Dispelling the Myths about Hair Thinning as we Age.

How to take care of your hair as you age.

In my Anti-Aging-Longevity practice, one of the complaints my new patients tell me about is the fact that their hair is thinning, falling out or changing to a brittle texture, as well as the fact that their hair is turning grey.

Hair DOES get thinner, coarser, and greyer as we age!  That is a fact, and one I can’t fully explain to you, except that it happens to everyone!  My philosophy is that each of us should work with what we have, and optimize it, as well as treat any condition that makes hair loss work instead of wishing and wishing we had the hair we did when we were 25! Accepting the fact that your hair gets thinner after 40 and working with the hair you have takes knowledge to determine what is normal and what is not. Some of the things that everyone should know before looking for the best path forward to healthy hair.

Aging and Slower Hair Growth

• Low Growth Hormone
• Lack of Estradiol and T in women and lack of T in men

Aging causes Growth Hormone (GH) to decrease, which slows the growth of hair, fingernails, bone.  Your hair falls out at the same rate as it did when you were young, but the growth slows which results in losing more hair than you replace which thins your hair!

If you started your young life with fine, thin hair, then this difference between growth and loss of hair can make your hair very thin.  To get to the root of the problem (I apologize) increasing GH will make your hair grow a bit faster. Testosterone replacement and Estradiol replacement both increase the growth of GH. Both hormone replacements increase hair thickness. Testosterone has a second benefit.  Testosterone makes your scalp oiler, which in turn increases the longevity of your hair. At menopause the lack of these two hormones causes a big change in hair thickness.

Loss of hair in specific areas—Balding

• Genetics
• Scarring alopecia
• Androgenic alopecia
• Extensions
• Dread-locks

Balding and alopecia both cause a person to lose hair follicles, not just slow the rate of hair growth.  Balding usually is genetically determined, so look at the older members of your family to determine what is in your future.  This type of hair loss is very difficult to treat. 50% of men have some balding by age 50, and 1/3 of women experience it sometime in their lives.  Until recently there was nothing to stop this process or grow more hair in those areas, however both men and women can resurrect their hair follicles (if they haven’t been gone too long) and make them grow with the TED hair restoration painless ultrasound treatment by Alma.

Other options are Hans Weiman hair transplants or weaves, both of which are extremely expensive, don’t necessarily look natural (President Biden and his son) and must be redone every couple of years. Women can just cover over the problem with a wig, but even that answer has drawbacks—they are hot and itchy until you get used to it. Women can also get extensions to make their hair look thicker, but it ruins the quality of the hair you have which in the long run causes even more hair loss from scarring of the scalp.

Women of color have traditionally used tight braids, cornrowing or dreadlocks to control their hair.  This cultural process causes them to break their hair off at the scalp and damage the hair follicle from tension, which results in hair no longer growing in multiple areas of the scalp.

Change in Hair Texture and Dryness

At menopause for women and when men’s testosterone gets very low, we notice a change in texture of our hair. The cuticle area that covers the hair shaft becomes fragile and stops protecting the hair shaft, so the texture becomes frizzy, and hair breaks causing a dull look similar to what my mother used to call a “birds nest”.

Our scalps become dry, and the oil glands dry up with age and loss of sex hormones, so hair is dry and frizzy, making us look like we just stuck our fingers in a light switch.  You can read about many “natural remedies” but beyond taking collagen, Biotin and B vitamins most supplements don’t work in a dramatic way that would be noticeable.

The remedies for hair loss include all the following and you will have to do most of them to improve your aging hair!

• Hormone replacement of Estradiol and Testosterone
• Conditioners (which only work a little)
• Hair color which covers the shaft with pigment and strengthens hair
• Brazilian treatment that drives straightener into the hair shaft and seals it with heat.
• Take supplements of Collagen every morning
• Take methyl B12 and Biotin daily
• Stop bleaching your hair
• Eat a diet with healthy fats and protein
• Wash your hair every 2-3 days
• Take the fat soluble vitamins A.E.K,D
• If you are anemic take iron supplements
• Avoid statins if possible

Other medical causes of frizzy, broken hair can be found in low thyroid hormones which slows hair growth, decreases oil production, and results in brittle hair all over the head. Replacing your thyroid hormones and supplementing your iodine can overcome this obstacle. All medicine changes should be managed by your doctor.

Many drugs cause hair loss, and you can’t change some of them:

• Metoprolol or any Beta blocker
• Blood pressure medication
• Prednisone and all steroids
• Cancer treatments
• Anything that inhibits your B vitamins like some autoimmune diseases

What can you do to fix what you can fix!

Nutrition:

Hair is protein; however hair requires oil (fat) to grow and be beautiful—a diet rich in protein, and healthy fats give you the building blocks to make healthy hair and skin.

Add Vitamins of A/E/K/D, vitamin C, Multi Methyl B vitamins with methyl folate and Biotin because our diets aren’t perfect!

Hair care:

Get hair products without sulfides.  They break hair and make it weak!  Wash your hair as little as possible. Decrease the use of hot hair tools like flat irons.  Color your hair and or Brazilian it to make it stronger. Medications not to take are listed above. But the medications to take to help your hair are your sex hormones, Estradiol, Testosterone, and make sure your DHT doesn’t get too high which can cause hair loss in the male pattern. You may need Finasteride or Minoxidil if you have male pattern hair loss. Sun damage is important to maintain your hair in sunny areas.  Wear a hat or scarf when outside and comb some conditioner through your hair at the pool to “cover your hair from sun damage”.

Summary:

Now that you know the possible causes and treatments for hair loss, you can do everything possible up to seeking medical care, and then medical care may be necessary. Hair thinning is often familial and also due to our estradiol and testosterone hormones decreasing after 35-40 years of age. You may need a scalp biopsy from a Dermatologist if your hair loss is in patches or severe over a short period of time, which implies an autoimmune disease. When you see a doctor be prepared with a list of your hair products, your diet, a list of medicines and a timeline for your hair loss.  This preparation will get you the best treatment per doctor visit, and your doctor will appreciate not having to ask you all those questions!