a monthly cycle of how bad it is. Makes sense it would be hormonally triggered. Praying for answers as I am 34 with a long list of new issues I never had before.
Idk if this will help anyone. But I’ve been a lifelong eczema/psoriasis sufferer. My thyroid is fine. Lately— the rashes you described = SAME. After a lot of time on google scholar, it turns out that hydrocortisones (OTC) and corticosteroids (RX) usually prescribed for eczema/psoriasis flares, are addictive. YES- addictive! It’s a cycle if u go back to your Derm S/He will prescribe another corticosteroid that’s stronger. What results is called Topical Steroid Withdrawl (TSW) or Skin reddening symptom. STOP all use of any and all steroidal creams immediately— it turns out they are the cause. And what I’m going through right now. Is so painful. I can’t believe I was never informed that these creams are so potent they mess up your hormones and manifests on the skin. Helping neither the initial issue or anything for that matter. Seriously. Look it up. Corticosteroids and hydro can also result in muscle atrophy
Elephant skin
Rash
Becoming averse to moisture (showers=painful)
Hypothyroid Mom you have helped me to understand and link many of my issues. I am so tired of doctors only treating symptoms instead of trying to find the source of the problem. I was diagnosed with hypothyroid, put on thyroid med after thyroid med. I would explain to each doctor that I am a redhead and everything they consider normal is not so in my case. They will have to think outside the box and each doctor would smile and politely let me know that they went to school and assured me they knew what they were doing. Needless to say I have not found a doctor yet that has been able to help me. Other than the chronic fatigue, the worst symptom is fragrance sensitivity. It is something that is impossible for people to understand no matter how you explain it to them. Thank you for allowing me to rant for a moment. For those reading this, don’t give up even though you want to, knowledge is your best friend when it comes to things like this. Just knowing that you are not alone and there is something you can do to feel better is a great help. Thank you hypothryoid mom for your blog and helping those of us who have reached the end of our rope, tied a knot and are in hang on mode.
Wonderful to have you at Hypothyroid Mom, Donna.
Have had a red itchy rash all over my body for a year Been given all kinds of topical creams found Noxema about as good a any thing My latest Allergist has given me two treeatments of Dupixent and am worse than ever It burns like a bad sunburn and has various spells of bad itching
Hi I have thyroid problem which was discovered late at my 40’S Hashimoto. I have no variety of food, I am starting to ich, am weak most of the time, I lost a lot of weight. My question is should I increase my medication from 75g to 100g, and what supplements do I need to take?
Try dupixent. It healed mine. You can’t even tell that I have it.
My doctor used to do a thyroid panel every year because I’ve had a goiter for over 20 years. They’ve stopped doing it so often because they can’t justify it to insurance when my numbers are always normal. The last time they did them was fall of 2017, and the only thing abnormal was my thyroglobulin and anti-thyroglobulin were elevated, and my RT3 was at the very top of the range. Over the last few months though, I’ve started needing 1-2 naps per day, I’m always tired, always freezing. and most of my body is covered in extremely itchy eczema. any ideas how to talk them into it?
That’s how mine started. Go get tested. I had 3 of the five cancers when they did a biopsy. Three good ones. How is your breathing when you lay down? That was my final symptom when I went to see dr. I had a hard time breathing. Just thought the goitre grew some more.
lugols
I have a very lazy thyroid. 4 weeks ago my NP cut my meds from 325mg to 190mg. She’s hoping it will jump start my thyroid. 2weeks ago I started getting a rash on my elbows. It’s now all over my knees, too. I went to urgent care & was diagnosed with eczema. I was shocked. I’m already grain & sugar free. Could there be a correlation between the drop in meds & the eczema? Perhaps I need more meds again. I’m on Naturethroid.
Hi, I’m actually borderline Hyperthyroid but have been suffering with Psoriasis/Eczema for 25 years and it’s just getting worse. I notice in the article you mention nickel allergy as a possible culpert. I’m pretty sure I have this allergy as I have to cover the metal button on my jeans on the inside or else I break out really bad from the nickel. Just wondering if the nikel I’m ingesting may be the root of my skin problems! All the dermatolgist I’ve seen over the years have only tried to cure with drugs which never work, not even all the new biolgoics, I’ve been self injecting these for 2 years to no avail!!!
Hi Lenna. I know how you feel. I suffered with skin issues due to thyroid issues. Years ago I went to see an herbalist who recommended herbal supplements. As a result I started selling herbs to people who suffered with rashes, psoriasis. I changed my diet drastically by becoming vegan. I know that may sound discouraging. I also took colon cleansing herbs. I was given a remedy from my doctor. I thought he was crazy, but I tried it. You must be determined, but what he recommended for me saved my life. Also I was infested with parasites. The formula he recommended killed the parasites, but it took some work especially mentally. The holistic way of living, I wanna say that it saved my life.
Lenna I replied in length, but I don’t see my reply.
I’ve had eczema all my life, (I am 40) and 3 years ago, had issues with a fibroid on my uterus, ended up having 2 surgeries, leaving me with only 1 ovary. Ever since this surgery, I’ve been sluggish, gained 30 lbs, feeling as if my throat is closing at night (I must say, this feeling is scary!), diagnosed with Gerd, then Acid Reflux, then Allergies, tried diets, Dexilant, Zantacs, nothing worked, my stomach bloats, my joints hurt, I can’t seem to get the energy to hit the gym anymore, I feel as if my heart rate won’t go up high enough to burn any type of calories! Long story short, after 3 years of complaining over and over to many doctors, it seems they are brushing me off, making me feel as if it’s all in my head. I finally found a doctor who specializes in hormones, had my thyroid panel done, and my Estrogen was high, my TPO was high, but the rest was within range. Dr. put me on Progesterone 200, and Syntroid 50. (Syntroid) After 1 week, I feel as if my eczema is worst! I’m itchy all over, is this normal, is this part of the healing? Please tell me it is. Anyone out there having the same issues? I’m extremely discouraged! 🙁
Go to your doctor an ask him to prescribe you betamethasone cream 5 percent it is for for skin comes in cream form an if the at ate a is too large ask for pill form two applications an its almost gone will stop the itching instantly you will get relief.
I have been treated for hypothyroidism now for 7 years with Armour. About 4 years ago my ears started to bother me and now I have full blown psoriasis in my ears. I am also post menopausal and take bio identical hormone’s are for testosterone and progesterone as I seem to make none of those that have unusually high estrogen.
All that to say I’ve been a wreck mess for about 10 years. I have read countless articles on the matter. Here’s what I find frustrating there is a whole lot of what you should not do it I need a clear comprehensive list of what I can do. I found this article a little wordy and overwhelming and finished it still with no idea how to help myself as far as diet.
My children share my blood type typo and they also have problems with severe eczema in and I am seeing indication of low thyroid function. After reading these articles I’m like what do I feed my children everything is bad. If it comes so frustrating so overwhelming that I end up making no real changes can somebody please post and easy to follow practical guide for those of us who are suffering if it comes so frustrating so overwhelming that I end up making no real changes can somebody please post and easy to follow practical guide for those of us who are suffering in it while we still have to do the every day life stuff
Hi Lenna. I know how you feel. I suffered with skin issues due to thyroid issues. Years ago I went to see an herbalist who recommended herbal supplements. As a result I started selling herbs to people who suffered with rashes, psoriasis. I changed my diet drastically by becoming vegan. I know that may sound discouraging. I also took colon cleansing herbs. I was given a remedy from my doctor. I thought he was crazy, but I tried it. You must be determined, but what he recommended for me saved my life. Also I was infested with parasites. The formula he recommended killed the parasites, but it took some work especially mentally. The holistic way of living, I wanna say that it saved my life.
Dee,
What was the formula he recommended? What where the cleansing herbs? What was the doctors remedy? How did you know you were infested with parasites? What kind of a doctor was he?
I found choosing just one thing to change at a time makes it less overwhelming. For example, if gluten is something you need to take out, just concentrate on that. Learn all you can on that. Switch things out that are easy like pasta, bread and flour. Just take one step at a time. Little changes at a time are easier to keep. Don’t give up!
I typed something above please let me know if you got it
I have horrible hair loss, extremely dry split nails, really dry skin.
Ibegged my endo for thyroid meds and refused, until I went to a Functioal Doctor and she put me on Nature Thyroid.
I feel a lot better but I also have a Candidia overgrowth , Seberial Dermatitis and high medals in my system
I’m a mess trying to get all under control.
Today Ihad a test ran for Glutin , see how that pans out.
Do you have any suggestions?
I would love to get an answer for my hair loss that is driving me insane.
Thanks, Janis Lovullo .
Hi Janis, I am sorry to hear about your hair loss. My hair loss was so devastating to me as clumps clogged the shower drain every week that I spent over one year researching the causes of women’s hair loss to thankfully stop mine. This is one of my most popular articles at Hypothyroid Mom all about stopping my hair loss. I hope some of the tips help your hair too. https://hypothyroidmom.com/10-things-that-stopped-my-thyroid-hair-loss/
lugols
OMG. I was JUST told I have psoriatric arthritis, after MANY years af presenting small amounts of psoriasis, in flares.
This latest flare came with an increasecin TSH, AND low T3 and T4, so we increased the NDT and cytomel.
ALSO increased B12, D3 and ferritin!
How are you feeling Karen since the increase in NDT and Cytomel? Great to hear from you.
If you have severe eczema or psoriasis, request that your doctor do a “skin tape test” on the worst of your eczema for both bacteria and yeast. Yep, a simple piece of scotch tape on your worst skin and then put on a q tip for 20 minutes, then to the lab to be cultured. Most eczema is a staph infection that most labs will not report, but it can be a biofilm of many bacteria. The initial staph infection can allow other microbes to then penetrate the skin like e coli and yeast. It is possible that you may have an infection that is resistant to the normal antibiotic prescribed. Also, in order to reach hypothyroid skin, oral antibiotics must be given at the higher doses. Also, IV antibiotics in severe cases are more effective.
Eczema can be both a multifactorial bacterial infection and a viral infection. Your may need to find a doctor that will treat both parts.
Benson NR, Papenfuss J, Wong R, Motaal A, Tran V, Pank J, Kruger GG. An analysis of select pathogenic messages in lesional and non-lesional psoriatic skin using non-invasive tape harvesting (2006) J Invest. Dermatol. 126 (10): 2234-41 http://dermtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/benson_jid.pdf
Broccardo CJ, Mahaffey S, Schwarz J, Wruck L, David G, Schlievert PM, Reisdorph NA, Leung DY. (2011) Comparative proteomic profiling of patients with atopic dermatitis based on history of eczema herpeticum infection and Staphylococcus aureus colonization. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Jan; 127(1): 186–19411. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2010.10.033 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21211653
Malaviya, R., Ross, E., Jakschik, B. A., & Abraham, S. N. (1994). Mast cell degranulation induced by type 1 fimbriated Escherichia coli in mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 93(4), 1645–1653. doi: 10.1172/JCI117146 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC294203/
Nakamura Y, Oscherwitz J, Cease KB, Chan SM, Muñoz-Planillo R, Hasegawa M, Villaruz AE, Cheung GY, McGavin MJ, Travers JB, Otto M, Inohara N, Núñez G. (2013) Staphylococcus δ-toxin induces allergic skin disease by activating mast cells. Nature. 2013 Nov 21;503(7476):397-401. doi: 10.1038/nature12655. Epub 2013 Oct 30.
Kobayashi, T., Glatz, M., Horiuchi, K., Kawasaki, H., Akiyama, H., Kaplan, D. Dysbiosis and Staphyloccus aureus Colonization Drives Inflammation in Atopic Dermatitis. Immunity (2015) 42(4):756-66. DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.03.014 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275360495_Dysbiosis_and_Staphyloccus_aureus_Colonization_Drives_Inflammation_in_Atopic_Dermatitis
Kong HH, Oh J, Deming C, Conlan S, Grice EA, Beatson MA et al.. (2012) Temporal shifts in the skin microbiome associated with disease flares and treatment in children with atopic dermatitis. Genome Res 22: 850-859 DOI: 10.1101/gr.131029.111 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heidi_Kong/publication/221810889_Temporal_shifts_in_the_skin_microbiome_associated_with_disease_flares_and_treatment_in_children_with_atopic_dermatitis/links/54a216f10cf256bf8baf7ce5.pdf
Grice, E. A. (2014). The skin microbiome: potential for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cutaneous disease. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, 33(2), 98–103. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425451/
Brüssow H. Turning the inside out: the microbiology of atopic dermatitis. Environ Microbiol. 2016 Jul;18(7):2089-102. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13050. Epub 2015 Dec 4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26373255
Thank you for sharing these resources Nicole. Great to have you at Hypothyroid Mom.
Nicole, Have you had the skin tape test and did the antibiotics work? I have had a skin rash eczema for over 2 months I have had many biopsies, creams, and I still have it. Also I have hypothyroid.
I’ve been itching for months especially at night ! My dermatologist is treating me for eczema , I really feel like I could have a thyroid issue after reading this article ! Wondering now if I should try to get in to see my regular doctor ?
Hi Vicky, I’m happy you found this article on my site. Yes absolutely get full thyroid testing. Here is an article with a chart of thyroid lab tests and optimal ranges so you can make sure you get proper testing.
https://hypothyroidmom.com/top-5-reasons-doctors-fail-to-diagnose-hypothyroidism/
My thyroid has been removed over 20 yrs ago ..8 months ago i was diagnosed with eczema its bad
I too had terrible eczema Joyce. This is the reason that I was happy to include this article all about eczema and psoriasis at Hypothyroid Mom. It’s a very real issue and uncomfortable for those that have it.
This article has been very helpful. Thank you for helping us improve our itchy lives.
I have hypothyroid. I have had rashes on and off for years.Now I itch all over my body especially when being active or night.
I’m sorry to hear that Alma. Your skin issues may be a red flag that your hypothyroidism is not well treated. If you are on a T4 only levothyroxine medication like Synthroid, it may be that you would do better on a different dosage of type of medication. Here is more about these options:
https://hypothyroidmom.com/which-is-the-best-thyroid-drug-for-hypothyroidism/
” … it’s difficult to get your skin back on track since so much of it’s healthy function …”
*its healthy function
(possessive form)
Seriously?
People are here for information to address their health issues, not here to be graded by a self appointed grammer policeman.
You have issues. Seek treatment.
Thanks for catching that spelling mistake Shelley.
I need help with what foods I can take naturally to address my thyroid and eczema problem
I need to approach my eczema which could be contributed to my thyroid naturally. I don’t like medication. I just had a horrible breakout under my breast and neck. It us finally clearing up since late January. I need to know what measures to take as far as foods and other things to address this problem so it won’t continue to come back. I seem to only have problem in winter months.please share what I can do to help my situation. Thankyou.
Hi Sheila, The guest writer for this article that I included at Hypothyroid Mom is having a free Eczema & Psoriasis Awareness Week right now ending April 22. Jennifer is a clinical nutritionist and compiled a list of over 30 receipts that she tested for relieving skin issues which everyone that signs up for the awareness week receives as soon as they sign up.
https://wh214.isrefer.com/go/epcookbook/a61/