Have you noticed clumps of your hair on the bathroom floor after showering or on your pillows and bedsheets? Well, you shouldn't be surprised about hair falling out. Hair shedding is a 100% natural occurrence for almost all women unless you have an absence of hair since birth. It is a part of the hair growth cycle in which old hair gets replaced with new ones. However, for women in their 40s and early 50s, hair shedding could mean something else. Most of the time, hair fall happens because of menopause. It is when women experience physical changes, which can affect their total well-being and change the course of their lives. When worse comes to worst, some women suffer from hair loss because of menopause.
Why are women prone to hair loss during menopause, and is it still possible to grow your hair back even after experiencing menopausal hair loss? If so, what can you do to bring back your lovely locks? Learn more about menopause hair loss and follow salient tips on how you can reverse the hair growth aftermath caused by menopause.
The Mystery of Hair Loss during Menopause: Why Does It Happen?
While hair fall is completely normal, hair loss isn't natural, especially if you're still in your prime. Hair loss, or scientifically called alopecia, is the condition when your hair doesn't grow back after falling out. Various factors can cause this hair growth catastrophe, and one of them is menopause.
Menopause is the phase when a woman's ovaries stop performing their primary functions, such as producing sex hormones and releasing eggs. As a result, your menstrual cycle ends, and you won't get pregnant.
However, it's not just about being free from excruciating monthly periods and pregnancy woes. Estrogen deficiency due to menopause can adversely affect not only your skin, mood, energy, and weight, but it can also cause your hair not to grow back.
How can you reverse these changes, especially hair loss? Grab and a pen and paper and take down notes on how to bring back your crowning glory's glorious days.
Reverse, Revive, and Regrow: How to Grow Your Hair Back during Menopause
Reversing the adverse results of menopause to your hair isn't going to be as fast as lightning, but you can still do the following ways to improve the progression of hair growth amidst menopause.
1. Use aloe vera and aloe vera-enriched hair products for hair regrowth.
Thanks to technology that always keep up with the world's demands, you can now get a hand of hair care products specifically made for hair loss problems. As a matter of fact, you can find various brands of shampoos, conditioners, and serums that can help your hair regrow. Then, what about their ingredients? Among the list of potential ingredients is aloe vera, a plant well-known for its ultra-hydrating, hair-strengthening, and antimicrobial capabilities. Not only that but aloe vera is also considered a natural hair regrowth booster.
First, aloe vera has many enzymes that can break down other proteins into amino acids. These small organic compounds are especially needed to form keratin, another protein essential for creating your hair fibers.
Second, its enzymes are also responsible for cell and tissue repair that benefit your hair cells and follicles. This regenerative ability of aloe vera's enzymes will help your thinning locks get thicker in diameter, thus adding volume to your hair.
Lastly, aloe vera can restore your impaired hair strands caused by dryness and UV damage. For centuries, people have used aloe vera gel to treat sunburns. Its anti-inflammatory properties prevent redness and swelling, but most of all, repair the epithelial cells harmed by the sun.
2. You may take Minoxidil to stimulate hair regrowth.
Besides slathering with some shampoos, conditioners, and other substances to grow new hair, you may also opt to cure menopausal hair loss using Minoxidil, and this medicine comes in the form of tablets, solutions, foams, or sprays. But, what does Minoxidil do for your hair? First, Minoxidil works as a vasodilator, which helps widen blood vessels to let blood flow smoothly to different body parts. In turn, Minoxidil allows enough oxygen-enriched and nutrient-carrying blood to reach your hair follicles.
You can also directly put Minoxidil on your scalp. In fact, researchers found the efficacy of this drug when it comes to hair growth stimulation. However, according to an article published by Harvard Health Publishing's educational website, Minoxidil isn't an instant cure for female hair loss, much more during menopause. But don't worry; consistent application of Minoxidil on your scalp will show significant results. You also have to consider your doctor's opinion first regarding Minoxidil as a treatment to avoid experiencing unwanted side effects.
3. Boost hair regrowth activities with CoQ10 supplements.
Your body needs enough nutrients to grow new hair, but if you think you're not getting them from your diet, you may need to level up your nutrition with hair growth nutrients by consuming CoQ10 supplements.
CoQ10 or Ubiquinol stands for the co-enzyme Q10. It is an enzyme produced by the body, which has proven benefits in one's health. Most people take CoQ10 supplements for stabilizing blood pressure and preventing heart ailments. However, CoQ10 also has contributions in keratin synthesis, which is very important for hair growth. It is also a powerful antioxidant that stores other antioxidant-enriched vitamins for double protection against free radical damage.
4. Take some hormonal pills if you're extremely low on estrogens.
A decrease in estrogen levels is the primary reason why most women suffer from hair loss during the menopausal stage. Estrogens assist different physiological functions, and a drastic drop in estrogen levels would hardly hit one's health. Hence, increasing the number of estrogens through hormonal pills would be a jump-start towards recovering from menopausal hair loss.
On the other hand, estrogen deficiency could also mean more androgens or male sex hormones in your system. To prevent the ramifications of hormonal imbalance, taking anti-androgen medications can help stop androgens from increasing and harming your hair follicles.
5. Spend more time resting for a full and speedy recovery.
Time might not permit you to relax, but de-stressing is a proven way of recovering from various illnesses or conditions. Stress instigates hair loss problems because of increased cortisol levels. Cortisol can force your growing hair follicles to stay inactive in the telogen phase, which is why you need to avoid getting stressed all the time. You can start your recovery by doing some relaxing activities or taking a nap. A good night's sleep also helps your hair growth cycle return to its original rhythm, allowing more hair follicles to grow at the right speed.
6. Stimulate your hair follicles with Red Light Therapy.
If natural methods aren't effective, you may try undergoing Low-Laser Light Therapy (LLT), also known as Red Light Therapy. This medical treatment uses red LED light to target the hair cells underneath your scalp for cell proliferation. Its goal is also to excite your hair follicles to become active again in growing new strands. Not only that, but the light used for treatment can also improve blood circulation. A healthy blood flow allows more nutrients to reach your hair follicles to grow denser, stronger, and longer hair strands.
Don't worry, for this hair regrowth treatment is non-invasive, painless, and FDA-approved. There has been a meta-analysis of different controlled trials testing red light therapy, and their results show that RLT has efficacy in growing new hair strands for both men and women.
7. Consider a hair transplant as your last resort if the other options don't work.
A hair transplant is another recommended yet an expensive treatment. However, in contrast with RLT, a hair transplant is a surgical procedure of transplanting or grafting healthy hair follicles from one part of your scalp to fill in those bald spots. This method of regrowing new hair is very effective, and you'll see new hair strands popping in three to four months.
Yet, hair transplant patients should still be careful post-surgery, for any surgical procedure is susceptible to infections or complications. Therefore, if you opt to have a hair transplant, make sure to observe proper hygiene to prevent infections afterward.
You Can't Turn Back Time, But Your Hair Can Recover.
Time can't turn back your fallen hair strands, but you can still grow new and healthier ones. By observing a healthy hair care routine, undergoing hair care treatments, having a healthy lifestyle, and being open-minded to medical procedures, your hair can regrow, and you can recover from menopausal hair loss. The journey towards recuperating from female alopecia might be rocky. However, with your strong determination and the best treatments, you'll be able to redeem your hair’s healthy appearance.
You Can Still Reverse The Adverse Effects of Menopause.
Hair loss in women due to menopause is not something to be afraid of, for you can still do something to reverse its undesirable effects. For starters, you can take hair growth supplements with hair vitamins and DHT blockers to protect your hair follicles against oxidative damage. Don't forget to add the best shampoo for hair growth to your anti-hair loss routine.
