What Is The Relationship Between Hair Loss In Women And Menopause
During menopause, you might see one of two things happen with your hair. You might start growing hair where you didnt before. Or, you might see the hair you have start to thin. One cause may be changing levels of hormones during menopause. Estrogen and progesterone levels fall, meaning that the effects of the androgens, male hormones, are increased.
During and after menopause, hair might become finer because hair follicles shrink. Hair grows more slowly and falls out more easily in these cases.
Your healthcare provider will do a thorough examination and take a detailed history to help you deal with changes in hair growth. You may be directed to have your iron levels or thyroid hormone levels tested. Your medications might be changed if what you take is found to affect hair loss or growth.
Choose Products That Can Strengthen Your Hair
Alongside a healthy and hair-strengthening diet, there are hair-strengthening products that you can use. You just have to know how to choose them. Those labeled anti-breakage, restorative, renewal or strengthening are best because this means the product has ingredients which can help temporarily seal off existing split ends, moisturize, hydrate, repair, and thicken hair.
Shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products with ingredients that infuse proteins, amino acids, and other hair-strengthening substances are best to use. Avoid those which tend to dry out your hair. Use a conditioner that can penetrate deep into your scalp and moisturize it by hydrating your hairs roots and follicles. Enhance conditioning by getting protein mask or hot oil treatments regularly.
Incidentally, overusing hair products to compensate for damaged hair should not be done because this can result in more damage to your hair. This means you should avoid any hair styling products that contain alcohol, for instance, as well as limiting the use of chemicals on your hair like hair dyes, bleach, and perm or straightening solutions.
These tend to dry out hair when used for a prolonged period of time, weaken hair fiber and may cause permanent damage to your hair. Counteract these chemicals by using products that contain stearyl alcohol that can strengthen weak hair and soften it at the same time. Use hair dye or coloring that is free from ammonia and has conditioning ingredients.
Key Points To Remember
- Treatment with medicines may slow hair loss and help to regrow hair. But you may not get as much hair growth as you expect.
- You must keep taking the medicine, or any regrown hair will fall out.
- Your provincial health plan or private health insurance probably will not cover the medicine, and the medicines can be costly.
- It may be very dangerous to take these medicines if you are pregnant or have certain health conditions, such as heart problems.
- You may feel that the possibility of regrowing hair and feeling better about how you look is more important than the limitations of hair loss treatment.
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What Are The Disadvantages Of Using These Medicines
The disadvantages of using these medicines for hair loss include the following:
- The medicines may not work. You should not expect to regrow a full head of hair. It may take from a few months to a year before you see results.
- You must take the medicine every day. If you stop, any regrown hair will fall out, and you will end up with the same amount of hair you had when you started treatment.
- The medicines are costly and usually aren’t covered by insurance.
Shampoos For Hair Loss
Shampoos that moisturize the scalp can create a healthy environment for hair regrowth. Anti-dandruff shampoos like Head & Shoulders and Dove Dermacare Scalp contain zinc pyrithione , an ingredient that removes dead skin cells that could be preventing growth. Plus, all of that itching and scratching from a dry scalp can lead to excess shedding.
Whats more, hair thinning can also stem from a hormone called DHT . DHT signals hairs to shrink and become vellus hairs , says Caroling Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Rhode Island Hospital and member of the Prevention Medical Review Board. It does this by changing the hair cycles and causing a shortening of the growth phase and increase in the resting phase, she explains. In this case, consider a DHT-blocking shampoo like Alterna Haircare.
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Tips On How To Strengthen Hair And Prevent Hair Loss
June 30, 2013 By Rob Henderson
Weak hair may prove to be detrimental to ones self-image. If you want healthier hair, this article can tell you how to strengthen hair and keep it in great condition.
Learning how to strengthen hair is not difficult as long as you know how to spot the signs of weak hair. So hair that droops, thinning, limp or falling out should be attended to right away. Other signs of weak hair may include extreme dryness, excessive oiliness and split ends. While it can often be genetic, it could also be the result of several factors such as:
- Childbirth
- Illness
- Prolonged sun exposure
While a person may lose between a hundred and 150 hair strands daily, this is considered normal since most people have 100,000 plus hair strands on their scalp. Besides, new hair strands grow back in the place of the one which was lost, an ongoing process until middle age when hair re-growth slows down.
Find out how to strengthen your hair by having stronger follicles.
How To Stop Thinning Hair: Hair Loss Treatment For Women
Medications are the most common treatment for hair loss in women. They include the following:
Minoxidil . This drug was initially introduced as a treatment for high blood pressure, but people who took it noticed that they were growing hair in places where they had lost it. Research studies confirmed that minoxidil applied directly to the scalp could stimulate hair growth. As a result of the studies, the FDA originally approved over-the-counter 2% minoxidil to treat hair loss in women. Since then a 5% solution has also become available when a stronger solution is need for a woman’s hair loss.
Clearly, minoxidil is not a miracle drug. While it can produce some new growth of fine hair in some not all women, it can’t restore the full density of the lost hair. It’s not a quick fix, either for hair loss in women . You won’t see results until you use the drug for at least two months. The effect often peaks at around four months, but it could take longer, so plan on a trial of six to 12 months. If minoxidil works for you, you’ll need to keep using it to maintain those results. If you stop, you’ll start to lose hair again.
Some women find that the minoxidil solution leaves a deposit that dries and irritates their scalp. This irritation, called contact dermatitis, is probably caused not by the minoxidil itself, but rather by the alcohol that is included to facilitate drying.
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Common Reasons For Hair Loss
Not every person who is experiencing hair loss or thinning hair does so in the same exact way. There are many different reasons for hair loss, and discovering the root cause of your thinning hair can help you determine what approachâwhether itâs making a change in diet, working to reduce the amount of stress from your life, or taking hair loss vitamins â is most likely to be successful at reversing the effects of hair loss. Here are some common reasons for hair loss…
Talking With Your Health Care Team About Hair Loss
Prepare for your visit by making a list of questions to ask. Consider adding these questions to your list:
- Is treatment likely to cause my hair to fall out?
- How should I protect and care for my head? Are there products that you recommend? Ones I should avoid?
- Where can I get a wig or hairpiece?
- What support groups could I meet with that might help?
- When will my hair grow back?
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What Steps Can I Take To Prevent Or Slow Hair Loss
Unfortunately, certain types of hair loss are genetic, and very little can be done to prevent them. Genetic types of hair loss include alopecia areata and female pattern hair loss.
But other types of hair loss can be brought on by stress and a poor diet. Do your best to eat a balanced diet, and find ways to take care of your mental health.
For added benefit, stay up to date with your routine checkups. Anemia, low levels of vitamin D and abnormal thyroid hormones can all affect the health of your hair. Simple bloodwork from your primary care physician can determine if these conditions are contributing to your hair loss.
Black women in particular are prone to a type of hair loss called traction alopecia, which is caused by heat, chemicals and tight styles that pull at the hair root, including some braids, dreadlocks, extensions and weaves.
What You Can Do About Diabetes Hair Loss
While hair loss can be extremely distressing and can affect your self-esteem, there is good news. Most hair loss is not permanent and can be reversed with the right approach.
Here are some tips on how to treat or manage your hair loss.
Talk with Your Doctor
The first and most important step is to talk with your doctor. Hair loss is quite complex and can exist for a number of reasons, not always relating to diabetes. Your doctor can help to rule out possible causes and lead you to the right course of action.
Eat for Your Hair
What you eat has a huge impact on all aspects of your health, including your hair! Sometimes a lack of nutrients, such as too little protein or iron, can cause hair to fall out. Making sure youre eating a proper diet with all the essential nutrients can help prevent or reverse hair loss.
A healthy diet is also one of the best ways to balance out hormones. This can aid in hair health and growth in a number of ways, both directly and indirectly.
Mirror.co.uk has listed out some great foods for promoting hair health.
Get in Regular Exercise
Exercise aids in weight loss and hormone balance, which can help to reduce hair loss. Further, exercise can reduce your blood sugar levels and improve blood circulation within the body, making oxygen delivery more accessible to hair follicles in order to nourish and help them grow.
Keep Stress at Bay
Weve noted that stress can be a cause of hair loss. Check out this article on how to minimize your stress.
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Take Folic Acid To Help Prevent Hair Loss From Methotrexate
Methotrexate also affects the absorption of the B vitamin folic acid, or folate in its natural form, which impacts cell division as well as hair growth. Patients on methotrexate should be taking folic acid at the same time to help mitigate methotrexate side effects, such as nausea. We can increase the folic acid dose if hair loss is occurring, says Dr. Domingues. Your doctor may also recommend a different version of folic acid called folinic acid, which is available by prescription. Its a little stronger, says Dr. Domingues.
I have had hair loss directly as a result of taking methotrexate the hair loss was immediate but I added extra folic acid and biotin , and those helped, Christina A. told us. Studies have shown taking folic acid doesnt alter the effectiveness of MTX.
Hair Loss And Cancer Treatment
If treatment will cause hair loss, try wearing fun scarves and earrings or a cap, from time to time.
Some types of chemotherapy cause the hair on your head and other parts of your body to fall out. Radiation therapy can also cause hair loss on the part of the body that is being treated. Hair loss is called alopecia. Talk with your health care team to learn if the cancer treatment you will be receiving causes hair loss. Your doctor or nurse will share strategies that have help others, including those listed below.
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What Is Common Baldness
Common baldness usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. The medical term for this is androgenetic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hairline and baldness on the top of the head.
Women may develop female-pattern baldness. In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp.
Personal Stories About Treating Hair Loss With Medicine
These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.
My father and grandfather are both bald. I decided to use Rogaine to see if it would slow down my hair loss. I don’t want to look like my dad just yet!
Johan, age 28
My hair began to thin when I was 28 years old. Now I am 44 and the top of my head is bald. Recently, I considered using medicine to treat my hair loss and see if any hair would regrow. After reading the literature and talking to my doctor, I decided not to take medicine because it is unlikely to make a huge difference in my hairâand I don’t want to take medicine forever!
Bob, age 44
My hair is very important to me and my appearance. I noticed that my hair was starting to thin. And because baldness runs in our family, I decided to take an aggressive approach to reduce my chances for more hair loss. I am willing to take a pill every day, and to pay for it.
I have noticed some thinning throughout my scalp. Although this is disturbing to me, I have decided not to take medicine for the hair loss. It seems that medicine works best for young males. So now I’m checking out hair transplant surgery. I think that in the long run, I may be happier with the results.
Stella, age 38
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