Menopausal Hair Loss: Treatment

Menopause is a fact of life, but it can bring with it some uncomfortable and inconvenient side effects.

Menopausal hair loss is a difficult condition to live with and can make you feel incredibly self-conscious. It’s very common and affects as much as 40% of women with menopause.

Fortunately, however, there are some non surgical treatment options that you can use to relieve the symptoms and increase hair growth. 

This blog will explain them all.

What Causes Menopausal Hair Loss

Menopause is when a woman stops having periods. It’s a natural part of ageing that will affect all women and usually occurs between 45 and 55. 

It happens because of natural hormonal changes in your body as egg production in the ovaries stops. Menopause can sometimes happen earlier for some women and, in certain situations, be triggered by things such as surgery to remove the ovaries or uterus, cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or genetic causes.

Your periods stop due to reduced hormone levels, and you ‘reach’ menopause when you’ve not had a period for 12 months.  

Women tend to experience symptoms long before they actually reach menopause, which is referred to as perimenopause.

It is the hormone imbalance that can cause changes to your hair, such as hair loss, balding, brittle locks and thinning.

Oestrogen is a hair-friendly hormone, and higher levels tend to result in healthier hair. This is often why women who are pregnant sometimes have such luscious, healthy-looking hair. 

Higher levels of oestrogen help protect against the detrimental effects that androgens (male hormones) have on your hair, and menopause causes oestrogen levels to decrease, resulting in higher testosterone. 

Higher testosterone negatively affects hair follicles, resulting in slower-to-grow, thinning hair that is more prone to fall out.

Lifestyle Changes

The first port of call to manage menopausal hair loss is to ensure your lifestyle choices are the right ones.

Reduce stress

The first thing to do is to reduce as much stress as possible. Reduced oestrogen production can affect your brain chemistry and cause mood swings, anxiety and depression. You can help to lower stress levels by practising yoga, meditating and doing breathing exercises.

Exercise

Most people feel stronger and happier once they incorporate exercise into their daily routine. But it can also help prevent symptoms of menopause, including mood swings, weight gain and difficulty sleeping. These help to maintain your hormonal balance, which can aid in healthy hair growth.

Diet

Eating a balanced, low-fat diet is a great defence against menopausal hair loss. One way to do this is to make sure to include a good amount of whole grains, fruits and vegetables in as many meals as possible. 

Keep It Natural

To prevent unnecessary hair drying and breakage, the best advice is to stop using heat tools, such as hair dryers and straightening irons if you’re experiencing menopausal hair loss.

Stop Smoking

We all know smoking is bad for you, but did you also know that smoking is linked to hair loss? Smoking promotes the release of cytokines, which are proteins that can increase inflammation and cause scarring of your hair follicles. This scarring can make your hair more brittle and prone to falling out.

BHRT

Most people have heard of HRT, as it’s the most popular menopause treatment currently prescribed by doctors. BHRT is similar; however, it is a far more natural approach with fewer side effects too.

BHRT stands for Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Bioidentical hormones are plant-based and are regarded by many as a more natural, gentler form of HRT. 

The treatment is derived from plants such as Mexican yams, which have the same structure as the hormones made naturally in the body. Just like conventional HRT, BHRT combats menopause by raising the oestrogen levels in your body. By replacing the hormones that are causing hair loss, this treatment will promote healthy hair growth.

To receive your tailor-made treatment, your doctor will take a simple blood test that establishes which hormones are unbalanced in your body. Using this information, you will be prescribed a bespoke formula that is completely unique to your menopause treatment.

BHRT medication is usually prescribed as a cream, lozenge or vaginal gel that you can take or apply every day. If you have BHRT treatment at Elite Aesthetics, you’ll receive regular follow-ups and ongoing monitoring to ensure the balance is just right. If the treatment needs to change in any way then it can be easily altered to help you achieve optimum results. 

Vampire Hair Restoration

If you have thinner areas of hair, Vampire Hair Restoration can help. Try not to be put off by the name, though, because this treatment is highly successful at treating menopausal hair loss. 

Using platelet-rich plasma (PRP), Vampire Hair Restoration is a non-surgical procedure that uses extracted plasma from your blood to stimulate hair follicles to encourage natural hair re-growth. PRP is inserted with tiny needle points into your scalp; this technique is called microneedling. The process naturally stimulates the growth of your hair.  

PRP contains essential cell-regenerating growth factors that can be used to stimulate the growth of new, younger tissue and increase blood flow. 

A PRP procedure works by taking a small amount of your blood, which is then spun at a high frequency within a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma. The plasma is then injected directly into the treatment area. In this way, PRP injections use an individual patient’s healing system to heal and regenerate cells and tissue.

PRP treatments are highly effective as a menopausal hair loss treatment because they stimulate the scalp and repair damage caused by hormones, providing thicker, fuller hair.

Viviscal

Viviscal is a supplement specifically designed to treat hair loss. It contains scientifically blended ingredients that will nourish your hair from within and is an effective treatment for menopausal hair loss.

It has been used for over 30 years and works by helping your body to absorb amino acids.

Viviscal supplements contain:

• AminoMar C – This is a rich marine protein complex that is completely unique to Viviscal and can’t be found in any other supplement.
• Zinc – nourishes your hair, skin, and nails. It specifically contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and will help combat menopausal hair loss.
• Vitamin C – is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect against free radicals and helps absorb iron. Vitamin C also contributes to natural collagen formation for the normal function of your skin, including the scalp.
• Biotin (Vitamin B7) – helps the body to absorb amino acids which are the building blocks of protein, this is an essential nutrient for the maintenance of normal hair.
• Iron – helps to produce the haemoglobin in your blood to carry oxygen for the growth and repair of cells in your body, including your scalp.

If you are suffering from menopausal hair loss, it can feel absolutely devastating. But the good news is, you don’t have to live with it. There are so many non-surgical treatments that can help you regain confidence.

If you would like to find out which one of these treatments will be right for you, then the first thing you should do is book a consultation with one of our specialist doctors. Consultations are held in our award clinic in Greenhithe, Dartford, just 20 minutes away by train from St. Pancras, London. 

You can book your appointment by calling us on 01322 381 205, emailing info@elite-aesthetics.co.uk or you can WhatsApp us.