Have you noticed that your face is puffier recently? If yes, you may have a thyroid disease that affects your face. Many people know that thyroid disease affects bodily functions and causes symptoms like fatigue, depression, and weight loss, but they don’t know that the first noticeable symptoms appear on the face. Learn how thyroid disease affects your face and what you should do to manage your condition in this article.
Hyperthyroidism and your face
Hyperthyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland produces too many thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for many functions in the body heart rate, body temperature, hair growth, and nutrient absorption. Besides these functions, it also supports the outermost layer of the skin (which is known as epidermis). As a result, this is the most common place where a person notices the signs of thyroid hormone imbalance in the body.
The most common symptom of hyperthyroidism you notice in the face is warm and moist skin, this symptom is found in more than 85% of people with hyperthyroidism in a 2012 study. Other signs and symptoms you may notice due to hyperthyroidism are:
- Itching
- Skin thinning
- Facial flushing
- Bulging eyes
- Swollen face and neck
- Rashes
- Small and painful lumps
- Skin hyperpigmentation
- Eye redness, dryness, or vision disturbances
These symptoms should not be ignored because they can become severe later and lead to more severe complications. So, when you notice these facial changes in yourself visit your healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Hypothyroidism and your face
Similar to hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism’s first symptoms appear on the face as well. It is a condition when your thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormones. As thyroid hormones affect nearly every body part function, they also affect your facial features causing facial puffiness, loss of hair, and the outer part of the eyebrows. Facial swelling is one of the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism. It happens when hypothyroidism gets severe. This state is known as myxedema when a person’s skin starts to change because of hypothyroidism. This occurs because thyroid hormone receptors are present in the top 2 layers of the skin and hair (the epidermis and dermis). When the thyroid works properly, it helps to maintain and regenerate them. It’s their main job to metabolize sugar compounds. When hypothyroidism occurs, it causes excess deposits of sugar molecules known as glycosaminoglycans in the skin. These compounds include hyaluronic acid which attracts water. Over time, too much water accumulation causes your skin to swell.
However, not everyone gets a puffy face due to hypothyroidism as every person’s body is different. Facial swelling is not only linked with hypothyroidism but several other conditions as well. It includes an allergic reaction such as cellulitis or sinusitis.
Besides hypothyroidism tends to progress slowly, that’s why many people don’t even notice their symptoms for months and years. According to the American Thyroid Association, around 60% of people are not even aware of their condition.
Facial puffiness usually occurs in the advanced stages of hypothyroidism and is more common in patients who stopped taking their thyroid medication. Besides a puffy face, you may notice these facial changes:
- Eyebrow hair loss
- Hair loss
- Acne
- Swelling around the eyes
- Changes in your voice
- Boarding of the nose
- Enlargement of the tongue
- Enlargement of the eyes
If you have these symptoms then your hypothyroidism is at an advanced stage, you should visit your healthcare provider immediately to diagnose and treat your condition to prevent its severe complications.
What to do?
When you notice facial changes in yourself, you should consult with your doctor. Doctors examine your symptoms by conducting a physical exam and going through your medical history.
If your doctor suspects thyroid disease, he/she will order several blood tests to check the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid antibody tests. Besides blood tests, doctors can also order thyroid ultrasound tests to check thyroid nodules.
If you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism, then your treatment depends on the underlying cause and severity according to your medical history. Some forms of hypothyroidism such as postpartum thyroiditis and subacute thyroiditis resolve on their own. However, most conditions need to be managed lifelong as there is no cure.
Usually, treatment is done with hormone replacement therapy medications. The most common medicine is levothyroxine, which is a synthetic form of our natural thyroid hormone. You can take this in the form of a pill or liquid form.
After starting the medicine, the doctor will check your blood hormone levels in 6 to 8 weeks (about 2 months) to see if the medication is working or if its dose needs to be adjusted if necessary. Once your dose is set, you need to regularly check your thyroid hormone levels to keep them stable. This test repeats in 6 months.
You should follow your healthcare provider’s instructions carefully, as stopping the medication suddenly can cause unwanted side effects, or taking too much medication can result in complications as well. Finding the right dose and taking it correctly is the best way to manage your condition.
If you are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, your treatment depends on the underlying cause. The goal of the treatment is to restore the levels of your hormones to normal and prevent long-term health problems.
Mild cases of hyperthyroidism do not require treatment, you can easily manage them with lifestyle changes or over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen.
In severe cases of hyperthyroidism, treatment is given with medications, radioactive therapy, or surgery.
- Antithyroid medications: These medications can decrease the levels of thyroid hormones in the blood. It includes methimazole and propylthiouracil.
- Oral radioactive iodine: This therapy is used to destroy thyroid cells so that excess production of thyroid hormones is stopped. This therapy is also known as radioactive iodine ablation. After the procedure, you may need to take thyroid hormone replacement therapy because it can cause hypothyroidism.
- Thyroidectomy: This is the last resort to restore thyroid hormone levels in the body. During the procedure, the doctor removes a part or whole thyroid gland. After the surgery, you may need to take thyroid hormone replacement medication for the rest of your life.
Beta-blockers are also used to relieve the symptoms of hyperthyroidism; however, they only block the hormones from performing their functions, not reducing their levels. To know what treatment method works, you need to work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your condition.
So, yes thyroid disease affects your face and makes it the most noticeable symptom compared to others. However, it may be caused due to other conditions as well. Thyroid diseases are easily treatable if you notice their symptoms on time and take treatment.
If you notice thyroid symptoms, then come to us; our endocrinologists will diagnose your condition and treat it accordingly so that you can live a better life. Visit our endocrinology clinic in Brooklyn for professional help. Call us on +1-347-384-5690 and get answers to all your queries. Log on to www.doralhw.org or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 to book an appointment with our endocrinologist to get the best treatment. We have the best endocrinologists who treat these kinds of diseases and helpful staff to aid you during your treatment.