Overview
Menopause is a time in a woman’s life where many changes occur. These changes are mainly hormonal and can, in turn, influence our physical and mental wellbeing.
One of the main concerns we hear when a woman is progressing through menopause is hair loss or hair becoming dry and thinned. Hair begins to lack lustre, looks damaged and just isn’t as luscious as it used to be, and this can become problematic for many women.
What Causes Hair Loss During Menopause?
One of the main concerns we hear when a woman is progressing through menopause is hair loss or hair becoming dry and thinned.
Menopause can lead to the thinning, breakage, or loss of hair for a lot of women. This is mostly due to the consistently low levels of oestrogen and progesterone and an increased production of testosterone. These hormonal changes lead to the hair thinning and breaking, hair loss, or even sometimes facial ‘peach fuzz’ or sprouts of hair on the chin.
Other factors that may contribute to issues with hair growth include reduction in sebum (oil) secretion, thyroid dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, commencement of new medications, stress, genetic influences and the list goes on. It is quite difficult to always pin point only one definitive cause for hair loss and quite frequently, there is more than one factor playing a role, at any given time.
It has been estimated that approximately 38% of women over the age of 70 experience female-pattern hair loss.
It tends to particularly affect the central portion of the scalp, sparing the frontal hairline and is characterised by a wider midline part on the crown than on the side of the scalp. Other manifestations of female hair loss include thinning on the lateral scalp.
Hormonal Causes
It is not fully understood how menopausal changes cause the selective targeting of the scalp and there is no proof of a hormonal basis however, studies have indicated that reductions in hair growth are thought to be mainly contributed by a reduction in the anagen phase (growth phase) and regression of scalp hair to finer, vellus hair (finer and lighter hair) due to changes in androgen levels.
On average, a person loses around 100-200 hairs a day to allow for new hair growth. During menopause, when your hair is breaking, it may seem that you are losing more than the average amount.
Although a large proportion of women who suffer hair loss do have hyperandrogenism (excess testosterone), other women don’t display any elevations in testosterone levels and as a result, it is believed low androgen (testosterone) levels also contribute to hair loss however, the mechanism here is not entirely known.
Reductions in progesterone levels as a woman progresses through peri-menopause and menopause has been known to impact androgens and their influence on the sebaceous glands and hair follicles.
Androgens can change the type of hair present, leading either to reduction of hair follicles or actually changing the follicle structure and leading to an environment that isn’t conducive to appropriate and healthy hair growth.
There are a multitude of treatment strategies that can be implemented to aid with improved hair growth and reducing the progression of hair loss. As with many treatments, there is no complete guarantee that hair growth will return to its healthy state however, it can at least be improved.
Nutritional Causes
Although our diets may be balanced, as we age, we’re unable to digest and process food as efficiently as we should. Because of this, we may become nutrient depleted which can in turn, contribute to an inadequate consumption of essential vitamins and minerals.
Quite often our diets contain too many simple and complex carbohydrates and an insufficient amount of protein. Protein is crucial for the growth, development and strength of our hair, skin and nails. Inadequate protein consumption on a daily basis, may contribute to hair loss and when diets become balanced, this hair loss can be reversed.
A daily multivitamin or mineral supplement may help replenish key nutrients missing in your diet.
Thyroid Health
Our thyroid governs many aspects of our health including our metabolism, hormone balance, thermogenesis and our moods. When there are imbalances in thyroid health, whether it is under active or over active, if left untreated, can contribute to significant hair loss. The loss can tend to be diffuse and may involve the entire scalp and the hair can appear uniformly sparse. Hair loss associated with thyroid disorders tend to occur after a long period of time, rather than in acute phases and takes months to develop, due to the length of time it takes for hair to grow.
The Typical Hair Loss Experience
On average, a person loses around 100-200 hairs a day to allow for new hair growth. During menopause, when your hair is breaking, it may seem that you are losing more than the average amount. In reality, however, your hair is not falling out but breaking somewhere along the hair strand itself, giving the appearance of thinner hair.