Along with hot flashes, mood swings, and other physical and emotional disruptions caused by wildly fluctuating hormones, hair loss can also be an unwelcome consequence of menopause. Making matters worse, the stress of losing or shedding hair can feed on itself and make menopausal hair loss even more prominent.
Fortunately, women can take steps to curb menopause-related hair loss. Many of the hair restoration treatments that we use at the Miami Hair & Skin Institute to treat pattern baldness and other types of hair loss are equally effective at addressing menopausal shedding and loss. It is one aspect of this life change that you can change yourself, and it would be our privilege to help.
What’s Behind Menopausal Hair Loss?
The primary reason behind menopausal hair loss is that women going through it produce lower amounts of two hormones necessary for hair follicle health and growth – estrogen and progesterone. The decrease in these hormone levels slows down hair growth, and follicles become thin, brittle, and more vulnerable to damage.
While estrogen and progesterone levels plummet, levels of androgens increase. These hormones trigger follicle miniaturization on the scalp, which makes hair more prone to falling out.
Menopause’s hormonal fluctuations also contribute to other mental and emotional conditions and lifestyle changes, which themselves can cause hair loss. These can include:
- Stress
- Emotional decline due to diminished self-confidence
- Lack of exercise
- Imbalanced nutrition
- Dehydration
- Damaging hairstyles
- Medication
Menopausal Hair Loss Treatments
Fortunately, menopausal hair loss is treatable. The physicians at the Miami Hair & Skin Institute understand how challenging this life change can be for women, particularly when it involves hair loss. We work with our female patients to proactively restore their hair and their self-esteem through early detection, comprehensive diagnosis, and optimal treatment and restoration approaches.
Treatment options include non-surgical hair restoration through the use of medications such as Minoxidil (available by the brand name Rogaine®), which has shown success in slowing or stopping hair loss in women.
Low-level laser therapy for hair (LLLT) is another non-surgical restoration method that can reduce hair loss and, in some cases, stimulate new hair growth in women. Safe, painless, FDA-approved lasers promote blood flow and nutrient delivery to the hair follicles, strengthening and encouraging follicle growth. Women are particularly fond of these “laser therapies for hair loss” because they are quick, convenient, safe, and effective.
Finally, women may elect to have hair transplant surgery, a procedure during which the patient’s own hair follicles are extracted from areas of healthy scalp and relocated to areas experiencing thinning or balding.
You Don’t Have to Live With Menopausal Hair Loss. The Miami Hair Institute Can Help.
Some of life’s changes may be inevitable and unavoidable. Menopausal hair loss is not one of them. Early detection, diagnosis, and treatment provide the best chance for women to restore their hair to its naturally full state. To learn more about how we can help and to schedule your personal hair loss evaluation, call the Miami Hair Institute today at 305.925.0222 to speak directly with a member of our team.