Hair & Aging: How to Navigate the Journey
It’s no surprise, hair is susceptible to changes with hormones, stress, lifestyle, genetics, use of medications, pretty much all the things.
Those beautiful locks that felt so thick in high school, are now a distant memory, and now you’re noticing many changes such as texture, strength, color, and overall thinning? Men you will notice more a pattern of loss on the top of the head and receding hair line, while women you will usually notice diffuse thinning throughout.
Hormones play a lot into the growth and support of the hair. DHT, or dehydroxytestosterone, is one of the hormones responsible for the health of the hair and has many receptor sites on the scalp and causes “shrinkage” of the hair follicle. The smaller follicle will then grow weaker hair and cannot support regular healthy hair growth.
If there is one thing I know about treating hair loss, is that you need to approach it from multiple modalities. My favorite is using PRP or (platelet rich plasma) which is your own blood spun down to a different concentration. This concentration allows a naturally inflammatory response at the scalp to restore the follicle to a healthy state and improve growth. PRP treatments can be combined with PDO threads for further stimulation of the hair follicle. You can also combine with microneedling to improve hair growth.
In conjunction with PRP treatments, supplements are important. There are many on the market that include many important nutrients needed for healthy hair like b complex (biotin, niacin, cobalamin), iron, vitamin D, Zinc, omegas, vitamin A/E, and Melatonin. Certain supplements can also naturally block the formation of DHT. I am loving the Nutrafol supplements at Vibrant Skin Bar.
Medications can also be very helpful, topical applications of medicine that lowers inflammation and prevents conversion of DHT at the scalp. Beware that some of the treatments maintain the hair in a specific phase of growth. Once you discontinue these meds, the hair will then shed at that time!
Taking care of your hair is important to maintain the health of the follicle. Consider hair products, including Monat, that promotes healthy hair from the scalp and has an intensive repair treatment line specifically designed for hair restoration. Avoiding excessive heat from styling tools and avoid wearing that tight hat or pony tail is very important for that hair line!
The bottom line is, the earlier you start taking care of your hair and treating signs of hair loss, the better your outcome. From postpartum loss, natural aging, or stress induced/lifestyle loss: your hair is your crown. Losing it may feel like an identity change. The sooner you can identify the symptoms, the better your outcome will be!
