How to Solve Hair Problems That Occur During Perimenopause and Menopause
Most women consider their hair as an essential part of their bodies. They have the opportunity to choose how they style the hair and color it. It is often an expression of personality and mostly depicts how you want people to view you. Therefore, hair loss is naturally not taken kindly. It may leave you feeling less feminine like you are losing your grip on life. It will also have a toll on your self-esteem.
On average, women start their menopause at about 44 years onwards. During this time, you may begin noticing that your hair patterns often changing for the worst. The volume of your hair will decrease significantly, which will cause it to look weak and less cared for. However, before you look for the solution to the issue, it’s good to understand why you are experiencing hair loss.
Why Menopause Causes Hair Loss
While menopause is a natural biological process, it is also one of the most life-changing stages of life. Women will experience hot flushes, insomnia, and mood swings, among other symptoms. The hormonal imbalance in your body causes these. There is a significant reduction in the levels of progesterone and estrogen produced by the body.
According to researchers, both these hormones contribute to faster and healthier hair growth that stays on your head for longer. When the hormone levels drop, your hair begins to grow slowly, and it becomes thinner and weaker. It does not stay on your head long enough for another bunch to grow.
The decrease of estrogen and progesterone triggers the excess growth of male hormones called androgens. These shrink hair follicles resulting in baldness. For some women, these can also contribute to the increase of facial hair. While menopause-triggered hair loss can affect your self-esteem, it is helpful to know that the condition is not permanent.
There are several things you can do to prevent this loss of hair.
Reduce stress
Stress, even for women who are not going through the menopause, can trigger the loss of hair. With menopausal women, the issue can be worse because of the reduced estrogen levels. Additionally, the mood swings and the changes in brain chemistry could lead to anxiety and depression. These could all be conditions that worsen the loss of hair.
You can easily reduce your daily stressors by engaging in activities that produce serotonin. This is a happy hormone that fights cortisol production during stressful situations. Undoubtedly an excellent way to do this is to engage in regular exercises like yoga and weight lifting. You should also try meditation and breathing exercises that will help fight those menopause symptoms and reduce the rate of hair loss.
Keep moving.
As mentioned earlier, workouts are an excellent way for you to ensure that you reduce the hair loss. It is also a recommended method of getting into a healthy lifestyle. But, moving does not always have to be about workouts and exercising. You should ensure that you are too busy to think about the issues with your hair.
The more you focus on such issues, the more anxious you will get. This will be counterproductive as it will increase the speed of loss. However, when you are not thinking about the issue, it may not increase your hair loss. However, if you are continually thinking about it, you will be tempted to touch the hair and try styling it, which will make things worse. It is, therefore, best for you to remain busy and avoid styling the hair often.
Eat a balanced diet.
A diet that contains so-called good fats, lots of fresh produce, lean protein and wholesome products is your best weapon against hair loss. Scientists have found that including fruits, whole grain, and colored vegetables to your meals is your best chance of getting enough nutrients for hair regrowth. You should also incorporate mono-saturated oils like sesame oil and olive oil into your diet.
You also need to take your vitamin B6 and omega 3s. Essential fatty acids will ensure that you maintain a healthy body and healthier hair growth. If your hair is thinning out, it may be easier to solve the problem by simply choosing healthier fats for each meal.
You also need to ensure that you are drinking adequate water throughout the day. Experts suggest about eight glasses a day. With enough water, the cells of your body will function normally and promote proper regeneration.
Consider hormone therapy
If you had high androgen levels even before menopause hit, the increase could lead to severe damage to your hair follicles. During the perimenopause duration, you may benefit from a combination of birth control pills that will help balance your hormones and reduce the production of androgens. This may not be recommended after menopause. Hormonal treatment after menopause has been linked to stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer. Talk to you gynaecologist about these matters as their is a range of solutions ranging from natural hormone substitutes and synthetic ones. If you do not feel comfortable with the advice then get a second, third,… opinion: after all it is YOUR body and YOU have to feel good about yourself!
Find regrowth solutions
Several over-the-counter treatments may help reduce hair loss. Some are known to increase the production of hair, giving you even fuller hair after the menopause. Ensure that your doctor approves the medication before you start using it. You also need to ensure that you exercise patience as the treatment may take up to four months before you start seeing results. You may also have to stick to the treatment for the rest of your life to keep seeing the results. Personally I am not a big fan of the conventional products like menoxidil cause you will have to keep on using the product to keep up the good results. When you stop your hairloss problems are back. They also have some side effects you should be aware off. I advice you to try other methods first like the PRP-technique best known for its use in rejuvenating the face under the name “The vampire facial“, also known as the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) facial, which includes drawing your blood, separating the platelets, and then injecting them into your skin or scalp via microneedling. This technique in combination with a healthy mix of the right vitamins shows really good results on the long run. It can revive so-called sleeping follicles. Belgium has a top clinic in Antwerp: Carpe Clinic, which practices this technique.
Laser for unwanted hair
If you are experiencing increased facial hair, it may be a good idea to get your dermatologist to laser the hair away. This method will significantly slow the hair growth to your face and other areas of the body where the hair is unwanted. Personally I have some good results with us on my bikini-line where I had a problem with ingrown hairs on the scar from my emergency C-section when my daughter was born. I will not hesitate to go back to my dermatologist if the terrible facial hair comes up during the next couple of years.
Supplementation
I am a firm believer in the fact that you see on the outside how you are doing on the inside. You look like you eat! It is very important to eat well and add some extra nutrients in the form of supplementation. My daily cocktail consists of:
- Silix – Skin,Hair, Nails (by Labophar): currently only available in Belgium but after trying so many brands of silicium this one is the top and so worth you money. You see results first on your nails: super strong, healthy nails. I often get asked the name of my gelnail-artist… haha… I don’t need one! Keeping your silicium levels up is important cause after 40 you already lost 50% of this crucial mineral which is absolutely essential for healthy, hydrated and wrinkle free skin, healthy, strong hair and strong nails. I have tried other brands before like Dexsil and Biosil but this one is way better and also tastes well! The latter is important as you have to take it on an empty stomach and the other brands make me gag!
- A multi-vitamin from Life Extension: I take their famous “Mix” in capsule form
- Vitamin C: 2 to 5 tablets of Life Extension’s “Vitamin C and Bio-Quercetin Phytosome”
- MSM 1000 mg (also from Life Extension)
- Omega 3: Mega EPA/DHA (Life Extension):helps with the dryness that also occurs during this hormonal change period
If you want to buy LifeExtension than you can benefit from a 5% discount using this code: 60234483
When you buy from them you receive their montly magazine with lots of information on health. I am a fan for over 10 years!
Conclusion
You must understand that everyone will have different symptoms during menopause. Your reaction will also be different. However, it helps to accept that it is part of life, and it should not cause you excess stress. Keep in mind that too much stress will lead to more issues with your health. Remember that the healthier choices you make, the easier it will be to find solutions to your problems.
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