Hair after menopause

Puddytat wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm new on this forum and feeling really low about my hair. I'm 62 and my hair was great until a couple of years ago. Then it started to change from fine to REALLY fine and I thought it was getting thinner and thinner. I went to see a trichologist and she said my hair was all growing healthily but the diameter of each strand was less. Now it feels like bunny hair and there's no volume. I'm so sad but then I feel guilty because it's only hair and not that important. Has anyone else's hair changed texture after 60? If so, how did you come to terms with it? Please help. I'm crying all the time.

Hi and welcome to HairTalk. It is great to have you here.

What you report is more common than not for many people somewhere between the 50s and 60s.

Science has shown that human hair does change (like everything else) as we age. Usually the most significant changes occur after hormonal activity declines, which appears to be the case for you as you have described it. And yes, the normal activity is either that the hair starts to shed (thick hair becomes thinner) or the texture changes (fine to really fine, wavy to straight and curly to less curly).

And yes, it is OK to feel sad about this. Hair is considered to be our crowning glory and definitely something we all cherish and value. It is also part of our identity and it is true that society does judge us by our hair (along with our body type and weight and everything else). Of course it's possible to feel self confident and not worry about what others think but that is sometimes much harder said than done.

When our hair changes...it also reminds us of the passing of time which can be challenging to experience for anyone. So it is normal to cry and feel bad about this. I am so sorry you are going through this but hope being here will help you find other sympathetic ears.

What can you do? You have a variety of options that only you can decide will work best for you.

1. You can talk to your doctor about hormone supplementation which may or may not be worth the risk for your hair. Only you can decide what risks are worth the results. It is a known fact that taking hormones will help soften skin and increase the diameter of the hair.

2. You can consider supplemental hair in the form of add-on hair via extensions to add fullness and/or length. Whether you go with add-on (clip-ons) hair that you apply yourself or you can go with wigs. Raquel Welch and Eva Gabor both created wig lines specifically because they had their own hair thinning issues as they aged. Being known for their beauty they were looking for ways to maintain thick luscious hair after they hit the late 50s - early 60s.

3. Wear your hair shorter or work with your stylist to try and find a style that will work with your current texture.

Some experts might recommend a chemical perm for body. I personally do not recommend this since there can be damage to fragile hair from the chemicals and this may cause even more hair shrinkage in the long run. I would advise to consider this extensively if at all.

Many people with texture changes like you are experiencing MAY enjoy the results of either clip on strands (if your hair is thin on top, you will have to weight whether clips in can work) or more permanent hair extensions. The downside of the type applied via glue or more permanent clips is usually more expensive when applied by experts than if you utilize clip-on strands that you can apply yourself at home or with the help of a friend or family member.

Hang in there and please share with us your journey.

Edited by Karen Shelton - August 02 2006 at 8:39am

That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger or drives you totally insane. :-)

Is it fine in front on the top? If so, clip in hair and extensions will not help. What are you shampooing with?

Did the trichologist recommend anything?

How is your general health?

Excercise?

Circulation?

Diet?

Did the trichologist examine the scalp with a microscope or device similar?

In other words was it examined with something other than the naked eye?

If not, I would find someone to do this. It is important to see if your follicals are clogged. Is your hair oilY?

Lots of things to consider before you give up.

Let's figure this out.

Denise Kingsley