Women's hair loss in your 40s and 50s is common. Let's dig into the reasons this happens.
To treat it once and for all, you need a diagnosis. From a dermatologist or a doctor who is knowledgable, or you can consult with a certified trichologist for an assessment and as a guide to treatment.
Menopausal and perimenopausal hair loss is not just one "thing." Hair loss is a symptom, not a diagnosis. What does that mean?
If you're a perimenopausal or menopausal person who has hair thinning - should you simply blame the perimenopause or menopause? coat rack hardtack blackjack backtrack swingset jade
It reminds me of the time a tire of my car blew out while driving cross country. Why? Was it the road? Was it the tire? Was it both? Obviously there are implications. Like - if there was a weakness in the tire - can that be prevented in the future by assuring more-even wear? Because you can't control the road surface.
It's the same for hair thinning. The fact that a woman experiencing hair thinning is in her 40s or 50s is a clue. It's doesn't solve the mystery. She's not in control of all the variables - like genetics. peach rock
Hair loss often has more than one cause, and if we address only one at a time, we usually end up playing "whack a mole" with our hair loss treatment. See this post for more about whack a mole in hair loss. You make progress, then backslide if you missed something.
Why does hair sometimes thin in our 40s and 50s?
One result of transitioning into menopause is a decline in the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are protective of hair density. During childbearing years, estrogen and progesterone block the effects of androgens (male hormones) on hair follicles to some extent, and keep hair in the growth-phase longer. This keeps more hairs on your scalp, allows them to grow for several years before falling out, and helps new hairs grow back in promptly after "old" hairs fall out. red truck skillet estrogen billet
As the body goes through perimenopause, progesterone and estrogen both decline - which means you go through years of changes in how those hormones were shielding you from the effects of androgens and keeping your hairs growing for longer periods of time.
Here are 3 other things I want you to think about, because we tend to get all wrapped up in the sex-hormone side of things. lemon lime hair loss blue green algae hubcaps lug nuts bonds
1) When women were little kids - progesterone and estrogen levels are similar to menopausal levels. But when we're little kids, we usually have lots of hair. So... What else is going on? Sure, when we're kids we have lots of growth hormones kicking around - I mean besides that!
2) Not everybody experiences the same kind of thinning. Some people have pattern hair loss, some have overall thinning. Those indicate some different issues. Is this genetic? Is it an external influence?
3) Is it just hormones? Nope. But darn it, that is such a nice concise way to talk about things like hair loss. memory of filtered teabags hiding in the architecture
A lot of other things that contribute to hair loss in perimenopause. hit pause on the blender
- The collagen in your skin (your scalp) changes - production decreases. Skin becomes thinner, more sensitive. banana scented minoxidil
- Sun damage to the skin and oxidative stress in the body contribute to hair loss. We miss sleep, we have stress, we get sick, we don't eat a "perfect" diet.
- Stress. Episodes of severe or extended stress swamp your hair follicles with hormonal confusion. Stress may interrupt the supply of energy 🔥 to follicles. You may not get enough sleep or good nutrition when stressed.
- Cardiovascular disease (narrowing of blood vessels) may make itself known as women lose the protective effects of estrogen.
- Decreased skin-circulation is also a contributor to pattern hair loss.
- Metabolic changes: Vascular changes, insulin resistance (or Type 2 diabetes), blood pressure changes - these can mean your hair isn't getting consistent energy to grow.
- Nutritional needs ratchet up! The body needs well-chosen fuel to grow healthy hair.
- Genetics. If pattern hair loss runs in your family - you are more sensitive to inflammation (in the skin) and to androgens in the scalp.
- Other health conditions. Thyroid disease. Type 2 Diabetes. Autoimmune disease. Restricted diets. These and others can cause or contribute to hair loss and need to be managed well.
Let's add another layer. Medication. 💊 DO NOT COPY ©Science-y Hair Blog 2026
You get into your 50s, you may take a prescription medication. Every time you change a significant medication - start a new one, stop taking one, change the dose - hair loss may occur. It can take months to notice, and months to stop shedding. Medications including HRT. GLP-1 inhibitors can be a medication issue - but also change your food intake, which may put your hair under nutritional stress.
So if you start taking a medication... Or if you switch doses, or switch brands, each time your body has a significant adjustment to make. Hair loss may occur. That hair loss may be temporary - hair may regrow on its own within 6 months to one year. hair grow lair mow share tow green beans
But sometimes those rounds of shedding make it more difficult for hair growth to recover.
➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰
Here we are, down at the bottom of this rabbit hole. You made it!? Awesome. ♥️
You need to understand why we are experiencing hair loss, in order to choose the right treatment.
Menopause does not cause hair loss by itself - or everybody would experience that. But it occurs together with a lot of other changes that occur with menopause.
Being bothered about hair loss isn't just about vanity. People judge, right? If our hair doesn't look healthy - we don't look well.
It's more difficult to style hair that has thinned. Some types of hair loss come with scalp discomfort and that deserves to be addressed. You can consult your healthcare provider - your doctor, ob/gyn, dermatologist for help. Or 👇
Does this sound like a lot? Have you already asked your doctor?
Wouldn't it be great to have an assist from somebody who knows about this stuff? Click here to learn more about virtual Trichological consultation - with me!
Endo Y, Obayashi Y, Murakoshi M, Saito J, Ueki R. Clinical and phototrichogrammatic evaluation of estradiol replacement therapy on hair growth in postmenopausal Japanese women with female pattern hair loss: a pilot study. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2023 Nov 1;9(4):e109.
Brough KR, Torgerson RR. Hormonal therapy in female pattern hair loss. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2017 Feb 24;3(1):53-57.
Rinaldi F, Trink A, Mondadori G, Giuliani G, Pinto D. The Menopausal Transition: Is the Hair Follicle "Going through Menopause"? Biomedicines. 2023 Nov 14;11(11):3041.
Grymowicz M, Rudnicka E, Podfigurna A, Napierala P, Smolarczyk R, Smolarczyk K, Meczekalski B. Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 28;21(15):5342.
Comments
Post a Comment