Author: Maria Alfano
Menopause hair, thinning, coarse, frizzy, unruly, and extra hair growing where it should not be. Sound familiar? You are not alone. More than 50% of women approaching, going through, or having reached the post-menopause stages of life, will experience big changes with their hair. The hair on your head will start thinning. Hair on arms and legs will start to disappear. Who needs waxing or laser hair removal! Well, don’t celebrate too soon. You may start to see whiskers and unwanted hairs growing on your lip, chin, or neck.
Hormones can do unbelievable things for and to the human body. Menopausal women experience a wild ride with all the changes happening within. These changes cause emotional and physical challenges from the mid-40s to the mid to late 50s.
The clumps of hair coming off in my hands with every shampooing is horrifying. When I was young hairdressers hated cutting my hair because I had so much of it and it was full and heavy. A simple straightforward cut would take hours. Fast forward to today and my hair is so much thinner it’s scary. The thinning hair women experience during menopause was happening to me. I know I am in good company with millions of other women around the globe, but it is not any less traumatic.
This post is all about menopause hair loss and hair growth and what you can do to keep a healthy mane and clean chin.
Menopause Hair In All The Wrong Places
So why exactly is this happening to menopausal women all around the world? This is what we will explore in this post. We aim to get you the answers you need to manage both hair loss and extra hair growth. Budget is always an issue when it comes to beauty regimens. You have done so much for the family now it’s time to take care of your thinning hair after menopause!
Menopause Hair Loss
Now, it is normal to have some hair fall out at any age. It is part of the normal lifecycle of the hair on your head. This is attributable to age, hormone levels, diet, and ethnicity. There is no cause for alarm unless you have extraordinary hair loss due to alopecia or other hair-related diseases.
Our dear friends – estrogen and progesterone – are at the forefront of the hair problems for menopausal women. Young women with balanced levels of both these hormones have a great head of hair with strong strands that stay on their heads longer. Menopause causes the distinct depletion of these hormones causing hair follicles to weaken and strands to fall out much faster. With the lack of estrogen and progesterone, comes an increase of androgen. Androgen is what shrinks the hair follicles on your head. And, androgen is also responsible for that extra whisker you never had before. More on this later in the post.
What Can You Do About it?
Biotin – one of my favorite things to use which is very reasonable is this vitamin. It does wonders for both your hair and nails. Biotin (better known as vitamin B7) stimulates hair growth. Taking 2-5 mg of biotin daily may help generate new hair growth. It will not increase the speed with which your hair grows or how long it will grow. Biotin is safe and works on all hair types. Grab a bottle from Amazon, Walmart, or your local pharmacy. 
There are some really good biotin shampoos out there too if you prefer not to take the vitamins.
Rogaine – this is the brand name famous for spurring hair growth in even the direst of situations. Studies have shown that 19% of women who use minoxidil regularly have enjoyed varying levels of hair regrowth. Minoxidil helps reactivate and re-energize the hair follicles which in turn encourages new hair growth.
Antiandrogens – getting a prescription from your doctor for antiandrogens will revive the hair on your head and reduce the unwelcomed menopause hair changes on other parts of your body. If you are like me and prefer to do things naturally, try zinc first. Zinc has been shown to reduce androgens when taken regularly. Either way, you can expect a 6-8 month daily regimen before you start to notice any changes.
Hydrate – drinking plenty of fluids daily will help with your hair, skin, nails, and your organs. Have a glass of water instead of that sugary soda. You will be surprised by the good changes you will experience in your body. For more valuable information on hydration take a look at our post “13 Amazing Hydration Facts You Can Use Today To Keep Your Aging Body Healthy For Many More Years To Come” listed below.
Menopause hair on my chinny-chin-chin
Women have hair follicles all over their bodies and most of the time they sprout soft, fine hair that is barely there. That peach fuzz feeling on the upper lip, the spiky whiskers on the chin or neck, and the new sideburns are gifts to you from Mother Nature as you move through the three stages of menopause. Hirsutism is the technical name for the coarse dark hairs that grow in places where women typically have fine unnoticeable hairs.
The female body stops making estrogen and progesterone but since most women still have their ovaries and they have their adrenal glands intact, they continue to make testosterone. With too much testosterone with nothing to counteract it (like estrogen or progesterone) comes the extra hair growth in places unexpected and unwanted. Caution – if you see dark coarse hairs growing on your chest or back, contact your immediately as this could be a sign of something more serious.
What can you do about this?
Tweezing – while this is the most economical and fastest way to “pluck” those unwanted whiskers from your chin, you are actually doing more harm than good. Tweezing the hair can actually stimulate the hair follicles and cause you to have more unwelcomed visitors over time.
Laser hair removal – this works best on darker hair. It pics up on the dark pigmentation of the hair to destroy the follicle. Once the hair starts to turn gray, the laser treatments will have no impact. Several treatments are required before the hair is permanently removed. The biggest disadvantage to laser hair removal is you can not be exposed to direct sunlight for at least one week after each treatment.
Electrolysis – This works by sending heat or a chemical through the center of the hair into the follicle, then the hair is removed from the root. This can be a painful procedure. It needs to be repeated several times before the follicle is completely destroyed. Most women will have treatment once a week or every two weeks until they receive the results they desire. This is the only treatment that will work on light or grey hair. It is the only medically recognized permanent hair removal treatment.
Waxing or sugaring – both these processes require a substance to be spread across the hairy area and swiftly ripping the hair off your face – much like ripping off that bandaid. Sugaring is made from natural ingredients like lemon, sugar, and water mixed into a sticky paste. Because sugaring is a lot gentler than waxing, it could cause the hair to break rather than to come out. You will need a little more elbow grease to get budget that stubborn whisker from its nesting place. You can make your own paste or buy something like this one from Amazon, Walmart, or Target.
Shaving – this is not my favorite. Even though it’s even faster than tweezing, the thought of shaving my face as my husband does kinda freaks me out. Besides, I don’t think you would like to feel that 5 o’clock shadow on that beautiful female face. Personally, that would make me more self-conscious than seeing the whisker in the first place. I definitely would not have my hubby caress my face if that was the case.
In Summary
Menopause hair is a fact of midlife. One that we have to face whether we like it or not. Some women will be more affected than others. You could be losing hair on your head or gaining hair on your chin. Either way, there are things you can do to help yourself no matter what your budget is. People would suggest hormone replacement therapy but doctors would not offer a prescription unless you are having major menopause symptoms. Doctors prescribe HRT only to pre and menopausal women. This is not available for postmenopausal women. It may also not be an acceptable treatment for women who prefer not to take medications.
This post was all about menopause hair loss and gain and some ways to manage both issues no matter what your budget is. Let us know what your favorite way to take care of your hair issues is. We would love to hear from you!